I once wrote dialogues between the poet and the poem. This prompt is a little like that kind of dialogue, but even a bit more complicated. Here it is from Maureen at Napowrimo: “I challenge you to write a poem that addresses itself or some aspect of itself (i.e., “Dear Poem,” or “what are my quatrains up to?”; “Couplet, come with me . . .”) This might seem a little “meta” at first, or even kind of cheesy. But it can be a great way of interrogating (or at least, asking polite questions) of your own writing process and the motivations you have for writing, and the motivations you ascribe to your readers.”
So here we go. I could go on forever. . .
Whitehall Plantation Oak, painting by poet
Dear Poem of my Heart
You are bread.
You are wine.
You are water to thirst.
You are sun on my face.
You are waves washing ashore.
You are black earth turned.
You are lilacs in bloom.
You are a quilted blanket in winter.
You are a Live Oak of shade in July.
You are an exuberant embrace.
You are a tender kiss.
You are an unruly muse.
You are puzzling line breaks.
You are a sing-song rhyme scheme,
a tedious syllable counting task.
You are a clumsy metaphor.
You are a graceful metaphor.
You are the poem of my heart and
dreams. A poem the poet writes to a poem
is like Poe’s a “dream within a dream.”
Jacquelyn Markham (4/12/2023)
Poet Voice 