Of Poem Composing and Travel Fretting

This morning I was feeling like a dried out husk, with no ideas for writing, a poet who would never write a poem again.  I thought about approaches that often work:  taking a real or fictional character and writing a poem from a different angle or taking a minor character and giving the character a voice.  Nothing.

I scrolled through my blog posts that get an "inspiration" tag so that I can find them when I need inspiration.  I went back several years and again, nothing.

Then a line drifted across my brain:  I keep this garlic press although it only has one purpose.  I thought of my juicer, which also only has one purpose but takes up more room in the cabinet.  I was off--and I finally wrote a poem.

I thought I might walk this morning, but I ended up needing a more leisurely morning.  I got some writing done, a bill from the contractor paid, some calendar planning with both my spouse and my soul (I need to get to Mepkin Abbey in the near future).

Today is a long day:  lots of accreditation writing/revising/proofing during the day, followed by an evening meeting at a different campus.  I am weary at the thought of it--another reason I wanted a more leisurely morning.

I have also been thinking about the fact that the AWP is less than 2 weeks away.  I am nervous about making my way from the airport to the hotel.  How hard can this be?  Millions of people do this every day.

At least I don't have to worry that I'll be on one of those new Boeing planes that have a disturbing tendency to fall out of the sky.  Yes, statistics people, I know I'm exaggerating.  I'm safer on a plane than I am in a car.  But I do love my car.

I always wanted to be the fearless traveler who went anywhere with just a credit card in her pocket and a lot of gumption. I fear I am becoming the kind of person that those bus tours across Europe are designed for.

But I want to believe that as long as I'm forcing myself to do occasional trips that are outside my comfort zone, that I won't be the kind of little old lady who refuses to leave the house at night.