Over at dVerse Poets Pub, Mary is tending the bar and asking us to write poems in answer to the question: ‘WHO or WHAT do you miss?’
I miss… understanding (between people). We are too quick to judge, to criticise, to retort, to ban. However, the poem below took me in a different, unexpected direction, although it started with a lack of understanding…
The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Writer
His head contains worlds.
People pop out to smoke cigarettes
simper, gossip, screw and pray
maggotty ideas fester ā let them die ā
voices assault us daily.
What is real he no longer can say.
Heās tried to flirt with mainstream
but his world stays out of kilter
at an angle only he can measure
drumming beats no one will follow
there is no shared vision
how we wish we could belong.
Come inside the head, ladies and gents!
Pause, admire, discover
underneath he’s much like you
a gentler man of erudite barbs
one read and youāll be captivated
I know he’s worked so hard for this:
How can I make you know too?
findingtimetowrite 
Oh, what an evocative picture of the writer, Marina Sofia! There really is a distance in thinking between writers and people who aren’t writers. Or, perhaps it’s more accurate to say that writers keep their distance from others in a way… Fascinating!
There is such a desire to be understood – and yet there is always a gap between what was in the writer’s mind and what is on paper, and what is on paper and what forms in the reader’s mind… it fascinates me. And then there are those who are deliberately obscure…
The first line is fantastic, as is “maggotty ideas fester ā let them die ā” Great poem.
Thank you, Robert – you won’t know how many changes that first line underwent…
I get it.
I really love this one – the gap in understanding is always potentially there and you’ve captured this so evocatively!
Oh, I had to read this over a few times. Really gave a strong picture of the mind of a writer. Perhaps in some ways all writers miss being understood sometime…when the vision that they have is not shared!
It’s always a fine balancing act between ‘I’m writing to express my true and authentic self’ and ‘I’m writing for an audience’, but I suppose in our heart of hearts we keep hoping someone will understand adn appreciate our authentic self.
I really connected with this one.. to really connect takes effort, it takes work… both for the reader and the writer… but fireworks occur.. it’s like being a teacher, when you have those rare moment that feels almost electric.. there is a special kind of silence when that happens.. and so often that connection is missed.
I am a sucker for those moments of understanding ‘Aha moments’ in the classroom, but sadly you never quite know if your writing connects in the same way – unless you meet some of your readers. Which is why I suppose writers enjoy meeting fans who have obviously read their books and loved them at those literary festivals…
I dig the portrait for sure, but for me as actor/writer/teacher, I have to go among folks to gather real data for my imaginings on paper. I used to say when younger, “I live it in summer, & write about it in winter.”; smile.
The ivory tower is a dangerous place to be, isn’t it?
I do like this one. One to savour and re-read š
This is strong piece, indeed. Well done.
LOVE the title, and the premise in this poem, the person hidden in layers who would like to be known and understood.
LOVE this – as writers/ poets we strive to connect with our readers as we write down our deepest thoughts – unfold. Beautifully executed š
Lots of love,
Sanaa
A strong write that resonates with me.
Ah yes, as writers we yearn to be heard, understood, appreciated. Sometimes I think only another writer/poet can truly understand us. Especially if we write outside of the mainstream, the audience is even harder to find. Thought-provoking piece.
such a brilliant idea–to make it a third person expose. That allows you to vent somewhat anonymously but freely. That’s an idea I’m tucking away for future use. How many of us can identify with this, I wonder?
As a child I always wondered whether the writers had thought of all the things the teachers wanted us to find and understand in literary texts. I wonder if many writers are astounded at what people write about their works.
I like the perspective of the writer Marina ~ I appreciate writer’s passion for words and time and devotion to the craft ~
There is a glaring gap between the writer’s mind to that of the reader’s comprehension. Poetry is such that one cannot explain the context of situation in every one of them. The writer may not realize that only some can readily understand!
Hank
There definitely is a desire to be understood in my writing. I used to get a little worked up when what I wrote was not interpreted as I had intended. I thought I had to clarify it for people but now I mostly let it go. People get out of what they read in a personal capacity I suppose. This was a quite unexpected idea that you wrote of but I really appreciate it, Marina Sofia.
I resonate to the idea of living at an angle only we can measure. Is “in kilter” even possible?
I understand…
In the past.. i am often disappointed
to find so many closed
minds online..
however science
is a friend too..
and after finding
the genetic and environmental
reasons why closed minded
leaning people are the
way they are
with or without
explanation from
them.. i learn now to
understand.. and accept
what makes my skin
crawl.. as
limited minds..
knowing and
feeling that
open minds make
their skin crawl
too.. smiles..
accept what
we can..
and change what
we can.. and don’t
expect to change
what cannot
be changed..
but when it changes..
be thrilLed.. why not..
a nice way to live
free and at peace of mind..
and there is always an
off button/moderation
button for those who
can only
see
so far..
without discomfort
and sometimes yes..
GREAT DISCOMFORT..
it all balances out in the
now as there must
be order
and freedom to make
a world of humans now
in numbers we have
continue to make it..
at all.. on or offline
in the
REALEST WORLD
NOW.. smiles again..:)
I often wonder if people do truly understand what I write at times – there will be a comment and I will say to myself, no…that isn’t what it “meant” it means exactly what it says. I know one time I wrote a poem with “rains” in it, in context of it actually raining. I guess because it was a poem and poets were reading, many took it for “reigns” which was strange, given the contest. I guess people think poems have to be obscure and have multiple meanings. The last stanza is excellent – the first line almost like a barker at a side show – come inside the head – sometimes I guess we all feel like this. Are we truly understood or are we just literary freaks…
I can’t imagine someone stepping inside my head and not getting totally lost, caught up in the things I think of writing, but don’t commit to paper (or computer) and the things that I do manage to write. It’s a chasm for sure. Nice write. Peace, Linda