A thought on "nobility of soul"

A friend asked me the other day if I ever get writer's block. And I didn't quite know how to answer.

Because I never have the feeling that I must write but can't for whatever reason. I don't have publisher deadlines or a book to complete. Yes, I can have moments of feeling meh and low energy and not in any kind of creative vibe. But block? Not really. Because poetry is my way of finding my place in and making sense of this world. One of my daughters says I externalize my inner-process. She's right. I talk it out. And I also "poetisize-it-out".

So, if I feel there is something inside seeking expression and I don't quite know how to release it, I try a few different things:

--I find the first five things that catch my attention, find the connection and write

--I listen to an album or one particular singer

--I look at photos and see if something sparks a memory

--I write down my inner-dialogue

--I read my favorite poets

This morning in fact I read these lines by Theodore Rothke: "What's madness but nobility of soul at odds with circumstance." These lines were so perfect that I read them over and over and over. I had been feeling so different and disconnected and there were his lines, telling me that maybe being different isn't the problem.

So I just took a deep breath, said, thank you Theodore, and wrote some lines, a sort of ode to nobility of soul. And maybe that's what poetry is really all about for me--it returns me to the nobility of my soul. So may we all find our own practices to remind ourselves and return to our nobility of soul.