Catching Idle Butterflies

From Broad to Intricate Strokes

Writing, as with any other art begins simply. We look at letters and words as a child sees paper and paint. We stare at it for a while, wondering how to use these new, strange, yet exciting tools. We then grab a brush, plunge it into a color and splatter that paint all over the paper. We don’t care at first its shape, but merely to see how the brush shapes the paint and how the paper absorbs it. Braver now, we try another color, then another, amazed and thrilled how the colors look next to each other and how they blend together. We practice more, and we find our strokes and choice of colors become more deliberate and intricate. We soon decide to paint something specific, something anyone can see and understand.

As I said in a previous entry my first attempts at writing took the form of lyrics. Some, like a child diving into painting for the first time, are more abstract in their meaning as I played with the words I knew to see how they fit and flowed together. As I wrote more, the more they took on a discernable shape.

You can find the better ones in

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The last one "Invalid Entry"  I’m the most fond of. I wrote it on a whim because I was . . . well . . . restless during a youth conference meeting. I have the original still where after writing it, I showed it to my friend, Vicki. In large letters she wrote along the top, “This would make a great punk song!” I giggled the entire time I rewrote it and posted it here. I hope you find it just as entertaining!

I have many poems even more abstract than these songs, but I was too tired to write them all in last night. I’ll let you know as soon as I add them to my portfolio.