Sour Kiss

Today I spent the day writing.  I'm experimenting with narrative poetry and I'm not sure how it's working yet.  I am thinking of Kristin Prevallet's essays in I, AfterLife or Dennison Smith's novel Scavenger. Neither example actually fit the term narrative poetry but it's definitely a specific kind of storytelling that I'm trying. I'd mention Walcott's Omeros or Ondaatje's The English Patient but that kind of storytelling is a league all their own.

I am just letting the words come out first.  No holds bar.  It's partly autobiographical and at time I can feel my censor sitting on my shoulder whispering..."you can't write that, then everyone will know." And I write the words anyway.  It's terribly graphic and I have a tendency to want to fix the language from it's raw state but I stop myself and tell myself to keep going. I wrote over 2,600 words with my starting point being a 300-word working poem called Sour Kiss.

I turned down an invitation to go out because I have been promising myself some quiet time to write.  I wanted to get beyond journal entries and note scraps.  I wanted to get beyond the recycled bullshit that is constantly churning in the grey matter.  I'm writing about being with the Cuban...a pivotal relationship that I had back in the late 90's. It's taken me a long time to be able to write from an honest place about that chapter  in my life but I finally feel ready to tackle it.  It's not an easy process but the mix of creative narrative with memory helps with the transitions.

It's strange to listen so closely to the echoes of my past.  I'm trying to capture moments and feelings but it still feels like I'm on the outskirts of the story.  Tomorrow I will work some more and see how far I get.  My goal is to get the words down...no revising for now.  But I've worked long enough and I need a dinner break now.  I think it's time to go get some sushi or at the very least order in.  Hmmm decisions, decisions.   A good walk in the afternoon rain sounds about right.  

Peace,
L~


All artwork, photos, and text © Copyright 2008-2014 Liliana Almendarez unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Liliana Almendarez.