Hi Christina,
It's really, really good to read from you again!
How's things? I hope eveything's OK.
And this poem...
Well, you're right! I slapped the title onto it just before I posted it - 
and never thought it through carefully enough. I love the title, though! I 
think it's a musing from Paul Klee about drawing but it seems such a good 
avice for creating poems as well. Perhaps it's too good a title! Perhaps it 
says too much!
I must admit I've NEVER EVER written a poem about writing poems before.
I think things need clarifying a little as well. The last 4 ;lines were 
written a while after the previous part. So I sense that, before the poem 
has finished, I might be thinking more about reading, maybe revising, a poem 
than writing the first draft of a poem. (Ha! One thing I can't cope with at 
all well is being interrupted when I'm scribbling or typing!)
Perhaps I need to do what I love to do in an art gallery with a painting I'm 
seeing, and liking, for the first time - sit down, and stay there for as 
long as it takes...
Bob
Who, when you mention alcoholic tics, is wondering about how many empty beer 
bottles there'll be here because of this World Cup.

>From: Christina Fletcher <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Pennine Poetry Works <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Taking Each Line For A Walk...
>Date: Mon, 5 Jun 2006 14:23:40 EDT
>
>
>Dear Bob,
>Now that I've taken my pixels out of the coal cellar for a few alcoholic
>ticks, I might as well tell you that this poem was quite OK for me until 
>you
>wrote
>'I don’t linger, as you are doing now
>to think is this what happens in a  poem.'
>At this point I wanted to scream, blow up the Universe.  Good heavens,  how
>much more of poets writing about poetry can a mortal take?  I mean,  
>really, we
>know it's about writing a poem but when you thrust it down our  throats 
>like
>that it loses any chance of being subtle or maybe, (surely not?) a  
>metaphor?
>It is, of course, entirely possible that I've missed the wit of what you've
>written but if I have is it a poet's joke between poets?  Pass the jellied
>eels and enlighten me please, Bob.
>Hic.
>christina
>
>
>
>
>Taking Each Line For A Walk
>
>I open the door of a  word
>and walk down the path of what I’m saying.
>I hear each step, feel  the gravel,
>reach the crisp pavement then stroll
>to go where I’m going.  Walking is noisy
>and this is the way I go from where I began
>to where  I’ll end up. I don’t think
>where my feet will fall or, if I pause,
>where  I’ll stand. I just keep moving.
>I don’t linger, as you are doing now
>to  think is this what happens in a poem.
>When I get there I will reach another  door.
>Though solid it’s not a full stop. It can open.
>Inside there’ll be  more doors, noisy corridors,
>perhaps silence. It’s where I want to  be.
>
>Bob cooper
>
>
>