How it Happens

How it Happens
(May 2011)
It starts when I'm doing something totally thoughtless
Driving through a familiar neighborhood
Performing a task at work that I do daily
My mind wanders
It starts with abstract thoughts
Until the thoughts start forming words
The words start forming phrases
And I am overcome with the need to write
As the phrases spill out of my subconscious
I start thinking of them in terms of a poem
At that moment
I feel that my words might be genius
I drop what I am doing
-Pull over on the side of the road
-Hide under my desk at work
Because I have to record this moment
As I put the pen to paper
The words flow from my fingertips
I feel the curve of the letters
As my hand flys across the page
I scratch things out
And I change things
I put arrows to move things around
Until my hand slows down
Finally, I read what I have written
I think hard and add a few more phrases
I have reached my conclusion
I am ready for a new draft
In my neatest handwriting
I rewrite everything
Making more changes as I go
Then I read it aloud to myself
There I find my moment
Captured
Onto a sheet of paper