Revising a Poem in Real Time: Part 2

Yesterday I began the process of writing through my revision process for a single poem. I am continuing today, with a the binoculars focused all the way down to the closest level.

Photo by Dan Counsell on Unsplash

Where We Left Off

Here is the poem as it stood at the end of yesterday’s post:

Be woman.
Woman, be.
Carve through the air with your thick belly.
Let it part and bow to make way for you.
Plant your hips solid in your seat.
Let your warmth linger where you have been.
Let the mark of your hands appear in the dirt.
Let the dirt leave its mark on your callused fingerpads.
Fertilize the earth with your footsteps.
Leave footprints, dammit, walk heavy.
The time for daintiness is past.
Let your muscles unfurl and move you
with the righteous awakeness of your own solid flesh.

The first thing I want to do at this point is to read it out loud a couple of times. I am at a point where I know there is work to be done, but it feels hidden, maybe just beyond the last bit of my voice in my own ears. My cat has taken up residence on…