Where does a poem come from?

I sometimes hear people say that they want to write poetry, but they don't know how to start. That, in my opinion, is a far superior approach than the "what, poetry?--just feel it and write it!" approach, which ignores craft and produces a lot of unfortunate writing.

Many decades ago, I wrote a poem, out of nowhere, to honor a relationship that I was in. I thought that it was a pretty good poem, and I got some good feedback on it, but I didn't write another poem for about 20 years, and that was after I finally began writing essays, creative nonfiction, and short fiction. 

Now, after many years, I've written a lot of poetry, both free verse and formal, and I've published four poetry chapbooks. I very rarely attempt fiction now, but I have returned to writing creative nonfiction, a form of writing that I like very much. Mostly, though, I write poetry.

Many writers insist on writing every day as a form of discipline; I am not one of them. I go through dry spells, then they end--just like that. But when they end, where does a poem come from? Sometimes, when I'm having really strong feelings about something (e.a., my latest chapbook, I Can't Recall Exactly When I Died, which is a collection of poems about a trauma and its aftermath), it's not too difficult to write a poem (or many poems) about it. 

And while I don't use formal prompts, many of my poem's prompts come from nature. Trees, insects, flowers, bodies of water, and the sky have served as metaphors--and sometimes, just subjects--for many of my poems. Various creatures living in my yard, and plants going through different cycles of their lives have caused me to more carefully observe my own life.

Sometimes a phrase pops up in my head, and I know that it would be a good subject for a poem, or a title, or a metaphor. That can be frustrating, though, because I often have to idea what to do with the phrase. One day, when I was in my yard, I wondered, "where do birds go to die?" I felt that a poem would eventually evolve from that question, but it was a very long time before, one day, the poem just "appeared." 

I've written a number of poems about singers and musicians whom I admire, but one in particular--one whose work means a lot to me--did not appear in any of my poems because I didn't know what I wanted to say about her--I just had a lot of emotional responses to her work. I reviewed her lyrics, her costumes, her career--but nothing really emerged, so I let it go. Then, one day, I read a conversation between her and another artist, and in that conversation, she said something that served as the launch for my only poem about her. The poem wasn't easy to write, but I wrote it, and it was published. That poem, too, came along in its own time.

When I first decided to try writing poetry, I took a very good online poetry course, taught by an accomplished poet. And something he said has stayed with me: "Form is a substitute for inspiration." That has proven to be true for me many times. If I'm stuck, I'll attempt a sonnet (my favorite form to write) or a rondeau, or--if I'm feeling really adventurous--a pantoum, villanelle, or sestina. The restrictions of a form provide a fairly rigid frame which makes my brain work harder, and the result can be very satisfying.

My chapbook, The Last Time I Saw You, came about because I'd entered a chapbook contest, had no idea what to write about, and then fell into a period of grief, which gave me not only a subject, but a way to express and manage my feelings. 

About six months ago, an idea for a poem came to me while I was in the hospital, waiting to be wheeled into the operating room. Some time later, after I'd stopped bleeding and stumbling around my house, I was able to fully realize that poem. 

Quite recently, I had an experience that affected me so deeply that I wanted to write a poem about it, but I had no idea how to start, mostly because I'd already written a poem about the subject. So I just left it alone. When I mentioned the experience to a friend, she said something that stayed in my head because it was so beautiful, and I hadn't thought of it. Not too long after, I talked about the experience with another friend, and she offered a viewpoint that had never occurred to me. With these two new perspectives, I was able to write my poem. 

A poem can come from almost anywhere, I guess. For me, one of the main functions of poetry is to provide words for feelings and experiences that we have trouble putting into words. And by using various poetic techniques (craft!), the poet can translate those feelings in ways that create rich and satisfying reading and listening experiences.