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What do you feel about what you’re doing today? Give me a few lines!

The picture and  poem snippet to the left about sums up what I’m feeling about my writing today.

I feel my writing today is sharp, and clear, almost too easy.

It makes me afraid.
—–

What about you? What are you doing today? Reading, writing, gardening, cooking, chores, caregiving? How does it make you feel?

To anyone interested, here’s the entire poem by Cummings:

voices to voices, lip to lip
i swear (to noone everyone) constitutes
undying; or whatever this and that petal confutes . . .
to exist being a peculiar form of sleep

what’s beyond logic happens beneath will;
nor can these moments be translated: i say
that even after April
by God there is no excuse for May

– bring forth your flowers and machinery: sculpture and prose
flowers guess and miss
machinery is the more accurate, yes
it delivers the goods, Heaven knows

(yet are we mindful, though not as yet awake,
of ourselves which shout and cling, being
for a little while and which easily break
in spite of the best overseeing)

i mean that the blond absence of any program
except last and always and first to live
makes unimportant what i and you believe;
not for philosophy does this rose give a damn . . .

bring on your fireworks, which are a mixed
splendor of piston and pistil; very well
provided an instant may be fixed
so that it will not rub, like any other pastel.

(While you and i have lips and voices which
are for kissing and to sing with
who cares if some oneeyed son of a bitch
invents an instrument to measure Spring with?

each dream nascitur, is not made . . .)
why then to Hell with that: the other; this,
since the thing perhaps is
to eat flowers and not to be afraid.

Damyanti Biswas

Damyanti Biswas is the author of You Beneath Your Skin and numerous short stories that have been published in magazines and anthologies in the US, the UK, and Asia. She has been shortlisted for Best Small Fictions and Bath Novel Awards and is co-editor of the Forge Literary Magazine. Her literary crime thriller series, the Blue Mumbai, is represented by Lucienne Diver from The Knight Agency. Both The Blue Bar and The Blue Monsoon were published in 2023.

I appreciate comments, and I always visit back. If you're having trouble commenting, let me know via the contact form, or tweet me up @damyantig !

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18 Comments

  • abbiescorner says:

    Today, I'm doing what I normally do on Wednesdays, looking at other blogs. This gives me ideas for future blog posts of my own and sometimes for poems and stories.

  • klahanie says:

    Hi Damyanti,

    Have you been waiting for me? Yay and here I am! 🙂

    " I feel my writing today is sharp, and clear, almost too easy. It makes me afraid." What does that fear mean? Does it mean that it worries you to feel good about your writing? In my reality beyond writing, there are times I have felt really good and I had this feeling of guilt about feeling good.

    Today I shall spend time being in the background. Lost in my thoughts of a better world for all of us.

    Take care and embrace the magic of your writing.

    Gary 🙂

  • D Biswas says:

    So lovely to get a glimpse into such varied lives! Thank you, everyone, for stopping by, and sharing what you're doing. I'm trying not to get sucked under– too many household chores, and also the pressure of deadlines both for my WIP and my bread-and butter writing. Sigh.

    I'm repeating to myself lines from the above poem:

    i mean that the blond absence of any program /except last and always and first to live/makes unimportant what i and you believe; /not for philosophy does this rose give a damn . .

  • Zan Marie says:

    I'm writing deep back story for a major character, working on an interview for a blogpost, and beta reading. Is that enough? 😉

  • I went to the supermarket earlier. I'm now trying to finish a book for a review, do some writing and bloghop. My work schedule was revised, but sometimes feel the pressure to accomplish everything I want to do in a day.

  • rsagarcia says:

    It's been hard lately. Like pushing a stone uphill. But I'm going to take a real crack at it later day. Have to or I'll miss my personal deadline!

  • Beautiful. Today…reading, editing, and went out in high heels. That last one was WAY out of my comfort zone, but I enjoyed it. I kinda felt like a grown up, or one of those suburban moms that I am surrounded by but don't quite belong with. Fun any way because the point is to not be afraid right? visiting on the road trip and having fun. Conlee http://www.conleericketts.com/blogging

  • cleemckenzie says:

    Leave it e.e. Cummings to nail the essence of a thing in short, satirical strokes. I've been one of his fans for years and often listen for that sound of "Far and Wee."

    Yesterday was a day to read. Ahhhh! That's me sighing with contentment.

  • HAPPY! A year ago, I was working for the state, dealing with fixing people's computers. Today I'm writing all day–doing what I love. And somewhere, some child may be reading my book at this very moment. Life is good!

  • Today I am plugging away. I'm writing a little, and spending time with my kids a little, and gardening a little, all in hopes that a little thing done each day adds up to something big.

  • B says:

    I am on call 24 hours , os not a good day .. anything happens I am the first one to be contacted..

    Bikram

  • Susan Scott says:

    'not for philosophy does this rose give a damn . . . ' beautiful words by e.e. thanks Damyanti. Yup, a busy day. Tidying my desk in my study will take another half hour of filing. Hope to get in some writing on WIP plus a blog by tonight. Respond to other blogs, such as I'm doing now … And, something I SELDOM do, out for lunch. Hopefully no longer than an hour and a half, including getting there … give grateful thanks for this lovely sunny day here in South Africa..
    Garden of Eden Blog

  • Imogen Elvis says:

    I'm spending time with my family today and writing assignments. It's just that time of year. I'm feeling pretty good about most thungs I'm doing today, but I'm yearning for skme extra hours in a day to work on my writing. Why can't days be longer?

  • Nick Wilford says:

    I did my writing first thing this morning at 5am because my kids were off school, it being a Bank Holiday here. It was quite slow. Monday mornings are usually bad, but I was still half asleep! Since then, just hanging out and trying to avoid any onerous jobs. It is a holiday after all! 🙂

  • shelly says:

    I'm loppity-loping today while I think on plots and characters.

  • Andrew Leon says:

    I always have loved e.e.

  • I am reading, writing and also doing some internet surfing for something I am trying to learn…Kerala Mural Arts..:)

    Nice poem..

  • I will be writing and tackling the most difficult portion of my manuscript today. Probably won't flow as easily as yours. Just enjoy while it does!