Welcome to Poetry Friday, this week hosted by Anastasia (I love that name!) at Small Poems. Thank you for hosting! Anastasia looks back on her acceptance letter of her work and shares a poem.
I’m thinking about holiday gifts and I’m trying to make some of them. But as most sewers, crafts people, cooks, knitters, painters and all other artists know, disappointment can often tag along on one’s creative endeavors. Today, after not embroidering for a long time, I decided to try to embroider a flower. I was thinking of embellishing a bookmark. I found a picture of an embroidered flower that I thought was pretty and used it as a guide but thought mostly I’d wing it.
To me, the effort was just OK. A little sorry. Not horrible, but not exactly the flower or plant I was inspired by. After two hours of work, I felt like I’d wasted most of my morning. But isn’t that the way it goes?
I will try embroidery again soon, but since it’s Thursday and time for Poetry Friday, perhaps a poem about my experience might redeem my lost time, though, of course it just might add to it.
The fact is, and we all know it, especially you teachers out there, the sense of failure and disappointment is part of the learning and creative process. We all feel it and unless we accept it, we will never succeed at anything.
Below is my poem, another draft, another beginning.
THE ALMOST BEGINNING
Did you ever
try something
and fail?
Like write a poem?
Bake a cake?
Draw a flower?
And felt
the words weren’t right
The cake didn’t rise enough
and you created a spider
instead of a flower?
Congratulations!
You have arrived at
the Almost Beginning
of whatever you attempted.
That dull disappointment
in your stomach?
It will linger only if
you give up.
So next,
think about
what was wrong
with the words
with the ingredients or oven
with your crooked stitches,
and try again,
certain you can get there,
because maybe
days ago
years ago
you have been here,
at the Almost Beginning, before.
© Janice Scully 2023
Enjoy the holiday season!
Janice, good for you! Trying and not giving up. I have been there before at “the Almost Beginning” I love how those last lines tease out of the reader that yes, we have been there before, so we can be empowered to remember and conquer the fear of failure. Thank you for this treasure.
Thanks for reading, Denise. I’m glad this made sense. 🙂
I can certainly relate to the almost beginning, Janice. I’ve been there many times, lately mostly with stories and poems. The important thing to remember, as you point out, is to keep working at it and have confidence. And by the way, I think your flowers are lovely. They remind me of holly and I’m impressed with the confidence you had to “wing it.”
Thank you, Rose! They are pretty in their way, whatever they are. Maybe I’ll like the flowers more next week.☺️
Thank you, Rose, for your perspective on my little flowers. Maybe in a week or so I’ll feel kinder towards them. 🙂
Love the idea of “almost beginning”, Janice, an inspiring poem for us, would be a good conversation to have with students, too! Thank you!
Janice, your statement, “the sense of failure and disappointment is part of the learning and creative process”, rings true in the educational world. I felt that last night when trying to write my post. I started, paused, felt the creative juices not flowing, and started again with another draft. I found the pause fruitful as noted by your line, “Try again,/certain you can get there.” The Almost Beginning would be a good mentor text for children when starting a writing lesson. Thanks for sharing your wisdom.
Oh, so many of my creative endeavors have felt just. like. this. The Almost Beginning. I had that experience today when I wanted to post my luc bat poem I had written weeks ago. On second look, it wasn’t right. The syllable count was wrong. I felt the rhymes were forced. I left it alone for a bit and looked at it again this morning. And then later on. It got better, but that feeling of failure loomed large.
And each time you probably learned something or honed your skill a bit. It is miserable to feel disappointed after a heartfelt effort.
Janice: Yes, yes… we have made some spiders lately! But you are correct, we learn from mistakes if we allow ourselves to reconsider. Thank you for this! Your poem reaffirms an important lesson!
This is such a great idea for a poem. An ‘almost beginning’ is such a great step to celebrate. Thanks for this…you are singing my song.
I love this, Janice! This basically encapsulates the entire lesson I give when speaking on IF YOU WANT TO KNIT SOME MITTENS and the creative process! So much elemental truth in your post and your poem.
That “almost beginning” is such a tough space to inhabit. But the more you go there, the more it feels like a step than a dead end. You start to lean into experiences that will give you “almost beginning,” knowing that the real magic is just one more step away. You uncovered some power with your embroidery and poem pair!
Hee hee the pre-beginning, the Almost Beginning, where you really do have to decide: am I going to give it another go, actually *begin,* or am I going to let it pass and do something else? I’m about to craft a something because my first attempt did not work out, so I’m switching gears. Your poem helps me feel good about that, Janice!
Well said ,Heidi! Good luck with your craft project.
I love that so many writer friends are also creative in other ways–like knitting and embroidery, etc. I love thinking about the “Almost Beginning. “
Love. Love. Love this. Just printed out for my studio wall, Janice – Thank you!!!
Hi Janice,
Just getting to my replies – it’s been a crazy weekend for me. But I love the theme of trying and trying and trying. Especially with poetry! Each new effort a new beginning :). Thank you for this.
And I’ll send you a side email re next week (I thought I was hosting 12/8?)
“THE ALMOST BEGINNING” how marvelous as your title, the poem, and the experience–ah yes I’ve been there and will be there again. Here’s to the struggle and the perseverance to keep trying, thanks Janice!