Reading-Inspired Haiku
Gaze travels outward
To the singing emptiness*
Heart filling with joy
* From The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
Isn’t “the singing emptiness” a lovely phrase? Sometimes as I read, I’m struck by beautiful passages and try to use those words as inspiration for poems, song lyrics, or even as prompts for short stories. I often wonder if many authors realize just how much they stoke the creative embers in others. Two of my favorite authors these days are the aforementioned McCall Smith and Walter Mosley. Michael Connelly isn’t far behind. His work just tends to draw me inward in other ways — at the moment. But McCall Smith and Mosley…their writing…McCall Smith paints brightly colored and occasionally wistful images in my head, whereas Mosley’s words often conjure up rich, inky notes that sometimes float around and sometimes jab at my brain. Interesting how two very disparate styles can stir up such emotion and desire within me, causing me to break out pen and paper and start writing. Perhaps one day I’ll share the song that came from a Mosley turn of phrase. Perhaps.
As for their books, I’m slowly amassing a collection of their works. I tried going the public library route, but they really frown on you dog-earring and highlighting the way I prefer. Only way to get around that is to buy the books. Thank goodness for eBay and used book stores!
Now, my next move is to take the bits that have inspired words and turn them into images. Doesn’t that sound like a fun project?
Hand up – I love buying second hand books!
Comment by patti — 2010/03/24 @ 16:25