A Funny Thing Happened While I Prepared My Keynote

While up in the Boston area for Readercon, I've been writing my keynote address for this year's convention of the Florida State Poets Association. "A poem in your pocket" is the conference theme.

The conference doesn't occur until October, but I'll be convention-hopping, so the time is going to fly. After rehearsing until late this past Friday night for the two readings I gave on Saturday (prose with Broad Universe, poetry with the Science Fiction Poetry Association), I awoke disgustingly early on Saturday with ideas churning for the keynote. I banged out 1,935 words before heading down to that day's 10 o'clock panel.

My keynote deals with the whole inspiration/brainstorming/get-it-on-the-page process. As I wrote, I clicked over to Sunday Scribblings and its prompt, "Ghosts," then wrote the poem below in a couple of minutes:

I'm floating my options
through the wall,
making those hard, incorporeal choices,
the ones that never take solid form.

The ones that haunt,
just out of reach.
Dead ideas making mischief.
The life not taken.

I'm posting a little late, but my "Ghosts" writing occurred on Saturday morning. My Readercon report is forthcoming -- after I catch up on sleep...

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