Advice for Wordsmiths

Sometimes I write for other writers, which is, perhaps, the most audacious undertaking.  I have written a number of essays and "how to" pieces for writing journals and magazines over the years, and from time to time I also manage to place a poem or a bit of humor, too.

A couple of years back one writing magazine purchased a longer poem that I had written about punctuation marks, and I note in my poetic journal that I have recently penned poems about Hadith--which are Islamic teachings, parables or traditional stories--and other poetic blessings and benedictions for writers.

I also try to collect insights, histories, reflections and advice that I have received from other writers--and here is one that I completed a couple of weeks ago.


Advice

To write well, he said:
One needs to be alone
With oneself in a tiny room
Framed by a single window
Looking out on a brick wall
And seeing nothing at all
One must look inside
Or stare at the carpet
Or at the tall
Fixtures that hang
From the ceiling
And after much time
Time like this
A writer learns to listen
For the words
That are not there
But appear from time-to-time
Like butterflies
That one must snatch
From the brink of death
And revive out of thin air