A Poet’s Moods

What do your moods want to suggest about your relationship
to your work?

To your life?

The poet is a man who lives at last by watching his moods. An old poet comes at last to watch his moods as narrowly as a cat does a mouse.
- Henry David Thoreau in his journal, from Thoreau And The Art Of Life. 

An old poet comes to watch (his or her) moods carefully, intently. An old poet is wary of moods, but moods offer insight. An old poet feeds on, draws creative inspiration from, moods.

I remember, fifteen or so years ago, a Heron Dance subscriber writing me that my paintings had taken on a dark, somber tone.

And indeed, those were dark days. But I denied it, to him and to me.

. . .

 Moods are not distractions from the work. They are the work — the raw weather a poet must learn to read.

Journaling Question:

Relax into the flow of your thoughts. Then slow them down. Slow, slow and slower still.

Into what realm are your thoughts leading you? What colors? What path forward?