How to Pull a Poem Down from the Sky

Here’s how I pull a poem out of thin air in 10 steps:

1.     Take one big, beautiful breath. Ahhhhh….

2.     Reach your hand up to the sky. Tune in to the feel of your palm, allow it swirl open while imagining a river of inspiration flowing through your hand, to your heart, to your other hand. Do this for about two whole minutes. Notice the tickle or flow of energy moving from your hand to your feet and circulating throughout your body.

3.     Try picking a topic for your poem—Are you writing a poem about your lover? A bus ride? A time your feelings got tossed like a salad? Pick the first thing that comes to mind...If you need inspiration, open any magazine or book and point to a word or phrase you see—let that be your topic and begin...

4.     Find a tree or some nature in your line of sight.  Whether it’s a tree out your window or a succulent plant or a vase of wilting flowers on your desk—it doesn’t matter. Just have it handy.

5.     Ask for help—Out loud or in your heart, ask the tree/piece of nature for support: “Oh, dear tree, please inspire me with words to write…” (This is to remind you that you are engaged in a collaborative effort with your muse. In fact, you’re really not doing the writing, you’re only the vessel pulling words from the sky.) 

6.     Put your inner critic down for a nap. (The inner critic is that bossy voice in your head that doesn’t want you to create or share anything unless it is 100% perfect). By now, your inner critic might have told you writing a poem is dumb and you should do something more valuable like clean your bathtub drain. Using the power of your imagination, take your inner critic by the hand and walk him/her/it to the napping room. Notice that a hammock with a 5-point harness seatbelt waiting just for your inner critic.  Gently strap and rock the critic to sleep. Be sure to close the door, hear the click of the lock as it shuts. Now, bring your awareness back to your pen and get writing. If your inner critic pops out again (as often happens), simply tuck it back in the hammock. Your inner critic is really only trying to protect you from failing or embarrassing yourself. But, it only seems to block the flow because doesn’t trust that you can actually pull a poem down from the sky.  Don’t believe the hype!

7.     Start writing, don’t stop... Forget about writing a “good” poem. In fact, it sometimes helps to give yourself permission to write a horrible poem. This takes the pressure off and lets words flow freely. If you get stuck, put your hand up to the sky again and open your palm to pull down inspiration. Don’t give up. I’m here to tell you that I’ve started so many poems that are cliché or hokey, and then I stick with it, keep writing and something deeper arises. 

8.     Accept the mess. Don’t edit yet. Let it flow. Enjoy the whole process. Stop, breathe and reset if your eyebrows are furrowed. Delight in what you write!

9. Shape your poem. Your poem may come barreling out in one shot with few or no edits required. Or, perhaps you’ve got snippets here and there. From your draft, you might try mining for words or phrases that you like. Then rearrange however you desire into your final poem.

10. Repeat and repeat—The more you practice, the easier it is to trust that a poem will come. It might sound bizarre, but a daily ritual of reaching to the sky to pull down a poem, asking a tree for help, tucking your inner critic to bed, and simply writing, writing, writing–is a sure way to grow your poet powers.

The start of a poem I pulled down from the sky using a line I snagged by opening a book to a random page: “What’s lurking behind you…”

Final product