I am grateful words are coming easier as I write within a pandemic cloud. It's not a steady flow, but a stream that is sometimes dry and then spurts to life. And sometimes the inspiration comes from an unexpected place and time.

I was trying to fall asleep; something that is usually easy for me to do. But this night I had fallen asleep on the couch, awoke in the middle of the night and slipped into bed. Resuming sleep was eluding me. I began to meditate hoping I would drift into sleep. A useful tool if I can relax and quiet my mind. As I went through the steps an image popped into my head. A window on a slanted roof was opened from the inside of a building. Light streamed in from the outside. I felt my heart lift with warmth. The image surprised me, rousing me from near sleep. As I puzzled over why I had the image, the words of a poem began to flow.

I turned on the light and began to write. The words and rhymes came quickly. The chime (rhythm) would come later after a night of sleep. When the flow of words stopped, I turned off the light. My thoughts drifted to an earlier time in my life when I had just turned eighteen. I wondered if I could develop a fictional story based on my journey. As I thought about my options for the story's beginning, words and rhymes began to flow again. I turned on the light, picked up pen and paper and captured a second flow of words. When I finally turned off the light for a second time, I knew I had two drafts to finalize. Sleep came quickly.

The next day I finalized the drafts. The first work, prompted by the open window image, will be posted in the book Seek Harmony in the near future. The second work will not be posted until I decide whether to include it as part of a new book.

Inspiration can come from an unexpected place or from an unexpected time. As a writer, I need to capture the words when they begin to flow and remember to be grateful.

© Copyright 2019, 2020 by Cleomez (all rights reserved)