The day I became a poet was a sunny day of no particular ominousness. I was walking across the football field, not because I was sports-minded or had plans to smoke a cigarette behind the field house - the only other reason for going there - but because this was my normal way home from school. I was scuttling along in my usual furtive way, suspecting no ill, when a large invisible thumb descended from the sky and pressed down on the top of my head. A poem formed. It was quite a gloomy poem: the poems of the young usually are. It was a gift, this poem - a gift from an anonymous donor, and, as such, both exciting and sinister at the same time. I suspect this is the way all poets begin writing poetry, only they don't want to admit it, so they make up more rational explanations. But this is the true explanation, and I defy anyone to disprove it.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- She describes a sudden, almost mystical moment that forced a poem into existence, suggesting inspiration can feel involuntary and ominous.
- In plain terms
- A sudden, eerie inspiration forced a poem upon her.
- What can you take from it?
- Creative breakthroughs may feel sudden and unsettling.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do you recognize genuine inspiration?
- Can you cultivate this feeling?
Another view
Not all writers experience such dramatic moments.
More from Margaret Atwood
I became a poet at the age of sixteen. I did not intend to do it. It was not my fault.
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