The Prolific Great
when his ship went sailing
out of this life, the news
was that he had left behind
almost 3,000 poems and
for that we owe respect
imagine the mind it takes
to create that much poesy
the inspiration, the writing,
the editing, the revisions
how many were great?
those are the ones we’ve read
how many were good?
those wound up in volumes
how many not-so-good?
those are piled in a box
held onto by the estate
yet the number is a
staggering one to say
the least, and he did,
through those 3,000
prove himself to be
one of the greats
so now do I set out
to write my own 3,000
or to write 10 that could
somehow stand up to the master?
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Posted on June 7, 2015, in Poetry and tagged DoubleU, John White, Poetry, The Prolific Great. Bookmark the permalink. 35 Comments.
DoubleU = W 
Ah, but it’s all in the eye of the reader.
It is and very subjective. 🙂
The Greats all Master they’re own Magnum Opus when leading their own beaten path…
Hoping it’s not just an opus but rather one that’s remembered of course. 🙂
It will be what you make happen.
You’re probably right. A lot of hard work and a habitual writing habit and maybe I’ll be okay. 🙂
Right, right. Hard work pays off, though doesn’t always seem as such. 😉
Let me know when you figure it out! Been thinking along those lines, too, since I seem to write every day. 🙂
Honestly, I’m not sure I’ll figure it out. I normally just write what I feel or what I’ve experienced and do it as well as I’m capable of doing it. Beyond that, I have no control. But I will say it’s great to be able to interact with great people like yourself every day because I write. 🙂
Oh, thanks! I agree that the interaction through WP has been wonderful!
It’s great to get feedback and to hear from other writers for me. 🙂
Well I certainly hope that you do great. I know you do in the eyes of those who already love you. Honesty is it’s own great reward and the ability to share it. Lord bless my friend.
Great can be a subjective word but all writing is either loved or hated and that’s subjective too, I suppose. 🙂
At the risk of sounding stupid, who was the master?
The master was E.E. Cummings. to have written that much is pretty amazing.
Enjoyed!
Thank you, Victoria! 🙂
Sounds great John I know you can do it I’ll be rite behind you all the way
Thanks, Sheldon! Here’s to a long list of titles and great success!!
You are prolific and great as well – wish you all the best 🙂
Thank you, Kelly! You’re far too kind. 😀
Hi John..just want to know is poesy is a real word? If it is ..is it a plural form of poetry….
I believe it’s a word for either a poem or a collection of poems.
Hey John, Been a while since I began following your blog. I never thought about setting a specific goal with my own writing. I think I am somewhat like The Carousel Horse in that I tend to go around and around until I find something to put on paper. You write very well and I enjoy all your posts. Keep up the good writing,
Jerry
Thank you, Jerry! I got some advice quite a while back that seemed to be just a easy way to get ride of me – write daily and read voraciously. That has turned out to be the best advice I’ve ever gotten. Now writing is a habit that I can’t break and something I do every day. The volume increases but then there’s always that time when I have to go through what I’ve written to decide what’s good enough and what’s not…though I never throw anything away. I keep it all. It’s always great to hear from other writers to find out what their process is. Glad to meet you!
I have never set any goals for myself when it comes to writing, maybe I should? It’s an interesting thought, would I be more productive or write better if I did? Something to ponder…
I’ve only set two goals for myself – to write daily and to constantly improve.
damn… just damn
I hope those are “good” damns. 🙂
Trust me they are good
🙂
You surely are very close to success. (:
I enjoyed reading.
Let’s hope we all are. 😉 Thank you! It’s great to meet you!
I too am pleased to meet you (:
Reblogged this on KCJones.