The Writer's Block by Teresa M. Riggs Foushee

First appeared in WINK: Writers IN the Know magazine

The Writer’s Block

When the poem resists the page and only unwanted words remain

I scratch the surface to find a handful of fools-gold

while true gold remains beyond my grasp

Like cottonwood seeds that surf the air—always one wave ahead

Like mosquitos that dance and sing just beyond the swat

Like elusive bits floating in water evading capture

What I want escapes my grasp again and again

And then I accept failure

I give up the fight for perfection and accept the death of my desire

A long exhale lets go of everything

I bow down

head resting on the block awaiting the blade

I listen as the blade separates the air in its downward descent

And find serenity in surrender

The blade slices through bone and into the block

I contemplate my severed head

and at the moment of my death

A poem is born

—Teresa M. Riggs Foushee

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