I’m heading out in a few minutes to take my mom out for lunch so my commentary on this poem, at least for now, will be brief.

In that same spirit, I knew that I did not have much time this morning to write so I started out trying to write a shorter poem.

I have been analyzing my use of time lately and have found that I am not staying committed to the things that I find myself wishing I’d accomplished at the end of the day: writing, exercising, reading, and writing music.

Because I am essentially retired (at least from teaching) my days are fairly wide open. Because of this, I am not as careful about how I spend my time early in the day, especially when I first wake up.

My habit is to do a sudoku puzzle, drink coffee, take the dogs out, and then see if I have time for anything else before I get to work on the rest of the day.

The morning, though, is my most productive time. I am full of greater energy than I will have the rest of the day. My mind is more focused. I am not interrupted.

So how does this speak to the genesis of this poem?

Really it’s about those last lines–having time to dance and sing. That is the richness I want in my life. That is the treasure I will look back and wonder why I didn’t spend more time being creative and taking creative risks.

Here’s the conversation that I had with my poetry mentor. You can see the poem came a long way.

I also asked my mentor to create an SEO aware title for this post. We will see how it goes!