Sitting Behind the Eight Ball

The Creative Act

By Barb Edler 27 March 2026

I’m one who may write two or three poems a day. Some of them I really treasure. Others I can never get just right even though I feel strongly about the subject. Most of my poems will never be read. I’ll forget them. They will disappear on a broken hard drive or inside “the cloud”. Just keeping my thoughts in an orderly fashion is difficult. Organizing my poems so I can find the ones I think are worthy is even more difficult. I write to save my sanity, to make peace with the past, to mend the pain.

Crafting a poem isn’t always easy. Today I was staring at books on my desk. Although I wrote a much longer poem, I decided to cut several lines and ended up with the following draft.

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The Creative Act

She's writing poetry to save her life
chasing things as they are,
trying to mend the past
the......what happened to you?
Barb Edler Avatar

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Barb Edler
Hello, I am a retired English teacher. I live along the Mississippi River and enjoy watching birds, the river, and nature in general. Writing for me is a gateway to healing, and I love to wrestle words in hopes of capturing an emotion or image others may relate.
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2 responses to “The Creative Act”

  1. Glenda Funk Avatar
    Glenda Funk

    Barb,

    I write for all the same reasons and to document this era. Writing poetry is cathartic for me. It’s more doable than keeping a journal. I love reading your poems. You always challenge me to try harder and make me want to be a better writer. I love your poems, especially the first line. I need to go through poems and revise and cut. It’s hard for me to find a stopping point.

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  2. Denise Krebs Avatar
    Denise Krebs

    Barb, isn’t that the truth. I love your reasons for writing…”I write to save my sanity, to make peace with the past, to mend the pain.” Me too. And yes, as Glenda said, it’s cathartic. I hope you’ll decide to print your poems up in a book for your family. I’ve made several–just one copy for my kids and grandkids. Maybe that would be good to do for your loved ones with your poetic loved ones.

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