Recalling the Magic

Poets have power and ingenuity

When I was young, I played Dungeons and Dragons a lot. Anyone who’s tried this game at least once knows that magic-users have limited fighting capability. They’re armed with only a dagger. They can’t wear armor. At low levels they are in severe trouble during combat. But they have a lot of potential to cast fireballs or turn monsters into stone. Why am I bringing this up? I imagine poets as being like magic-users. They’re emotionally vulnerable and only have a pen to express themselves. They’re prone to all kinds of harm, from negative reactions by parents to hard criticism in workshops. I think, though, that poets forget they have power. If they write a crappy poem, poets might feel there’s nothing to do with it. But all they need to do is cast “rearrange lines” or “collage text” and poets can change and maybe save that poem. Poets gain confidence and skill as they ascend the ladders of success. Maybe a beginning poet has limited abilities, like pulling a rabbit out of a hat. These beginners are protected by teachers and friends. Yet even they can use a poem as a magical object. With it, a poet can cast many spells, from “startle reader” to “striking with profound meaning.” Each magic-user has unique powers, which is a wonderful thing. All poets should use magic within them, instead of thinking they’re not good and should give up. They must recall the energy inside, to “blast rejection” or “hurl energy through poem.” The only thing poets must fear is not knowing their abilities and using them as much as they can. They can chant words on to the page, into a journal and a book, into the memories of readers everywhere.