Sparks & Starts: “During Lockdown, I Let the Dog Sleep in My Bed Again”

A poem's initial inspiration & early drafts

Hi, Friend.

I had an idea: a series of posts for paid subscribers where I share my process, from initial inspiration through possibly cringey early drafts to published poem or essay. And here we are. Welcome to Sparks & Starts! Today I’m walking you through “During Lockdown, I Let the Dog Sleep in My Bed Again” so you can see how the poem took shape over time—where it began, what I chose to add or remove, and how the sequence of images and ideas shifted over time. This post concludes with a handwritten annotation of the final published version.

Is it a little embarrassing to share one’s early drafts, the ones that are still floundering on the page, unsure of what they want to be and do? Yes. But this is the process for all of us every time we write. We try and fail, and we try again. That’s the gig.