Sparks & Starts: "December 18, 2008"

A poem's initial inspiration & early drafts

Hi, Friend.

Spark & Starts is a series of posts for paid subscribers where I share my process, from early drafts to published poem or essay. My hope is that it’s helpful—maybe even reassuring—to see how a piece of writing flounders as it finds its way, and how it takes shape over time.

Today I’m sharing the first drafts of “December 18, 2008,” a poem in my fourth collection, Goldenrod. I’m sharing the poem this month for an obvious reason—the title is my daughter Violet’s birthday, which is Monday—but this poem also gives me the chance to tell a story about finding surprising things in one’s own work, even years later.