another good poem gone bad by morning 🙄

"I am my first and oldest system" 🙏

Victoria Chang -

A little ode for a dear one.

I think it’s good to be influenced - I love discovering a poem or writer that teaches me something. but trying to “write like” them - 🙄. I mean if another poet’s horse wanders into your poem it’ll probably have something else to say?

I do feel that certain admired writers take my "voice" hostage for a period of time, but when I escape I steal the cutlery.

my narrator

rereading this thread, and pondering this: "where the language clearly breaks away from the poet and the poem establishes its separateness".

"A question to consider during edits, when eyeing a phrase or word: Do I want to stain this word or strain it? Why?"