Can you go through the step-by-step process of writing this poem from the moment the idea was first conceived in your brain until final form? I’ve wanted to write this poem for decades, but could not find the right words. When I came to the inevitable conclusion that I was not a victim of this accident, but, if fact, a perpetrator, in that I was the one who insisted on going on the trip, in spite of my lover’s reluctance, I saw it in a new light. Taking responsibility for a horrendous outcome was part of the process, both of writing this poem, and sharing it.
Where were you when you started to actually write the poem? And please describe the place in great detail. I write at my computer, although I often make notes on my NOTE function on my iPhone. I can access the notes on my Mac computer, which cuts down on transcribing the notes from a note pad or notebook. Streamlines the process. Most helpful. When I finally felt ready to write the poem, I went to my studio (the only messy space in my home) and sat down at my computer, in my lovely Aeron chair, and wrote the first draft.
What month and year did you start writing this poem? I began writing this poem in June of 2016.
How many drafts of this poem did you write before going to the final? (And can you share a photograph of your rough drafts with pen markings on it?) The poem went through six drafts before it was finished, including several editing drafts from my wonderful editor/friend, Michelle Bitting, who helped me greatly in completing this poem. As for rough drafts with pen markings on it, they don’t exist. Just typewritten drafts on my computer. Here are notes she sent me just before the final draft that made a difference.
As for the poem, you COULD try adding one more line about the mother beside your bed
something with an image–maybe her fingers wrapped/clutching/stroking? my wrist/fingers
the fabric of the sheets, etc… Something physical/tactile etc….
AND maybe one more line towards the end with the Santa Barbara and remembering
the road, the car, the landscape, etc… something physical, an image personal to you and your beloved
or just a memory but have there be an image
https://www.michellebitting.com/
Were there any lines in any of your rough drafts of this poem that were not in the final version? And can you share them with us? Here’s an early draft. Even the title is different:
Also:The word “tethered” kept coming in an out of several drafts, about my relationship with my mother. In the end, I took it out.
What do you want readers of this poem to take from this poem? Wow. A difficult question. This is a story about survival. And choices. Taking responsibility. And living with the results.
Which part of the poem was the most emotional of you to write and why? The last line was the most emotional and difficult to write, labeling myself, outing myself in that way. It is the line that makes the poem, in my opinion. “All my life such a greedy girl.”
http://www.glass-poetry.com/journal/2017/april/fancher-hovering.html
Has this poem been published before? And if so where? It was originally published in Glass, in 2017. It has been republished several times, including in my latest book, EROTIC: New & Selected (NYQ Books).
https://www.nyq.org/books/author/alexis-rhone-fancher
All Backstory of the Poem LIVE LINKS can be found at the very end of the below feature:
http://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2021/02/will-justice-drakes-intercession-is-251.html
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