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? This poem came from a real situation. Before the pandemic took hold, I was active in the local community theater as an actor/director, and Rod (for whom the poem is written) was the Technical Director. We became fast friends, to the point that I thought of him as the brother I’d never had. And while the facts are a little loose in the poem, it is true that he called me about his vehicle being repossessed, that I drove him across the state of West Virginia to make the payment to collect it, and that he told me about a new job he’d accepted and would be moving away.
It was during the drive back (he in his vehicle, and me in mine) that I was overwhelmed with the events of the day and the observation of all the businesses closed along the interstate, and those feelings of loss, both personal and cultural. I think I was observing the fog start to burn off the hills along I-79 when this poem took hold and wouldn’t let go.
I wrote the poem in one of my many blank books, trying to get the imagery, the situation, and the hint of impoverishment in the environs. My writing process is to always begin with prose form, then I translate that form into more precise lineation (including any diction and position alterations as needed). This one didn’t take a long process (like a few I’ve spent years on, including putting them away to “ferment.”). EXODUS probably only took about six hours or so to create and complete.
Where were you when you started to actually write the poem? And please describe the place in great detail. I was actually in my bedroom when I put pencil to paper, and this is not my normal writing space. I think the green curtains and green bedding may have had some influence on opening coloration of the poem, and even though it was early afternoon, I’m pretty sure I turned on the bedside lamp and the overhead fan light. I tried to avoid looking to my left at the dresser mirror where I could see my every emotion reflected, though I stole a few glances anyway. The television across the room had to have been on, though I kept it on mute, a little more light, a little movement to keep me grounded. There are books stacked around the room, almost all poetry. I may not have been in my normal writing space, but I was in my element.
What month and year did you start writing this poem? EXODUS was created in March 2017, two months before Rod and his family moved from this Mid-Atlantic state to one on the Gulf of Mexico.
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?) Completely up front here, I believe this poem only had two drafts before the final version. The first draft was the hand-written prose form. The second draft was re-written lineation. The final draft was minor edits of language and small placement issues.
I’ve tried and tried to find my original drafts, but I have somehow misplaced those originals. In the process, I found several other drafts of other poems, which was its own blessing.
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? This was one of those poems that was so heartfelt that it arranged itself in my thoughts before I even set it to paper, so there were no extraneous lines from drafts to final version. However, I remember struggling with the word “viridescent” in the beginning. All I was sure of was that I wanted a higher diction that could be completely degraded by the conclusion, which falls finally to an expression of blasphemy.
What do you want readers of this poem to take from this poem? I hope in some way that readers not only appreciate the shared experience of losing a close relationship to the necessity of personal opportunity and distance, but that they also see the underlying commentary of a culture being lost to poverty and the politics that keep it in such disrepair. I hope readers feel the degradation in the language as the diction moves from high to low. And I hope they connect to honest emotions.
Which part of the poem was the most emotional of you to write and why? This answer may be obvious. I was most emotional when writing the conclusion because that was my personal expression of loss. I had been separated from friends and family before, but this one felt like a gut punch. There’s an old term for people who form fast, strong bonds: soul mates. I literally felt as though part of my soul were being torn away. The rest of the poem was a building of that emotion, but the conclusion was the feeling of the knife in the heart.
Has this poem been published before? And, if so, where? EXODUS was published in peculiar: a queer literary journal (issue 6, winter 2019). Even though this poem is not about a gay relationship, I personally identify as a bisexual man, which is why the journal considered was a viable publishing option for me. I even had someone “friend” me on facebook because they saw the poem in this publication, and we had some great conversations about poetry. It was great to have work there with other artists such as Christopher Soden and Kenneth Pobo.
LINKS MENTIONED IN THE PIECE
David B Prather Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/DavidBPrather
Rod Oden Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/rodney.oden.3
peculiar: a queer literary journal
https://www.peculiarjournal.com/
Christopher SodenFacebook page
https://www.facebook.com/jlgdrd/friends
Christopher SodenWeb Page
https://christophersoden.wixsite.com/home
Kenneth Podo Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/kenneth.pobo
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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