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. A friend of mine, Kathryn, was in Praque on a short holiday with her husband and she sent me a postcard. The picture on the postcard was of an Oil on Wood Panel painting from an Art Gallery in Praque. The painting was called Joys of Life and it was painted in 1901 by Frantisek Kupka.
Click to read about Frantisek Kupka on Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franti%C5%A1ek_Kupka
It was a painting of two naked women, one on a mare and one on a pony. As soon as I looked at it I knew I had to write a poem and I knew I wanted to write a poem to celebrate the female body in all its beauty and imperfections.
Where were you when you started to actually write the poem? And please describe the place in great detail. In my writing room at home, which since the pandemic has also become my work office. I have my desk facing the window so I can look out at the sky and the trees at the end of my garden. I have two bookshelves to house some of my many books.
I try to keep my work stuff separate from my writing stuff. I also have a meditation corner in the office, where I meditate both morning and evening. There’s a lot going on in a small space!
What month and year did you start writing this poem? February 2020.
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 came out almost fully formed. When I look back to the first draft there’s only one line that didn’t make it into the final version:
lips parted as if preparing for a kiss
One of my writing friends suggested that I remove as if preparing for a kiss as it was already implied in the previous two words – lips parted.
What do you want readers of this poem to take from this poem? The poem celebrates the female body in all its glory, in all its shapes and forms, young or old; our breasts, saggy or pert, our tummies, flat or floppy, our skin, pale or dark, smooth or wrinkled.
I want the reader to see how wonderful our bodies are, to appreciate and honor them, and to love the skin you’re in.
There is no one definition of what’s beautiful. Each one of us are beautiful, each one of us have a beautiful body. Enjoy, celebrate your body and your lover’s if you have one.
Which part of the poem was the most emotional of you to write and why? The title of the poem, “Joy,” accurately describes the emotion I experienced while writing it. I felt sated when I wrote the last line. I knew it was a job well done. And I just love the last two lines and the comparison between you – the grey speckled mare and I – the piebald pony.
Has this poem been published? And if so where? Yes, it’s in my debut full length poetry collection, “Odd as F*ck,” which was published by Fly on the Wall Poetry Press in 2021.
Click to order “ODD AS F*CK” from Wall Poetry Press
https://www.flyonthewallpress.co.uk/product-page/bundle-anne-walsh-donnelly-poetry
Click to order “ODD AS F*CK” from Amazon
Anne Walsh Donnelly lives in the west of Ireland. She is the Poet Laureate for the town of Belmullet in Co Mayo. She writes poetry, prose and plays.
She was shortlisted for the Hennessy/Irish Times New Irish Writing Award in 2019 and selected for the Poetry Ireland Introduction Series. In 2020 She was awarded a Words Ireland Mentorship and a bursary from the International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival.
She is the author of the poetry chapbook, “The Woman With An Owl Tattoo” (Fly On The Wall Poetry Press, 2019.) It was awarded second prize in the International Poetry Book Awards in 2020.
Her full length poetry collection, “Odd as F*ck,” was also published by Fly On The Wall Poetry Press in 2021.
Website www.annewdonnelly.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnneWDonnelly
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anne.walshdonnelly
Most of the BACKSTORY OF THE POEM 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