The Everyday Muse

An Experiment in Poetry by Harry Lafnear

Introduction

Artistic people often speak of having a muse: something or someone which provides creative inspiration. They may mean a spouse, a locale or even a bottle high proof, but underneath it there's the hint of something less intangible: something powerful, unpredictable, and frighteningly fickle. It's as if we've come to think of the modern muse as less Greek goddess and more wounded tiger.

Well, it's the aim of this project to help me confront my own personal muse. To find it, capture it, learn its ways, and if possible tame it in front of the world. Or at least as much of the world as is watching.

Here's how it works: throughout the upcoming year, rain or shine, I will write one poem every day. At the end of each week, I will present the recent batch here along with my thoughts on the progress of the experiment. We'll see if I can turn my creativity into an everyday workhorse without sacrificing its essential spiritual core, or if my muse drags me off into the jungle and eats my head.

--Regards,
--Harry Lafnear