In The Writer's Zone

Being in the zone, the only other time I've heard it described is when I was a young athlete
When one's mind, body, and soul are together in the moment and focused on a single goal
 
That for me is what writing is all about, funny as that may sound
When I sit with my laptop ready I am so there, in the moment
 
My creative process varies as much as the moods and subjects about which I pen
Sometimes I begin with a poem in mind, other times the theme surprises me like a treasure at a yard sale
 
It's never as easy as the words just spilling on the page
But there is this insistent, compelling voice that speaks to me and with me
 
As I write more lines the story, the message emerges and becomes clearer
Like poetic icebergs from my subconscious, breaking surface to be heard
 
While not all of my poems are true, the feelings they evoke and which I express are my honesty and do profess truth
This need for self-expression as vital to me as breathing
 
My goal is to seek connection, authenticity, and understanding
To share my naked, vulnerable self as I take this journey called life
 
Almost always the work is too long, then the editing begins
Distilling the poem down to what is essential while maintaining flow
 
Then comes the moment when it is finally finished
As if the work says "enough already" commanding me to stop the endless litany of rewrites and edits
 
And then the miracle occurs, I read the final poem as if I were the reader
It hits me hard and deep, as if looking into a mirror at myself for the first time