Studio8 - Uniting the Arts

there was a time in a day in a week
when it all came together, glorious words
in a classic novel, a collection of beat poems
that changed me forever,
every little smattering of brilliance
like Brylcreem combed through my brain
all the synapses would settle into place
and the wind could blow unrestricted
in ways that altered a young man's thoughts
in ways my parents never could or catholic school
or the US Navy, no...my highest jumps up and over
the bar, came from written words and I owe it all
to those that chose to document their creative madness
so others may go insane with spurts of growth
that agitate the soul instead of the dead soil to it's juiciest
Best of the Season, and inspire fledgling writers to bite into
a fiery red tomato and relate that experience to whomever
may choose to find their words, and as I continue to write
I continue to read, and I continue to taste new foods
and tell the world what senses can make sense of
what I can "steal" from an author and spin
into my own cotton candy with a few of my own
secret ingredients that tickle the palate....
we all need a little sugar from time to time

Coming from the engineering/scientific arena, my world-altering epiphanies were a little different, but I can also remember moments where words and language struck resonant chords deep inside me... James Baldwin discussing with Dick Cavett what it is to be a writer... beautiful simplicity within the works of Zenna Henderson... Prof. John Yount at UNH talking about the writers' craft, and "the furniture of the world"... Writing for me was a secondary effort, and though I've come a long way, the peak still lies beyond the horizon... I'll never summit - and that's ok, as long as each day I'm a little better than I was the day before...

thanx for sharing the details sasha
I enjoy reading about other experiences
the way they differ, the way they're are the same
in the end, regardless of political affiliations
regardless of religious beliefs, favorite colors
we have more in common than not

Stealing words or ideas is not theft if you're inspired and have your own take on them. That's what makes us alive and unique (just like everyone else).

At least that's my take on it.

I agree mnaz...I have this book titled Steal Like an Artist which addresses this.....