Poems to Epic Stories

I still think in short thematic prose, the sort of thing you sometimes see in spoken word poetry. So often these little pieces just grow and grow.

Most of us are born poets, artists. We start to develop singular fascinations as part of learning. Words interest us with rhythm, then we hear the appeal of rhymes. Alliteration, onomatopoeia, those letterful words for simple concepts. We start to realize that we can replicate what we see or add to the noise, interpret and create anew. It's not insanity that makes us reach for what isn't there-- it's hope, imagination, interest. Artists are some of the most practical and grounded people I know once they really start to find themselves. They look critically at the world, but not necessarily to pass judgement, since most creatives are harshest on themselves. 

Poetry is still in me but it's become more abstract over time. In fact, it's often a very poetic idea that becomes a short story and the short stories become novels then series. It's actually really common to hear novelists claim they never meant the idea to grow so big. Some even start with a non-fiction head in research or are just playing with a simple idea before it grows like wildfire.

Until I read The Darkest Evening of the Year by Dean Koontz, I didn't think anyone wrote like that but me. Chains of short stories, seemingly unrelated, that come together. Mood heavy romps rife with symbolism. Hell, I might have actually happened on it many times before, but for some reason, this book was the one that made me believe my stories could be told. I wouldn't say that I was waiting for permission but when you tend to stand out even when you don't want to, sometimes you wonder if you will stand out for the right reasons.

Of course, Koontz writes real-world based fiction so that was about where the similarities ended but, ya know... Many of my favorite books and authors inspired me in very pinprick ways. A dash of Nix, a splash of Rice, throw in some Douglass. I was never out to emulate, but I found some affirmation in  all the right ways.

Anyways, poetry was where I was supposed to be going. I have a poem for you. A lot of my early poetry was heavy-handed, trying way too hard to lead, using a lot of forced imagery and over saturated words. This is more where I am now, on the rare occasion I throw one down.

Where I Lay

I'm not going to lay here

Not on this old mattress where the springs sag just right

Not on this new mattress made of space age foam

Not on the porch swing with weather proof cushions

Not on the carpets of flowers baking sweet in the sun

Not in the dark with his breath like stale beer

Not where those familiar hands can disappear

Not where mom said she'd be but never showed up

Not where my needs were for another family

Another family

Another family

But where was mine?

I'm not going to lay here

Where my hands are not idle

My mind is not quiet

My heart is not still

Yet my words must be silent

I'm going to lay there

Where there might be a lake

Or another mistake

But on the river is a bed

And in my mind there is a story

From my hands there will be magic

Behind my eyelids, more than dreams

I'm going to lay here

Until the whole world sees

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I'm less concerned about rhyming and rhythm. Poetry is often just chains of thought. Chains of thought sometimes find patterns and break them, find rhyme then find alliteration. I've always liked the freedom of 'prose' where poetic structure is broken in favor of the message.

As I've said, poems can inspire stories. I believe Stephen King's inspiration for the Dark Tower series came from a poem. I remember I used to daydream about the adventures of Annabelle Lee. Poems always held the potential to become the bite-sized portals of epic stories.

Need another writing exercise? There you go! How would you take a favorite poem and turn it into a story. Flash fiction, short story, novella, novel, series, however far it takes you! Try to go into it without expectations and you may be surprised where it goes.