The link between song lyrics and poetry has long been established. For as long as I can recall, I have been attracted to songs with strong lyric lines. I listen, I note, and I want to see more, so I go in search of the full lyric. Poetry and song lyrics easily intersect on occasions. Many poems have been transformed, re-imagined as songs. A song is essentially a poem with musical accompaniment.  On occasions, a single line from a song has been enough to inspire me to write a brand-new poem. These forms are like siblings.  I love and appreciate the beauty of both. We do well to make it a habit to listen to words possessed with power and beauty. We learn to be more active in our listening, and this serves us well as writers.  While working on a lyric, writers make use of a number of poetic techniques, including rhyme, meter, repetition, alliteration, and assonance or consonance. These literary elements provide the lyric with musical qualities. The more unity  the words...

Sometimes we must respond to an inner call... I found myself returning once more to the intriguing challenge presented by first line index poems.  I feel much happier with this one, although it took a while to juggle and coax the various lines into place. It was a bit like herding cats at first. However, more importantly, it was definitely an engaging writing challenge.  I am pleased I persisted.  Here is a link to my original post written in May 2021, fully explaining the process for composing these beguiling poems-    First Line Index Poems Island Observations – First Line Index Poem The trees are coming into leaf The young girls are cutting the cabbages The fishermen are patient As they sit here happily drinking And they, of course, Not knowing  For years, there have been no fish in the lake. A hush falls, Along the promenade. You ask for a poem, Before I leave the island. I say, In Manchester, there are a thousand puddles Where the three fields meet. Al...