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More Ars Poetica Poetry

This week I'm sharing another Ars Poetica poem. The term loosely means the art of poetry. 

The resultant poem is essentially a reflection on the writing of poetry. This ancient form goes all the way back to the Roman poet, Horace who first championed the form. These poems involve the writer examining aspects of poetry's purpose, methods and nature. 










Ink In The Heart

 

There is no ink on my body

Not a single tattoo

I carry my ink in my veins

Allowing it to escape through chosen words

Laid down in poems

 

A river of inky thoughts flow forth

Line by line

Trickles and torrents

Across a broad landscape of hungry pages

 

Thought transcribed

Fertile revelations

Pure and heartfelt

Happy, angry and unharnessed

They spill and spread out.

 

This enduring relationship

Reveals to friend and stranger

The strength of an inner call

To which I willingly respond-

Write,

And continue to write

Let the ink flow

Reveal the words of the poem.


Alan j Wright


It is Poetry Friday and our host this week is Janice Scully. Janice is celebrating US Women's History Month and highlighting women poets. She shares her poem about nurses.



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  1. laurasalas14 March 2025 at 22:48

    Yes! This is wonderful, Alan. I love how you talk about tattoos here too. Nothing wrong with tattoos, but I can imagine some young people reading your poem and thinking about how they can reveal themselves in so many ways, including in poems. Thank you for your trickles and torrents.

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    1. Alan j Wright15 March 2025 at 15:06

      Thank you so much for your considered response, Laura. Your thoughts have challenged me to think more broadly.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous14 March 2025 at 23:56

    This is Janice. The use of tattooing as a metaphor for writing poems rings true. The happy, angry, unharnessed can be expressed on any writing surface and your poem reveals this choice.

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    1. Alan j Wright15 March 2025 at 15:08

      Thank you, Janice. I am reminded how versatile ink can be in creating opportunities to exxpress one's self.

      Delete
  3. Mary Lee15 March 2025 at 22:16

    I love the contrast between ink ON and ink IN. A tattoo is a static statement, but using the ink within us allows for so much more variety of expression! Love it!

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    1. Alan j Wright16 March 2025 at 11:02

      I like your summation, Mary Lee. I wholeheartedly agree.

      Delete
  4. Rose Cappelli15 March 2025 at 23:43

    Such a thoughtful poem, Alan. I love the line: I carry my ink in my veins/
    Allowing it to escape through chosen words.

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    1. Alan j Wright16 March 2025 at 11:03

      Thank you, Rose. I appreciate your kind remarks.

      Delete
  5. Anonymous16 March 2025 at 05:17

    This is a lovely and thoughtful poem, Alan. I especially love the line "A river of inky thoughts flow forth" because it feels so connected to the heart.

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    1. Alan j Wright16 March 2025 at 11:05

      Thank you Linda. Your remarks are much appreciated. I have long been fascinated by the ink within us.

      Delete
  6. Tabatha16 March 2025 at 13:23

    Your poem reminds me of the Maya Angelou quote, "There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you." The ink must escape!

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    1. Alan j Wright17 March 2025 at 14:28

      Tabatha, I am unfamilair with this Maya Angelou quote, but i find it quite afforming, so thank you so much for bringing it to my attention.

      Delete
  7. jlcjbuzz17 March 2025 at 05:09

    This is a powerful piece about the passion of writing, Alan! Thank you for sharing it. I have some words inside me today that I will now go and let out on a page. It's an important thing to do when feelings are strong or and idea haunts you - get the words down - let them spread out on the page - wonderful!

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    1. Alan j Wright17 March 2025 at 14:31

      Thank you, Carol. May your own words spill upon the page as you would hope for them to land . Your response says so much about a writer's motivation.

      Delete
  8. Karen Edmisten 17 March 2025 at 07:53

    Alan, I especially love this line: "broad landscape of hungry pages" — so much ink to spill.

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    1. Alan j Wright17 March 2025 at 14:34

      Thank you, Karen. Hoping for more inky experiences in the days ahead. I'm always imploring young writers to 'feed' their notebooks, so I must praactice what I preach.

      Delete
  9. Jane18 March 2025 at 06:55

    My words do feel like water - sometimes they flood the page, tumbling out of me, I feel like I only have to turn on the faucet and out they poor. And other times, it's like there's a drought, the words are all dried up and I have no idea when it will rain again.

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    1. Alan j Wright18 March 2025 at 14:49

      Jane, you provide an equally valid metaphor by invoking 'water.' I have often thought like this regarding the process and particularly the mercurial notion of inspiration.

      Delete
  10. Michelle Kogan19 March 2025 at 00:26

    Beautiful Alan, you capture so much there about a poet, writer, and the call of writing! I especially liked this line , it's so visual, "Across a broad landscape of hungry pages" it makes me think of all the notebooks I've filled with lines of words and thoughts, thanks!

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    1. Alan j Wright20 March 2025 at 12:12

      Thank you for your considered response, Michelle. Much appreciated. Our ever hungry notebooks do indeed crave our words.

      Delete

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