As mentioned earlier, I'm casting about, fishing for ideas to explore—the next thing to write about. Yesterday, I was thinking about horses (I was another horse-crazy girl) and then through the bus window I saw a patch of scilla and I thought about purple—scilla, lilacs, wysteria—and the way it plays with light.

I also was thinking about metaphor and suspect that it can work either way: You can find a metaphor, an image, that works for what you are trying to say—or you can find the image and then, in the process of writing, it becomes a metaphor as you learn what you are trying to say. Does that make any sense?

This morning, I was back to horses—and the Camargue region in France. I thought about looking up any folklore or stories about them, but then I remembered that I’ve been wanting to try to create my own myths (something that Ilya Kaminsky suggested to students in a workshop a couple of years ago). Maybe this is the time. (Another good reason to go to France, and France is right next door to Italy. But first I think I need to do some reading. Research rears its head again.)

So far, this casting, this fishing, is a catch-and-release endeavor. Nothing to keep yet—which makes me think about the story of the fisherman who nets a fish and then it talks to him and begs for its life and makes promises and—I'll try to look up the story. Likely there is more than one.

I'm also casting questions onto this web log. Going back to the first post, I started this project on the premise that misery loves company. (Anyone out there?) I natter on, but I'd love to listen, too—to hear what you think, how you work. Or maybe you have questions, too? Or maybe I just need to get out more.

This weekend offers an excellent opportunity: It's the Seattle Poetry Festival. I'm thinking of heading down to Hugo House on Sunday, when my friend Judith Skillman will join Bob Redmond, Judith Roche, and Jim Bertolino for a panel discussion on Building a Literary Community. And after that, Burlesque Poetry in the theatre, plus much more poetry all day. If you're going to be in the Seattle area, check out the full weekend schedule.