What next?

Now I'm casting about for ideas, whittling away at minor possibilities.

Back in January, I considered writing a series of poems on alchemy (I was inspired by a reference to "the alchemist's physic" in John Banville's novel The Sea). That quickly transformed into an introspection on what a modern day alchemist would be and just as quickly lost steam as I moved back to more garden-inspired poems. Not such a stretch, as alchemy is turning lead into gold (among other pursuits) and gardening is turning dirt into gold (and blue and magenta and white).

The alchemist could become a cartographer, but I'm not getting very far.

I've also toyed with the idea of doing something with the Tarot deck, but that will require research. And this afternoon I thought about doing some history-based poems on Rudolf von Laban. (I was thinking about efficiency of movement—okay, I was feeling extra lazy). More research. I'm not good at research—not patient enough, I want the results faster. Maybe this is my chance to gain a little discipline.

In the meantime, it's a beautiful afternoon—with neither the thunder nor hail that was forecast this morning—and tomorrow night I have poetry group. It's time to write something.

Do you tend to get your favorite ideas at a certain time of day, or in a special place, or when you're washing the dishes or walking the dog? Or do they arrive at random? How many show up before you find the one that you can run with—or can you run with them all?