Altarwise by Owl-light

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NaBloPoMo prompt of the day:

 

What is the hardest part of a big project: getting the energy to begin, finding the time to work on it, or feeling down that it's over?

 

For me, getting the energy to begin is always the hardest part.  Once I get going, I am fine.

 

 

Two summers ago, I took part in a Critical Seminar at the West Chester Poetry Conference, on the poetry of Dylan Thomas.  I selected a long poem of his that I had never read or worked with:

“Altarwise by Owl Light”

 

I chose it because I liked the title so much. 

 

I am fascinated by owls, though the poem had very little to do with them.

 

 

 

 

I was only teaching one course that semester, so I had the time to work on it. However, I took a long time to get started on it – a perfect example of my project pattern.

To add to that, the poem was devilishly difficult.  However, I tangled with it and did a satisfactory job, and in the end, I enjoyed the seminar immensely.