“To Write a Book” is a poem based on a backhanded compliment that I have witnessed several times, though never yet directed at me.
Though the words at face value sound encouraging, they hold venom in the form of the idea that the writing of the book was only important to the writer. This is meant as an insult.
Of course, it does not have to be perceived that way. We each have a book in us that screams to be written, and some of us really do feel the need to write it. It is not something shameful or even overly self-indulgent to write your book. Indeed, I am convinced that those who would put another down for writing their book, whatever that book may be, are those who are afraid to write their own.
So, do it. Write the book that exists in you alone, fueling you, driving you, pushing you forward. Share it with the world. You deserve to be heard.
Stay tuned for more “Behind the Poem” entries throughout the month of April, and if you want a sneak peek at tomorrow’s poem, check my Patreon. (It’s free!)
Happy reading,
Sibyl