Audience

Audience

1.
As I'm writing, I'm always reader conscious.
I have one reader in mind, someone who is in
the room with me, and who I'm talking to, and
I want to make sure I don't talk too fast, or
too glibly. Usually I try to create a
hospitable tone at the beginning of a poem.
Stepping from the title to the first lines
is like stepping into a canoe. A lot of things
can go wrong.

2.
As I'm writing,
I'm always reader conscious.
I have one reader in mind,
someone who is in the room with me,
and who I'm talking to,
and I want to make sure
I don't talk too fast, or too glibly.
Usually I try to create a hospitable tone
at the beginning of a poem.
Stepping from the title
to the first lines is
like stepping into a canoe.
A lot of things can go wrong.

Billy Collins

Posted over on English Language Poets

1. Billy Collins prose quote.
2. Line breaks by Glenn Buttkus