Masterpiece

The middle of the night.

A word comes,

A phrase, a verse,

The first hint of a rhyme.

All, in the midst

Of sleep and time,

Are lost.

At no apparent cost.

CreativityElusive thoughts

◄ The Fence

The Bright Blue Sky ►

Comments

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Graham Sherwood

Mon 23rd Jun 2025 15:23

Carpe Diem (and the night time too!).

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Stephen Gospage

Mon 23rd Jun 2025 14:26

Thank you for your kind comment, Isobel. This one did not come to me in the middle of the night, at least I don't think it did!

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Isobel

Sun 22nd Jun 2025 14:10

I'd have to disagree with Greg - as a bit of an insomniac myself - if you can get sleep, embrace it, hang onto it as long as you can. An active mind is a curse and often those wonderful lines you thought were great, don't look so good in the morning.

I like the dreamy quality of this and that you've made a poem that works out of the every day.

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Stephen Gospage

Sat 21st Jun 2025 09:07

I should, Greg, and once I did have a notebook near my bed for that purpose. I managed to remember a fair amount of stuff the next morning, but sometimes ideas have gone. Yes, it's best to have something at hand to write them down!

And thanks to all who liked this.

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Greg Freeman

Fri 20th Jun 2025 09:11

Wake yourself up, Steve, and write 'em down! They may turn out to be rubbish in the morning, but sometimes they're worth keeping ... The birds often wake me at four in the morning in our Northumberland village, and sometimes I thank them for it!

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Stephen Gospage

Mon 16th Jun 2025 07:18

Thank you, Rolph. Yes, who knows what becomes of these little pieces of inspiration which slip away? Are they stored somewhere, to reappear later? Or are they just gone? I wanted to maintain the melancholy by concluding with 'no apparent cost'.

Rolph David

Sun 15th Jun 2025 10:18

Stephen, your poem beautifully captures that all-too-familiar moment when inspiration teases us in the quiet hours, only to slip away before we can hold onto it. There’s a delicate melancholy in the acceptance of those lost verses—like ghosts of creativity that visit but won’t stay. Thank you for giving voice to that elusive feeling with such clarity and grace.
Regards,
Rolph

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