Unblock
When you've read too many other poets
When your own voice disappears under the weight of everything you have read — a five-minute exercise drawn from Mary Oliver on practice over polish.
Reading widely is a gift to a poet — until it becomes a mirror that shows you only other people's work. Mary Oliver spent years copying out poems she loved and then writing her own directly after, not to imitate but to feel the movement of language in her hand. The exercise below borrows her practice: write before you edit, and do not consult the shelf.
Try this
Without opening any book or tab, write ten lines about something you can see from where you are sitting. Do not try to make them good. When ten minutes are up, read them back and underline the one that is most yours.
Share your poemFurther reading
- A Poetry Handbook (opens in a new tab) — Mariner Books / HMH
Oliver on practice over polish — her core argument that consistent writing matters more than waiting for readiness.