Terri McCord‘s latest work is The Beauts with Finishing Line Press. Her work has been included in several anthologies. She is a visual artist as well and loves to create visual works that speak to the literary ones. She teaches and works with different ages.
You can read As if in the January 2024 issue.
Would you like to tell us a little bit more about your poem? For instance, how or why you wrote it, or perhaps provide some extra context?
Some of my poems more recently have been prompted by wars and conflict as I continually read about the effects on place and the people involved. “As If” is prompted by journalistic readings, feelings of a deep unsettling in the world, and actual observations of a piercing sun coming in a particular window.
Why was the poetic form the best fit for this particular piece of work?
The all-consuming light from the sun seemed to demand attention, expression, and form. Part of the poem became quite imagistic in a tight, succinct form that I hope somewhat mimics the subject matter.
If you didn’t write poetry, how do you think you might access the same fulfillments that poetry offers in your life?
This is a very hard question, actually. I absolutely love photography as well, the search or exploration of something not pictured yet. Generally, though, the visual will lead me to creating pictures with words. Maybe I could say “dancing.” Dancing has that same joyous, “feeling-of-the-senses” that writing poetry, the release of it, gives.
How or where or with what does a poem begin?
I do love writing ekphrastic poetry. A poem often demands to be written because of some huge realization or startling information. An actual image will frequently occur almost simultaneously with more factual information. It all starts, then, to morph together. Writing poetry is definitely how I process information.
Are there other art forms that inspire or inform your poetry?
Yes. Natural art forms such as clouds, striations in tree bark, reflections in water. I love music and dance, and both bring a physiological response as well. Visual art is always inspiring, and I must say, really, that I can often find art anywhere.
How do you make space for poetry in your daily routine?
Ideally, my day is fairly balanced, and this balance is nurturing. I am finding more and more that I need to be protective of the space and time required for poetry. I am also very open to the necessity of writing a poem or a phrase on a napkin, a receipt before the words disappear.
Have you ever received advice (or has there been something you’ve learned on your own) about writing or revising poems that has made you a better poet? What was it?
A well-known poet in graduate school explained to the group that an important question to ask after reading or hearing a poem, or your own poem, is “so what”? What about the poem matters?
In terms of poetic style or craft, is there a big question you are trying to find an answer for?
I constantly search and try to understand different perspectives, especially if they are happening all at once. I very much am experimenting with how to present this confluence in an understandable style.