Day three of NaPoWriMo 2016 and I’ve decided to save the challenge ‘to write a fan letter to a celebrity’ until after I visit the Marilyn Monroe Exhibition with some dear friends tomorrow.

I’m rarely overawed by celebrities – they are just human beings  – but I think I may be inspired to write if the Bendigo Art Gallery’s event is as fabulous as the one they did for Grace Kelly.

However, I promised to publish a poem a day and so here is a poem I wrote in 2004 and revisited last night. I was a writing tutor at Sandybeach Centre – my first paid gig.

In this poem, I could be accused of breaking my own rule by using words that cause readers  to reach for a dictionary, or scratch their heads and wonder what on earth does she mean?

On the other hand, I moved out of my comfort zone and researched words and their meanings to understand myself and the profession I’ve chosen and have a bit of fun with words.  So, fair warning – you may need to savour the words, pause, reflect – and perhaps reject my poem, but you may also be inspired to have fun with words.

It is ironic that the journey I travelled playing with words actually ends with one of the ideas I will probably explore in my poem to, or about, Marilyn.

Fingers crossed the inspiration comes when needed.

Who Am I? What Am I?
Mairi Neil

I’m a writer.
A phrase with connotations galore –
author, biographer, journalist, poet,
columnist, editor, dramatist, copyist,
novelist, playwright, reporter,
essayist, wordsmith, hack –
Need I name more?

Writers write!
Unless up against the dreaded block.
They author, communicate, compose, pen,
scratch, sign, autograph, indite,
correspond, create, draft, inscribe,
note, pencil, record, scrawl –
Scribble frantically around the clock!

The literati boast lucubration at escritoire,
manuscripts cause graphospasm,
and corpus oeuvre fill posterity’s chasm,
from palaeography to grammatology,
stenography preparing bibliography ––
Pseudonyms detected by graphology!

Whether freelance or fabulist using
nom de plumes, ghostwriters or epistolary,
thank goodness people of letters
still continue orthography.
Scriveners scribble in scriptoriums
producing poetry and prose to fascinate,
enlighten, entertain and have their say!
Words that uplift, educate – or challenge
even offend –to promote a cause celebre!

To all those struggling with inspiration and taking the challenge – good luck. I’ll be interested to read the results.