Stopping by a Café to Drink a Poem

"How do you choose a poem to write? she asked. How do you find the pulse of that vein, that something precious which is nowhere?"   Where does a poem come from? Where is its birth place? What is its ancestry?   I have found poetry as a wound finds its scar, or a plucked flower finds an altar. The process is organic like breathing and unstructured as a heart plunging. It often starts as a curiosity to know deeply about something, a desire to unravel, to understand. But  quickly it becomes an investigation, an overwhelming desire to unravel light.  Fingers become a conduit, ink is the blood which starts flowing from the wounds which burst to reveal truths.   And I see myself clearer, and I see myself uglier. I might not realize that deep inside this ugliness lies the ultimate secret.  Because till then I have not realized that all truths are beautiful, however hideous they might seem. And that's when poetry enters it's most tremulous state - that of healing. For a poem, finally, is a true friend. It is both a mirror and a hand. It jolts you at the same time as it holds you.    You will know whether you've encountered a great poem when you emerge from it fully drenched, lacerated, scarred - but strangely, strangely, alive.   If you liked this poem, consider listening to these other poems which are rich with the aroma of coffee & love -   <ul><li><a href='https://open.spotify.com/episode/2a8XiA8NNeOlEsNKV91i6Y?si=BkN3Sx1KSM6BT2fkcpXSvg&utm_source=whatsapp'>Coffee, You & Me</a></li> <li><a href='https://open.spotify.com/episode/3NFsJvNcpOXsuWTiBZW3gT?si=hERVWJNRTRC_89IzpzlO-g&utm_source=whatsapp'>Searching for Coffee in Jaipur</a></li> <li><a href='https://open.spotify.com/episode/5FdowzdJd78cRuttsGVDD1?si=hFGWuoYjQzehyCsp6DmUpw&utm_source=whatsapp'>Lovers In The Morning</a></li> </ul> <p>Follow me on Instagram at <a href='http://www.instagram.com/sunilgivesup'>@sunilgi</a><a href='http://www.instagram.com/sunilgivesup'>vesup</a>.</p> <p>Get in touch with me on <a href='mailto:uncutpoetrynow@gmail.com'>uncutpo