“The Writer”: A Poem by Richard Wilbur

Today I’d like to share with you a poem by Richard Wilbur. If you were around last year on Past Watchful Dragons, you’ll know I shared many of my favorite poems with you then, so we’ll consider today a bonus poem.

I found this in a post from author Jonathan Rogers. Wilbur’s poem is short and vivid. It reminds me of myself when I was a younger writer…and, to be honest, it reminds me of my current writer self, too. As the title suggests, he gears the poem toward writers, but I think the application is wider than that. Whatever your creative outlet, I think you’ll relate to Wilbur’s imagery of a starling, a ship, and the struggles of artistic expression.

To all my fellow creators out there, I hope this post give you the courage to “[clear] the sill of the world.” Best of luck!

Read Wilbur’s poem here.