Fun in Anticipation by Alan Anderson

 

Anticipation = “the act or state of looking forward to some occurrence.” — Merriam-Webster Dictionary online.

 

Anticipation in Writing                      

 

When I am writing a poem, the anticipation is accompanied by great excitement. This excitement is like being part of a wonderful adventure. In fact, even the words in my head become excited. There are so many words to choose from and they all want to be included in a poem. I am sure at least a few of them are disappointed they are not chosen.

 

 

When I first come up with an idea for a poem, I become restless. I might need to go for a walk or play with my dog or do both. I talk to myself and if I’m in a coffee shop, I whisper so no one hears me. Sounds odd, right? Okay, I’ll come clean with you. By talking to myself, I am in conversation with the words in my head. Yes, I agree, this is indeed beginning to sound even more odd. Guess what? This conversation works. 

 

 

Please allow me to give an example of what I mean in what I say in the previous paragraphs. In between writing this post, I am working on a poem. The theme of the poem is serious therefore, the words must work well together and get along. I call the poem, “Stranger Dance.”

 

 

An Exercise in Anticipation

 

Here is an excerpt from “Stranger Dance,” to give you an idea of what you might expect for the rest of the poem.

  

Stranger Dance

By Alan Anderson

 

Many of us walk by each other,

Without a glance,

 A stranger dance.

Two-stepped every day,

Seems we like it this way,

  

A stranger dance is without romance,

Cold, distant existence,

Where people go through the motions,

Only pretend to care,

Yet put up a wall of resistance.

 

 

When I began “Stranger Dance,” I had a specific reason for its tone. I also gave a lot of thought to the context of the poem. The context is taken from my perspective of how the Covid-19 pandemic affected people in a negative manner. This poem is a work in progress and its ending is an act of anticipation how it will turn out.

 

 

I thought of a fun way readers may contribute to the poem. What do you expect the rest of the poem will be? Until this post goes live, I will not develop it to its conclusion. I want to give you readers a role in the anticipation of how “Stranger Dance” will end. Think about it. Feel free to comment on how the rest of the poem may go. Listen to all the excitement of the words in your head and go for it!

 

 

Alan lives in Deroche, B.C. with his wife, Terry, and their poodle, Charlie. He contributed stories to Good Grief People by Angel Hope Publishing, 2017; Story by Story: The Power of a Writer, Unstoppable Writers Publishing, 2018; Easter Stories & More by InScribe Christian Writers’ Fellowship, 2021. He is currently working on a book expressing the grief of grieving grandparents entitled “Hidden Poetic Voices: A Reflective Work of Grief, Faith, and Poetry.” Alan periodically writes articles for FellowScript Magazine. He has written posts for our InScribe blog since 2015. Blog: https://scarredjoy.ca.