Poetry at Work: Poetry at Work Day

Today is Poetry at Work Day.

I can pinpoint almost the exact time I became aware that poetry inhabited the work I di.

In the fall of 1981, I was working as a corporate speechwriter. Our overall organization (100+ strong) was attending the annual Public Affairs conference, an off-site retreat. It was late on the first night and leisure time; many were watching movies, playing cards, or simply chatting.

I was talking to one of our out-of-town colleagues; he was known as “difficult” to our bosses, which translated as “he’s so competent he makes the rest of us uncomfortable.” He had a first-rate mind; he was a first-rate communicator.

We were talking about writing, and then speechwriting. I told him that I knew that speechwriting was where I belonged in my career.

“How serious are you?” he asked.

“Very serious,” I replied. “It’s where I belong, for lots of reasons.”

“Then I’ll send you the instructions manuals,” he said, and wouldn’t say anything more.

To continue reading, please see my post today at Tweetspeak Poetry.

Photograph by Petr Kratochvil via Public Domain Pictures. Used with permission.