Sometimes words flutter against my consciousness,
Barely coaxing a response in a fleeting manner
Gently saying ‘Write me down, dear’

Others times they resound screeching and jagged
Full of discord while beating savagely against my head
Until the only peace to be found is to begin the story.
While the characters finish the pace in an almost violent extraction
Threatening with a ‘Finish me or I won’t shut up’

Sometimes it’s a quiet contemplation through periods of productivity
With words flowing out constantly
Where one can pick up and finish at any leisure filled time.
And I look forward to writing, flushed and heady with success.
Encouraging me with a ‘Come on, buddy...We’re nearly there’

Other times, they elude me
Leaving blank pages and awning nothingness
Abject failure and tired overused clichés
Jeering taunts of ‘Why are you even bothering, Loser’

And in the best of times it’s a single line which spawns a world
Or a soliloquy which sums up your character with searing perfection
That makes you feel like you’re the greatest inventor in the world
Patting me on the back with a ‘You've surpassed me, my student … I can’t teach you any more’