I am sometimes inspired to write poetry. I have done that since I was a child. When I was a younger man I didn’t tell too many people about that because I would get teased. Poetry writing is not a real mans’ vocation. I found the ladies liked it and would attempt to use that knowledge to my advantage. Yes, I’m a sensitive and compassionate man. Of course a man has needs. LOL, I admit to limited success in those endeavors but not without a victory or two. Other than being used for that nefarious purpose my poetry was seldom shared. Since being on Facebook and having reached an age where I am confident in my masculinity, I share it often. In the past I seldom did rewrites to my poems. Now I find myself revisiting them and making revisions. I feel a bit of guilt in doing so but with no reason why. They are my thoughts, my choice of words and I am certainly free to modify them how I see fit. Still, the feeling nags at me that I shouldn’t do that. You can’t plagiarize yourself, can you ? Now that’s a silly thought.
 I wonder if the great poets do that. Do they start out with a complete thought or does the thought develop in the writing. With me the thought is usually a complete thought before I put pen to paper or lately, fingers to the keyboard. I am inspired and the thought just flows out. I do seem to be stuck with a certain style. I have never studied poetry and the various styles. As a result my poetry comes from the untrained mind. At first I was just attracted to the way you could make words rhyme. With my poems I try to express feelings. I never listen to this so called ” rap ” music but I guess it is a form of poetry. I hear it is supposed to contain a message. Eighteen expletives in one verse is more than I can stand so I mostly ignore it. I hear there are Christian rappers too ! Whatever brings you closer to the truth is alright I guess. Just not my thing.
 In the writing of poetry or prose what credentials are required ? I would say only the ability to express yourself in a unique way. Some would use shock value to accomplish that end. That is what I think Rap music is all about. I have always had an appreciation for the more subtle approach. I prefer  to think about what is being said. Good poetry contains mysteries in the words, is my thought. My goal is to convey a feeling or a thought. I could look at my past compositions as outlines. I don’t believe I have ever spent more than a hour or so writing any one of them. Do any of you ever rewrite your poems ? How long should it take ? I can understand the time it may take to write a book. There are many thoughts in one book but I think a poem should only convey a single thought at a time. A poem is a bullet but a book is a bomb ! What do you think ? Rewrites or not ? Is a rewrite just being lazy ? A rehashing of the same thought ? If I forgot what I wrote, and then write it again, is that plagiarizing ? What I am asking is, once I sign the poem, is it finished ?