Poets of the Fall Effect – A journey into inspiration & creativity

Come and tag along while I write a poem coming directly from the heart of music… and elsewhere. Inspiration & creativity should not have to wait.

There is this thing I do when I like something so much that I want everybody to feel the same… although, I am well aware that it’s not how it works… Anyway, being aware is good because it prevents me from jumping with both my feet in the puddle of mud hidden under the carpet. Weird imagery, I know but that’s the one that popped out – probably due to the freaking weather hiding the sun away.

Anyway, here they come again, Poets of the Fall with their warm, fuzzy feelings and twisted emotions. Tuesday, I was getting ready for my forty-five minutes drive for a visit at work, right. I was not playing any music yet, but the music was playing nonetheless in my head as per usual, nothing bizarre about this. I don’t remember which song got me thinking outside my self-centered bubble and take a peek at my writing one, suffice it to say that this beginning of a sentence “You spend your time” took hold of my mind and did not let go.

Was it coming from what I was listening to in my head? Not a clue!

So, I stopped what I was doing for a moment, took a notebook and a pencil, then proceeded with writing down this “grabby” phrase and the rest kind of blurted out of the pencil; before I could help it at all, I was reading aloud:

You spend your time
Looking for something better
In the dead of winter
When all you have to do
Is look in the mirror
To see that all is not lost forever
That your eyes are brighter than life
And your smile still shines through the tears

Yes, exactly! What on Earth is that? I asked myself… I believe it is the Poets of the Fall Effect – rather than the Butterfly Effect. All is well that ends well, right, but what am I supposed to do with these eight verses? That’s not even a Haiku or a poem remotely finished. My husband told me that it will become something when it is meant to, or maybe it is not. Do you necessarily need to do something with it? He asked. I answered that I did not, but then this morning the whole thing came nagging at me that I was unfair to my art… or something of the sort. Sounds frustrating, but it actually is not.

The game is on!

Easier said than done, that much I can tell you. I’ve written some follow-up that I might share with you down the line, oh alright, I will! I started thinking you see, and you might wonder whether I ever stop, but I do sometimes, honest! These eight verses were puzzling me because I had no idea to whom they were addressed. Suddenly, all the questions about the point of view of the narrator etc. that you learn in writing classes became annoyingly relevant. So, I continued assuming that I was, yet again, talking to myself. What I don’t really get are the three first verses, but maybe my past behaviors and doubts got mixed up with how I feel today. It is said that old habits die hard, therefore, it should not sound so irrational after all. Going through such thoughts, I finally got hit by a new phrase “When it is time to dwell“. As you can see, I am giving myself a pep-talk and I guess it has a lot to do with this new chapter of my life which is about to begin in a few days.

When it is time to dwell
You’d do well to remember
You’ve got no reason left to
When your heart feels restless
Just do what you do best
Smile, for the peace within is real

The Poets of the Fall effect is now a real and tangible thing. The inspiration and creativity that they are unlocking do not show only in what I write about their songs anymore. As a person, I have been through a long journey of thoughts to rediscover myself and they have recently helped me push to uncover all the nooks and crannies of my heart. Beyond that, they have also awoken the sleepy writer that I had become once more during my recent struggles. They’ve become a part of my on-going recovery through music therapy. Yes, I guess I could put it that way. Of course, like with everything else, there is more to my recovery than meets the eye, and today I feel happy and grateful to so many people… but it is hardly the point of this post.

Thanks for reading & take care! ?