Endeavour
It seems the only fiercer monster than
The dreaded writer’s block of which we moan
Is writer’s doubt— oh woe! it stays my hand,
And makes me question every thought I own!
Why should I need to strangulate feeling
And slaughter every honest word like lambs;
And oh, to mince the margins of meaning
By squeezing sentences into iambs!
But let the fire in your heart take hold,
And as light on a hill show you the way;
And write not in italics, but in bold;
Yet do not lose the page, which is to say:
If you should need a force that drives your pen,
Let it be love; still, treat fear as a friend.
Isabelle Lam is currently a Year 4 Literary Arts student. This poem was written when she was in Year 3.