Poems with an accent

I like to write. However, why attempt to write in a language other than the one I learned first. One reason: Over 130 Million people speak German (https://www.deutschland.de/en/topic/culture/the-german-language-surprising-facts-and-figures)

More than 3 Billion people speak/understand English. Duh.

I’ve come a long way from

There is a cat.
The cat is fat.
The cat lies on a mat.

to my first novel long story written in English. Red Running Shoes.

Which I could only accomplish with the tremendous help of my first editor @Lisa. I could write a whole essay about how much she helped me.

Anyway, it doesn’t matter how it sounds when I read a story to myself. When one reads it in their head, they hear no accent. At least not my horrible accent.

Of course, I had to write poetry next. I blame @AC Benus and his poetry prompts. However, poetry is an entirely different matter than prose. There are those pesky things like meter, rhyme, and rhythm among other phonetic hurdles. Fear not, I won’t launch into an explanation of poetic devices now. There are people who are much more competent than I am.

The point is: It is important how a poem sounds.

I had this conversation with Irri about oregano of all things. In English it’s oregano. In German it’s oregano.  Depending on which language you hear in your head it can screw with meter. Better not try poetry?

Once started, I couldn’t stop. To me, a poem is a condensed moment. A poignant thought. A clarified feeling and many more. And always a song.

Since @Valkyrie introduced me to the NaPoWriMo challenge, I learned how the perspective of my world could change for a month, an interesting, and addictive experience.

I know my poems are not perfect. I grudgingly stopped aiming for perfection some while ago. It has to feel right. Therefore, I stubbornly continue writing poems with an accent.