Advice to New Writers

Read, read more,
read again
read aloud

Chew words
spit them out on the page without caution
dribble them down the front of your shirt

Caress them
let them slip out
soft
moonlight
a bud opening

If they don’t please, toss them
if they come tumbling back
give them a second chance

Gather words in baskets
set them on a shelf to ripen

Put a few good ones under
your pillow each night and
let them seep into your dreams