If my week continues as it has begun, I’ll be able to start scheduling time for the work tasks that I labeled “low priority” back in June. I have been trying to accept very little new work until I could get to these things, because while they weren’t high priority at the time, they’ve accumulated, and their presence in my list of stuff to do has begun to make me feel mad anxious. One of them is technically about a year old. It’s time for it to happen.

Ladybug and I went to a live Clue party Saturday night, dressed up and mildly in character. This confirmed for me that I will never write mysteries, and made me think about being straightforward in poems as opposed to withholding information until it’s needed. It’s not hard to withhold in a poem, only to find when you release the information that the poem had telegraphed the revelation, announced the absence of meaning, and already veered towards gimmickry. Most of the best poems lay out the emotional stakes quickly and work within the parameters they’ve set forth. It’s not that they don’t surprise, it’s just that the surprise is warranted and earned.

One outcome of the party is that I’ve been thinking really seriously about organizing a big scavenger hunt. It’s way more fun to be on a team, but hey, we could put one together.