Richard Fox

RS:

No one could ever accuse you of steering clear of scary topics, and your experience  with cancer and the illness and death of your parents figures into a lot of your poems. Are there any subjects you'd like to write about, but for some reason, haven’t?

 

RF:

Scary? I think of them as human. Living with cancer, with the death of parents defines me. Writing about them is a path to understanding, to being truthful with myself. I can’t think of any subjects I avoid. I didn’t intend to address the pandemic but my subconscious had other ideas. Cancer excises inhibitions. A room full of medical students and residents probing my penis to learn how to recognize an unusual side effect? Normal. Comparing and contrasting bowel movements with women and men in the radiation waiting room? Normal. Treatment is pretty funny if one survives. The absurdity of the cancer experience makes every topic in life fair game.

 

RS:

What do you think you do well as a poet? 

 

RF:

I let go. I don’t plan the path of the poem, especially its ending. I match content with form and vary style with approach. A poem is a puzzle. The pieces fit in unexpected ways and the result may look odd but makes sense.

 

RS:

What is a challenge for you?

 

RF:

I am compelled to write. It’s not a choice. I go through euphoric periods when poems come easily. There are longer times during which I unhappily fight every word. Cancer teaches me to never back down, to bring it on.

 

RS:

Have any of your poems ever hit you with an insight about yourself that surprised you?

 

RF:

Yes. Often when I write, it’s to understand what I’m thinking. I let go, allow images and language to arrive from my subconscious. Ride the stream until the poem announces it’s done. I expected to write more but the poem is wiser. Reveals its truths and then we both rest. 

 

RS:

Favorite tip for writing poetry?

 

RF:

If I’m having trouble with a poem, I design a form, say: 12 syllables to a line, six lines to a stanza, four stanzas. If I’m in a bind, add a rhyme scheme or meter. While my conscious mind thinks I must cut two syllables from a line, my subconscious feeds me unintentional words to fit the numbers. I reach a point when I have what I want and abandon the form.

 

Inspiration is a romantic notion. Ditch it. If I was paid to produce poems and my boss told me to have one about Granny Smith apples completed by noon, I couldn’t wait for inspiration. It’s my job to write, so I write no matter how I feel. Work is rewarding, sometimes fun.

 

If a piece makes me uncomfortable or afraid, then it’s a poem.