Leech

Chasing

waiting

eager to be taking

all that I have

all I would be making.

Eating

leeching

the ideas that I’m needing

to write something good

when will he stop feeding?

Start a few lines.

Scrap them, pointless.

Work out a rhyme.

It’s dead, voiceless.

He’s circling me now.

I’ve stopped, my pen is still.

Now that I’m out

he’ll move in for the kill.

Chained to my chair

and out of ideas—

that’s it.

I’m dead.

---

For me, writing is very important and has a huge impact on me. At times, I can even get so into it that I start to believe it's the only thing I am. So, when my inspiration is leeched (by whatever) it's only natural that I would then feel empty and dead. That's the danger in diving too far into really anything. If we don't know who we are without something, I think that's a good indicator that we need to take a step back.

That's definitely easier said than done, of course, and it looks different for everybody. Maybe it means spending less time doing whatever the issue is, maybe it means going back to your core values, who you really are. Whatever it is, we need to remember that one day we won't be able to do the things we do now. Do we turn into different people when that happens? I don't think we have to. It's all a matter of identity. If our identity is in something that won't leave us or that we won't eventually grow too old to do, we will have much more stability.