An interesting thing happened the other morning, something I haven’t experienced in a long time.

I got woken up early, much earlier than I needed to get up. I went to the bathroom and got back into bed and cocooned myself (yes, I am one of those weirdos who must wrap up in a quilt, even in July in the Arizona desert), hoping to fall back asleep for another 45 minutes.

It didn’t happen.

Instead, I dozed, and my imagination began working on the seed of a poem.

You see, the night before I read about a wonderful contest the people at Palette Poetry are putting on. They are looking for a poem that “speaks to what poetry is and can be for our world today.”

Hmm. I don’t think I have a poem in my files that fits that bill. I wish I did, though, because the top prize is $4000. Now, that’s real money.

Believe it or not, in my half-asleep-half-awake state, my brain came up with a few stanzas that represent a good start on a great poem. When my alarm went off, I jogged straight to my laptop and typed it all down, knowing that I wouldn’t be able to remember it by my afternoon writing time.

Later, I googled “muse in the morning” to see what other people have written about this serendipitous phenomenon. I found two pieces of artwork by that name which I wish I could post here, but I couldn’t find any information on whether they are in the public domain, so, sorry. Then, while browsing writing blogs, I found this article, which describes a practice whereby you can activate your imagination by encouraging yourself into a dreamy state.

I am passing on the contest information and the dreamzoning article because we creatives are a supportive community. I know I’ve benefitted from advice from my writing friends and also from fellow writers online. Let’s continue to assist each other and cheer one another along. I wish you success.