We have an osprey who’s territory overlaps the land next to our home. Every now and then we spot him hunting or surveying his domain from a branch or light pole. Gorgeous raptors. They have a crest of feathers on their head and dark markings around their eyes, which got me thinking about crowns and masks and identity. I doubt the osprey much cares what we think about who he is, but what paradoxes do we carry in our own identities and why?
Twice I have been given assigned the exercise of personifying my muse. The purpose of this is not to create another identity within yourself–that’s simply unhealthy–but to give oneself the vision of something that can be trained or overcome. We are creatures of story and when you give a story to your creation process it becomes something more manageable. By training your muse, by overcoming it, you are in effect overcoming your own internal obstacles. It should come as no surprise to any that know me that I envision my own muse as a dragon.
The Everyday Poet 