--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My ear is not working, my poetry ear. I…" description: "\"My ear is not working, my poetry ear. I can't write a line that doesn't sound like pots and pans falling out of the cupboard.\" — Jane Kenyon" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ec/jane-kenyon-26365_cupboards_my-ear-is-not-working-my-poetry-ear-i-ca_1859353.png" --- # My ear is not working, my poetry ear. I can't write a line… ![“My ear is not working, my poetry ear. I can't write a line that doesn't sound like pots and pans falling out of the cupboard.” quote by Jane Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ec/jane-kenyon-26365_cupboards_my-ear-is-not-working-my-poetry-ear-i-ca_1859353.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ec/jane-kenyon-26365_cupboards_my-ear-is-not-working-my-poetry-ear-i-ca_1859353.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ec/jane-kenyon-26365_cupboards_my-ear-is-not-working-my-poetry-ear-i-ca_1859353.png) > “My ear is not working, my poetry ear. I can't write a line that doesn't sound like pots and pans falling out of the cupboard.” [Jane Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-kenyon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When creative inspiration falters, the poet feels clumsy and disconnected from authentic expression. **In simple terms:** Writer feels stuck and awkward. Key Takeaway Embrace the messy process. Themes creativity self‑criticism expression authenticity Mood reflective encouraging Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - writing drafts - artist block - first drafts Key Concepts literary criticism psychology Questions to Reflect On - What helps you move past creative blocks? - How can you value imperfect drafts? A Different Perspective Focusing on perfection can hinder progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cupboards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cupboards/) [Doesn Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doesn-sound-725983/) [Ear Working](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ear-working-2492252/) [Ear Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ear-write-2492251/) [Ears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ears/) [Fall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fall/) [I can](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-can/) [Lines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lines/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Poetry Ear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry-ear-2492250/) [Pot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pot/) [Pots and pans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pots-and-pans/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) [Working Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working-poetry-2492253/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [The commitment to working at poetry is important because a poet is a maker, and a poem is a made thing. We have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/the-commitment-to-working-at-poetry-is-important-because-a-poet-is-a/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [I'm working on a poetry collection for Papaveria Press . It fills me with trepidation - poetry is something I'm much more self-conscious about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodora-goss/i-m-working-on-a-poetry-collection-for-papaveria-press-it-fills-me/) [Theodora Goss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodora-goss/) > [The business of the poet is not to find new emotions, but to use the ordinary ones and, in working them up into poetry,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot/the-business-of-the-poet-is-not-to-find-new-emotions-but-to-use-the/) [T. S. 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It doesn't hit me...it doesn't get me...it just doesn't grab me. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-morrison/i-just-can-t-stand-it-jazz-rock-it-just-doesn-t-sound-right-to-me-it/) [Van Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-morrison/) > [“If it doesn't sound insane, I would only talk about you and the only word which would come out of my mouth, will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masood-azam/if-it-doesn-t-sound-insane-i-would-only-talk-about-you-and-the-only/) [Masood Azam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masood-azam/) > [I don't think I would describe my sense of humor. 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Now there is no more catching one's own eye in the mirror, there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-kenyon/i-divested-myself-of-despair-and-fear-when-i-came-here-now-there-is/) [Jane Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-kenyon/) > [Everyone longs for love's tense joys and red delights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-kenyon/everyone-longs-for-love-s-tense-joys-and-red-delights/) [Jane Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-kenyon/) > [The poet's job is to put into words those feelings we all have that are so deep, so important, and yet so difficult to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-kenyon/the-poet-s-job-is-to-put-into-words-those-feelings-we-all-have-that/) [Jane Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-kenyon/) > [Let it come, as it will, and don't be afraid. God does not leave us comfortless, so let evening come.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-kenyon/let-it-come-as-it-will-and-don-t-be-afraid-god-does-not-leave-us/) [Jane Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-kenyon/) > [“Reading Aloud to My Father I chose the book haphazard from the shelf, but with Nabokov's first sentence I knew it wasn't the thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-kenyon/reading-aloud-to-my-father-i-chose-the-book-haphazard-from-the-shelf/) [Jane Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-kenyon/) > [We try a new drug, a new combination of drugs, and suddenly I fall into my life again like a vole picked up by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-kenyon/we-try-a-new-drug-a-new-combination-of-drugs-and-suddenly-i-fall-into/) [Jane Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-kenyon/) > [If it's darkness we're having, let it be extravagant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-kenyon/if-it-s-darkness-we-re-having-let-it-be-extravagant/) [Jane Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-kenyon/) > [“The shirt touches his neck and smooths over his back. 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This seemed to puzzle him a little. But finally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-wynne-jones/after-that-he-tried-to-go-upstairs-through-the-broom-cupboard-and/) [Diana Wynne Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-wynne-jones/) > [The first thing you have to understand is that I was not desperate to be a writer. I was never a closet writer filing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikas-swarup/the-first-thing-you-have-to-understand-is-that-i-was-not-desperate-to/) [Vikas Swarup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikas-swarup/) > [Also, you may not have noticed, but this is a cupboard." "I admit that our private office is of modest dimensions," Kami told him,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/also-you-may-not-have-noticed-but-this-is-a-cupboard-i-admit-that-our/) [Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/) > [A pinch of praise is worth a pound of scorn. A dash of encouragement is more helpful than a dipper of pessimism. 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