Poetry Quote by Rita Dove
““Nexus I wrote stubbornly into the evening. At the window, a giant praying mantis rubbed his monkey wrench head against the glass, begging vacantly with pale eyes; and the commas leapt at me like worms or miniature scythes blackened with age. the praying mantis screeched louder, his ragged jaws opening into formlessness. I walked outside; the grass hissed at my heels. Up ahead in the lapping darkness he wobbled, magnified and absurdly green, a brontosaurus, a poet.””
About This Quote
Source Poem: “Nexus” by Rita Dove, 1995
The passage blends surreal imagery with a sense of creative struggle, portraying the mind’s battle with language and inspiration as a chaotic, almost animalistic scene.
In simple terms: Creative struggle feels chaotic and animalistic.
Key Takeaway
Embrace the mess to find inspiration.
Themes
creativity
language
surrealism
struggle
Mood
intense
reflective
Type
poetic
surrealistic
When to use this quote
- writing
- poetry
- artistic block
- nighttime reflection
Key Concepts
imagery
metaphor
personification
Questions to Reflect On
- How can chaos become a catalyst for clarity?
- What does the mantis symbolize in your own creative moments?
A Different Perspective
The vividness may overwhelm rather than clarify the creative process.
![“Yes! I did [grow up on a Christmas Tree farm], so this is a good season for me. I was too young to help with the hauling of the trees up the hills and putting them onto cars. So, it was my job to pull off the preying mantis pods off of the Christmas trees. The problem with that is if you leave…” quote by Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/2b8/taylor-swift-125_car_yes-i-did-grow-up-on-a-christmas-tree-fa_2715143.jpg)
