Writing prompt #99: FOCUSING ON YOUR BEGINNING & ENDING

Hi Everyone,

I came across this lovely phrase in the work of postwar Japanese poet Tamara Ryuichi: All things begin in their ending.

It seems to me a perfect encapsulation of how beginnings and endings are inextricably linked. Often, when I finish a book—or a poem, for that matter—I take a look at the opening again. How well do they fit together? How surprisingly? How inevitably? (Thank you, Aristotle.) Are the seeds of the beginning evident in the ending? Does the ending inform the beginning?

YOUR PROMPT: Forget the middle of your work for a couple of days and focus on the beginning and the end. Write and rewrite them until they feel like an intricate dance, oscillating back and forth, necessary to each other as tango partners. Show us the echoes, the hints and grace notes, the sensory connections between the two. Take your time. This is essential work.

Enjoy!

Abrazos,

Cristina