Outside the Lines

Some people like to write from outlines.

In high school, we were often required to turn in outlines with our essays.  I would always write the essay first, and then construct an outline to go with it.

I think of it as a personal peculiarity, but I like to start from a sentence or a phrase, and then just chase it where it leads... until it actually get somewhere worth going. I don't expect this will make perfect sense to everybody. 

I literally can't imagine a different way of writing a short poem.

A phrase snags in the mind.
From there the words unwind,
threading the unwalked maze
finding the hidden ways
until its run is done.