Prompt #102 – What's YOUR Story?

This week our prompt deals with narrative poetry (poetry that tells a story). The goal is to write a poem in which you tell the story behind a special memory. Sounds easy, right? NOT!!! For this poem, I’d like you to stay very focused on not simply telling a story but, rather (and here’s the challenge), on what the story means.

A lot of people who write poetry work from a prose impulse and a prose logic that they arrange in lines and stanzas. This is especially prevalent in “memory” and memoir poems. It’s way too easy to tell a story in a format that looks like a poem. Often, we see memoir and confessional “writings” that tell something of someone’s story, include a couple of good images, throw in few similes or metaphors, come up with a clever ending, appear in lines and stanzas, and masquerade as poems.  Sure, that kind of writing may generate applause from readers or listeners who have had similar experiences (especially in open readings where there isn’t enough time to “know” the poem well), but it’s not truly poetry because it never reaches beyond the poet’s impulse to “tell.” The poem has to be more than the story – it has to be about what happened because of the story; thus, the story becomes subordinate to its telling.

Beware of writing/telling too much in your poem. Remember that a poem should contain an element of mystery or surprise – first to the poet and then to the reader or listener. A lot of the poems being read and published today are so cluttered with superfluous detail (and way too many adjectives) that the poems become claustrophobic experiences (I call it TMW – too many words). A poet, beyond competence, has to trust readers to fill in some of the blanks.

Some people who write poetry become so occupied with telling their stories that they (the writers) are indelibly superimposed over their poems. There is definitely a finding and loss of the self in poetry writing – that sounds contradictory, but it isn’t. The poet enters the poem to learn something; once written, the poet necessarily exits. The poem shouldn’t carry the poet along with it – all that bulk and bone will cast shadows.

Be careful about abstractions, generalizations, and sentimentality. There is a big difference between image and abstraction. The best lesson a poet can learn is to write little – to go to the minute on the way to the large, and that means avoiding abstractions and generalizations. A good poem does take risks – artistic and emotional – but never through concepts and notions or simplifications. Every poem needs a strong emotional center that doesn’t smother meaning with sentiment. A poem should be about poetic sentiment without schmaltziness. Subtlety is good, overstatement and the obvious must be avoided. Think of your poem in terms of what your personal story means in the larger, more universal perception of human experience.

Poems to Read Before Writing:

"Momentum" by Catherine Doty

Note: What's the story behind the story in Cat Doty's poem? How does this poem touch you? Why? How does Cat draw you in emotionally? Notice the subtlety and nuance in this poem, and the way Cat skillfully uses imagery and action to convey deep meaning. How does this poem take you back to your own childhood?

"Once in the 40's" by William Stafford

Note: What is Stafford really “telling” readers in this poem? The sense of what was and how good it was, and how we sometimes only recognize that much later?

"The Dancing" by Gerald Stern

Note: Gerald Stern has said, “It’s the poet’s job to remember.” In this poem he remembers what it was like in Pittsburg, 1945. This poem is very specific to Stern’s experience (as memory poems should be). How does it speak to you? What, specifically, strikes a chord when you read this poem? What is Stern telling us?


"Linguini" by Diane Lockward
Note: In this poem Diane Lockward skillfully uses food and a deliberate lightness to draw the reader into the "story." The reader can almost feel the wild abandon of the "linguini moments" Diane writes about. Note that this poem isn't about a single moment; rather, Diane incorporates related "threads" (or should I say "strings of linguini?") to provide insights into a relationship.

Now ... what’s your story? Write a poem about a special memory – tell your memory's story!

Prompt #101 – High Five

In symbolism, the number five is the number of harmony and balance. It is also the number of the divine grace. It was a symbol of perfection for the Mayas. Greek philosophers gave five principles in man: body, animal soul, psyche, intelligence, and divine spirit. There are five fundamental virtues: wisdom, love, truth, goodness, and justice. There are five books in the Torah. Jesus Christ had five wounds.  There are five commandments of Buddha Gautama. Astrologically, the number five is associated with Leo, the fifth sign of the Zodiac. Yes, you guessed it – this week we’re going to work with the number five.

1. Take yourself to place in which you can relax (your den, your front porch, your backyard, near a lake or stream, the woods, a park).

2. Once you’re settled and comfortable, look around carefully. Notice things (objects, trees, plants, water, stones, etc.) around you and write down five things that capture your attention (and, hopefully, your imagination). Like the image above (five trees in a row), you might select five things that are similar or the same (five flowers, five pens or pencils, five windows, five pieces of paper, five books, five people walking by).

3. Now notice the details of those “things.” Jot down some notes.

4. Then write a poem that’s based on, about, or that includes the five things you selected. Look for connections among the five "things" you've chosen and yourself. How do they "speak" to you? What story might they tell?

5. Let your environment become the “landscape” of the poem. Write in the present tense – here and now.  Let the objects direct the content of your poem. Describe them, define them, contextualize them, analyze them, repurpose them, recreate them. Play on the number “five.” Let your poem take you where it wants to go, but don’t let your five “things” get lost.

Here’s are examples that are not exactly what we’re working on with this prompt (they don’t focus on five things), but they’re close and may inspire you.

"Tender Buttons [Objects]" by Gertrude Stein

"This Room and Everything in It" by Li-Young Lee

Prompt #100 – One Hundred

This week marks an exciting milestone in The Music In It’s blog journey – the 100^th prompt!  Accordingly, the prompt for this week deals with the number 100.

1. Write a one hundred word poem – yep, a poem that contains exactly 100 words (no more, no less).

2. Write a poem in which you use the number 100 in the title, text, or both.

3. Write a poem in which you use the words a hundred or one hundred.

4. Write a poem in which you use the word century.

5. Write a poem with this title: “100 ways to _____________” (you fill in the blank).

6. Write a poem that begins “One hundred years ago…”

7. Write a poem that describes life one hundred years from now.

Examples:

"Landscape at the End of the Century" by Stephen Dunn

"Sonnet 100" by Lord Brooke Fulke Greville

"Alabanza: In Praise of Local 100" by Martin Espada

"Ars Poetica #100: I Believe" by Elizabeth Alexander

"A Hundred Bolts of Satin" by Kay Ryan

'In Memoriam, July 19, 1914" by Anna Akhmatova

"At Lulworth Cove a Century Back" by Thomas Hardy

"Poem" by Muriel Rukeyser

Prompt #99 – Imagery

For those of you who don’t subscribe to Diane Lockward’s excellent poetry newsletter, I thought you might enjoy working with the craft tip I wrote for the May issue (see below if you'd like to receive the newsletter).

  

                                               In a Station of the Metro
                                                                            by Ezra Pound

                                              The apparition of these faces in the crowd;

                                              Petals on a wet, black bough.

What is it about the above poem that captures the imagination? It’s a short poem, only two lines, and it “says” little. There are only two images in this poem – the apparition of the faces and the tree petals to which those faces are compared. However, Pound evokes thoughts about attraction, human beauty, and springtime; we feel his surprise and awe. He might have written “I stepped into the metro and saw faces in the crowd that looked like tree blossoms.” The haunting quality and the heart of Pound’s words are powered by a fundamental component of poetry – imagery.

Imagery is best explained as vivid description or figures of speech used to recreate things seen (or otherwise perceived) through written language. Imagery is often explained as the process of creating “mind pictures” with words but, while image is synonymous with picture, effective imagery is not exclusively visual and may spark any of the senses. Imagery enhances meaning, develops tone, enriches context, creates tension, and establishes voice. It can also be a means through which a poet reveals a poem’s emotional center. 

In my work with poets in workshops and critiquing sessions, I offer a the following suggestions for creating successful images. 

1. Always be specific, avoid general terms, phrases, and statements. Images aren’t about abstractions or philosophical musings. Rather, they evoke the meaning and truth of human experiences in perceptible and “actual” terms.                                                                                                                                                  

2. Avoid lofty language and literary affectation. Neither big words nor literary pretensions lend themselves well to effective imagery. The imagery “wow factor” lies in language that is unexpected and deceptively simple. 

3. Watch out for clichéd images. Examine your poems carefully and note any phrases or lines that seem familiar or general. Work to create images that are striking and fresh – distinctive and different. Think in terms of similes, metaphors, and other types of figurative language, and how you can use these to enhance your images. I love this related quote from W. H. Auden: [A poem] “must say something significant about a reality common to us all, but perceived from a unique perspective.” That unique perspective can be articulated through imagery. 

4. Don’t merely “ornament” your poems with images. Good imagery isn’t a pair of Louboutin shoes or a Rolex watch. Imagery doesn’t “dress up” a poem and should be only be used to present your subject exactly as you perceive it. Imagery that’s too deliberate or self-consciously “poetical” can ruin an otherwise good poem. Don’t be clever or cutesy. Let your images evolve organically with just the right amount of tweaking.

5. Be wary of “imagery overkill.” Too many or over-written images can be tedious if not mind-numbing. When asked how many images a mid-sized poem should contain, my answer is always the same: if you look at poem you’re writing and only find five great lines, then the poem should only be five lines long; in the same way, if you look at a poem you’re working on and only find a single brilliant image, then the poem should only contain a single image. And this in closing: sometimes we write images we love but which aren’t quite “right” for the poem in which we’ve placed them. When this happens, be prepared to sacrifice an image you love for the sake of the poem. The poem (and your readers) will be grateful.

This week, try writing a poem in which you include some striking imagery. One way to begin is to simply make a list of images. Focus on details and originality of expression. The choose one image give it image its head – let it lead you into a poem.

Examples of Imagery

"A London Thoroughfare. 2 A.M." by Amy Lowell

 "To a Poor Old Woman" by William Carlos Williams

 "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T. S. Eliot

"The Daffodils" by William Wordsworth

"This is a Wonderful Poem" by David Wagoner

"The Great Black Heron" by Denise Levertov

"Gospel" by Phillip Levine

"My Mother on an Evening in Late Summer" by Mark Strand

"The Harvest Bow" by Seamus Heaney

"Obsolete Angel" by Renee Ashley

_______________________________________________

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Prompt #98 - Looking Out, Looking In

Before beginning the prompt for the first week of May, I extend my sincerest thanks to all the poets and readers who visited "The Music in It" and who posted their poems and thoughts throughout April. You all made National Poetry Month a richer celebration because of your sharing! (Special thanks go to Basil for posting poems based on the inspiration words every day!)

If there were no poetry on any day in the world,

poetry would be invented that day.

For there would be an intolerable hunger. 

– Muriel Rukeyser

Now … imagine yourself in a room: you stand in front of a window and look out. What do you see? What are the actual things in your line of sight? What metaphorical images do the actual things suggest? Is the window open or closed? Do you lean on the sill? Do you feel the sill’s wood under your elbows? Do you touch the window glass with your hand, arm, or face? Is it cold or warm? How does what you see compare with what you’d like to see? What does the window symbolize for you? Do you take a step back and see your own reflection looking at you? Now imagine yourself standing outside and looking in through a window. What does the outside feel like in comparison to what you see inside? Do you see people? How do they relate to one another? Do you feel left out? Why? How is this “looking in” a metaphor? What about the window itself: is the glass clean, dirty, clear, smudged, tinted, broken?

In workshops with students I use a prompt dealing with windows and ask the students to write a poem entitled “When I Look Out My Window I See.” I tell the students that their window views may be real or imaginary. I encourage them to be creative, to fantasize, to use the window as a vehicle to describe home, family life, school, relationships, or to use the window as a means of seeking, defining and clarifying (looking back, looking to the future). Often, the poems are quite extraordinary. Of course, you know where I’m going with this prompt – the same suggestions apply but you will, of course, approach the writing with your adult perspective. Look through a “window” (real, imagined, symbolic, metaphorical, or in a dream) and create a poem.

Examples:

"At a Window" by Carl Sandburg

"Morning at the Window" by T. S. Eliot

(Remember prompt #53 in which this poem was the model?)

"I Sit By the Window" by Joseph Brodsky

 "To the Dead in the Grave-Yard Under My Window" by Adelaide Crapsey

"Written with a Diamond on Her Window at Woodstock" by Queen Elizabeth I

"Woman at the Window" by Theodore Deppe

"Vision from the Blue Plane-Window" by Ernesto Cardenal

"The World Below the Window" by William Jay Smith

"High Windows" by Philip Larkin

"Storm Windows" by Howard Nemerov

Prompt #97 - National Poetry Month

National Poetry Month, established by the Academy of American Poets in 1996 begins tomorrow!  This month-long celebration of poetry is held every April “to widen the attention of individuals and the media to the art of poetry, to living poets, to our complex poetic heritage, and to poetry books and journals of wide aesthetic range and concern.” During April, poets, poetry lovers, publishers, booksellers, literary organizations, libraries, and schools throughout the US celebrate poetry. One of the challenges of NPM is to read and/or write a poem every day. So ... in the spirit of the observance, I offer you an inspiration word or phrase and a related poem for each of April’s thirty days. You may wish to read, write, or do both. Keep in mind that writing a poem a day doesn’t mean that you have to “finish” each poem immediately. You can write a draft each day and set your drafts aside to work on later. As always, your posts are welcome!

Regular weekly posts will resume on April 28th for the first week of May.

In the meantime, I wish you a happy and poetry-filled National Poetry Month!

April 1 – April Rain

“April Rain Song” by Langston Hughes 

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/182174

April 2 – Waking

“Why I Wake Early” by Mary Oliver 

http://www.best-poems.net/mary_oliver/poem-13051.html

April 3 – Parents

“Parents’” by William Meredith 

http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15553

April 4 – Spring

Spring is like a perhaps hand by e.e. cummings 

http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15407

April 5 – Memory

“My Earliest Memory” by Ray Gonzalez
http://writersalmanac.publicradio.org/index.php?date=2011/12/25

April 6 – Change

The Moment I Knew My Life Had Changed by Maria Mazziotti Gillan

http://www.inspirationalstories.com/poems/the-moment-i-knew-my-life-had-changed-maria-mazziotti-gillan-poem/

April 7 – Footsteps

“Footsteps” by Fanny Howe

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poem/243152

April 8 – Easter

“To Him That Was Crucified” By Walt Whitman

http://www.best-poems.net/walt_whitman/to_him_that_was_crucified.html

April 9 –Magic

“Magic” by Louis Untermeyer

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poem/2620

April 10 – Time

“In Time” by W. S. Merwin

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poem/29931

April 11 – Motion

“Motion” by Octavio Paz

http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1990/paz-poetry.html

April 12 – Ego

“Ego” by Denise Duhamel

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/240582

April 13 – Silence

“The Silence” by Philip Schultz

http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/16263

April 14 – Light

“The Secret of Light” by James Wright

http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/20957

April 15 –Dawn

“Dawn” by Robert Bly

http://www.robertbly.com/r_p_dawn.html

April 16 – Love

“Salvation” by Rumi

http://www.writespirit.net/spiritual_poets/rumi/rumi-poetry/salvation/index.html

April 17 –Words

“Words” by Anne Sexton

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/words-251/

April 18 – Self-Portrait

“Self-Portrait” by Adam Zagajewski

http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15866

 April 19 – Trees

“Lost” by David Wagoner

http://judithpordon.tripod.com/poetry/david_wagoner_lost.html

April 20 – Food

“Linguini” by Diane Lockward

http://writersalmanac.publicradio.org/index.php?date=2009/02/20

April 21 – Morning

“Morning at the Elizabeth Arch” by Joe Weil

http://rattle.com/blog/2008/09/morning-at-the-elizabeth-arch-by-joe-weil/

April 22 – Grace

“Grace’ by Linda Pastan

http://writersalmanac.publicradio.org/index.php?date=2005/03/29

April 23 – Animals

“The Heaven of Animals” by James Dickey

http://judithpordon.tripod.com/poetry/james_dickey_the_heaven_of_animals.html

April 24 – Wildlife

“The Bear” by Galway Kinnell

http://staff.psc.edu/schneide/Kinnell-TheBear.html

Blogaversary! Today (April 24th) is this blog's second birthday! My sincerest thanks to all of you who have visited, joined, commented, and shared poetry here! 

April 25 – Lightning

“Lightning” by Mary Oliver

http://www.best-poems.net/mary_oliver/poem-13074.html

April 26 – Dreams

“It Was a Dream” by Lucille Clifton

http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/21310

April 27 – Promises

“A Deep Sworn Vow” by William Butler Yeats

http://www.best-poems.net/william_butler_yeats/a_deep_sworn_vow.html

April 28 – Landscapes

“Landscape at the End of the Century” by Stephen Dunn

http://www.best-poems.net/stephen_dunn/poem-18789.html

April 29 – Birds

“Waxwings” by Robert Francis

http://www.best-poems.net/robert_francis/poem-15570.html

April 30 – Peace

“Wildpeace” by Yehhuda Amichai

http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/yehuda_amichai/poems/76.html

"One demands two things of a poem. Firstly, it must be a well-made verbal object that does honor to the language in which it is written. Secondly, it must say something significant about a reality common to us all, but perceived from a unique perspective.
What the poet says has never been said before, but,
once he has said it, his readers recognize its validity for themselves."

– W. H. Auden

Prompt #96 - Stones

When I was a little girl, I loved stones – I collected them, skipped them across the creek, and sat on a large stone in my backyard to write poems. Later in life, I created a stone circle in my garden with a fountain in the center, ringed my flowerbeds with stones, and created stone walkways in different parts of the yard. I can't say that I ever consciously thought much about stones, and I wasn’t aware that stone imagery figured strongly in my newest poetry collection (What Matters) until a reviewer pointed it out. After reading the review, I looked at the poems and realized that the reviewer was right – there is a fair amount of stone imagery. My use of stones was organic, not deliberate, but I found it interesting to re-read those poems much after they were written and to think about “stones” as image and metaphor. As the reviewer pointed out, stones, pebbles, rocks and other such seemingly solid and permanent objects, suggest a way to anchor ourselves in this world. Stones can carry numerous suggestions and meanings. What do they suggest to you? This week, try using “stones” as your inspiration word and write a poem based on stones or in which stones are part of the imagery.

 Sample Stone Poems:

"Stone" by Charles Simic

"Poem For A Birthday - The Stones" by Sylvia Plath

"Stones of the River" by Anne Sexton

"Little Stones at My Window" by Mario Benedetti

"Black Stone Lying on a White Stone" by Cesar Vallejo

 "Stone Bird" by Pattiann Rogers

"The Rosetta Stone for Birdcalls" by Peter O'Leary

Ideas to Consider before Writing:

1. Has anyone ever thrown a metaphorical stone at you? A real stone?

2. What does this familiar saying mean to you and how might you use it in a poem: “People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones?”

3. Did you ever skip stones in a pond or creek when you were a child?

4. How are the troubles in your life like stones?

5. Can you work this New Testament Scripture passage into a poem: “Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone ….” John 8:7 NRSV

6. It has long been a custom in Judaism to place a stone on the grave marker of a loved one to signify that the deceased person’s memory has been honored with a visit to the grave – the deceased has not been forgotten. (There’s a lovely example of this at the end of the movie Schindler’s List.) Can you work this custom into a poem?

7. Reflect on this old adage as the inspiration for a poem: “A rolling stone gathers no moss.”

8. You’ll probably remember this childhood nursery rhyme “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but names will never hurt me” that encourages a child who’s been called names to ignore the ridicule and to show a stronger character than the name-caller. Has name-calling ever hurt you? How did you handle it?

9. What special “steppingstone” has been helpful to you at some point in your life?

10. What “something” in your life was just a “stone’s throw away?”

11. Worry stones are smooth, polished gemstones, usually oval-shaped, and sometimes with a thumb-sized indentation. Holding a worry stone between the thumb and index finger and rubbing it is said to have a calming effect. In Irish folklore, rubbing a worry stone crafted from Connemara marble is said to relieve worries and bring luck. Some people hold a worry stone during meditation to help center concentration. How about a worry stone poem?

12. What can a stone (or stones) symbolize in a poem? What’s your best stone metaphor?

13. Statues are made of stone – how about an ekphrastic poem based on a piece of stone sculpture? (Think Venus De Milo, Rodin's The Thinker or The Kiss, The Sphinx, Michelangelo's Pieta,  The Tian Tan Buddha in Hong Kong, The Fountain of Trevi in Rome. Here's an example by Rainer Maria Rilke:  "Archaic Torso of Apollo."

14. When we think of ruins, we usually think of crumbling stone walls or broken statuary. Have you ever visited historical ruins? Ancient temple remains in Egypt or Greece? A fallen cathedral? Cities like Pompeii?  Stonehenge in England? Chichen Itza or Machu Picchu? The bombed out ruins of a war site? Is there a ruin poem that you might write? Here's an example: "in the ruins" by Mark Conway.

Prompt #95 - Happy St. Patrick's Day

(Vintage Postcard from Ireland)

Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Duit! Happy St. Patrick’s Day! This is always a special day for me – a day to think about my Irish ancestors and to re-read the works of the Irish poets I love most. The earliest surviving poems in Irish date to the sixth century, and Ireland has produced many poets including Lathóg of Tír Chonaill, Thomas Kinsella, Oscar Wilde, William Butler Yeats, James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, Seamus Heaney, Patrick Kavanagh, Paul Muldoon, Eavan Boland, Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill, Mary O’Donoghue, Elaine Feeney, and Noelle Vial. Below are some poems by a few (just a few!) of my favorite Irish poets.

 Bain sult as (enjoy)!

"Butcher's Dozen: A Lesson for the Octave of Widgery" by Thomas Kinsella

"Another September" and "Mirror in February" by Thomas Kinsella

"The Stolen Child" by William Butler Yeats

"Brown Penny" by William Butler Yeats

"September 1913" by William Butler Yeats

"Blackberry Picking" by Seamus Heaney

"Bogland" by Seamus Heaney 

"By the Arno" by Oscar Wilde

"Memory of My Father" by Patrick Kavanagh

"Innocence" by Patrick Kavanagh

"My Country in Darkness" by Eavan Boland

"The Pomegranate" by Eavan Boland

"Atlantis - A Lost Sonnet" by Eavan Boland

"The Sightseers" by Paul Muldoon

A number of years ago, I spent three weeks in Ireland. That trip was a kind of going home – not for myself but for my great grandfather Patrick Kenny who brought my family to America in 1889 and for my dad who never got to Ireland. Ancestors, family, and homeland are traditional and recurrent themes in Irish poetry. We went green in an earlier prompt, so this week let’s adopt an Irish-type theme and write poems about our various ancestries, our different nationalities, our people – our “roots.”

Some Ideas:

1. Write a poem about the country from which your ancestors came.

2. Write a poem about your ancestors.

3. Perhaps you’ve come to this country from another. Write a poem about making the decision to leave the country of your birth and to settle in a new country. Or, write a poem about your homeland.

4. Write a ballad about one of your ancestors (or a current family member).

5. Alternatively, you just might want to write a poem about St. Patrick, shamrocks, Guinness, Irish Wolf Hounds, or something else that’s wonderfully Irish, whether you’re Irish or not!

Sample Poems:

"Homeland" by Adonis

"Dear Ancestor" by An Unknown Author

"Ancestors" by Caesar Pavese

"Ancestors" by Sigfried Sassoon

In a spirit of sharing, here’s an excerpt edited from an early version of the title poem from Chosen Ghosts:

Chosen Ghosts

A chattering wind brings down the leaves,

remnants of bagworm and chestnut lie in the tangle.

Moonlight falls in fractions through dead bindweed,

on milkweed pods that crack open and float away.

Always in autumn, when the backyard thins and

the brittleness starts, I go back to my griefs.

I bury the last chrysanthemums and wish it was still

summer when the sky traveled  in a thousand directions

at once or years ago when every season was spring

with its risings and promise. But now, here and now,

in the whirl of this brief, sad season, I call my ghosts

home and gather them around me. Like the flock of

geese that sleeps in an open field near the river, they rise

in a rush of wings that remembers the victory of flight.

Where does it begin? A wandering Celt follows the sun

to a green island and turns his painted face away from

the pagan gods. An Irish farmer digs a harvest of black

moons and surrenders his plow to a coffin ship, weeks

of pitching in the dark hold, a sea-wrack of salt and tar.            

My grandfathers, immigrant spirits. They enter my house

and stand together on the stairway. My father, still in

uniform, walks in from the cold and holds my mother’s

hand as if nothing were changed. The others arrive –

family and friends – the company of Heaven. They all

turn toward me and raise their glasses in a toast. These

are my ghosts – the invited, the chosen – a party of souls.

Life, liquid and thick, leaps in their wrists. I touch

their cheeks with gentle fingers, brush stray hairs from

their foreheads – remembering, remembering,

as I kiss the dust from their lips. 

Click Here to Order

And ... A Little Irish Slideshow That I Made to Celebrate the Day

Prompt #94 – The Dance

While reading Yeats a few nights ago, I came across a line in “Among School Children” that really resonated for me: “How can we know the dancer from the dance?” Having performed and taught ballet and jazz for many years, I sometimes created choreography to be danced while poems were read. There was always a connection. The Yeats line made me think, “How can we know the poet from the poem?” and then,  “How can the poet teach us the dance?” I began to search for poems about dance and was happy to discover quite a few.

A lot has been written about the psychology of movement, about dance as a effective supplementary therapeutic technique, and about how the “emotion of movement” holds court with expression of feeling that goes back to the beginnings of artistic expression. People dance all around the world and, although not everyone participates in dance, all societies include dance among their art forms (from ritual dance to dance for entertainment). Crossing cultures and times, dance offers opportunities to tap into emotions, to create, and to encourage interpersonal associations. Dance also serves the poet as both subject and metaphor. 

Examples:

"The Dancing" by Gerald Stern  &  Video "The Dancing" Read by Gerald Stern

"My Daughter at 14, Christmas Dance, 1981" by Maria Mazziotti Gillan

"Dancer" by Carl Sandburg

"The Night Dance" by Thomas Moore

"Where Does the Dance Begin, Where Does It End?" by Mary Oliver

"Dance Me to the End of Love" by Leonard Cohen

"I cannot dance upon my toes" by Emily Dickinson

"Sweet Dancer" by William Butler Yeats

"Crazy Jane Grown Old Looks at the Dancers" by William Butler Yeats

"The Red Dance" by Anne Sexton

"Deer Dancer" by Joy Harjo

For this prompt, let’s “dance a poem.” Samuel Beckett wrote, “Dance first. Think later. It’s the natural order.” With that in mind, you might begin by writing first – free write, that is. Don’t plan anything, just think “dance” and begin a free write to see where your thoughts go. After writing for several minutes, take a short break, and then go back and read what you’ve written. Is there anything you might develop into a poem? Of course, if you have something specific in mind at the start, skip the free write – go ahead and “dance” with your idea.

If the free write doesn’t work for you, and you can’t “dance up” an idea, some alternatives and suggestions follow.

1. Compare something in your life (a relationship, an occasion, or an experience) to a specific dance. Some title ideas: Why My Life Is A Foxtrot, Jitterbug Jibe, Disco Days, The Boyfriend Ballet, Swing Season, Belly Dance (How I lost 25 Pounds). An alternative here might be to write a poem entitled "Break Dance" about someone who left you with a broken heart (or you might write about an experience that caused you emotional pain).

2. Write a poem about an actual dance: the first girl or guy you ever danced with, a dance or prom that you attended, a dance recital in which you performed, or a dance performance that you attended (i.e. a professional dance company or your child’s first dancing school recital).

3. Re-read Maria Mazziotti Gillan’s poem “My Daughter at 14, Christmas Dance, 1981” (see examples above), and write about a similar or related “dance experience” that reveals something about parenthood.

4. If you’ve ever taken a dance class, you might write about that. Or, how about a humorous poem that describes your two left feet?

5. Use this quote as inspiration for a poem: “If you can't get rid of the skeleton in your closet, you'd best teach it to dance.” (George Bernard Shaw)

6. Write a poem about animals dancing (i.e., deer in a meadow, puppies at play, dolphins at sea, a herd of gazelles on the African plain).

7. Write a poem about team players in dance “formation” (football, soccer, baseball, hockey).

8. Re-read Mary Oliver’s poem “Where Does the Dance Begin, Where Does It End?” (see examples above) and use the title as inspiration for a poem of your own – think, perhaps, in terms of the mortal dance we all share.

9. Try to include some dance terms or dance imagery. You’ll find a list of terms and definitions that might be helpful at: http://www.abt.org/education/dictionary/index.html.

10. Use dance as an extended metaphor (just be wary of clichés such as “the dance of life,” “dancing with the devil,” and “the last dance.”).

 Waltz, leap, pirouette, tango into a poem!

As Lord Byron wrote, “On with the dance! Let joy be unconfined.” 

Prompt #93 – Blessings & Luck

Luck is defined as a “force that brings good or bad.” In ancient times, the Greeks and Romans worshiped luck through the goddesses Tyche (Greek) and Fortuna (Roman); and in Norse folklore, both the acorn and the oak tree were good luck symbols.

The Consolation of Philosophy, a 6^th century work by Boethius, was one of the most extensively studied texts of the Middle Ages. Both King Alfred and Queen Elizabeth I presided over translations of it, and it would be hard to overvalue its significance in medieval thought. The best-known symbol associated with Fortune, the central figure of the Consolation, is the wheel. During the Victorian Era, Pre-Raphaelite painter Edward Burne-Jones created his interpretation in “The Wheel of Fortune” seen above (click on image for larger view); in this painting, a giant wheel turned by Fortune features three figures – a king, a poet, and a slave.

Most cultures have signs and symbols for good luck; for example, “Fu” is the Chinese symbol for luck and is often worn or displayed (Fu Symbol). The elephant god Ganesha is the Hindu god of luck, and Feng Shui practitioners believe that elephant figurines with their trunks up in a home will bring good fortune and strength. Other traditional good luck symbols include such “charms” as rabbits’ feet (not so lucky for the rabbits), horseshoes, and four-leaf clovers. In addition, some days are considered lucky while Friday the Thirteenth is feared as a day of possible misfortune.

Interestingly, there is good luck and there is bad luck, but a blessing is always good. A blessing is a gift, often undeserved or unasked for – something hoped for, associated with love and with God, and not defined by trivial things. You can have good luck in a casino, but a blessing is more than good luck; and, while luck is random, blessings are more personal.

This week’s poem (yes, you guessed it) will be about blessings or luck. You may use an anecdotal format, write a prose poem, or experiment with any form that appeals to you. Your tone may range from seriously theological to insanely silly.

Starter Questions:

1. Has there been a time in your life when you were the recipient of especially good luck? What’s the best “luck” you’ve ever had? What’s the worst?

2. When have you felt especially blessed? Has your prayer for something or for someone been blessed with the outcome for which you prayed?

3. How do you feel about “lucky charms?” Do you have a particular “lucky charm?”

4. Have you ever won big in a casino or in another “game of chance” venue? What’s your wheel of fortune?

5. Have you ever had your fortune told?

6. What does this quote mean to you: “Being deeply learned and skilled, being well trained and using well spoken words; this is good luck” (Hindu Prince Gautama Siddharta, the founder of Buddhism, 563-483 B.C.)?

7. How might you use a “throw of the dice” as a metaphor or extended metaphor in a poem?

8. How might you reflect upon and write about blessings using these words of Charles Dickens for inspiration: “Reflect upon your present blessings of which every man has many – not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.

Example Poems:

"Lucky Life" by Gerald Stern

"A Blessing" by James Wright

"Luck is Not Chance (1350)" by Emily Dickinson

"Lucky" by Tony Hoagland

 "Near Misses" by Laura Kasichke

"Blessing the Boats" by Lucille Clifton

"The Blessed" by William Butler Yeats