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Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words. ~~Robert Frost
Painting is silent poetry, and poetry is painting that speaks.~~ Plutarch
The world is full of poetry. The air is living with its spirit; and the waves dance to the music of its melodies,
and sparkle in its brightness. ~~James Gates Percival
Living here on Earth, we breathe the rhythms of a universe that extends infinitely above us. When resonant harmonies arise between this vast outer cosmos and the inner human cosmos, poetry is born. ~~Daisaku Ikeda
Tyranny will make an entire population into readers of poetry. ~~Joseph Brodsky
I grew up in this town, my poetry was born between the hill and the river, it took its voice from the rain, and like the timber, it steeped itself in the forests. ~~Pablo Neruda
Poetry is often the art of overhearing yourself say things you didn't know you knew. It is a learned skill to force yourself to articulate your life, your present world or your possibilities for the future.~~ David Whyte
You know, people speak in poetry all the time. They just don't realize it. ~~Sherman Alexie
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I've been thinking a lot about poetry of late; about the writing, the creation, the explosion of it. Last year, I wrote something like 160 poems which, for me, is a lot. It poured out of me. It flowed, oozed, trumpeted, and tore out of me. I became hyper-aware of little, daily, inconsequential thoughts which led to other thinking which morphed into poetry. I'm working on a memoir which, as it went along, I realized would have to, which needed to include my poetry beyond my mere words. At least once a day, if not more often, I'll say something and then stop what I am doing to literally scribble down a few of the words because I realized that there was a poem in those few sounds. The act of scribbling would reinforce that thought so that I could return to at some point and find the poem hiding within. It is kind of like dropping a seed in my mind and letting it have that chance to grow beyond a few haphazard words mid-conversation. I have notebooks and shoeboxes full of scribbled words on torn pieces of paper. Might take some searching, but I know I haven't lost that thought. Hopefully, I will be able to read that brief, few words at some later date; rather make sense of what I hurriedly scrawled down. Not always the care, sadly, but then, at least, they might spark something else altogether!
Several times in the just last week, someone has said to me that they don't write (poetry or other things) as much as they once did because they have no ideas. And yet, we are constantly surrounded by a plethora of things to write about. Is it because people just don't think what surrounds us is important? Do they suppose that a budding tree, criss-crossed contrails checkerboarding the sky, or an iced daffodil has absolutely no impact upon us? Because they do. Whether the impact is as small as a glimmer of a smile, or a 'huh!' and subsequent memories of a check game or the worry over whether the flower will survive, (it will!) --there is, indeed, a reaction. And that, for good or bad, may color something that happens five minutes or five hours later. Perhaps a bit of left-over smile sparks one in someone else. Perhaps you deal with an 'icy' situation with a bit more (or less) patience. The point is it is all connected when you stop and think about it.
I mean, who would have thought of writing a poem about Pi Day, Science Day, and Einstein and mixing it up with diversity and folks getting along?
So here are some ideas to spark your creative flames.
Try different PERSPECTIVES.
A ballet from the POV of a pair of toe shoes. Or a Shoe tree from one of the pairs hanging on it. Perhaps a walk in the forest seen though the eyes of a deer or squirrel or maybe even a leprechaun! From a cloud looking down or a meteor whizzing by. Being little looking at something large. Or being huge and looking at an ant.
Imagine you are blind or deaf and describe something or place.
How about focusing on something minute (or conversely) something immense. For example the Native American at the Crazy Horse Memorial. Or inversely, a COVID germ.
EVENTS.
A real (or imagined) family vacation. The day Notre Dam burned. What is going on in the world right now. A view from the underside of a major bridge. Being somewhere during any major historical event.
SOMETHING/PLACE NEW.
What would it be like to be in a castle? A magical antique store? Riding in a stagecoach or on your way into space. Scuba diving for the first time or up in a hot air balloon or a glider. Imagine panning for gold or playing the drums.
A BIG DEAL.
Finding a letter from a several times great grandparent or creating one to a several times great-grandchild. Telling someone how you really feel about them. Wring a poem to your dog, cat, or goldfish. A poetic eulogy. A will. You just inherited a million dollars.
A NEW ADVENTURE.
Moving across the country or to a new one. Finding your dream house. Build it in your mind and write what you see. Hiking the Smoky Mountains or an Alp or going on a walkabout. Imagine the world with no electricity, no cell phones, cars or running water.
BE the DRAGON.
Or the candlestick or the dusty book. Perhaps a typewriter abandoned on a shelf. An empty journal waiting to be filled.
And the thing is, almost anything at all can be written of in terms of something else entirely. Pick two from these lists. For example - toe shoes and the world right now. Crazy Horse and playing drums. (Not that much of a stretch, now that I think on it .. but was originally thinking a five-piece kit in the basement!)
We are writers with imaginations that are limitless. Never sell yourself short! You can do anything you put your mind to doing!
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innerlight  says: Dear Editor, when my husband passed away, I had to learn to go outside my comfort zone. I started writing poetry every day to purge my soul of the anger and the pain inside me. I stepped into taking care of myself. I have grown in many ways but still, falter. I was approached by Readers Magnet they had received a copy of my work from a friend. That was a very big step for me. I have had a lot of support here on WDC, on Facebook and other social media. Regards Innerlight
Prosperous Snow celebrating  writes: The BOUTS-RIMÉ sounds similar to an exercise I sometimes do. I take the end words from a poem, usually written by one of my favorite poets, and us them as either line ending or line beginning in a poem. This is one way to overcome writer's block because I have to focus on writing a poem different--in either theme, subject, or form--from the poem I took the words from.
Monty  says: In a lifetime of writing poems I have had family and friends give me words or subjects and a while back an e-mail from someone who used to come on writing and read my poems. Many times after writing from words I was given, when I read them back, they seemed forced.
That's the fun part -- letting it age and playing with it! :) |
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Poetry: March 16, 2022 Issue [#11268]
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