Posts Tagged ‘poetry’
napowrimo #30
In my poems, napowrimo 2009 on April 30, 2009 at 2:39 pmor is it napowrimo #18? i’m horrible at math. 
THIS PIECE WAS A FIRST DRAFT, REMOVED BY THE AUTHOR FOR REVISION AFTER A BRIEF “LIVE” RUN.
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a short one. something told me to add more to it would be to venture too far down already well-worn paths. the heartache sagas. this way, ending here, leaves stark the fact that she’s longing. it’s a good excuse for letting the draft go, anyway.
be sure to visit our last napowrimo party at read write poem today!
napowrimo #17
In my poems, napowrimo 2009 on April 29, 2009 at 5:49 pmTHIS PIECE WAS A FIRST DRAFT, REMOVED BY THE AUTHOR FOR REVISION AFTER A BRIEF “LIVE” RUN.
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we have a pet robin. that’s what the kids say, anyway. i remind them again and again that she is a wild animal. this is the third year she has built a nest three feet from our front door. we rejoice the first day we notice the eggs (today). four the first two years. three this year.
it’s incredible when they hatch, homely, trembling, purple eyelids bulging, yellow beaks wide and hungry. they grow so quickly. last year, i was lucky enough to watch as two of them left the nest.
we have many hawks here, and one of them is very comfortable getting close to the house. he watches the nest as closely as we do. last year, i think he got one or two of the babies. but that’s what hawks do (although i did shoo him away once or twice).
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although this isn’t based on a specific prompt, you should go see what’s up with the prompts and poems at read write poem. many many many of the napowrimo people are still going!
napowrimo #16
In my poems, napowrimo 2009 on April 28, 2009 at 1:42 pmTHIS PIECE WAS A FIRST DRAFT, REMOVED BY THE AUTHOR FOR REVISION AFTER A BRIEF “LIVE” RUN.
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don’t forget to visit the other napowrimo-ers at read write poem!
napowrimo #15
In my poems, napowrimo 2009 on April 27, 2009 at 5:19 pmi’m so far behind, i think i’m ahead.
most of you know i have a pretty darn good excuse for taking myself out of the running for the napowrimo goddess crown (the object of this whole writing extravaganza is to be recipient of the diamond tiara, right?). for now, while it’s still april, i’ll identify my poems by their napowrimo number. it’s how i’m going to cheer the rest of you on. it’s how i’m going to get back into writing after the hiatus. it’s how i’m going to get away with calling crappy drafts “poems” for a few more days.
this piece is inspired by a true story. a piece of my morning. angelina jolie is here, in little ol’ albany, filming a movie. they’ve closed down one of our bridges — the one between jill and me, the one my narrator jumped off in a poem late this winter — to accommodate the crew shooting scenes. it presents a great challenge to me to get most anywhere when this bridge is closed. the other bridges over the hudson are miles away. i spent some of my day driving out of my way.
THIS PIECE WAS A FIRST DRAFT, REMOVED BY THE AUTHOR FOR REVISION AFTER A BRIEF “LIVE” RUN.
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go see what everyone else has been writing about over at read write poem!
happy poetry news
In process on April 18, 2009 at 7:34 pmtwo good bits of news:
1) a collaboration i did with jill in response to anne sexton is up now at qarrtsiluni (complete with audio. always scary!)
and
2) my poetry submission has been selected to be part of my regional art center’s “memoir project.” i’ll be part of a reading on “self-hood” in june. (even scarier!)
napowrimo #14
In my poems, napowrimo 2009 on April 18, 2009 at 5:36 pmTHIS PIECE WAS A FIRST DRAFT, REMOVED BY THE AUTHOR FOR REVISION AFTER A BRIEF “LIVE” RUN.
napowrimo #12
In my poems, napowrimo 2009 on April 13, 2009 at 10:04 am
sometimes, i lament the fact that i feel unsettled, unfit, unwelcome, out-of-place and out-of-sorts nearly everywhere. today, however, i’m feeling grateful that i know one place i belong. even though i don’t know why or how, my place — the place that always makes me feel like myself — is ogunquit beach in maine. there are other beaches that look a lot like it. there are beaches that are warmer (last evening, it was in the 30s with a ferocious wind). there are beaches that are more private. there are beaches all around. but this is the one. this is the spot. i don’t question it; i allow it.
i go there whenever i can, even if it’s Read the rest of this entry »
napowrimo #11
In my poems, napowrimo 2009 on April 11, 2009 at 12:25 ami resort to list poems a lot when i’m under pressure, like napowrimo pressure, for example. i’ll home saturday (today), writing and cleaning, instead of at the poetry festival in saratoga. but it’s ok. it would have been too stressful to go and still try to get ready for easter now that i have decided that it’s time for me to go back to maine to be with my mom, dad and sister (brief update follows poem). i’ll leave after an early easter dinner with the boys on sunday. so this could be my last napowrimo poem for a while. of course.
THIS PIECE WAS A FIRST DRAFT, REMOVED BY THE AUTHOR FOR REVISION AFTER A BRIEF “LIVE” RUN.
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update: my mom has deteriorated markedly the last week or week and a half. she’s been unable to eat for most of that time. she’s unable to get up to use the bathroom. she can’t hold her own cups when she wants a drink or sustain her voice long enough to state what she needs. she “sleeps” some with her eyes open. she had wanted to put off getting a hospital bed in the house until she absolutely couldn’t put it off anymore; it was delivered today. the boys will go to stay with my mother-in-law so dave can keep working unless i decide i need him there.
napowrimo #10
In my poems, napowrimo 2009 on April 10, 2009 at 4:07 pmTHIS PIECE WAS A FIRST DRAFT, REMOVED BY THE AUTHOR FOR REVISION AFTER A BRIEF “LIVE” RUN.
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this idea has been brewing for a bit. i don’t know if there are more sections or if this is it. no need to make the difficult decisions now. in the midst of the napowrimo orgy, one must only enjoy the fornication. implications? complications? revelations? retributions? that’s what the morning after is for.
napowrimo #9
In my poems, napowrimo 2009 on April 10, 2009 at 3:41 pmTHIS PIECE WAS A FIRST DRAFT, REMOVED BY THE AUTHOR FOR REVISION AFTER A BRIEF “LIVE” RUN.
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just a fun idea. i’d like to get a little more creative with the fake poem titles eventually.
napowrimo #8
In my poems, napowrimo 2009, ramblings on April 10, 2009 at 2:42 pmi’m a french horn player. or i was. i still “can” play. it’s just very difficult. i have a decent range and a full sound, but i lack stamina. the french horn is considered the most challenging instrument in the orchestra. you can play most notes in the open position by simply changing your embouchure, so it requires a good ear and lots of practice to achieve, reliably, the right note. i’ve always had poor sight-reading skills — trouble predicting intervals and sorting out complicated rhythms. however, i love it very much. i melt at its sound in a piece of music. its voice is joy and melancholy in a single tone. it thrills me to put my lips to the mouthpiece and create a note, to string some notes together and play a melody.
i came to the french horn in a round-about way. in our school, instrument instruction began in the fifth grade. i wanted to play drums. my mother wanted me to play flute. it was one of my early lessons in how “the person who pays for the roof over your head — and the instrument you play — is in charge.” i joined the rows of girls learning to play the flute. i hated it. everything about it. its sound. the fact that i seemed to blow far more air through the thing than was actually utilized in playing. the fact that you hold it out toward the right (i insisted that as a lefty this was quite impossible; i was probably just being stubborn. me?). i quit after Read the rest of this entry »
napowrimo #7
In my poems, napowrimo 2009 on April 7, 2009 at 10:06 pmagain today i thought of giving myself a free pass on poetry. but i have a really bad habit of giving myself a free pass on one thing and then letting everything else slide along with it. my commitments to myself are precious and i feel horrible when i desert them just because i don’t feel like it. then i beat myself up. and i’m brutal about it.
i just don’t feel like poetry today. i got up too early and i’m off my game. i’m feeling sour about a few things that make me want to stomp around or eat chocolate. but in the name of maintaining the upper hand on all things lazy and cranky, i’m poeming. and putting a smile on my face. can you see it?
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THIS PIECE WAS A FIRST DRAFT, REMOVED BY THE AUTHOR FOR REVISION AFTER A BRIEF “LIVE” RUN.
napowrimo #6
In my poems, napowrimo 2009 on April 6, 2009 at 10:31 pmcouldn’t write today for the life of me — whatever that means — but b/c i’m not ready to give up on the napowrimo streak just yet, i’ll grab some notes from the free writing i did and call it a poem. the napowrimo streak, huh? that actually sounds like an alternate activity we could do on the days we fail to come up with a poem. like losing strip poker. not that i’ve ever played stip poker. do you think i’m that kind of girl?
the free writing started to be about things that can be taken away from us (inspired by the thieves at the ymca). it deteriorated into a rant about the bad guys i’ve known. it started to show some promise when it turned toward the realization that there’s nothing, nothing at all, that’s really ours to keep no matter what. i tried to write about the illusion of possessing anything. i tried to avoid using possessive pronouns like my, mine, yours, his, hers. i tried to write about how the only thing there is is this moment. and now this one. and now this one.
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THIS PIECE WAS A FIRST DRAFT, REMOVED BY THE AUTHOR FOR REVISION AFTER A BRIEF “LIVE” RUN.
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anyway, go to read write poem and see if others had better luck than i. there’s nothing to see here. no streaking poets. go on. git.
napowrimo #5
In my poems, napowrimo 2009 on April 5, 2009 at 9:35 pmi had a chance to write (and drink coffee and gossip and attempt to sort out life’s conundrums, dilemmas and other sticking points) with jill today. “our” starbucks was full — no room to sit — so we had to go to a different one. we survived. i am grande skinny caramel latte. she is grande vanilla latte. pay attention. this will be on a quiz someday. a “contemporary american poets who blog” category is being planned for an upcoming episode of jeopardy.
hyped up on all that caffeine, i wrote a poem “good enough for napowrimo” using my 50 words list per jill’s read write prompt for today. my poem turned kind of mad-libby when i tried to show off and see how many words from the list i could include. (for the record, i managed to use 30 without sounding entirely ridiculous.) jill showed off by writing two poems in the same amount of time. then we made wild plans for taking over the world, leading zippy little poetry workshops and pursuing all the repair guys, firemen and milkmen who will have us.
all this chatter is procrastination of working on a new draft based on the poem i wrote today. ok, here goes:
THIS PIECE WAS A FIRST DRAFT, REMOVED BY THE AUTHOR FOR REVISION AFTER A BRIEF “LIVE” RUN.
napowrimo #4
In my poems, napowrimo 2009 on April 4, 2009 at 10:08 pmi was at risk today of bailing on napowrimo. i had some lingering anxiety from last night’s theft (of our belongings and hubby’s wallet). i had to do our taxes. i had to do some cleaning. but every day is full of something, right? no excuses. for a limited time only, a bad poem is just as good as a good poem. no excuses. just napowrimo, baby.
and so i used christine’s fabulous read write prompt today even though i didn’t think i could (i actually wrote a paint-color poem a couple months ago and didn’t think i had another one in me today). i pulled an idea from the small notebook in my pocketbook, and it just so happened that the only way to drag the rest of the poem out of me was to give it the name of a benjamin moore shade of orange. (be sure to go to read write poem any day this month and see what other napowrimo-ers are up to!)
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THIS PIECE WAS A FIRST DRAFT, REMOVED BY THE AUTHOR FOR REVISION AFTER A BRIEF “LIVE” RUN.
napowrimo #3
In my poems, napowrimo 2009 on April 3, 2009 at 2:09 pmday 3 of taking what comes. used the prompt i posted on the number 3 at read write poem today to get my subject: triangulation. when i was trying to name it, the prompt at poetic asides — “the problem with _____” — helped me.
THIS PIECE WAS A FIRST DRAFT, REMOVED BY THE AUTHOR FOR REVISION AFTER A BRIEF “LIVE” RUN.
napowrimo #2
In my poems, napowrimo 2009 on April 2, 2009 at 4:11 pmi’m sorry for this. it’s all downhill after the title …
THIS PIECE WAS A FIRST DRAFT, REMOVED BY THE AUTHOR FOR REVISION AFTER A BRIEF “LIVE” RUN.
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this is for christine’s prompt at read write poem about using words from one subject matter to describe another. in this piece, three worlds intercept: poetry, porn film-making and pizza. apologies to all three industries. go see what others wrote on the prompt. they linked in the comments at the prompt.
napowrimo #1
In my poems, napowrimo 2009 on April 1, 2009 at 10:06 pmlet the poem-a-day craziness begin, alternatively titled “30 ways to embarrass yourself in public.” kidding. somewhat. it’s fun. it just takes a few days for the editor/critique to shut her yap.
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THIS PIECE WAS A FIRST DRAFT, REMOVED BY THE AUTHOR FOR REVISION AFTER A BRIEF “LIVE” RUN.
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need some inspiration? go see jill’s read write poem prompt for day #1 here. my poem inspiration came (partially) from another source today: the movie “wendy and lucy,” which i can’t really recommend b/c it’s about a woman and her dog being separated. that’s too stressful for me.
word play
In my poems on March 5, 2009 at 12:01 pmthis week’s read write prompt — meaning is optional — challenged us to play with the sounds of words. i realized it’s very hard, but something i can see worth the practice.
THIS PIECE WAS A FIRST DRAFT, REMOVED BY THE AUTHOR FOR REVISION AFTER A BRIEF “LIVE” RUN.
go see this week’s get your poem on post to see what kind of nonsense everyone else has been up to.
Protected: she asked so nicely
In bop, collaborative poetry, my poems on February 27, 2009 at 9:38 ammy standard of beauty
In process, ramblings on February 9, 2009 at 9:42 pmit’s come out here once or twice that i’m an animal nut. i’m one of those who begins to weep when she has a chance to get close to a wild animal. i follow certain species more closely than others. one of my passions is gorillas (i also read a lot about the other apes, elephants, whales — blue, in particular — and manatees). i haven’t been good at capturing my feelings in poetry, yet, although i’ve tried a few times. the trick is to find my real connection, to get beyond the “just because i care” kind of thing.
just like with the love poems, i’m not giving up. maybe i need to combine the two: “love poem to mawazo” or something. anyway, look at these beauties. look into their eyes. they have no way of knowing that they may be one of the last generations of their species. (the other problem is finding a way in poetry to avoid being “preachy” about the very real possibility of extinction. it’s tricky.)
the link is to a blog i follow about different groups of biologists and rangers attempting to protect mountain gorillas. it’s just one of a half-dozen conservation blogs i read. and those are just the gorilla ones. there are others. i wish there were something i could do.
Protected: anne sexton collab with jill
In collaborative poetry, patchwork poem on January 1, 2009 at 12:07 pmProtected: don’t ask me what is real
In my poems, poetry gong, process on November 17, 2008 at 11:38 pmanother save-the-day list poem
In my poems, poetry gong, process, ramblings on November 3, 2008 at 8:37 pmpoetry gong, poem #23 / jill and i met yesterday and we each wrote a pantoum that included the same two sentences (randomly chosen) for lines 2 and 4 of the first stanza. i was very unhappy with where mine went. i could offer it anyway considering there’s no rule against poetry gong poem sucking.
but i have something else brewing today, a list poem, another example of how list poems can save the poetry gong day. i’m sad today. and fearful about the sadness. so i’m doing what any blogging poet with no self-respect would do: whine about it. in a poem. you may recognize this ranting style from an earlier tantrum poem. Read the rest of this entry »
Protected: the mischief night poem
In my poems, poetry gong, ramblings on October 30, 2008 at 10:43 pmProtected: the many colored fiction poem, part 4
In my poems, poetry gong, process on October 25, 2008 at 10:46 pmProtected: the snake skin poem
In mental health, my poems, pantoum, poetry gong on October 23, 2008 at 9:19 pmProtected: the many colored fiction poem, part 3
In my poems, poetry gong, process on October 22, 2008 at 1:00 pma collaborative effort
In collaborative poetry, my poems, poetry gong on October 21, 2008 at 9:53 pmpoetry gong, poem #10 / i have been writing a line-by-line with ingrid at durable pigments and we declared it finished today. we are each making some changes to it and giving it a title. be sure to see how she developed the piece, as well.
the first version here is mine; the second is the original as we wrote it via email.
Protected: the therapy poem
In mental health, my poems, poetry gong, process on October 20, 2008 at 10:26 pmdusting off my read write poem
In collaborative poetry, my poems on October 17, 2008 at 1:14 pmsigh. i have been lazy when it comes to responding to prompts at our beloved read write poem. i either miss them entirely or wind up way behind.
anyway, this is for nathan’s prompt #48, the one where we all contributed a word or two to create a collaborative piece and then marched off to our blogs to revise the collective work as our little hearts desired. here’s the original as authored by the masses at read write poem:
Tatterdemalion slink across chrome alleys.
Villas deplete memories of sacred tablature.
Antiquated courtyards host tribal artifacts,
which nobody recognizes nowadays, remain
untouched. Yet civil guards scream obscenities.
Lost meditation resurfaces. I brilliant though
forgettable words tenuously scavenge jettison
i chose to listen to the sound of the words instead of seeing the words themselves (reminiscent of a round of the telephone game i played weeks ago with some poco pals). here’s what it morphed into:
Protected: the running poem
In my poems, pantoum, poetry gong, writing as therapy on October 17, 2008 at 10:23 amProtected: the many colored fiction poem, part 2
In my poems, poetry gong on October 16, 2008 at 4:00 pmProtected: the many colored fiction poem, part 1
In my poems, poetry gong on October 15, 2008 at 9:55 pmProtected: the forest poem
In free write, my poems, poetry gong, process on October 14, 2008 at 8:57 pma poetry practice
In poetry gong, process, ramblings, writing goals on October 13, 2008 at 1:36 pmi met with jill yesterday at our favorite starbucks. it had been so long since our last meeting. a few months, i think. we did free writes on an exercise from a poet companion. neither of us felt like we achieved much with the writing, which would have been a part of our challenge to march through the book and jump start our writing. we both have aspirations. we’re both setting writing goals.
we decided more drastic measures are in order.
Protected: the sensitivity poem
In mental health, my poems, poetry gong on October 13, 2008 at 12:04 amweekly summary 10/10
In process, writing goals on October 10, 2008 at 9:25 amanother decent, productive week on the writing front. sometimes i wonder how that can be when my brain is otherwise in shambles. maybe there’s something to the stereotype of the mad scientist, the unstable poet, the bizarre artist.
my goals for this week were:
#1 / identify three journals for my next submissions
#2 / write one new poem
#3 / revise two existing pieces (one to submit to a journal; one for the manuscript)
#4 / read one poetry collection
#5 / (optional) complete & share one free write
here’s what i accomplished:
this week’s summary
In process, writing goals on October 3, 2008 at 9:13 ami have started an intensive goal-setting and accountability process, and part of it is assembling a weekly writing summary and setting goals for the following week. that task falls to fridays, and i’ve decided to share my efforts via the blog.
my goals for this week were:
#1 / submit one poem to pebble lake review illness issue
#2 / write one new poem
#3 / revise two existing pieces (one to submit to a journal; one for the manuscript)
#4 / (optional) complete & share one free write
here’s what i accomplished:
seeing the divine (a first draft)
In my poems, process on October 2, 2008 at 7:01 pmif you’re not a person who likes a lot of hulla-balloo about process, you should probably forget we ever met. no hard feelings. i just can’t get enough of it. i love writers who are transparent about their writing lives and their process, and i enjoy sharing the muck i slosh around in before i get anything coherent.
so even though i have a piece (a draft) of a poem for the read write prompt, i want to show you what i’m working with:
#1 / a quote: The fault is in the blamer. Spirit sees nothing to criticize. ~Rumi
#2 / excerpts from a free write (posted previously).
so here’s the piece …
it is an experiment for me and a divergence from What I Usually Write. earlier in the summer, i set a goal of writing a prayer poem and i had no luck. looks like i just found some.
THIS PIECE WAS A FIRST DRAFT, REMOVED BY THE AUTHOR FOR REVISION AFTER A 2-WEEK “LIVE” RUN.
gettin’ busy
In process on October 1, 2008 at 9:17 pmtwo submissions this week! yee ha!
(now could someone please tell my muse it’s time to start writing again, that i’m sorry for all that stuff he helped me write that i’d done absolutely nothing with, that i’m ready to try again, that i’ve changed, it’ll be different this time?)
go talk poetry where poetry’s always encouraged
In ramblings on October 1, 2008 at 12:18 pmmy poll dance column (looking very hot in those glasses, mr. kent) is new today over at read write poem. this week, we’re talking about how (or why) to talk poetry with non-poets.
first glimpse of manuscript
In manuscript, process on September 29, 2008 at 10:55 amover the weekend, i created an outline for the full-length poetry collection i have in mind. it is VERY early on and so it’s really just a concept, but it has a working title and some section possibilities. i sifted through my existing poems and without passing judgment on any of them as “good enough” or “not good enough,” i sorted them into “possible fit” and “never in a million years right for this manuscript.”
revising and (fearing) effing it all up
In process on September 19, 2008 at 4:04 pmi have been working on the same piece for a couple of hours. it’s time to step away from it. i now have three new versions that work plus the original. that totals four alternate endings; each piece varies in length as a result. i threw away three or four versions in between.
how do you all decide on the “best” version of a piece? remember, i’m not one for being attached to my stanzas and words. i’ll chop their legs off in a heart beat if it’ll help the poem. but sometimes, it’s hard to tell.
