Hello my little unread volumes! It is time once again for a new word list poetry prompt! This time our source is How To Love A Country, poems by Richard Blanco. Your faithful but slothful, no-account, do-nothing hostess is only half way through her current read, and so I had to select something else. Delving into my poetry shelf, I found this one. I have not read it and so can supply no review. I only know that Mr. Blanco was an inaugural poet for Barack Obama.
This poetry thing that we do is such a funny animal. It isn't like novel writing, or journal ism, or jotting down one's thoughts on events. Poetry is some mixture of dreams, imagination, hard truth, form (or not), rhyme (or not), and somehow saying the things that cannot be said as well in any other way. It is a way of making the universal personal, and the personal universal. It is the art of not saying a thing directly, but somehow saying it all the more clearly for that. It's magic, light as a feather and heavy as a jackhammer. It exposes lies even as it is filled with invention. It's a helluva thing and I love it.
What we do here is to use at least 3 of the 20 words provided in a new, original poem of our own. Then simply link up, visit others, and perhaps do what your hostess has not done, and read Richard Blanco! This prompt remains active until next Sunday. Note: please no haibun.
And now, your List:
audacity
bearded
cardinal
children
cure
eaten
erase
exactly
exile
hummingbirds
infinite
jazzy
lovesick
prayer card
sea
sissy-ass
sky
translation
veil
yappy
"Poetry is the yappy veil of audacity, bearded as a cardinal, what children eat to cure the sissy-ass sky of its infinite exile."
ReplyDeleteNo, qbit. Do I need to call your parents in for another conference?
DeleteI think you can easily guess how much time I spent in the Principal's office...
DeleteThank you for another fine list - Jae
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure, Jae.
DeleteI really like Richard Blanco. And i got a kick out of qbit's quick-minded use of the words in the comment. Smiles.
ReplyDeleteYou're a step ahead of me then Sherry. Welcome!
DeleteIt's been quite a while since I've hit publish. Thanks for the list!
ReplyDeleteWelcome back. Glad to have you here.
DeleteI loved your intro this week, Shay. This is a great definition of what poetry is: " Poetry is some mixture of dreams, imagination, hard truth, form (or not), rhyme (or not), and somehow saying the things that cannot be said as well in any other way..." Your words worked well for me this week. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteGlad it pleased, Mary!
DeleteThat Cocteau quote reminds me of something similar Marianne Moore said about poetry, real toads and imaginary gardens. Gorgeous list, Shay!
ReplyDeleteAh for the halcyon days of The Imaginary Garden With Real Toads, named after the Marianne Moore thing. You would have loved it there.
DeleteMidnight in March, and the word list wakes up the muse. Thanks for the inspiration, as always, Shay.
ReplyDeleteI love it when that happens!
DeleteI'm late to the poetry party. For whatever reason this word list took me back to writing about my character, Twila. Thanks for the inspiration.
ReplyDeleteYou are NOT late, Susie. In fat, you had one more day! I love it if the List had hand in bringing out Twila!
DeleteSusie, I can't find a way to comment on the piece about Twila, but I enjoyed her character, and the attached poem, very much.
Delete