Poet and photographer Sarah Monagle posted this beautiful photo of a dahlia in response to The Daily Post’s weekly photo challenge, which was “saturated.” Inspired by Sarah’s interpretation — a prompt within a prompt — I penned the following:
The queen of late summer
with a regal nod she drips
living flame from the velvet
tips of her curved corona
Posted in Poetry
Tagged dahlia, photo prompts, prompted poetry, Sarah Monagle, The Daily Post, Weekly Photo Challenge
Shawn has provided another photo prompt this week: Sky over Barceloneta Beach. I was surprised at how quickly I thought of something in response. Maybe I’m starting to get the hang of this writing thing…
Etch A Sketch
the wide blue screen plots certain
journeys — destinations and departures
scrawled in vapor trail
some expand to dissipate into
nothingness while others contract
to invisibility — in the end
all vanish
Posted in Poetry
Tagged Barceloneta Beach, Etch A Sketch, photo prompts, prompted poetry, Shawn L. Bird, writing practice, writing prompts
I missed the deadline for submitting this poem to be part of the weekly collection of blog posts at Write on Edge, but decided to post it on my blog anyway. The prompt was a photo and a Sylvia Plath quote; click here to see both.
Inclination to equinox
summer light slowly tilts
toward autumn not yet born
canning jars suspended on fence
pickets collect slow-witted flies
who rattle in blue-green heat until spent
then drop out to lie
dazed and dusty by the road
(22sep13 update: I changed the title of the poem from “Toward the equinox.” I just realized I use the word “toward” in the second line, and that kind of repetition doesn’t work in a poem this short. Just goes to show how difficult — i.e. impossible — it is to edit your own work. Hire an editor, people!)
Posted in Poetry
Tagged prompted poetry, Sylvia Plath, Write at the Merge, Write on Edge, writing practice
This is in response to a photo prompt/meme posted by Shawn at Shawn L. Bird on Monday. The title isn’t very clever, but it provides some context that’s lacking if you don’t have the photo as a reference. Suggestions and comments welcome!
Robin at Montserrat
bit of parti-colored fluff on a rocky ledge cares
nothing for the travelers on this pilgrim way, intent
rather on insects stirred by their passing, dusty votives
for the wide-mouth choristers who clamorously intone
the offices of her days — their stuffed silence the peace
she seeks, their bulging craws the benediction
over which she folds when evening’s chill sets in
Posted in Poetry
Tagged Montserrat, photo prompts, prompted poetry, robin, Shawn L. Bird, writing practice, writing prompts
This poem is a mash-up of bits and pieces from a long list of prompts I’ve collected in my writing journal. Nothing profound, just something fun I tossed off Saturday morning.
listening to the voices in the cracked
red bowl while you were lost
I could not sleep — bowlegged dreams
follow the grain of indolent beliefs and discarded
remainders of ideas in a dark time
use your favorite letter traveling alone
without leaving home out of fear
I could not sleep — growing in an old place
as if seeing it for the first time
a scrawl of words in the background
This is my response to a writing challenge prompt by Elizabeth Beck and John Lackey from the Accents Publishing blog. Accents Publishing is a wonderful independent press with a global literary presence and a commitment to the local writing and visual arts community.
within the very atoms of our bones
swirl the fires of creation and our flesh
smolders with the expanding
passion that gives birth to stars
luminous though our celestial bodies appear
to instrument and naked eye alike the greater
part of matter and energy remains
dark and unknowable
Posted in Poetry
Tagged Accents Publishing, ekphrasis, Elizabeth Beck, John Lackey, prompted poetry, writing practice
I have a hard time convincing some folks that modern poetry is not necessarily biographical, and that good poetry manages to be personal even when it is fictional. This is a moment of imaginary conversation between imaginary people in an imaginary coffee shop.
Tall decaf mocha latte
I’m feeling a little short,
he said. Of what? I asked
absently and sipped coffee
still too hot to drink. Of time, money,
inspiration, he said, flinging
hands in the air. Of stature,
he added as he dropped them
in his lap. I eyed him over
the steaming brim. Of stature,
I echoed. Metaphorically speaking,
he answered, shoulders slumped.
Posted in Poetry
Tagged coffee shop poetry, fictional poetry, personal poetry, prompted poetry
Here’s a little something from my journal. I toyed with a different title (Lost at Sea); let me know what you think. I’m also not sure how well the imagery holds up, especially at the end. I would love to know your thoughts on that as well.
Man Overboard
he pressed his lips to the back of her
hand, held her fingers lightly in his
own as he did, lest he telegraph his desire
to clasp them like a lifeline and haul himself
kiss over kiss up the length of her arm
to salvation
I subscribe via e-mail to The Write Prompts. On Image Tuesdays, the e-mail I receive only contains the photo’s caption; I have to click the link to see the actual image. A couple weeks ago, the caption by itself suggested a poem. I finally looked at the photo when I went back to revise the poem, and found exactly what I needed to make it work. Here’s to creative captions!
blue water fountain stone
garden palms heavy
fruited lemons
water falling soft
sound of sighing
stirs leaves and oleander
scented twilight glowing
salmon deepens blue water
fountain stone garden
Posted in Poetry
Tagged image prompts, Image Tuesday, photo captions, photo prompts, prompted poetry, The Write Prompts
I apologize for my absence; a family health issue in a neighboring state has required a great deal of my time the last couple weeks. I’ve been writing, though not as much as I would have liked, but haven’t caught up enough to post anything. Until now, that is. So in a feeble attempt to atone somewhat for this lack of activity, I hereby offer a few silly bits from my journal.
* * *
(inspired by the prompt “favor”)
Invitation
The favor of your presence
is required at a dinner to honor
Her Majesty Claire,
Queen of Denial.
Formal attire expected; gifts
are not optional.
* * *
(inspired by the prompt “evidence”)
Deniable Plausability
All evidence to the contrary,
I am not the one
who stole your bagel.
Those are not crumbs on my
lapel; I suffer from an unfortunate
scalp condition.
* * *
(inspired by a dream)
Blooming
Too old to be a blushing bride
(and, let’s face it, a bit
too experienced) she thought
something in cream would be tasteful
without pretension. Then she spied
the pink linen two-piece: skirt just
at the knees, jacket edged with elegant
black scrollwork. Beside it hung
a pink shell of silk the barest
tint more pale.
And the shoes! low leather
pumps in matching pink, embroidered
at the collar with that intricate
black motif. It was perfect, warm
with a touch of worldliness.
She wondered how it had ended
up in her closet.
Tagged absence, atonement, dreams, family, prompted poetry, writing practice, writing prompts
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