Three more poems to write. Hallaluah. This year, NaPoWriMo exhausted me. Too much going on, and (stupidly) I commenced running PURE through my Nudgers at the same time.
And my heart's in PURE, not the poems. So.
That said, I have a few poems with decent bones, words I can turn over when I'm more engaged. And the practice itself, the diligence of writing in response to a prompt is a phenomenal opportunity. Like this, in response to the prompt 'regret':
A Snowy Day Spent Otherwise
Your eyes scrunch from sun casting icicle
rainbows on blank pages, under eyelids,
rebuking you; a high-pitched whinny snakes
through walls, under skin despite the frantic
looping mantra… focus on the word, focus
on the... a pencil slams, clatters to
the floor, feet stomp down the hall
to parted curtains. The yard gleams
in treacherous beauty. A snowball shatters
glass; through melt smear a pink-cheeked child
slides down crystalline hills, whooping joy.
What is more important than the visceral
act of throwing limbs against slatted wood,
feeling air and icy shards smack against chin
and nose, your daughter, your only born,
pounce on you at ride’s end? Her face lights up –
she spies you at the darkened window. The muse
hisses in your ear; your eyes scrunch…
(I remember the day, a rare snow day; the kids off from school, the sun glittering on the icy hill, the kids laughing and I... chose to work. Me bad.)
==> CINDY PON's debut SILVER PHOENIX: Beyond the Kingdom of Xia hits the shelves TODAY! Young adult fantasy with an Asian flair - BUY IT!==> If you're looking for reading inspiration, check out this new blog: FILL IN THE GAPS 100 PROJECT. Fifty of us - writers, readers, editors, all passionate about BOOKS - listed our top To Be Read lists, along with reviews. A special YAY! to Emily Cross for organizing what started as a comment thread over at EDITORIAL ASS.
==> Accepted into Lesley University Writing Workshop for late July in Cambridge, MA. Very excited - great faculty (including Julia Glass). Imagine - an entire week of writing, workshopping, and talking about writing. In my old stomping ground... yippee!
Keep on writing - and reading. Peace, Linda
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I love it.
ReplyDelete"What is more important than the visceral
act of throwing limbs against slatted wood"
I never get tired of having to read a poem several times before I get it. What a joy!
Ah, thanks Diane. I needed your kind words today. Peace, Linda
ReplyDeleteI saw you were happy on Facebook. Now I know why. Sounds like lots of loose ends wrapping up nicely with the grants and grading done, and PoMo nearly over. I suspect it feels quite liberating.
ReplyDeleteNice poem. I read it twice. Didn't get the cadence down the first time through, but really enjoyed it the second time around. It really does capture the essence of regret - we never get those snow days back.
Silver Phoenix looks interesting. I'll have to check it out.
~jon
Why snow days are the best. I have to admit to bundling up my own kiddoes and sending them out. Though I didn't make my first real snow man until a few years ago with my little ones.
ReplyDeleteDW Golden
Sour with fairies in this new young adult novel: Purple Butterflies.
Oooh, much envy at the sound of that writing workshop. It sounds fantastic. I have to say, there seems to be such much more going on for writers in America, I keep searching for writing events in the UK and failing miserably. I guess a lot of the UK book world is still years behind in terms of the internet, so maybe they are out there, but invisible online.
ReplyDeleteHope it's wonderful for you!
Hey DW, hung over at your blog and tried to leave a comment, but it wouldn't let me. I love snow days, too, and need to remember that sharing them with my kiddos is finite experience.
ReplyDeleteEmma, I am SO looking forward to this writing workshop. Airfares are cheap - come on over!
I do seem to correspond via the blogdom with quite a few Brits and Scots. Try 6S (Six sentences) for one - lots hang there! Peace, Linda