Tag: creative writing

poetry

Is Prose Poetry Actually Cheating?

carolyncordon

Yesterday, for my poem a day (#poemadayfeb), I wrote a prose poem based on the theme of ‘first’. The prose poem flowed, and gained a little bit of attention from other poets, online, which was lovely. I didn’t feel like that prose poem was cheating, because quite a bit of thought went into the writing of it, as it does for more ‘form’ related poetry written.

My poem today though, as soon as I saw the prompt, I felt the urge to make it another prose poem, and the words just flowed, and flowed, with only a bare minimum of editing needed, so it really did feel a little bit like cheating – is poetry supposed to be as easy as just thinking a bit and letting the words flow? Really?

If it is allowed to be that easy, is there truly real merit? But of course, the mind that holds all of the ‘stuff’ that flows onto the page/screen, that mind is working hard at scratching up the relevant bits, and piecing them all together in a harmonious way (I hope that’s how it will seem to others, anyway) …

I certainly enjoyed the writing of this prose poem today, but I suspect tomorrow will bring back my more usual poetic format of writing poems in short lines, either rhyming or not … We’ll see what happens when I see tomorrow’s poetry prompt.

So to today’s poem, as I said, another Prose Poem, a shorter one this time, and one that may not have as much impact as yesterday’s prose poem, we shall see. So here it is:

thinking on too many things perhaps? or just the correct number …

I’m almost shivering on this rain & wind struck day, Summer hiding, as I too hide, from the unseasonable cold. Walls holding most of this inclement weather at bay, but the open window on my left, is open to … to what? To let the fresh air in? … as if there probably isn’t already enough air, fresh enough for good health, inside this home, as most comfortable middle-class homes, already have, probably. Especially this home, my home, my rural but not farmhouse home, set amongst farmland, but far enough away from the farms, that I don’t have to worry too much, about bad things blowing in, from any of the agriculturalists’ toxic chemical weaponry, used to assist to bring good food to our nation, keeping unwanted things – fungus, insects, weeds, and so on, at bay … Farming, such a lovely thing, those gentle cows, those placid sheep, from where I watch, anyway – I’m well away from the abattoir, so I can pretend a little bit, and not gag at the idea of meat cooking on the bbq, but enjoy the work of the livestock producers instead … Changing ideas, or back to the original one, really … apparently it will be hot again in the week, an app told me that, when I looked on my mobile source of knowledge, formerly known as a ‘phone’, (which I sometimes actually use to talk to people on, but not often) … anyway looking with my eyes right now, through the opened window on my left, it looks like Summer has signed off for the season, and has let Autumn in, reminding me that climate and seasons, both change …

poetry, writing exercise

Covering Same Issues

carolyncordon

With these writing prompts, that I write on every new day, I don’t know at the the start which direction my muse may take me. But the direction I headed straight away today, was to a place I’ve been before. Thoughts on ‘Hidden’ things have been a huge theme for my creative writing, and have brought good results, of various types, financial, therapeutic, and for the broader community too.

I have written more about the kind of thing I write about in today’s poem, on another of my blog, this one. I created that blog to help with promoting my poetry collection of the same name.

I don’t think I need to go to much further here now though, the poem I wrote for today, which is Day 6 of #poemadayfeb, will tell the story. I have been very much enjoying being involved with this daily poetry writing idea, & I hope I definitely stick with it to the rest of February, and perhaps beyond, using writing prompts from somewhere else. I have a box of writing prompts hidden away somewhere, and I have plenty of time to find them …

 

So here it is, my poem for this sixth day of February:

 

Finally Healing

 

It hurt so much, you kept it hidden,

your shame at what you’d done,

& knowing doing that was wrong.

 

But talk of ‘love’, was always there –

on radio, tv, movies, ever present,

& ‘love’ was what he’d  claimed …

 

But love in childhood isn’t that,

love for a child is pure & sweet,

what he did to you, wasn’t pure.

 

You held your story close inside,

until clarity & truth arrived at last –

with realisation fault wasn’t yours.

 

The adult, he was to blame for this,

you didn’t do it, it was done to you –

a child – the fault, all of it, was his.

 

He died alone, his crime unknown

except by other victims, perhaps.

& you’re all alive, your secrets told

 

& in telling, finding needed peace,

forgiving yourself, confident now

to tell your truth, & in telling, heal

poetry

Another Day, Another Poem

carolyncordon

As I’m going through this month of a poem a day for February (#poemadayfeb), I am pleasantly surprised to see the quality of the poems I’ve produced so far. When you write a new poem every single day, you doin’t have lots and lots of time to fiddle with your poem, it’s a matter of get it written, get it edited, and get it out there!

In the past, I have kept my poems more to myself, holding to the thought, perhaps, that publishers want exclusive rights to my precious poems, so I need to keep them to myself. But I don’t actually send my poem to potential publishers very often anyway, so there’s that idea shot down in flames …

My idea at the moment is that I may see if I can get this month’s worth of poems published in a chapbook, there will be only 28 poems (or possibly more, if I get really keen), and that is a good number of poems for such a publication.

I’m also interested to notice that I have been writing some longer poems for this project. Today’s poem, for instance is 24 lines, and I think yesterday’s poem was that length too. In the past, I have tended to write poems that are between 3 words (haiku), and 12 to 14 lines. That may be because I am also writing a novel at the moment, and thinking about longer word counts, or it may be something else, who knows?

I don’t mind, I’m enjoying what I’m writing, and as long as these good poems keep on happening for the rest of the month, I’m happy! So here is my poem for today, the fifth day of February!

 

 

Full Circle

 

We travel many paths through life –

child, to not child, & then on to adult,

from victim to survivor, maybe, & beyond,

as the road to gaining knowledge, bumps

us onward, with ideas we thought fine

showing to be far from fine, but fake.

 

So we journey on willingly, toward,

the wisdom maturity may bring to us,

& we realise a truth – wisdom was in us

already, as a child, when we found joy

in every new moment, & new thing  –

seeing, feeling, tasting – sensory sublimity!

 

& holding to that thought, expanding it,

opening minds to the infinity available,

if we will reach out to touch it, taste it,

Smell, and listen to it, these tasks help us

to begin to see meaning for our journey

embracing all we’ve seen, & been & learned …

 

Life’s journey can take us far, as far as we’re

willing to go, and though the final destination

is the same for all, our journeys from childhood

to adulthood and beyond, can be amazingly

different – if we hold to our childlike mind

& can experience the glorious possiblities!

poetry

Day 4 of #poemadayfeb

carolyncordon

Another day, another poem … The theme for today’s poem for this poetry projecct for February, is ‘Inside’ … As I’m sitting on the sofa this morning, laptop on lap, window the the left of me, TV screen in front of me, Missy our dog on her sofa on my left, it was easy to find things to put into an “inside” themed poem.

IMAG0306

So this poem is basically life as it happened, with some further thougthts about my life, Missy’s life, my husband’s life, and possible further life … At the moment, I’m happy enough with today’s poem, it isn’t loaded with metaphor or fancy poetic form constraints, it isn’t ‘clever’ or terribly deep, really.

It’s just my new poem, with some of my thoughts about the day, today, the fourth day of February, and what is happening right here, right now.

Here is the poem, I hope you like it. Feel free to post a comment, if you wish. About my poem, about the contents of this blog, about the #poemadayfeb project, about anything!

Here is today’s poem:

 

My Inside/Outside Life

 

Sitting inside, looking out,

I see cars passing by,

& trees with waving branches –

waving hello to me?

No, just waving, at the dictates

of the breeze.

 

Inside with me, are Missy,

& the TV screen.

Missy & I both ignore

screen’s action, Superbowl?

Pfft, who cares? Not us,

none of our business.

 

What is our business?

Is it inside or outside?

Missy is pet dog,

self-installed ‘guard’ dog,

hubby’s walking companion,

so for her it’s both.

 

My business is, hmm, what?

Writing? Community stuff?

‘Business’ is a textured word,

spiky with taxation obligations

& other rules & regulations,

but can be rewarding, too …

 

I’m a pensioner,

my ‘business’ is untainted

by money, & taxation,

unless my business was to off,

climbing above & beyond

inside/outside constraints.

 

Writing, & community,

writing about community,

just writing, writing a poem

writing a novel, writing my way

into things, bigger and better

than my inside/outside life?

poetry, Writing

Hmm, Interesting Stuff Happens

carolyncordon

The theme for the #poemadayfeb poetry project today was ‘Beginning’. I had a bit of an idea about what I wanted to write, when I got started on this one, and I more or less produced something that covered what I’d wanted to write.

It seems bigger, and better, though, than I had even hoped, and if this continues to happen like that, for this particular poetry project, I will be one happy little poet, that’s for sure. It’s often said, the more you do something, the better at it you get, and it certainly feels like that’s true, regarding poetry, and other writing genre.

So this, below, is my poem written today, on the theme or prompt, of Beginning.

 

How it can go…

 

As it was in the beginning, so shall it be at the end –

we’re born, we need, we learn, we grow, the family rules.

We live and we continue growing, then, eventually, we know

all we need to know, living in cruise control mode.

 

Changes come, our needs morph, to medical not financial,

enough money, or not, but the money must be spent

to retain our health. We’re shrinking, not growing,

pieces surgically removed, posture slumping.

 

We’re slowing then, many needs lessening, as

dining out at night with lover, becomes friends’ lunch out,

then doctor & hospital is only visit out. We’re sinking

down, ever down, until getting up is our only adventure,

 

& even that may stop, with treatment from strangers,

instead of family visits. Our needs shrink, learning forgotten,

& if family is planning a journey for us, it’s not a trip to Bali,

but to our final destination, via coffin, not plane or cruise ship …