Happy Poetry Friday!
In June, we Poetry 7, Poetry Sisters, Poetry Princesses (depending on what day you catch us) wrote “poems in the style of…“After much hemming and hawing and debating, we decided to each write a poem inspired by a specific e.e. cummings poem.
e.e. cummings scares me. He is illogical and rule-breaking. There are certain poems of his I love, but trying to write in his style? That’s like me putting on a red-carpet gown to go to the gas station. Just. Not. Me.
I decided to do my poem inspired by “Spring is like a perhaps hand.” I figured I would pick another season and try to use some of cummings’ structure and word-choice methods to frame my own poem.
I started out with summer, but you know what? I don’t really care for summer much, so the list of words I was brainstorming were quite negative. I decided to focus on my favorite season, fall, instead. Just a couple of months early:>) So, here’s what I ended up with.
And here I am reading it aloud:
We’re in the midst of setting up a Poetry Sisters Group on SoundCloud where we would share recordings of our poems. I’m not sure how many of us will be in there right away. We’re figuring this out as we go along:>)
Don’t forgot to read all the Poetry Sisters’ poems below–I’ll be adding links as soon as I have them. Here are their topics and first lines. Andi (I think) called our poems “echoes” of cummings’ poems. I love that. Some of us stayed very close to the original in form and word use and structure. Others of us went more for mood. But each poem is like a little flashlight shining in some way on our poetic little souls:>)
Tricia?(“hatred//is. and hope//is.”
Sara? (“in Just- / dusk when the world is shadow-”)
Kelly (“tortie and tabbie and tubbie and tom”)
Liz (“i liked you when you were curled within”)
Andi (“a wind has blown the rain away and blown”)
Tanita (“the saditty committee, whose lives”
Here are our previous collaborations:
| Jun 2015 | Odes |
| May 2015 | Pantoums |
| Apr 2015 | Raccontinos |
| Mar 2015 | Sestinas (Lord have mercy) |
| Feb 2015 | Villanelles on hidden things |
| Jan 2015 | Triolets on beginnings (And I posted an extra one here.) |
| Pre-2015 | Villanelles, a crown sonnet, rondeau redoubles, and pantoums |
And for more Poetry Friday fun, visit Katie at The Logonauts (a new-to-me blog) for the Poetry Friday Roundup!
46 Responses
I know you kind of didn’t WANT to do this one, Laura, but I’m so so glad you did.
“brisking wind” and “dead-center drops” — YES!!
This is lovely and makes me, almost-but-not-quite, yearn for fall 🙂
I yearn for fall all year long. Thanks, Liz. I’m glad I did, too:>)
I know you kind of didn’t WANT to do this one, Laura, but I’m so so glad you did.
“brisking wind” and “dead-center drops” — YES!!
This is lovely and makes me, almost-but-not-quite, yearn for fall 🙂
I yearn for fall all year long. Thanks, Liz. I’m glad I did, too:>)
I’m starting to think that “scared” is a great place from which to begin a poem.
“dead center drops a gold lead ball” That!
“pausing between snap and winter.” and that!
This is a poem (like ee’s) that you can come back to, and find new images and combinations each time. I have a feeling I will be thinking of it, come September, and find myself holding a hand to the sky, trying to halt time. xo
Thanks, Sara. I don’t know that it would hold up to too many re-readings, but I did discover random things inside my head…
I’m starting to think that “scared” is a great place from which to begin a poem.
“dead center drops a gold lead ball” That!
“pausing between snap and winter.” and that!
This is a poem (like ee’s) that you can come back to, and find new images and combinations each time. I have a feeling I will be thinking of it, come September, and find myself holding a hand to the sky, trying to halt time. xo
Thanks, Sara. I don’t know that it would hold up to too many re-readings, but I did discover random things inside my head…
It makes me smile how so many of us were outright reluctant to enter into e.e. cummings. And yet, look at us! Look at you! The snap — the hand snapped up stopping winter — last chance! — is my favorite imagery. It’s like, “Talk to the hand, winter.” It also echoes the snap of branches and the crisp of leaves.
Roll on, autumn, amen.
Thanks, Tanita. Yeah, we did pretty well, overall :>)
It makes me smile how so many of us were outright reluctant to enter into e.e. cummings. And yet, look at us! Look at you! The snap — the hand snapped up stopping winter — last chance! — is my favorite imagery. It’s like, “Talk to the hand, winter.” It also echoes the snap of branches and the crisp of leaves.
Roll on, autumn, amen.
Thanks, Tanita. Yeah, we did pretty well, overall :>)
“the last slice of blue kandy/ with golden hurries” <3
Had a lot of fun reading your poem, Laura — I’m glad you stepped out of your comfort zone!
Thanks, Tabatha–it’s scary, but it feels good, too! Kind of.
“the last slice of blue kandy/ with golden hurries” <3
Had a lot of fun reading your poem, Laura — I’m glad you stepped out of your comfort zone!
Thanks, Tabatha–it’s scary, but it feels good, too! Kind of.
Great poem and fascinating exercise! I especially liked how you reused certain words and phrases in different ways through the poem. Thanks for sharing with Poetry Friday!
Thanks, Katie–I appreciate it!
Great poem and fascinating exercise! I especially liked how you reused certain words and phrases in different ways through the poem. Thanks for sharing with Poetry Friday!
Thanks, Katie–I appreciate it!
And weren’t you the first one to jump in and get a draft up to share? You did good, girl! I forever now think of your phrase “golden hurries” with the autumn rush of a new school year. Brilliant!
Thanks, Andi. I was first because I always like to get difficult things over with–seriously!
And weren’t you the first one to jump in and get a draft up to share? You did good, girl! I forever now think of your phrase “golden hurries” with the autumn rush of a new school year. Brilliant!
Thanks, Andi. I was first because I always like to get difficult things over with–seriously!
wonderful !!! so many wonderful words in this poem I love the ending and wonderful job reading it 🙂
Thanks, Jessica–WAY out of my comfort zone!
wonderful !!! so many wonderful words in this poem I love the ending and wonderful job reading it 🙂
Thanks, Jessica–WAY out of my comfort zone!
“to distill the world to bright waiting” *swoon*
Love that you added an actual snap to your ending line! And this was way outside my comfort zone, too, which is partially why I went with one of his poems in rhymed couplets! (I cheat!)
I was so unfamiliar with many of his poems, and then I read the ones y’all chose and kept thinking, “Wait! I want that one! No, that one!”
“to distill the world to bright waiting” *swoon*
Love that you added an actual snap to your ending line! And this was way outside my comfort zone, too, which is partially why I went with one of his poems in rhymed couplets! (I cheat!)
I was so unfamiliar with many of his poems, and then I read the ones y’all chose and kept thinking, “Wait! I want that one! No, that one!”
It seems like your ‘last chance hand’ came in first, Laura. I love it, especially those ‘golden hurries’. ee cummings gives a lot to think about, but doing what he does can’t be easy. It’s great you all have taken this challenge.
Thanks, Linda. He sure does (give lots to think about)… :>)
It seems like your ‘last chance hand’ came in first, Laura. I love it, especially those ‘golden hurries’. ee cummings gives a lot to think about, but doing what he does can’t be easy. It’s great you all have taken this challenge.
Thanks, Linda. He sure does (give lots to think about)… :>)
If you added a little moor to this I could see this poem as a pitcher book
If only you were an editor at a major publishing house, Jessica ;>)
If you added a little moor to this I could see this poem as a pitcher book
If only you were an editor at a major publishing house, Jessica ;>)
Golden Led ball makes me think of a sunflower
Golden Led ball makes me think of a sunflower
Amazing, Laura! Your fears were misplaced, you deserve the red carpet!
Thanks, John–that’s very kind (maybe even charitable). But it was more fun than I expected:>)
Amazing, Laura! Your fears were misplaced, you deserve the red carpet!
Thanks, John–that’s very kind (maybe even charitable). But it was more fun than I expected:>)