Happy Poetry Friday! Welcome, everyone! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.)
So, this month, our Poetry Princess challenge was the bop poem, and I didn’t like it. It’s a longer (to me) form, and I liked a few of the examples I read, but it’s not a form that calls out to me. But, growth mindset, right? :>D Sometimes a prompt that’s really challenging ends up teaching me a lot.
We were assigned the refrain, “Let’s kick that can down the road.” I had written a previous attempt at a bop before I realized we were all writing with the same refrain. In our live writing session, Mary Lee threw out the fact that if we were struggling (ahem), we could always write about the struggle. Perhaps the approach is a bit of a cop out, but thank God for Mary Lee. This first draft is already miles better than my other attempt (which tells you a lot).
Take a peek at all the Poetry Sisters’ poems, and check out #PoetryPals on social media, where others might be posting these, too!
Kelly
Liz
Sara
Tanita
Tricia
Mary Lee
Andi
Click here to see all our previous Poetry Princesses collaborations.
Poetry Sister Tanita Davis is rounding us up this week, so don’t miss the Poetry Friday Roundup!
Want to write with us next month? Write a definito poem, a cool form that I first learned about from Heidi Mordhorst, and post on September 26 on your blog and/or on social media with #PoetryPals!
17 Responses
You kicked that can down the road! I love the authentic and funny voice of this poem.
It turned out brilliantly! I love “the refrain is a can, not a can’t”!! And I’m giggling about the key that seems more like a fork! Well played!
This is Mary Lee!
I adore the second stanza, but also really love the last two lines of the first stanza. I think you’ve done a wonderful job with this. Sometimes a change is perspective is all you need.
This is Tricia! I was logged in, so not sure why it’s coming up as anonymous.
Ha ha ha — you were so clever here with the can wordplay. I know you dreaded this one, but it’s wonderful! (Favorite line: How do you open a poem with a fork?)
Ooops, this was Liz. ^^^^
You took the idea and made it your own, Laura! It’s like a close up into your thinking process. Thanks! In case I come up as annonymous too, it’s Rose.
Yay! A poem about process. I love it, Laura. “How do you open a poem with a fork?” made me laugh. I can totally see that line as a starting place for another poem.
I’d never heard about this form till reading Tanika’s post today. As someone who tends to write short poems, it looks intimidating to me, so I can relate to your struggle, Laura. I love your choice to play with the word can/can’t, and especially the line:
But the refrain is a can, not a can’t, so …
Nicely done!
HAHAHAHAHA! I’m dying. I kind of felt like that, too, but I kept thinking, “Okay, this refrain is going to make sense soon… it’s GOT to make sense soon…” I don’t feel like I ever got to where I was bopping along to a song, but… it’s at least done? ☺
I love your ending Laura, “stop looking for the key,” and “tell my trying-too-hard brain to can it!” I think you did a glorious job of kicking “that can down the road,” and even a bit farther. Definitely a challenging prompt, thanks!
There’s so much to love in this post. First of all, I appreciate your sharing the honest frustration of the initial efforts. Then, you have so many fabulous lines throughout your poem (“How do you open a poem with a fork?”) and end with some writing truths (“stop looking for the key”). Great humor, creative word play, etc. Love it!
Your poem makes me understand your feelings, Laura, and a laugh over “letting my mind know it wasn’t needed anyway”. Love all the “can’s” that must have made you feel good when you kicked them down the road!
Thank you, Laura, for that “open to growth” approach! How ironic that you indeed wished to “kick that can down the road!”
Really love thinking about opening the poem with a fork! Such a great image!
Loved your poem, Laura!