You know, I love poetry games. The idea of making poems up on the spot based on words randomly assigned makes me happy. Writing group poems with 1st through 6th graders, never knowing what they’ll come up with, makes me happy. Adding a line to the 2013 Progressive Poem makes me…well, happy, actually. Though with more stress in the equation than those other two situations. What made it stressful for me?
- I love short poems. So a poem that already has 27 lines before it gets to me is unlike most poems I read! I was getting impatient to wrap this baby up.
- So many wonderful poets/people have already participated, and I didn’t want to mess up what they have already done.
- I wanted to not only write the next line, but the whole ending. Each line wiggling through my head made me think, “Oooh, that would be great if the line after it did ______________.” Fill in the blank with whatever pressure/burden I decided to put on the penultimate poet, Denise Mortensen.
Luckily, I love the tension Ruth Hersey of There’s No Such Thing as a God-Forsaken Town added in her line. What a wonderful springboard to get to jump off of. And even though this is intimidating, really, it’s a lot easier than taking part in a progressive dinner or something, and having loads of people come to your house to eat food?and inspect your taste–or lack thereof (oh, wait–that will be my daughter’s graduation party in a few weeks–ack!). Anyway, here is our Progressive Poem so far!
When you listen to your footsteps
the words become music and
the rhythm that you’re rapping gets your fingers tapping, too.
Your pen starts dancing across the page
a private pirouette, a solitary samba until
smiling, you’re beguiling as your love comes shining through.Pause a moment in your dreaming, hear the whispers
of the words, one dancer to another, saying
Listen, that’s our cue! Mind your meter. Find your rhyme.
Ignore the trepidation while you jitterbug and jive.
Arm in arm, toe to toe, words begin to wiggle and flow
as your heart starts singing let your mind keep swingingfrom life’s trapeze, like a clown on the breeze.
Swinging upside down, throw and catch new sounds?
Take a risk, try a trick; break a sweat: safety net?
Don’t check! You’re soaring and exploring,
dangle high, blood rush; spiral down, crowd hush?
limb-by-line-by-limb envision, pyramidic penned precision.And if you should topple, if you should flop
if your meter takes a beating; your rhyme runs out of steam?
know this tumbling and fumbling is all part of the act,
so get up with a flourish. Your pencil’s still intact.
Snap those synapses! Feel the pulsing through your pen
Commit, measure by measure, to the coda’s cadence.You’ve got them now–in the palm of your hand!
Finger by finger you’re reeling them in?
Big Top throng refrains from cheering, strains to hear the poem nearing…
Inky paws, uncaged, claw straw and sawdust
What’s really fun about poetry? I just read this one last time before hitting Publish and changed the second half of my line substantially. Poetry improv–there’s nothing like it:>)
Check out my right sidebar, and make sure you visit the last two days of the Progressive Poem. Thank you, Irene Latham, for organizing a bunch of clowns, word jugglers, and wild writers into the barely contained madness of a progressive poem! I can’t wait to see the grand finale!
What a fun line, Laura. The big cat out of the cage for a grand finale is perfect and sets the ending up beautifully. It’s amazing how much rhyme you’ve packed in there. :0)
Thanks, Catherine–Can’t wait to see the ending!
What a fun line, Laura. The big cat out of the cage for a grand finale is perfect and sets the ending up beautifully. It’s amazing how much rhyme you’ve packed in there. :0)
Thanks, Catherine–Can’t wait to see the ending!
Yowza!
What a cool set-up, Laura, and such fun to read! Thank you for your generous poem starter videos this month. I have been talking them up. :). Happy quieter May. xo, a.
Thanks, Amy! (And I’ve seen some of your mentions of PSV–thank you!)
Yowza!
What a cool set-up, Laura, and such fun to read! Thank you for your generous poem starter videos this month. I have been talking them up. :). Happy quieter May. xo, a.
Thanks, Amy! (And I’ve seen some of your mentions of PSV–thank you!)
I love it, Laura. When in doubt, release the lions. 🙂 And the internal rhymes are so powerful in your line. I’m excited to see where this goes. It looks like we might finish with a roar!
Thanks, Carrie–I’m eager to see the big finish, too!
I love it, Laura. When in doubt, release the lions. 🙂 And the internal rhymes are so powerful in your line. I’m excited to see where this goes. It looks like we might finish with a roar!
Thanks, Carrie–I’m eager to see the big finish, too!
Inky paws! I LOVE it! Watch out, folks, the Poem is uncaged!
Thank you, Ruth–and thanks for the great setup:>)
Inky paws! I LOVE it! Watch out, folks, the Poem is uncaged!
Thank you, Ruth–and thanks for the great setup:>)
Your words have caught every bit of the circus, Laura. I can smell the popcorn, and the excitement! Wonderful!
Thanks so much, Linda!
Your words have caught every bit of the circus, Laura. I can smell the popcorn, and the excitement! Wonderful!
Thanks so much, Linda!
Oh my!!! You never fail to amaze me. I just love, love, love that line! I can just see the inky paws and sawdust!
Thanks, Penny! I was trying to get sensory and a little menacing:>)
Mission accomplished, Laura! Love this. All that internal rhyme… and yes so near the end now. THANK YOU!
Oh my!!! You never fail to amaze me. I just love, love, love that line! I can just see the inky paws and sawdust!
Thanks, Penny! I was trying to get sensory and a little menacing:>)
Mission accomplished, Laura! Love this. All that internal rhyme… and yes so near the end now. THANK YOU!
I’m in “aw”…. (sorry – couldn’t help myself). What fun you’ve unleashed here at the end, Laura – :0)
Thanks, Robyn! It was fun to write, too!
I’m in “aw”…. (sorry – couldn’t help myself). What fun you’ve unleashed here at the end, Laura – :0)
Thanks, Robyn! It was fun to write, too!
I love how you brought some danger back into the poem, Laura.
Thanks, Laura–that’s me–Danger Poet! :>)
I love how you brought some danger back into the poem, Laura.
Thanks, Laura–that’s me–Danger Poet! :>)
Love those “inky paws”! Can’t wait to see how this whole poem wraps up.
Also, thanks for letting me know about my link from Friday. I’m not sure what happened! Here’s the correct link: http://readingtothecore.wordpress.com/2013/04/26/poetry-friday-poets-checklist/
Thank you! And I’m off to check out your new link!
Love those “inky paws”! Can’t wait to see how this whole poem wraps up.
Also, thanks for letting me know about my link from Friday. I’m not sure what happened! Here’s the correct link: http://readingtothecore.wordpress.com/2013/04/26/poetry-friday-poets-checklist/
Thank you! And I’m off to check out your new link!
Great internal rhyme, Laura, and a fun, vivid image! Denise & April have their work cut out for them!
Thanks, Matt. It was fun to see how they brought it home:>)
Great internal rhyme, Laura, and a fun, vivid image! Denise & April have their work cut out for them!
Thanks, Matt. It was fun to see how they brought it home:>)
I LOVE your line, big cats and poetry… I can see and smell this line!
Thanks, Joanna–I really wanted to get back to concreteness. Or at least strawness:>)
I LOVE your line, big cats and poetry… I can see and smell this line!
Thanks, Joanna–I really wanted to get back to concreteness. Or at least strawness:>)
Wow, what an image! A hint of menace in our poem, no doubt ready to wow the crowd with beauty. Completely unexpected – love it!
Thanks, Renee!
Wow, what an image! A hint of menace in our poem, no doubt ready to wow the crowd with beauty. Completely unexpected – love it!
Thanks, Renee!
Whoa Nelly! I’m running around catching up and here’s a surprise! I thought we were going to HEAR the poem nearing, but now we SEE it creeping up on us…will it eat us alive or what?
Those poems–they catch you off guard sometimes:>)
Whoa Nelly! I’m running around catching up and here’s a surprise! I thought we were going to HEAR the poem nearing, but now we SEE it creeping up on us…will it eat us alive or what?
Those poems–they catch you off guard sometimes:>)