30 Poems in 30 Days: Collaboration
October 3, 2007 by J.C. Hewitt
This is Day 30! of 30 Poems in 30 Days
All Good Things
Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
Groucho Marx
We’ve reached the final day of our little poetry project. It has been quite a journey, at least for me, and I really appreciate those of you who took the time to post your poetry. I wasn’t sure, when I started this, whether or not I would get any participants and I was happy that a few of you chose to come along. It would have been a much harder journey without your poems and comments.
This will be the final day of the poetry project, but it won’t be my final post on the topic. When we started, I promised to discuss publishing options, especially low cost ones, and I will be writing about that over the next few days. Today, however, will be the final day of assignments.
The people who have chosen to write their poems and to comment on the poems of others have demonstrated my final lesson, the value of collaboration. Working with other poets is a good thing. Creating a community is a good thing. As I said, this would have been a much more difficult and longer month without the contributions of others. Reading other poet’s work has been invigorating. Reading other poet’s comments has been instructive. Having an audience of peers to discuss poetry with has helped me improve as a poet, and I hope it has helped others.
If you have the chance to work with, or just make friends with other poets. Take that chance. They will help keep your focus on poetry and on writing, which over the long haul can be more valuable than any criticism or praise.
Please tell me what you thought of the project. I would like to keep the energy. I am considering at least a weekly poetry post, complete with assignment, but I am open to other ideas. Please tell me what you think.
Today’s Poetry Assignment
I feel like ending with something technical but random. Don’t include any word with a single “A” in it, but do include at least one word with two “A”s in it.
Today’s Featured Poet
In keeping with our attempt to bring in international flavor for the final days, I am including Daniel Ladinsky. Ladinsky is an American poet but has lived in India and the Middle East for many years now. His work includes translations of the 14th century Persian poet, Hafez, who wrote in the ghazal form. Ladinsky is a somewhat controversial figure because many of his translations are not considered literal, and are thought to me more like responses to the original poems.
Books
- Love Poems from God: Twelve Sacred Voices from the East and West
- I Heard God Laughing: Poems of Hope and Joy
- I Heard God Laughing: Poems of Hope and Joy
- The Subject Tonight Is Love: Sixty Wild and Sweet Poems of Hafiz
Poems
Dear John,
It’s been wonderful! I’ve had the best fun – and I ain’t done yet. I still have a few poems to write and I don’t know if I can manage them all today. By now I have to catch up with the recommended reading too; and I have every intention of revisiting the recommended poets I did find time to read. So I’ll be hanging around a while yet. In fact, if you are going to keep this up, you’ll probably never get rid of me. ☺
I was actually a fan of Writer’s Resource Center already, via Masters of the Verse on MySpace, and am in the habit of recommending you to my writing students in the real life group I facilitate.
I have friends on MySpace who post excellent poems nearly every day. I don’t know how they do it! I was fine in the beginning and have picked up the flow again now, but flagged a bit somewhere in the middle. I’m not sure if that was due to other things going on in my life, or if I just had a temporary surfeit of creativity. So for me, I would say let’s settle down to no oftener than once a week. But I certainly would love to continue.
As I have often observed, a poetry workshop – which is essentially what this proved to be – very soon becomes a place of great intimacy between people. It’s the nature of poetry, particularly in this confessional age. I feel I’ve made new friends here as well as enjoying a delightful resurgence in my friendship with Connie. I have a real sense now of who Sandra, Rianon and Pearl are, and am already in communication with my fellow Aussie, cerebralmum, outside of here. And then there’s you! I now know more of the person behind the expertise, and you just better consider yourself a pal for life, OK?
I love the possibility of creating these mini communities in cyberspace. That in itself is reason for wishing to continue. Then there’s the poetic benefits. I had been in a bit of a poetic drought before this project happened, except for haiku. (I have a MySpace profile called Haiku on Friday, which I began because I thought I sucked at haiku and wanted to practise. There are a number of other people now joining in every Friday and it too is fun and has a sense of community.) What you have done for me here is broaden my range of styles, topics, techniques…. You have reminded me of some things and introduced me to others. And you’ve been the catalyst for a whole lot of new poems. I have a small Yahoo! group of people who like to read my stuff, and lately some of them have been saying, “You must have another book by now.” I didn’t participate with that as a goal, just to enjoy making poems, but it’s an interesting thought.
I did get to enjoy making poems, and I got a whole lot more than that. I’m grateful you had the idea to start the project and throw it open to others, and I particularly thank you for the commitment to keeping it going for 30 days straight, despite what is obviously a busy life.
Oh yes – what did I think of the project? I thought you did an excellent job of finding us new ways to approach our writing, and I particularly loved the opportunity to discover new poets I had been unaware of before. This very much includes my fellow-participants! It was exciting to be in such a talented, brave, generous and unpretentious group. I liked your laissez-faire way of letting all our posts appear, even when we doubled up or something. It makes a sort of mosaic of the way it all panned out, a true record. I felt great freedom to comment on others, and enjoyed the overall goodwill amongst participants. As you were the one “holding the space”, these things have to have originated from your own energy, so take a bow!
You already know I’m a greedy girl ☺ so yes please – more, more, more!
I agree with everything that Rosemary said, I’m not sure if there can be anything added to it. Bravo!!! Although I’m only 21 I wish to publish my poetry, it may be a small book but it will be something to be proud of. Thanks to you I have more poetry to add to it. John you have inspired me to not just start something, but finish it, procrastinating is not my best friend even though sometimes I make it. I have read so many wonderful poems here and have gotten to know so many wonderful people. Rosemary, you can consider me your pal as well, you’ve really grown to me. Although I’ve only done this for three days, I really enjoyed every minute of it. Connie and everyone, thank you so much for sharing and helping to inspire me. John I really hope that you continue to do these assignments, They help me get out what I need to get out and think about things more clearly. It gets really emotional at times but I feel so much more relaxed when I get it out. I am going to continue using your assignment questions to help with my writing, I feel as though I have so much more to express and I think it might take a while. Friendship lasts forever and I think of everyone here as a friend. EVERYONE. So thank you so much for this opportunity, I will be on this web site everyday hoping to find anyone of you writing. I’ll say HI and hope you will too!
God Bless everyone of you and keep safe.
P.S. If anyone of you would like to keep in touch here is my email:
Rianon@familyabode.com
It’s a family web site and email.
Here is our web site:
Familyabode.com
Feel free to visit at any time. Again John thank you so much and God Bless!!!!!
Sorry let me try again
http://WWW.Familyabode.com
This is our family web site
ONE LAST POEM
This is a poem I wrote a long time ago, when I was about 15. I just wanted to share this with you, this does not go with the writing today, I just thought to share it with someone and maybe get your opinion on it. Thank you and God Bless.
Love
If tomorrow starts without me
And I’m not there too see
If the sun should rise and find your eyes
All filled with tears for me
I wish so much you wouldn’t cry
The way you did today
While thinking of the many things
We didn’t get to say
I know how much you love me
Just as much as I love you
And each time you think of me
I know you’ll miss me too
But then, when tomorrow starts without me
Please, try to understand
That an angel came and called my name
And took me by the hand
He said my place was ready
In heaven far above
And that I’d have to leave behind
All those that I dearly love
But as I turned to walk away
A tear fell from my eye
For all my life, I’d always thought
I didn’t want to die
I had yet so much to live for
So much yet to do
It seemed almost impossible
That I was leaving you
I thought of all the yesterdays
The good ones and the bad
I thought of all the love we shared
And all the fun we had
If I could relive yesterday
Just even for a while
I’d say goodbye and kiss you
And maybe see you smile
But then I fully realized
That this could never be
For emptiness and memories
Would take the place of me
And when I thought of worldly things
I might miss come tomorrow
I thought of you and when I did
My heart was filled with sorrow
But when I walked through heaven’s gates
I felt so much at home
When God looked down and smiled to me
From his great golden thrown
He said, “this is eternity
As far as the eye can see”
Today for life on earth is past
But here it starts a new
I promise no tomorrow
But today will always last
And since each day’s the same way
There is no longing for the past
you have been so faithful
So trusting and so true
Though there were times you did some things
You knew you shouldn’t do
But you have been forgiven
And now at last you are free
So won’t you take my hand?
And share my life with me?
So when tomorrow starts without me
Don’t think we are far apart
For every time you think of me
I’m right here, in your heart.
[...] 30 Poems in 30 Days: Collaboration — — [...]
GOD BLESS EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hope to talk to everyone soon
I’m glad you ran it John. I’m up for weekly prompts if you want to keep going. It was a catalyst for a lot of writing since each prompt usually made at least one poem and often in a direction that I may not have tried otherwise. I got to meet a few new people and hear a lot of new voices. I’m not thru all the reading yet but I do have a response for this Day 30 Prompt
Buying on Spec
Fatalist marksman of profit,
he storms the spartan ashrams
with not so much as a salaam.
The bazaar’s charlatan doesn’t come
for banal. He blatantly attacks
Adam’s 24-karat scarabs, dismisses
the craftman’s standard handstamp
as ingenuine, “awkward”, suspect,
vacant (sorry) from their databases,
(shrug) it’s a trinket, the balsam
of exotic woods, the tagua nuts
for the ivory tradesman.
He’ll give pennies, turn bills
not backlash. Shaman wisdom
marshalls him by his greed,
“tomorrow come again, more
better”. Salesman’s lava speed
slowly will cool to stone wisdom.
MASK-MAKING WORKSHOP
(Kerrville, Texas, April 2006)
For Anne Schneider
1. Beginning
I perch on the high stool
out the front, looking down
from this vantage-point
on the group of women
newly-met,
my fellow-students.
I close my eyes.
She covers them with cloth.
Now I must trust her.
I wobble. She brings something firm –
box or shelf or upturned bucket –
on which I rest my feet.
She blots out first my brow
then cheeks, nose, chin
with thick petroleum jelly.
She describes to the group
the inch-by-inch procedure,
with every new step
telling them why.
Telling me too.
Her fingers are gentle.
Inside my blindness
I begin to feel protected.
She touches my shoulder,
showing me she is there
right by me,
I won’t go spinning
over the cliff of thought
to the floor.
Without this reassurance,
I might not sit so quiet
for the application of texture –
wet, cold, smothering my skin,
even covering my nostrils briefly.
I hold myself stiff
in order to not shriek.
I forgot to tell her
I suffer, though ever-so-slightly,
from claustrophobia.
Her sweet voice continues
to prevent me flying off
into terror.
Her deft touch keeps me
grounded, present, still.
Quite soon, the whole concoction
is lifted off me.
I rediscover sight.
My sense of self
settles into familiar territory.
I feel my centre,
I know my edges.
White, lifeless, removed,
my facial likeness lying over there,
my other, newborn self
embodies the term “blank-faced”.
I grow interested in her.
I could invest in this different me
hidden things, invented things,
visions of who I might be
in other worlds / times / truths.
I collect my materials,
selecting bits of coloured silk,
buttons, liquid glitter, shells …
I become explorer.
Let the journey begin!
Dear John, I don’t care what you say – my trusty Thesaurus was invaluable for this one, lol.
It is intended to be first of a series on the topic, hence the number 1 with subtitle. Once again I’m grateful for the prompt, as it’s taken me a long time to get started on this!
Pearl: that is so clever! And funny.
John,
I just wanted to say thank you, but Rosemary has said it so well for all of us. The entire site is really such a wonderful resource. I hope you take a few moments every now and then to feel pride in what you’ve created over the years.
I will be soldiering on to try and complete my 30 poems.
But thank you again, Maestro!
xx La
And if you will be so kind as to rescue my disappeared poem …
There – they always burst into view the minute I give up waiting and mention the matter! Gremlins….
Dear John,
Rosemary has already stated it so brilliantly that I think any more additional comments like that would be nothing short of superfluous; however, I would like to say this: Thank you so very much for your 30 Poems in 30 Days assignment. I tried to keep up the best I could and will continue writing all 30. I even got some really good ones out of all my scribbling on napkins and typing in between working on my newsletters and memos! : ) Your project unknowingly helped me wade through some pretty rough waters and for that I cannot thank you enough.
Rosemary, Connie- Thank you so much as well. Your participation and incredible poetry inspired me beyond words and I feel I have gotten to know some warm kindred spirits in this cold cyber world.
Everyone, WRITE ON!
Always,
Sandra
Nicely done, I am home and am busy working on a review so I will probably not post the final poems, at least not right away. I read some of the new poems at the venue in Clearwater and they were extremely well received. Thank you everyone and especially our leader John. Blessings to all — Connie
[I'm sorry, John. I see limited reason to penalize words for the number of A's they contain. Take the prior sentence as an example. Would it have been any more useful to write: "I see limited purpose in counting the number of occurrences of one specific letter in every word, like some obsessed orangutan might do"? (I needed the orangutan to get a word in with two A's in it.) Anyway, here's my poem.]
Unspoken Grief in a Near-Perfect Marriage
Her body grooves to mine, interrupting my sleep,
and I hold her, and anticipate the sobs.
They come from deep down, where I feel
them gathering force against my belly,
feel them climbing up her spine and my chest,
and I tighten my grip as though I could contain
them there, but I can’t, of course. She presses
into me as if preparing to launch herself forward
just before her throat at last releases.
As soon as it starts, the noise ceases.
She shifts back against me, gravitating toward
my heat, and I contemplate why she always dresses
her grief in layers of dark: she won’t complain
when the baby is awake, no matter how hard-pressed,
though it wouldn’t be tough for her to sell me
her grief–it’s never been anything less than real–
and now, awake in the dark, my heart suddenly throbs
for her sorrow, and all the solitary hours it must keep.
Saul Nadatas last blog post..House Talk
John,
Just wanted to take a moment to say thank you for the work you put into this project. I found it nice to have someone else choose my direction for 30 days (of 365). Now if you can help out with the other 335…
Also, I enjoyed reading many poets I’d never heard of before by following your recommended daily links.
An idea for your next poetry series: 30 poetic forms in 30 days. Heck, if you take that on, send me an email. I’ll be there on day one.
Saul,
I’m glad the series was helpful to you.
That is an interesting suggestion. If I can find 30 forms I can write intelligently about, I might give it a try in September.
John,
There are myriad sites dedicated to poetic forms online. Probably the most inclusive list is on Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Poetic_form
The site below has the best explanations, though it only covers a dozen forms (see links in the header):
http://www.baymoon.com/~ariadne/form/triolet.htm
Saul Nadatas last blog post..The Cost and Redemption of All Things Simple
after i read what you wright …i think you are amazing man.for me its hard to learn poem but very its very ‘beauty’..and 1st poem I learn is from pearl
cheers;
acne laser surgery
Hey, I’ve been watching this site for some time now and it’s made me start back into poetry recently
I started this earlier today but I just don’t think it’s finished, tell me what you think please.
“Washed”
Unwravled
Unfolded
Now wrinkled and holded
Strained by the fingers and extracted by hands,
No contents to comfort
But bound on the floor
One half at a time
Tossed in a pour,
Heavy now
Soapy now
Whirly and spinning and dampened now,
Strained by the fingers and extracted by hands.