(collaborative) read write prompt #48, part 2

We’ve got our raw material from part 1 of read write prompt #48, now it’s time to poem. I really want to make it clear that what we have here is a very rough draft of something. Your work now is to make a poem out of it. I made a rough stanza form and a few slight alterations for the sake of sense.

At this point you could go anywhere with it or let the words take you where they want you to go. Come Thursday you can leave us a link to your poem just like we always do in the comments of the Get Your Poem On post.

Also, you’ll see below that we’ve got another prompt up for folks to use if they want. It’s our first word prompt, and we’re calling the series “Read Write Word.” So scroll down and take a look at it.

* * *

Tatterdemalion slink across chrome alleys.
Villas deplete memories of sacred tablature.
Antiquated courtyards host tribal artifacts,
which nobody recognizes nowadays, remain
untouched. Yet civil guards scream obscenities.
Lost meditation resurfaces. I brilliant though
forgettable words tenuously scavenge jettison

1. Collaboration at Read Write Poem | fallen verses - October 13, 2008

[...] prompt has been updated with phase two! Nathan asked us to come up with some words, and now we see what they all are without having to scroll. [...]

2. Runaways « Raven’s Wing Poetry - October 15, 2008

[...] first Read Write Poem link is to the prompt’s announcement itself; the second posting is here, where Read Write Poem folks posted one word or more each and Nathan Moore strung the words together to create the jump-off point for this prompt. So, with [...]

3. Tatterdemalion « Exhaust fumes and french fries - October 15, 2008

[...] built a draft word by word. Everyone then revised this draft as they wished. The original draft is here at Read Write [...]


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Read Write Poem is an online gathering place for those who love poetry — and for those who suspect that, with a little nurturing, they could grow to love poetry. Whether you are new to writing poetry or have been writing for years, you are welcome here. If you don’t write poetry but love to read and discuss it, this is also the place for you. Read more about the project.


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      Issue 3 of Ouroboros Review is live and includes the work of Dustin Brookshire, James Brush, Joyce Ellen Davis, Michelle McGrane and Carolee Sherwood!

      (Did we miss you? Tell us! Email news (at) readwritepoem (dot) org. Or send us your news!)

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      Dustin Brookshire's Queens of Poetry anthology submission deadline is Sept. 30. Go here for more information.

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      "W.S. Merwin join[ed] Bill Moyers for a wide-ranging conversation about language, his writing process, the natural world, and the insights gleaned from a much-lauded career of more than 50 years."

      He also read a great many of the poems from this year's Pulitzer prize-winning The Shadow of Sirius, published by Copper Canyon Press.

      This excellent program aired on June 26 and is well-worth the watch. Find it here, on PBS.

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      Dave Bonta wants to know: "Why do poets say 'O'?"

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      You can find a video of John Walsh reading "Gash" for Ouroboros Review here and look for a new issue very soon!

      Ouroboros Review is a biannual poetry and art magazine that will include three John Walsh poems in the upcoming issue.

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  • random
    collaborating tip

    Write a list poem, with each collaborator supplying one or more items for the list. Just think of a topic and you’ll be on your way.


  • random
    writing tip

    Think of all the things that provoke anxiety in you, and write them into a poem.

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    Collaborations lift the need to be great and reveal the need to just be together. — Bob Rosenthal