by Ren Powell
Did you write something personal this week, or something politically-personal? Is there a month that pulled at you? Let us know, here. Leave a link to your blog and your poem. And tell us about your week, your month.
Did/do you watch the Olympics? Did you read about Shi Tao? Did you read “June”? Did you follow the PEN poem relay? What pierced your heart this week?
From now until midnight one week from today, comments on this post will be open. And check back through the week and see what others have written, because some times it takes a while to capture our thoughts.
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I’ve written John Edwards a “Dear John” letter-limerick
we just rode our bikes home after the fireworks extravaganza celebrating the last day of 10 days of our County Fair at Seaside Park…
the Fair consumes many in my agricultural community, especially my part of town where we get lots of traffic but also get to see the fireworks over the ocean
so i offer this week a 3:15 experiment poem I wrote a few years ago musing about the end of the Fair:
http://artpredator.wordpress.com
October
Here’s mine: http://foundcraftygreenart.blogspot.com/2008/08/august.html
You’ll find mine in this post:
http://beyondtheblog.wordpress.com/2008/08/10/tony-on-georgia-boil-more
Enjoy.
Here’s mine: http://disorder1313.wordpress.com/2008/08/09/the-war-in-the-gulf-revised
http://hummingbunny.wordpress.com/2008/08/11/collapsing-wave/
A poem called “538″.
Mine for the week… After Apple Picking: October in End Time
http://florescence.wordpress.com/2008/08/11/the-race/
and mine, many thanks for the prompt.
Shi Tao
Come to Jesus
Here is mine:
September
-Nicole
This is an introspective poem, personal, yet also a collaboration with Slynne and Jo. Thanks for the prompt, it’s one we can always return to! Writing with compassion for others is a good place to write from.
Well, it might help to include a link….
mind space
here it is:
http://amidweststory.blogspot.com/2008/08/december-part-ii-my-readwritepoem-for.html
A flawed attempt of rhyme and meter in English, but such a special month for me.
Thank you
Here is my month poem
http://1802eggs.blogspot.com/2008/08/readwritepoem.html
(clicking on my name will get you to the wrong blog)
Thank you all for taking the challenge. I can’t wait to read them!
ren
No month poem. But one transcending years….
http://firmlyrooted.blogspot.com/2008/08/fruition-of-germinated-thought.html
I actually wrote two. I’m not terribly happy with either one, as I’ve been on a prose kick lately, and it shows. It also occurs to me that half the young people around (and I include my own agemates in that; I’m 25) probably have no clue what I’m referring to in “August.” It’s a bit depressing.
September and August
the password is porcupine, as usual
The correct link to Katherine’s post is http://papercranium.wordpress.com/2008/08/04/read-write-poem-38/
No, wait – sorry, that was for last week’s prompt. Katherine’s latest appears to be MIA.
This Month
Actually next month, but what the heck.
ren, your poem is absolutely breathtaking. I started imagining the times I’ve been told news that shook me to my core. So human and beautiful.
thank you! (I forgot to enable comments, sorry all).
yes, ren, that is a wonderful piece, so full of sorrow and beauty.
It is not a month. But it is *political* .
And I have watched the olympics. Not just for the USA, but I think the athletes deserve respect and support. I think the fact that China’s politics have been thrown in the open and aired is a wonderful thing.
But I refuse to take my disgust for Chinese politics out on the athletes of any country.
Remember that even in Greek Olympic times, wars (which were never-ending) were put on hold. For this. I respect that.
Hi Jenn,
I hope I didn’t mislead anyone. I wasn’t implying or encouraging any political attitudes about the Olympics. The only politics I ever mess with or impose on others is the right to free speech. I love reading other people’s political opinions, but I think we should take care not to make this a space for political discussions.
Best! and always hoping,
Ren
This is not a poem! But it’s close and so I think it counts and so I am submitting it. It’s a discussion about online publishing and poetry publishing in general. Feel free to come by and jump into the discussion:
i surrender, i give over, i submit
Sorry guys! I’ve been having issues getting used to the way WordPress works. I wrote the entry … but it only saved and not published. The link should work now.
With regards to the Olympics, I have a confession to make. Until this prompt came up, I’d forgotten all about them. Nobody discussed it in front of me, and there wasn’t anything in the papers or on the English-language news. My friend Muti came over and commandeered our TV to watch somebody playing somebody else in football/soccer, but that’s been the extend of my involvement with the Olympic Games this year. That, and reading about the PEN Relay online.
I wonder if I should be pleased or ashamed to be so out of the world’s loop. Lately, my politics has consisted of worrying about the price of eggs going up from 20 kwacha to 25, and persuading the headmaster that he MUST let my Writers Club students have enough exercise books to write rough drafts, even though it’s against school policy to waste paper on anything but perfect margins and spelling.
Of course, as folks are fond of reminding me, “the personal is political.” The fact that an American is even here, worrying about the price of paper and eggs, is something of a political statement. I’ve got a father seeking naturalization after 30 years of living in the US, a little sister in the Army, and no health insurance. That’s all pretty political.
Honestly, I don’t know where I thought I was going with all of this. Watch some gymnastics and think of me, I guess. I’ll be here in Lilongwe, poeming in my own little world.
While these posts are very interesting, please remember that this space is for links to poems (and thoughts) on your blogs. I would be very sorry were these prompts to distract us from poetry and the purpose of this space.
Looking forward to reading your blogs!
ren
It’s been a while since I’ve posted here- crazy summer, but I am ready now for September…
http://reginaclarejane.livejournal.com/82853.html?mode=reply
Meet Lego Joe.
http://maekitso.wordpress.com/2008/08/12/lego-joe/
Will he ever recover from that momentous day?
[...] There’s more poetry – political and personal – here. [...]
Well, my poem did get political about the Olympics…
http://www.magpiedays.com/2008/08/political-poetry/
No problem, Jennifer- I, for one, love political poetry.
More personal than political – but definitely about months
what could one do but be inspired by this week’s prompt august remembers .. wow, can’t wait to read all the posts!!!
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