read write image #17 (now known as read write prompt #81)
by Dana Guthrie Martin
I looked at oncle Jim’s work on Flickr and immediately thought, “How does this person know about my strangest, most disturbing, dreams?” I was especially struck by this image of a human with a donkey head* sitting in a field, holding a tattered umbrella. There’s clearly a surreal quality to this piece, but it also manages to somehow invoke a feeling of serenity.
As the community management team mentioned in our post about changes we’re making to Read Write Poem, we are folding the Read Write Image post in with the regular lineup of Read Write Prompts that we share every Friday. I hope you like this photo and can find a way into it for your poem this week.
Perhaps you can use the image to enter into a dream or surreal state. Perhaps you want to talk about why there’s a donkey-headed person (or a person-bodied donkey, depending on your perspective) sitting in the middle of a field. A dramatic monologue might even be in order.
Whatever you write, we look forward to reading it when you leave a link to your work on next Thursday’s Get Your Poem On post.
If you choose to include the image on your site along with your poem, make sure you link back to it. Also, attribute the photo to oncle Jim, as required by the Creative Commons license.
Note: Read Write Poem participant Dave Bonta thinks this is a kangaroo head and not a donkey head. He’s probably right, since he knows things. But you can make it be whatever kind of animal you like.

XX by oncle Jim
<img style=”vertical-align:bottom;border:0px;margin:0 0 0 5px;padding:0 0 0 0″ src=”http://readwritepoem.org/files/2009/07/splat-ender1.jpg” alt=”" width=”20″ height=”20″ />
|
get the read write poem badge! 
Wear it loud, wear it proud! Display the Read Write Poem badge on your site. Just click here or on the image above to get the code!
read write poem news- yes, yes, here’s another virtual book tour stop for ‘a walk through the memory palace’
February 6, 2010 | 11:37 amFind the latest tour stop for Pamela Johnson Parker’s debut collection, A Walk Through the Memory Palace at Jillypoet, Jill Crammond Wickham’s blog, where you can find an interview with Pamela that discusses how she creates manuscripts.
Previous stops include Daniel Romo at his blog, Peyote Soliloquies and James Brush at his blog, Coyote Mercury.
You can find all our plans for the tour here.
- the best of the web is in our ranks
February 6, 2010 | 11:35 amSarah J. Sloat’s poem,”Attending the Tasting” (published in The Literary Bohemian) has been selected for Best of the Web 2010. Congratulations, Sarah!
- another (w00t!) read write poem member on the joe milford poetry show
February 6, 2010 | 11:34 amOn the Joe Milford Poetry Show tomorrow (Feb. 6): W.F. Roby at 9 AM (PST). Find the show here!
Joe describes Will as a “great language poet and bad-ass.”
- ‘literary podcasting made simple with wordpress.com’
February 6, 2010 | 11:33 amDave Bonta has published a how-to article that might be of interest to WordPress users: “Literary Podcasting Made Simple with WordPress.com,” based on his and Beth Adams’ experience at Qarrtsiluni.
Thanks, Dave, for continuing to help make the community aware of technological resources that can expand our art.
- the latest (virtual) book tour stop for ‘a walk through the memory palace’
February 3, 2010 | 3:53 pmThe latest tour stop has been posted for Pamela Johnson Parker’s debut collection, A Walk Through the Memory Palace. Find out how Daniel Romo responded to the work at his blog, Peyote Soliloquies.
James Brush provided our first tour stop at his blog, Coyote Mercury.
You can find all our plans for the tour here.
- planning for napowrimo in april, and you are invited!
February 2, 2010 | 6:12 pmHello, hello dear Read Write Poem community members! We are in the planning stages for NaPoWriMo. (What? Is that a groan I hear, or an excited exclamation?)
We are planning another prompt-every-day for those folks who love to write a daily poem in April (which is, as most of you know, National Poetry Month in the United States — although there is an international following of writing poetry every day in April, too, so it is not just about the States).
Anyway! This is a call for prompts because we want to run your ideas, one every day, in April. So here’s what to do:
- Prompts must be no more than 250 words, and we will take the first 30 that we receive.
- Include “NaPoWriMo Prompt” in the subject line of your email as well as your username (e.g., the name you use when you log in) so we can match you up with your prompt and give you the link love.
- Email your submission (in the body of the email — no attachments please) to prompts (at) readwritepoem (dot) org!
We’ll let you know when we’ve got the 30, but don’t delay because it takes a lot of time to format the posts and we want to be ready come April Fools’ Day. Woohoo!
- new senior contributors at read write poem
February 2, 2010 | 11:51 amWe are thrilled to announce that Ren Powell and Dave Jarecki are moving into the senior contributor role at Read Write Poem. Both have been writing feverishly for the site, as well as providing ideas for content and for the community as a whole. In short, they make this site a more lively, and better, place.
Ren and Dave will fill the roles vacated by Carolee Sherwood and Jill Crammond Wickham, who have moved into the manager role.
Everyone please thank Ren and Dave for their hard work and commitment to Read Write Poem.
- rounding out the virtual book tour of sarah j. sloat’s ‘in the voice of a minor saint’
January 31, 2010 | 1:53 pmOur last stop on the Virtual Book Tour of Sarah J. Sloat’s In the Voice of a Minor Saint is with Ren Powell. Find Ren’s review at More Babel.
Joseph Harker provided our first stop in December, and you can find David Moolten’s review at Edible Detritus. David’s was followed by Dave Jarecki’s. Dave’s review is at his blog. Find Jill Crammond Wickham’s at Jillypoet: Mom Trying to Write.
In case you missed the introduction, we are (virtually) hosting Sarah J. Sloat’s In the Voice of a Minor Saint. For complete tour information, such as how you can get your own copy of the collection or how you can get involved in future tours, read this post.
- make your own book: get off the computer and onto the paper
January 30, 2010 | 4:19 pmBeth Adams has posted her latest project at The Cassandra Pages. “A Handmade Book” may not explicate all the details of bookbinding, but Beth shows readers the “Secret Belgian Binding.” It’s a beautiful as well as inspiring post.
If you would like more detailed instructions, Google “secret Belgian bookbinding” and find sites such as this one. Or look for a local book arts class for hands-on instruction.
As Beth says, ” … it did me good to get away from the computer and feel my hands at work!”
Archive for read write poem news »
|
|
It’s fun to write something whose destination is a complete surprise.
http://dazed55.blogspot.com/2009/06/xx-by-nwolc-sanford-he-huddles-in-wide.html
[Reply]
Kristy, such a fast response! Remember to leave a link on Thursday’s Get Your Poem On post so everyone will be able to see your work.
And just a reminder to everyone about our prompts: We share them each Friday in our Read Write Prompt post, then give people (nearly) a week to work on their piece. On the following Thursday, we share the Get Your Poem On post, which is where participants leave a link corresponding to the last week’s prompt.
[Reply]
Thanks Dana, it would be great to see this reminder in the body of the prompt post, since I never visit links in the comments of the prompt – only those in the “Get Your Poem On” post
[Reply]
Hi Catherine, the reminder is in the body of the prompt post as well. We state it in every prompt post, which might be why you don’t “see” it — because it’s so redundant that it’s become invisible.
[Reply]
Yes, it is a kangaroo’s head. I suprised Catherine didn’t mention it being Antipodean as well.
[Reply]
Thanks for confirming that, Rallentanda. Kangaroo it is!
[Reply]
The National Emblem
Poor ol’ Skippy
in tatters
public face
of the ruined continent
too ancient
too vast
too hot
too red
too brutal
No longer brown
Diseased
no longer naked
Skin cancered
on fluro astro turf
from somewhere else
crippled by white
appendages
Face of the nation?
Hardly
accidentally popped out of the bag
and now we’ll push it back again
Let’s pretend it’s a bad
Donkey Dream!
[Reply]
http://www.waynepitchko.blogspot.com
Nice sprompt this week
[Reply]
Wayne, don’t forget that we leave links for this prompt this Thursday when we post the Get Your Poem On post. A lot of people won’t see your link if you leave if on this post.
[Reply]
thanks….i been playing (trying to learn how to do some stuff here) hope i havent screwed anything up
[Reply]
Dana or someone…I finall got my url ybder my name…now i cant get the badge on my sidebar on blog…ive tried everythhing…help please
[Reply]
Wayne, I don’t know what to tell you besides what I said in my other comment.
[Reply]
Rallentanda, we are not all that familiar with kangaroos in New Zealand. Or snakes. I believe we are the only country in the world with no snakes. (Maybe Greenland doesn’t have any. Or Iceland)
I guess I don’t look closely at kangaroos faces, given that I recognise a kangaroo by its big hoppity haunches and its joey poking out of its pocket
[Reply]
Come on Catherine, you’re just a hop and a skippy across the water!
You Kiwis are always coming over here for shopping jaunts.You must have seen one in the main street!
Note to readers
Australia and New Zealand have a brother/sister
relationship and enjoy an occasional skirmish to flex their respective muscles. All in good fun!
[Reply]
[...] was inspired by the latest image prompt at Read Write Poem (prompt #81). To see the photo (”XX” by nwolc), which is really cool, follow the link to the prompt [...]
[...] Notes I wrote this piece based on Read Write Prompt #81, and I have to admit that entering into the image was a little harder than I anticipated it would [...]
[...] you able to respond to this week’s image prompt by nwolc? Perhaps you talked about a land of animal-headed humans or about how strange you feel in [...]
http://monthofapril2008.blogspot.com/2009/07/anihuman.html
[Reply]
Hey Just Someone, thanks for writing. Don’t forget to leave your link in the “Get Your Poem On” post!
[Reply]