Poetry chain: Early Spring

Early Spring

Cooking hot dogs when I wanted ribs
Drinking pink Chablis from a screw-top
Damn kids left me with just the nibs
Too much wine, can’t go back to the U-Shop.

Getting late, call it quits, corner bar for a pop.
Barman says, "Where you been? You look down."
I says, "That whole barbecue was a flop.
Made me look like an ass fooling ‘round.”

~~~~~~~

Back in April, Linda Wastila invited me to have lunch with the cool kids (metaphorically speaking). What she proposed was that a collection of writers and poets - Linda, Mark Kerstetter, Michael Solender, Laurita Miller, Robin Stratton, Doug Mathewson, Paige Von Liber and myself - would write a set of collective poems.

Each of us were to come up with the first line or stanza of a poem, then pass it along. Each person would in turn add a line or stanza (or couplet or quatrain or whatever), and pass it down the chain. By the time it came back around, it would be a complete poem. What you see up above is a slightly edited version of what came back to me. I tried to stay true to the intent of the other poets who helped created this, while nudging it into a smoother flowing shape.

After it was all done, Linda asked me for my thoughts on the process, and about poetry and writing in general. I have to say, it was a fascinating exercise; it made me think about poetry more deeply than I think I ever have.

I take away two big things from this experience:

1) I can now say things like "the other poets", including myself in their company of lyricism and insight with a reasonably straight face.

2) My poetry is not meant to drape itself over a cup of sorrows and passion. Either my soul isn't deep enough to achieve that kind of verse or I play my cards too close to the vest for it.

===== Feel free to comment on this or any other post.

9 comments:

  1. This was one of the poems I enjoyed most. It was simple and fun. Poetry needs to be like that sometimes.

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  2. oh I simply long for for this day, repeated endlessly all summer long. you (and all the gang) nailed the summer vibe with this one perfectly. Cheers to summer.

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  3. Who says poems always have to be about baring your soul? I thought this was a wonderful nostalgic scene.

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  4. I thought your poem had a slice of life sadness and honsty about it. It resonated, which is all we can hope for any piece of our writing.

    I especially loved the screw-top Pink Chablis. So much said about the narrator with that one description. Thanks for playing Tony! Peace...

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  5. Nice job, Tony. I also liked the screw top a lot. And the first line... terrific starter.
    ~jon

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  6. Thanks, guys! Some of the poems in this Daisy Chain asked for several stanzas from each contributor. I'm glad I asked for just a single line. It forces a condensation of scene that poetry is so well suited to.

    And I loved the screw-top Pink Chablis, too!

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  7. It's great that you approached this as a learning experience and took so much out of it. I enjoyed playing with you.

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  8. I agree that poetry isn't only about deep feelings and thoughts.

    Great project you have there, and cool result!

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  9. fun poems are great and this one was fun to read out loud

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