This has been another October to remember. I have enjoyed OctPoWriMo this year, but once again I was in the midst of taking care of health issues while I was also co-creating the prompts and the community here. I wish I could’ve put time on hold while I was both preparing and
recovering.
I hope to get around to more of your poetry in the coming weeks.
With that said, here is my final prompt for you to write your way into during October, 2013
Ready?
Last week I saw a movie that has sparked a lot of thought for me.
It is called “I Am” and is a documentary about how a serious situation turned into a quest. A lot of what he says is familiar territory for me, but it was so interesting to hear his perspective along with the science behind it. The movie's premise is based on exploring human nature. The director, Tom Shadyac, visits the most respected, influential thinkers of today to interview them ask them several basic questions.
He also visits his father and asks him the same questions.
Today we’re going to focus on the people who have influenced on our lives for the better, such as our parents, poets (for any Rumi fans, Coleman Barks is one of the thinkers in the film), philosophers, educators, scientists and our next door neighbor. Perhaps our child. Maybe it is a stranger you met one time and the conversation you had with that five minute friend changed the direction of your life.He also visits his father and asks him the same questions.
Today we are going to focus on their story in relationship to your story - our story - and how your lives have intersected.
Tell that story in poetic form, whichever form you would like to use.
I will give a slight suggestion for you to take or not take. Please take a few moments to consider who to write about by making a list of people before you choose one subject.
Start with 5 to 10 people and allow yourself time and space to add to the list before you start writing. This isn't a poem to speed through for the sake of checking the "writing poetry" task for today off your list.
This is a poem to allow to simmer for at least a little while.
I will give a slight suggestion for you to take or not take. Please take a few moments to consider who to write about by making a list of people before you choose one subject.
Start with 5 to 10 people and allow yourself time and space to add to the list before you start writing. This isn't a poem to speed through for the sake of checking the "writing poetry" task for today off your list.
This is a poem to allow to simmer for at least a little while.
Quotes for inspiration:
“We tell stories in order to live.”
Joan Didion
“What would happen if one woman told the truth about her life? The world would split apart.”
Muriel Rukeyser
“Life is made up of stories, not atoms.”
Muriel Rukeyser
Word Prompt:
She/He is… I am… We are…
Sentence starter prompts:
I remember her/him….
I remember we together…...
I did as you said, and made a list of possible people to write about - all of them close friends or family. But then a first line jumped into my head and the poem insisted on being written and posted there and then - raw as it is.
ReplyDeleteI wrote about poets who inspired me. I hope your recovery continues to go well.
ReplyDelete