Request for Poems: Transformation

TOPers, did we get out there and make some changes happen? Or were we inspired by something else altogether this week?

Prompt: Transformation

This week's

Totally Optional

prompt: Write a poem in which something is transformed into something completely different.

Air into water. Flesh into glass. Furniture into livestock. Politics into a gavotte.

Request For Poems 'Like a Cowbird'

It's time to throw your poem on the table, and see what the other poets have in their hands. The Linky widget included with this posting is a fine way to leave a link to your poem inspired by the 'Like a Cowbird' prompt, or any other poem you want to share. Comments are available if Linky doesn't work for you, or you want to add encouraging remarks, or any other remarks.

I'm through for a while so Saturday night Tiel Aisha Ansari will put up the next Totally Optional Prompt. And, thanks for your support.

The Totally Optional Prompt is 'Like a Cowbird'

Cowbirds are brood parasites, they go to the nest of another specie, such as a song sparrow, toss out an egg and lay one of their own. The song sparrow then raises the cowbird chick. The aspect I find fascinating is that the cowbird grows up and knows it's a cowbird and not a sparrow. It talks like a cowbird, hangs out with cowbirds, and knows to lay its eggs in other bird's nests. It seems to learn nothing from its 'parents'. The challenge this week is to write 'like a cowbird'.

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Remarks on the prompt, your latest poetry discovery, or this 'poetry exchange' blog can be made as comments to this posting. Late Wednesday night, between one rerun and another, I'll post a Request For Poems, where you can leave a link to your poem inspired by the prompt, or any other poem you want to share.

Request For Poems 'Late Spring'

It's time to throw your hat in the ring, and see what the other poets have on their minds. The Linky widget included with this posting is a fine way to leave a link to your poem inspired by the 'Late Spring' prompt, or any other poem you want to share. Comments are available if Linky doesn't work for you, or you want to add encouraging remarks, or any other remarks.

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The drama this week was a truck accident that took out the 'fiber' that connects me to the outside world. All day Tuesday I was uncertain whether I'd be here tonight. I don't know what happened to the truck.
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Saturday night I'll put up the next Totally Optional Prompt. And, thanks for your support.

The Totally Optional Prompt is 'Late Spring'

Spring has been late this year, and the spring migration's too. Today we got cloudy, cold, snow, and slush. My social life is in a chill too. The challenge this week is the big chill, cold weather, and 'late spring'.

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And, Billy Jones is running the 'poet laureate of the blogosphere' competition at the Blogging Poet . Voting opens Apr 21 and ends Apr 29th. Several TOP regulars have been nominated.

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Remarks on the prompt, your latest poetry discovery, or this 'poetry exchange' blog can be made as comments to this posting. Late Wednesday night, between one rerun and another, I'll post a Request For Poems, where you can leave a link to your poem inspired by the prompt, or any other poem you want to share.

Request For Poems

It's time to throw your cards in the ring, and see what the other poets have in their hands. The Linky widget included with this posting is a fine way to leave a link to your poem inspired by the 'A Person' prompt, or any other poem you want to share. Comments are available if Linky doesn't work for you, or you want to add encouraging remarks, or any other remarks.

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The Poetry Super Highway is sponsoring another Great Poetry E-Book Free-For-All. They are collecting E-Books this month and will provide a free poetry exchange on May 1. Check the above link for details.

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Saturday night I'll put up the next Totally Optional Prompt. And, thanks for your support.

The Totally Optional Prompt is 'A Person'

Carl Sandburg wrote about people from time to time. Sometimes historical figures like Lincoln or Billy Sunday, and sometimes a stock character (i.e. waiter, steel worker). This week's challenge is to think of a specific person and write about them.

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Remarks on the prompt, your latest poetry discovery, or this 'poetry exchange' blog can be made as comments to this posting. Late Wednesday night, between one rerun and another, I'll post a Request For Poems, where you can leave a link to your poem inspired by the prompt, or any other poem you want to share.

Request for Poems: Mythology

Well, TOPers: what sort of inspiration did we find this week? In mythology, or elsewhere?

Totally Optional Prompt: Mythology

This week's prompt comes from Sue at Tumblewords: Mythology.

A few examples to get you started:
Odin's Gift-- collection of Norse classical poems and contemporary poetry inspired by Norse mythology
Poems of Greek Mythology-- two translations of Sappho and a poem by Yeats
Pandora's Box-- by yours truly

Request for Poems: Regional Poetry

First, an announcment: Billy the Blogging Poet is taking nominations for Poet Laureate of the Blogosphere, 2008. Click over to BloggingPoet.com and vote for your favorite blogging poet. Voting begins April 21 (I'll try to post a reminder).

Now, on to this week's poetry, regional or otherwise!

Totally Optional Prompt: Regional poetry

Regional poetry is poetry that carries the flavor of a distinct region. It may evoke the landscape or the culture. The smells or the food. It may be in dialect.

Regional: the Catskills, the Cascades, Catahoulas, catfish gumbo
Not regional: McDonald's, malls, Milky Way bars, Motorola

Here are some poems that have a strong regional flavor:

Thetsane Blues by Rethabile Masilo
Ay, ay, ay, the black grifa by Julia de Burgos
Our Land by Yannis Ritsos
Daybreak in Alabama by Langston Hughes

Come back Wednesday night or Thursday morning and leave us a (gentle reminder) poem with a regional feel. Or, if you don't use the
Totally Optional
prompt, leave us a poem anyway.

Request for Poems: Novelty

I've often been inspired by novels to write poems. So far, not the other way.

This week I'm posting a link to a poem in honor of one my very favorite novels: The Phoenix and the Mirror, by Avram Davidson. If you haven't read it, you're missing a truly stunning experience.

What did novels bring up for the rest of us TOPers?

Totally Optional Prompt: Novel?

First, a quick reminder: TOP is a poetry community. That doesn't mean we don't like other kinds of stuff. We just prefer that your posts include poetry.

Now, on to this week's

Totally Optional

prompt:

Have you read a novel recently that you liked? That you hated? That moved you?

Have you ever imagined you were a character in a novel? Have you fallen in love with a character in a novel? Been on imaginary adventures with characters from novels?

Have you read novels with poems in them? Poems with novels in them? Have you been inspired by a novel to write a poem?