Request For Poems

It's time to show your cards, and read what the other poets brought to the table. The Linky widget included with this posting is a fine way to leave a link to your poem inspired by the 'animal' 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.

Saturday night, right after 'Hockey Night in Canada', I'll put up the next Totally Optional Prompt. And, thanks for your support.

Totally Optional Prompt: in some haste

I apologize for the early prompt this week, but some family affairs have come up that may make it necessary for me to travel at a moment's notice. So:

What do you see when you look at animals? A reflection of yourself? A resource to be used? A kindred part of God's creation? A bundle of physiology and biochemistry?

Four poets below have offered their versions of animal experiences. What's yours?

James Wright: A Blessing

Denise Levertov: Come into Animal Presence

Christopher Smart: For I Will Consider My Cat Jeoffry

Marianne Moore: The Paper Nautilus

Request for Poems: Thanksgiving

It's Thanksgiving week, and we're all busy as can be. So drop off a link if you can. Also check the comments from the previous post, as we had a few early drop-offs.

Totally Optional Prompt: Free prompt

Thursday is Thanksgiving Day. Many of us will be with families and some of us will be traveling. So this week is a free prompt.

If you have time and the inclination, share something with us about Thanksgiving and thankfulness. If not, share something else. If you don't have time to do that, at least come by and see what others have shared!

Request For Poems: Places

TOPers, where'd we go this week?

Totally Optional Prompt: Places

These poems all feature places. Are they "about" places? It's hard to say. The place in each of these poems might really be a state of mind, a tradition, a set of memories, or something else entirely.

Elizabeth Bishop: At the Fishhouses

Adam Zagajewski: To Go to Lvov

Rita Dove: Daystar

Shel Silverstein: Where the Sidewalk Ends

How do you use places in your poetry? Share an example with us this Wednesday. Or share something else entirely.

Request For Poems: Evocative

So! Let's see what people managed to evoke:

Totally Optional Prompt: Evocative Poetry

Hi, all: I'm your host for the month of November. I'm not the night-owl Mike is, so expect the posts to appear a little earlier in the evening! (Also don't forget to set your clocks back tonight.)

This week, we're going to try to write some evocative poetry.

To get you started, read the poems linked here:

Eugenio Montale: Bring Me The Sunflower (scroll down to read this poem as there several on the page-- of course read the others if you feel like it!)

Lucille Clifton: climbing

Paul Celan: Deathfugue

Marjorie Agosín: The Empty House

Pick one you like and spend some time with it. Let it move you. How does it make you feel?

Then sit down and write a poem you think will make the reader feel the same way. Evoke the feeling. You'll find this is a bit different than saying how you feel.

Come back here Wednesday evening to leave a permalink to your evocative poem.

As always, remember this prompt is

Totally Optional

so feel free to pick a different poem, or a different emotion, or just share anything at all that strikes your fancy.

Request For Poems

It's time to show your cards, and read what the other poets brought to the table. The Linky widget included with this posting is a fine way to leave a link to your poem inspired by the 'Work' 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.

Poetry Collections Replay
Poets, such as you, can create a collection of their works in a word processor, such as MS Word, save the document and use pdf Online to convert it to pdf format. A pdf file is half the file size, can be accessed with a free Adobe Acrobat reader and is an easy way to distribute your works to interested readers. Over in the sidebar is information on obtaining some available poetry collections.

Saturday night Tiel will put up the next Totally Optional Prompt. And, thanks for your support.

The Totally Optional Prompt is Work

I accumulated these quotes over a number of years. The attributions have not been double-checked and might not be accurate, that would be too much work.

My father taught me to work; he did not teach me to love it. Abraham Lincoln
You’d be grumpy, too, if you woke up and found yourself at work. Bob Thaves
I am a friend of the working man, and I would rather be a friend than be one. Clarence Darrow

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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 Letterman and Conan O'Brien, 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 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 'Horse' 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.

Poetry Collections
Poets, such as you, can create a collection of their works in a word processor, such as MS Word, save the document and use pdf Online to convert it to pdf format. A pdf file is half the file size, can be accessed with a free Adobe Acrobat reader and is an easy way to distribute your works to interested readers. Over in the sidebar is information on sharing available poetry collections.

Saturday night, right after 'Hockey Night in Canada', I'll put up the next Totally Optional Prompt. And, thanks for your support.

Totally Optional Prompt by Ted Kooser

This week's prompt is from Kooser's book 'Delights and Shadows', published by Copper Canyon Press. Kooser often presents a straightforward view of the ordinary, something I appreciate and occasionally try to emulate.

Horse

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As per the sidebar we welcome suggestions on prompts and modifications to the site that will make it more useful.

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 Letterman and Conan O'Brien, 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 show your cards, and read what the other poets brought to the table. The Linky widget included with this posting is a fine way to leave a link to your poem inspired by the 'Liu' Chang-ch'ing' 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.

Saturday night, right after 'Hockey Night in Canada' (go Oilers again, a hex on Calgary), I'll put up the next Totally Optional Prompt. And, thanks for your support.

Totally Optional Prompt by Liu' Chang-ch'ing

This week's prompt is a poem from an old paperback that is written in Chinese. The only English is the translated poems and the title, 'Three Hundred Poems of the Tang Dynasty'. The Tang Dynasty dated from 618 to 906. Since I don't read Chinese the only other thing I can say about the book is that it has a red cover. The translations and typos suggest to me that English was not the translator's first language. It's a book with character that I treasure.

On Hearing a Lute-Player

Your seven strings are like the voice
Of a cold wind in the pines,
Singing old beloved songs
Which no one cares for any more.

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Tiel and I sent messages announcing 'Totally Optional Prompts' to a lot of people and places. No doubt we missed a few, so please invite anyone who hasn't shown up yet. After all, more poets makes life more interesting.

Remarks on the prompt, your latest discovery, or this 'poetry exchange' blog, can be made as comments to this posting. Late Wednesday night, between Letterman and Conan O'Brien, 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.