Baptism of Desire
Afterwards?
the spiral of memory,
a wrinkle in time,
sun under wood,
meadowlands,
leaves of grass,
the wild iris,
the mist-filled path.
Hope was here
my mad love,
the heart aroused,
anam cara.
Ain't I a woman
yearning for the wind
in a different voice,
nothing left to lose,
outside history,
saved by a poem?
In response to Samuel over at dVerse Poets Pub who writes about the hidden poetry in books and asks us to use only the title of books to form a poem. It's tricky but I had a good time trying. And, since it's Friday, it's 55 words for the G-man. Anam cara is Irish for soul friend.
Authors in order of appearance: Louise Erdrich, Rosamund Lupton, Frank MacEowen, Madeleine L'Engle, Robert Hass, Louise Gluck, Walt Whitman, Louise Gluck, Joan Bauer, Shay Caroline Simmons, David White, John O'Donohue, Illona Linthwaite (editor), Tom Cowan, Carol Gilligan, Natasha Head, Eavan Boland, Kim Rosen
Very nicely composed, Mary. I like:
ReplyDeleteAin't I a woman
yearning for the wind
in a different voice....
You managed to work the titles into a poem that made sense! Nice.
Thanks, I had my table covered with lots of cut up papers with titles and shifted them around until the poem emerged. My Honey was scratching his head.
Deletenice...the last 2 stanzas def rock it....the hope here in mad love...smiles....and saved by a poem, yes it has that power...smiles.
ReplyDeleteYes, here's to mad love and being saved by poems.
DeleteThat last stanza is hard to see it came from titles at all -- very good.
ReplyDeleteThis process lets us hear them differently, at the service of another meaning. Cool.
DeleteThis is delightful, Mary!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Laurie.
DeleteWhat a wonderful collection of titles...loved this!
ReplyDeleteThey're hanging out in my bookcase.
DeleteAin't I a woman
ReplyDeleteyearning for the wind
in a different voice... yes, yes, yes.... i like much...
Thanks, Claudia- women R us!
DeleteOooh I love this, what a great selection and compilation.
ReplyDeleteThese were fun to do.
DeleteYou've masterfully crafted these titles together, and I love how this poem speaks to me.
ReplyDeleteMe too, more than the sum of the parts.
DeleteIt's tricky - but you've managed it with aplomb. I like the closing stanza too - and I also have a copy of Natasha's Nothing Left to Lose on my poetry shelf. I need to get it out again soon.
ReplyDeleteIt's a good one and it fit well here.
DeleteNicely stacked! Great piece of poetry here.
ReplyDeleteIsn't this a great prompt?
DeleteLove what you did with your books titles ~ Last verse is my favorite ~
ReplyDeleteThat came together well with those titles.
DeleteFantastic. I love where the prompt took you :)
ReplyDeleteIt seemed to suggest itself as I was re-arranging them.
DeleteWell done! This is the second one I've seen using this technique. :-)
ReplyDeleteTry it DJan- it's different for each one based on the books they have.
DeleteLovely. Thank you so much.
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by and commenting.
DeleteAh beautiful--just lovely--there's a terrific flow and wonderful message. Much enjoyed--thanks, Mary. k. ( And I so wish I'd thought of a wrinkle in time!)
ReplyDeleteLove that book!
DeleteLove this!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sally.
DeleteFun poem and I will try this in future; we have so many books it would be fun to gather titles to create a poem
ReplyDeleteIt was fun- the first time I wrote the titles down, cut them separately and shuffled them. Did another today and I just re-arranged the books themselves- easier.
DeleteVery fun and creative. I'll have to try it. First I need to clear a space to do it...we seem to have Legos and Play-doh on every surface. :)
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DeleteMight be fun to do with the kids using their books. There are some great poetry books for kids as well.
DeleteWe may debate on about craftsmanship and how successful a particular poem is with respect to a form... but in the end it is about a personal evocation, and for me, this poem is one of my favourites from my last couple of days of reading. It starts from the beginning, a baptism, and wends its way through a lifetime in a few words, exploring the vagaries of the world, but in the end saved by the art of finding meaning in life - for what is poetry but that art of finding meaning? Wonderfully done, and thank you for sharing this...
ReplyDeleteThank you, Samuel, your words mean a lot to me. I found this a satisfying, fascinating process. It let me take loved books and put their titles together in such a way that they come to mean something else to me. I've continued with other forays into the bookcase to see what more I can discover.
Deletethese found poems feel like wise snakes lying about our world in glowing bodies.
ReplyDeletei read it again and it causes me to laugh, how the world makes sense through you!
xo
erin
Oh... from the title, the amazing weave of life... and the "Ain't I a woman" as I think the first stanza especially is more "woman", but the 2nd and third could be both sexes. HOW absolutely amazing is this "found" poem. I have found myself viewing the bookstores and my own shelves a bit differently ;)
ReplyDeleteand it came out in 55 words? Wow. How cool is that?!
Delete