It’s Thursday evening here in England and therefore it’s time to make a round-up of last week’s Poetry Prompt 2, which was based on the theme of birth. I am delighted with the number of writers who partook in only the second prompt of this website’s short history. This figure certainly bodes extremely well for the future.
As John Henry Newman, the 19th Century English preacher and poet once said: “Fear not that thy life shall come to an end, but rather fear that it shall never have a beginning”. This succinct fragment of advice has been on my mind a lot recently because it relates to our writing and poetry. If we don’t make the effort to communicate and transmit what we feel in our psyche onto paper or the computer screen, then what hope do we have of ever creating the beautiful verses, literary structures and heartfelt romance or tragedy that burdens our subconscious.
As with the creation of life and everything, the birth of a poem needs a starting point, a catalyst which ignites the imagination, and that is what I hope I am providing for you with these weekly poetry prompts. Below is a short compendium of the entries for Week 2.
The first entry was from Melissa at Poetic Ponderings. She wrote an Acrostic poem based on the 5 letters in the word ‘birth’ which wonderfully encapsulated most precious gifts a mother can give her baby. Those of love, protection and devotion.
Sascha Cooper’s poem was based on her experiences of moving to a new place in Brighton, England and the perils that were faced. A humorous and interesting tale with a snappy ending.
Nunyaa from Australia wrote a very poignant piece called ‘Live in the Dream’. It has a hauntingly wispy structure which lends itself well to the dream narrative.
The fourth entry was from Tiel Aisha Ansari and was inspired by both an image and the subject matter of this week’s prompt. ‘Inside Fibonacci’ is an almost mathematical creation with metrical and chant-like qualities that leave the reader wonderfully confused as to whether a poem was read or if instead music had been played. The auditory flirtations between such words as ‘Fibonacci’ and ‘logarithmic’ that are ennobled with the soft and mollified words including ‘chiral’ and ‘gyration’ are enchanting.
Holly’s poem is an intriguingly dry humoured piece which is complex in its contextual meaning but leaves the door ajar for a rich variety of interpretations. Well worth a read and a few minutes of contemplation.
Rio of Thru Chocolate Eyes was the sixth entry and entered in an extremely thought provoking poem about the hour of birth and its context in the wider world. The use of repeating third lines adds an aura of quasi-parental safety and comfort that drags the mind back from its potentially dangerous and disturbing wanderings.
‘Witness’ by Jorc is a beautiful account of the birth of two angels. The descriptions desperately made me want to see the figures with my own eyes.
Keith has created a painfully emotional poem about the death of a baby. The questioning and the frustration at the unknown, increments the tragedy.
The sole Haiku entered into this week’s prompt was from Brad Frederiksen, a current Philosophy undergraduate student in Australia. The birth of memories is contemplated in this tiny Japanese-style verse. Another piece to spend time admiring.
Then came my offering. ‘My Difficult Birth’ is a poem inspired by the stories my mother told me about my birth, almost 28 years ago.
Lirone composed her piece, ‘Now’, using a poetic form that I’m embarrassed to say I was not familiar with. The Fib Chain, as Lirone herself describes it, is a construction where the syllable count in each stanza is 1,1,2,3,5,8. The architecture of the poem matches perfectly with the content where streams of thought link quickly from one to another.
The final poem, at the time of writing this, was from Lissa. Titled ‘Birth Days‘ it touches on memories and how time progresses. This is a poem that certainly leaves a valuable footprint in the memory of the reader.
I would like to thank all poets who submitted their work to this week’s poetry prompt. The comments section will remain open and you can add further links at any stage. Next week’s prompt will begin tomorrow at 6pm London time. If you enjoyed your stay here and will continue to take part each week, then please spread the word about this weekly interactive poetry event. It will benefit not only myself but all of us.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
What a great start. And to find an English bases writer’s site is the icing on the proverbial cake.
I wanted to leave a comment on Sascha’s piece, but navigating Myspace is uncharted water to me! I wanted to point out that I too am a Keith and I live just a few miles along the coast from her. I am however, not the Keith that enjoys a staring role in her poem!
She may also be interested in a piece I wrote abourt Brighton a couple of weeks back along with a link to my photosite where I posted the millions of pictures I took that day ( please allow a little artistic licence!). I’ve linked my name to it – in theory anyway – but if all fails it can be found right here
http://keithsramblings.blogspot.com/2008/07/backstreets-of-brighton.html
I’m going to leave a link to this site on the area I steward for poetry, maybe I can get the poets to come this way for a little fun outside the box so to speak.
Missy
Hello Melissa,
That is extremely kind of you. The more poets and/or readers who take part, the better. Thank you very much.
This great assignment has produced numerous brilliant poems. Great work. May I ask if you participate as well? For I do not see your work. Thank You again for making this happen.
Thank you Enreal for your generous words. Yes, I entered in My Difficult Birth.