Restatement

15 Replies

I’ve lost my last leg to stand on
I want to smash the shards of politeness
You repeat yourself, you repeat yourself
It’s Jonathan you long for
Grace hurts
It devours everything yet is threatened by extinction
No one loves what you do but yourself
The hardest way to move forward

The hardest way to move forward
No one loves what you do but yourself
It devours everything yet is threatened by extinction
Grace hurts
It’s Jonathan you long for
You repeat yourself, you repeat yourself
I want to smash the shards of politeness
I’ve lost my last leg to stand on

I want to smash the shards of politeness
You repeat yourself, you repeat yourself
No one loves what you do but yourself
Grace hurts
It’s Jonathan you long for
The hardest way to move forward
I’ve lost my last leg to stand on
It devours everything yet is threatened by extinction

It devours everything yet is threatened by extinction
You repeat yourself, you repeat yourself
I want to smash the shards of politeness
No one loves what you do but yourself
The hardest way to move forward
I’ve lost my last leg to stand on
It’s Jonathan you long for
Grace hurts

Grace hurts
It’s Jonathan you long for
I’ve lost my last leg to stand on
The hardest way to move forward
No one loves what you do but yourself
You repeat yourself, you repeat yourself
I want to smash the shards of politeness
It devours everything yet is threatened by extinction
Shark by Angela van Son

I started by simply trying today’s prompt on napowrimo.net: write entries for an imaginary dream dictionary, for the words Teacup, Hammer, Seagull, Ballet slipper, Shark, Wobbly table, Dentist, Rowboat.

If you’re looking for something light after all these loaded sentences, I cheerfully recommend Happy Birthday by barbaraturneywielandpoetess. Don’t let the simple title trick you into thinking you know what’s coming. Even when you know it was written for the upended phrase prompt, this will still surprise you 😉

Born out

4 Replies

I have tried
being bored to death
so many times
I can assure you
it doesn’t work

Refutably

I gave up
being fully engaged
every now and then
I suspect
it might work

The #NaPoWriMo prompt for day 13 invited us to write a poem in which the words or meaning of a familiar phrase get up-ended. I’m totally looking forward to where that led the other participants, I think it’s a fun prompt.

Since I wrote an elevenie instead of a haibun yesterday, I offer you two beautiful examples from fellow participants. I love Benita Kapes poem because she managed to keep it short and still totally fit the brief: Haibun clay birds. The second one is Cherry Tree by Nastasa’s summerblues. Her poem makes time stand still for a moment

Born out by Angela van Son

By Angela van Son

Utrecht (copy, paste, insert your own)

4 Replies

Today the first thing I do is to present a fellow participant: Shuku with her poem Family tree. Not only because the poem has SO much to offer (which it does) but also because of its beautifully written introduction. When you visit the blog, make sure you also check out Market District, Japan, 1945 (bomb-warning) and Call The Plumber, Paradise Is Stuck In The U-Bend (for a bit of lighter reading).

Enough brackets for now, here’s my poem for today. I’ve stuck to the prompt by not sticking to the suggested form. This is an elevenie about the place where I live:

Utrecht  (copy, paste, insert your own)

Tower
Rising majestically
Over mediaeval town
Visible from every direction
Homecoming

The prompt for day 12 was a to write a haibun, that takes in the natural landscape of the place you live. Poet Aimee Nezhukumatathil describes how this form ended her long search for a way to write about her travels. For me, the elevenie was an answer to that unasked question, when it got introduced to us during NaPoWriMo 2017 (thank you Gloria Gonsalves!) I wrote a number during my visit to Hamburg for example. I’ve just reread them, and they take me right back to some beautiful moments that I wouldn’t have captured otherwise.

More about how I stuck to the prompt by choosing a different form. As Aimee describes it, and important feature of the haibun is not simply to provide a shape in which to jot mundane musings of landscape and travel but also to a evoke a sense of aware —the quality of certain objects to evoke longing, sadness, or immediate sympathy.

I guess everyone who lives in an place with a distinctive tower, recognises the feeling I describe here. Seeing the tower means coming home. Hence copy, paste, insert your own… 

Domtoren Utrecht Pixabay

Contemporary vows

10 Replies

This user agreement
is a contract between me and you
it applies to our marriage only

By marrying me
you agree to comply
with all the terms and conditions
please read all of them carefully

We may amend this user agreement
at any time by renewing our vows –
separation takes 30 day’s prior notice

If one of us closes our marriage
we will cancel any scheduled or incomplete transactions
we must withdraw all love from our marriage prior to closing it

Both of us will remain liable for all obligations
related to any offspring the marriage produced

#NaPoWriMo day 11. The prompt by Kwoya Fagin Maples is to write “a poem that addresses the future, answering the questions “What does y(our) future provide? What is your future state of mind? If you are a citizen of the “union” that is your body, what is your future “state of the union” address?””. The clashing images of body, mind and state of the union address stood out for me.

My poem takes the contract of marriage rather literally. I took a user agreement, and adjusted it. In a way it’s found poetry… It also fits the deal/no deal prompt at Writer’s Digest I believe.

I had to hunt a poem down to share it with you today. I read it, but forgot who wrote it. But the poem lingered in my mind… Here’s Kathie Haigh‘s take on yesterday’s  simultaneity prompt: Tripping over time. I love its high tempo slow motion! When you read it, you’ll understand what I mean 🙂

User agreement

by Angela van Son

Would you pray to me?

9 Replies

I’m no god
but if you’d pray to me
I’d grant you all your wishes

provided

they benefit others as much as you
they are meaningful in the long run
their ecological footprint is small
they are backed by either science or religion
they cause no harm

I’d grant you all your wishes
Though I’m no god
tell me what you pray for

angel

by Angela van Son

Today’s prompt on napowrimo.net was to write about multiple things happening at once. I’ve always been puzzled what happens when people pray for opposite things at the same time – especially when they pray to the same god. Who wins?

Why don’t you walk with me and my friend Jenny through Paris,  whilst you ponder on that? She’s written a wonderful poem about finally getting something she’d never got before. Her poem is called Abandoned perspective, and it’s a lot better than my introduction of it. It features tired legs and Picasso.

On being me (not John Malkovitch)

7 Replies

There are things I am
only when I do them
There are things I am
even when I ain’t

#NaPoWriMo day 9 and I’m having a really draggy morning – even when that word doesn’t exist. All words didn’t exist before they came into being. Even though I like the prompt on NaPoWriMo.net (“we challenge you today to write a poem in which something big and something small come together”), I’m not in a writing mood.

This is the second short poem that came from the day 7 prompt (identities, conversation). This one is about the difference between being and doing. I shared the first one yesterday. (Yesterday, all my poems seemed so far away, now it looks as though they are here to stay, oh I believe, in yesterday – See? Here’s why I’m not writing a poem this morning, my brain is having a life of it’s own at the moment).

Also, I’d like to feature Clairvetica today, with her day 8 poem called Jetsamina. I love it’s original subject mattter, and it suits my mood today: it’s about a spirit that lives in the greasetraps in the drain.

Angela

Tabula errata

3 Replies

Even though
I am
a lot
there is
a lot
that I
am not

Written for #NaPoWriMo day 8, while wrestling with the day 7 prompt)  I’m slowly getting somewhere with the prompt. I’ve made my list, I have been through the analytical phase (result 4 short poems) and I am past the sense of humour phase (result 1, 5 poem). Now serious is finally kicking in (1,5 short poem for warming up)… Not procrastinating, just gradually finding my way!

This is an exaple of the richness that prompt can bring:  Critic & creator by Inktuition.

Tabula errata Angela van Son

Two sides of a circle

5 Replies

One
Look, look! into my face Badhlav
Search for my eyes
Hunt for my eyes
It is for want of clothing
not for modesty’s sake
that I hide from you

Feel, feel! cloth for protection
Guising colour, shape, sight, smell
Home to thoughts unknown, unseen
unheard, as maidens dare not speak

Other
Galaxies remain distant my Badnaam
Everything created for God
can lead my boundless love astray

Your face my sweetest memory
until my limitless thirst for deeper meaning
swiftly makes love just
white space seem something senseless
and releasing my captivity
white space white space seem something brave

EricRebaserTwoSidesOfaCircle

Picture source copyright Eric Rebaser, who generously permitted me to use one of his pictures, as he did for day 5 of #NaPoWriMo Check out his work, it’s lovely!

Those (mis) translation poems are so hard to make… I’ve used a poem by Preethi Byrappa, called Zindagi ho gayi Barbad. I have to ask her what language it is written in, because she writes in at least three and I don’t understand a word of this one. I’ll let you know as soon as I find out 🙂 It’s in Hindi – one of the most spoken languages in the world… I’ve copied the poem below.

Zindagi ho gayi Barbad

Gadi gadi roop mein hai Badhlav,
Uparse hai kuch aur,
Andarse hai kuch aur,
Od liya hai sab jute Naqaab,
Mushkil hai pehchanna Yaar,
Parivar, Dost ho ya Pyaar,
Bar bar lete hai Imtihaan,
Samajhna  nahi chahte meri Baat,
Mili naa khushi kar ke Intezar,
Sabarka ho rahi hai Satyanash,
Galatfahmi honse hogai mein Badnaam,
Tut rahi hai Vishwas,
Har rishte mein aa gai Dharar,
Khai  thokar  mein har baar,
Dil mein aa rahi hai kuch khayal,
Kya sabhi rishte jutse ho gayi Shuruvadh,
Is dukh mein Zindagi ho gayi Barbad……

© by Preethi Byrappa

Was there no new prompt today? For this is the day 5 prompt – again. Yes, there was a new prompt. It’s so good that I actually want to have my poem for the day out of my way before I start thinking on it.

Since I wanted to try my hand on the very challenging (mis)translation poem again, and I already had Preethi in mind, this was the perfect solution. Preethi surprised me by translating one of my Dutch poems for her day 5 poem, and I loved it. I hope you like yours too Preethi!

Am I doing? How?

5 Replies

How do you do, you asked
You couldn’t have confused me more
Am I doing? How?

So I prepared some answers
just in case
we meet again

I feel like a fish
swimming in water that has been boiled for too long
the temperature is down again
but there’s something missing
I can breathe
but I’m hungry
something is not right
You know what I mean?

In case of embarrassed silence
I have a second answer ready

I am a Lego brick stuck in a Playmobil basket
a make up doll in a garage
I am dice in a card game
a knitting needle in a carpenter’s hand
Same old, same old
You know what I mean?

In case you then move away from me
I have prepared to grab your hand

I’m only joking
I’m doing fine and okay
I’m safe and secure
I’m healthy and whole
I’m up to snuff
Everything is perfect – you know me!

Would you then try to pry your hand away
I’d be lost for words
but I’d have
my knitting needle
a Lego brick
and dice
so in my garage
I’d find out how you’re doing

You know what I mean?

The prompt today was “to write a poem that stretches your comfort zone with line breaks. That could be a poem with very long lines, or very short lines. Or a poem that blends the two.”  When I looked at this poem, I realised the line breaks didn’t make me that uncomfortable. I tend to take liberties with those anyway. So I tried other ways to stretch my comfort zone. It’s an uncomfortable poem, and it deserves an extra bit of awkwardness. So I centralised the text. That worked, and even looked good. Not the effect I wanted. So I made my next move… It looks very uncomfortable to me now. I consider my comfort zone stretched. And the form illustrative. But ouch, it hurts!

Yesterday’s prompt turned out many interesting poems. I’d like to highlight A big bang, by rivrvlogr. He choose a poem by Runa Svetlikova, in Dutch. His ‘mistranslation’ catches the magic of the original, without being the same. I can’t explain it, you’d better read it yourself 🙂

If you read Dutch, it’s really interesting to experience the difference between the Dutch version and the translation, as provided at Poetry International Web. Ken included it in his post, so it’s easy to take all of them in in one go and wonder. Or marvel.

DAY 5- NAPOWRIMO’18 – Colour as mesmerized!

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Way cool, a Dutch poem of mine got chosen for today’s prompt by a fellow participant! #NaPoWriMo day 5 has been a fabulous day 🙂 Thank you Preethi!

viewsofpreethib's avatarViews Of Preethi B

Day 5:  Today’s (optional) prompt, we’d like to challenge you to write a poem that, like the work in Translucence, reacts both to photography and to words in a language not your own. Begin with a photograph. Now find a poem in a language you don’t know (here’s a good place to look!) Ignore any accompanying English translation (maybe cover it up, or cut-and-paste the original into a new document). Now start translating the poem into English, with the idea that the poem is actually “about” your photograph. Use the look and feel of the words in the original to guide you along as you write, while trying to describe your photograph. It will be a bit of a balancing act, but hopefully it will lead to new and beautiful (and possibly very weird) places.

I choose a poem in the Dutch Language, found this poem from one of…

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