I chose Chapter 7 from Writing the Life Poetic because I have always been fascinated by the original poem, 13 Ways of Looking at a Blackbird (by Wallace Stevens) and the many variations it has spawned. I confess, I’ve wanted to do my own take on it but have been a bit too lazy.
These are very short chapters so if you haven’t read this one yet, you have time to go read it and come back. Really. It’s just a couple of pages long. I’ll wait.
What stood out to me in this chapter is the phrase, “Writing poetry is discovering ways of looking.” It’s all about learning to be here, now, and in the moment during days when we are usually busy racing around trying to get more things done in less time. If you are going to look at something in 13 different ways you’re going to stay with it for a while, long enough to slow down and get up close and personal. And while you’re looking at whatever has captured your poetic mind, you may (and will likely) wander away from the original subject. And that’s okay.
I think one of the reasons I love writing poetry is that the nature of it forces me to slow down and be more in the moment.
This chapter advises that when you want to write about a particular subject and you’re feeling stuck that you can utilize one or more of the various ways of “looking” at the subject to jumpstart your poem. I won’t list all the ways of looking. They’re in the book. 🙂
I’m not going to try and use all 13 ways of looking that are listed in the book but I’m going to pick one and do a poem around it. I think I’ll go with #2, which says, “If it moves, how does it move? In what direction? Using what energy source? Toward or away from what? If it doesn’t move, describe the quality of its stillness.”
I hope you’ll play along. You can do the same exercise I’m doing, or if you have the book, feel free to pick a different way of looking at your subject.
This is just rough draft play time. No need to stress over this. Have fun!
If you want to be prepared for next week, Laura will be doing chapter 9.
Okay, here’s mine. I would call this more of a poetic thought than a poem but it’s something I might go back and play with at a later date.
Learning to Pain
Thick, like butterscotch pudding,
paint pools on the canvas
waiting
waiting
waiting
until I push the brush
making waves from corner to corner
introducing
drops of yellow to drops of orange
a droplet of red, then another,
swirling the bristles until the colors
blend then burst
across the page
like a sunrise
calling for me to come out and play.
Susan Taylor Brown, all rights reserved
Ooh, this is lovely. The first line and then
swirling the bristles until the colors
blend then burst
are my favorites.
I also really like the way you describe the painting as a social scene: introducing colors to each other, going out to play, etc. It makes what I think of as a solitary activity feel so interactive!
“I think one of the reasons I love writing poetry is that the nature of it forces me to slow down and be more in the moment.”
That’s true for me too, Susan. I think it’s also one of my struggles with poetry. I always seem to be in a hurry and find it hard to quiet myself and my mind enough to really, really look at something!
Yes, exactly. So much always going on and to actually think about writing poetry and then sitting down to do it, well, it means we HAVE to slow down. It’s the way I felt with last week’s exercise…oh no, I don’t have time for this. I’m too busy. But then once I did slow down and think about the neighbors and picked one to write about, I felt it easier to be in the actual writing moment.
One more reason that poetry is good for us.
Very nice, Susan! Coincidentally, I read a great student poem about thirteen ways of looking at a dachshund yesterday.
All this looking reminds me of how in the movie Avatar, Na’vi people greet each other with “I see you.”
Of course, I forgot to include my name! I’ll remember sometime…Tabatha
Thirteen ways of looking at a dachshund sounds hilarious, Tabatha! I wanted to do one on my dog but I was just too tired last night.
Subway
I’m going to use the same prompt you did. After a week in NYC riding subways everywhere, I have them on the brain.
Subway
Like a rusty dancer
You lurch ahead, protesting with screeches and squeals
Then moving smoothly into your grooves
Like a missile
You shoot through the tunnels
Guided, determined, focused
Like a dog chafing at a stoplight
When an unseen train crosses ahead, you rumble Straining forward, silver sides quivering
Like a student racing into class as the bell rings,
You streak into the station
Sleek and streamlined
–Laura Purdie Salas, all rights reserved
Fun exercise! I could definitely write about the subway in lots of different ways. Maybe I’ll do my daily poem for the next 12 days about subways and use a different “way of looking” each day.
P.S. I’m one of the few people I know who doesn’t like the poem “13 Ways…” I like moments in it, but it doesn’t do it for me overall. Just thought I’d confess that here. BTW, the link to that poem isn’t working–it has an extra %20http// in the url link…
Re: Subway
This is terrific, Laura! I love
Like a rusty dancer
Like a dog chafing at a stoplight
Like a student racing into class as the bell rings
They are all such perfectly vivid images. And I love the idea that a dancer could be rusty from not dancing but that subway, well it could be rusty in other parts.
Thanks on the link. It’s fixed now. I should know better than to write the actual post just before bedtime. 🙂
Oh, and notice I never said I liked the poem “13 Ways….” but I am fascinated by it.
I chose movement also. Best read to the end. 🙂
strong fingers
grasping, squeezing
skilled fingers
pressing, rolling
hands expertly
moving with love –
kneading fresh bread
for breakfast
(I hope this was ok to share)
Love this–great, powerful verbs. Surprising ending, since my mind went…elsewhere:>)
Like Laura, even with your warning, my mind went elsewhere at first 🙂
Lovely description of a vivid scene.
Thank you both. This was ellie rushing back to my baking. Susan, what I love about your poem is the waiting, waiting because it made me really interested in what you were going to paint. Laura, I can never look at a subway as a simple object again. The rusty dancer was my favorite comparison.
Cindyb, thanks for joining us and thanks for the kind words.
I could easily picture this scene that you captured so perfectly! I have a video of my grandson learning how to walk and my mind went to that immediately.
Love the patting, grasping and tentative tottering.
Oh, this is wonderful! Great description of capturing a feeling through motion.
I love line 4 so much, and then that line break to line 5–stellar.
Glad to see you here!
Cindyb, this is lovely, and you wrote in free verse, a stretch for you if I remember your post last Wednesday. I am not sure if you meant this image, but as the toddler leaves the sturdy chair to grab for the rocking chair, it could tip. As a mother, I would want to be ready to catch, just in case. And since the ending is a bit uncertain (for me), I love it. Seems more adventurous and playful.
ellie
I am playing catchup today, finally here! http://awrungsponge.blogspot.com/2011/04/writing-life-poetic.html