Our featured participant today is Napowrimo ’19, where the origin poem for Day Eleven is a moving ode to horses, and to the power of reading.
Today’s video resource is this short film called What Makes a Poem a Poem? … This film assures us that whatever poetry may be, writing a poem is an essentially human act.
Today’s prompt is based on a dream that the poet Natalie Eilbert had. In the dream, she was taking a poetry workshop in which each student had to bring in two objects from home – one significant and one dull. The students then had to give away or destroy the significant object, and write a poem about loving the dull thing. Today, we’d like to challenge you to write a poem about a dull thing that you own, and why (and how) you love it. Alternatively, what would it mean to you to give away or destroy a significant object?
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The video is an interesting watch (I can’t get the video to embed – but follow the link above). This question has come up before in editing groups and workshops.
For a fun extra poetry prompt you could write a list poem with all your answers to this question.
Natalie’s dream sounds terrifying. Last year during the Adam Speaks project with some Room 204 writers and The National Trust/Croome Court. Artist, Chris Alton, asked us to take 2 objects to the workshop – fortunately none of them were destroyed.
On Writing
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Write a poem about a dull thing that you own, and why (and how) you love it. Alternatively, what would it mean to you to give away or destroy a significant object?
I am not sure which direction I will follow and may not squeeze a poem out in the next 45 minutes… but I will be back to post a snippet of whatever comes my way…
So, my main issue was ‘DULL’ – I have worked for years governing a hoard of beautiful things and I just couldn’t cast my eye or mind over anything dull… except for the room itself.
I wrote about the architecture/historical reference points and then the feeling the room gives me (the love). I did not attempt to write about significant objects being given or destroyed. I will bank that secondary prompt idea for another time.
This poem definitely needs work (no editing during NaPo) and some lines run long – but the scent is right and the essence is there. It is 5 stanzas long. I called it Riddle. It was called Conceal. Here’s a snippet from the 5 stanzas.
… there is beauty caught in underexposure
awritersfountain 