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Friday, February 5, 2016

Originals

Photo by Don Berquist

Reply to the Question: "How can You Become a Poet?"
by Eve Merriam

    take the leaf of a tree
    trace its exact shape
    the outside edges
    and inner lines
    memorize the way it is fastened to the twig
    (and how the twig arches from the branch)
    how it springs forth in April
    how it is panoplied in July

    by late August
    crumple it in your hand
    so that you smell its end-of-summer sadness

    chew its woody stem

    listen to its autumn rattle

    watch it as it atomizes in the November air

    then in winter
    when there is no leaf left

    invent one

Tricia hosts the Round up today at The Miss Rumphius Effect.

When Tabatha recently suggested we consider matching a song to one of the Poetry Friday poets' original poem, she asked if we had a way for readers to find our original poems posted on our blog. My answer was a resounding negative. In fact, I had just spent quite a long time the week before searching for a poem that I was certain I had posted on my blog. I did finally find it, but only after scrolling through about seven years of blog posts. Even then, it didn't occur to me to connect the poems and their blog post links. Duh.

The whole process did give me some insight into my own process and the confidence I have gained in posting my work. Some of it has been revised since it was posted. Some of it probably should have remained hidden in a closet somewhere. But a lot of it, I like.

So here is my list, more for my sake than yours! and thank you for your listening ears.

Thankful
Wind Warning
Spinning
Sinking Ship
Joseph
Composing Life
The Ship Speaks
missing things
First to the Pole
Hungry Caterpillar
Sky Celebration
Martha's Choice
Dancer
Nonet at Dawn
Snow Day
Conversion Chart for My Husband
Confinement
Mechanics of Sound
Tortoise or Hare
Cancelled Flight
What My Mother Taught Me
Stanley Remembers

4 comments:

  1. LOVE this post, Doraine - The Eve Merriam poem and your tale of digging up your poetic treasures. I was just thinking of that the other day - that I've never "tagged" all my original poem posts. Hmmm. I need to follow your example!

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  2. Wanting to be able to find all my poems is what led to my poetry website. Now I need to get caught up on loading them all in and tagging them all! (Amy LV is my mentor and hero in this work!)

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  3. Eve Merriam's poem ending is so perfect. Glad that you rounded up your poems, Dori! You have some intriguing titles there...

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  4. "when there is no leaf left,
    invent one"

    How empowering are those last two lines. Beautiful.
    And thank you for the round up of delectable poetry.

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