Sunday, June 21, 2009

Writing a Poem

First Stanza

1. Name a character --- JAMIE

2. Two adjectives about that character -- LOVING, HATING

3. A geographical location that the character reminds you of -- DESERT

4. Six verbs ("ing" - participial form) descriptive of that character -- CRYING, DRINKING, WHORING, BLAMING, DENYING, DESTROYING

5. A color -- PURPLE

6. A flower -- CACTUS

7. An emotion-- SADNESS

8. A "climate" word -- WHIRLPOOL

Second Stanza

9. How that character treats others (verbs, adverbs) -- CRUELLY, LOVINGLY

10. A color -- RED

11. A time of day or night (any "time" word) -- MIDNIGHT

12. Six verbs about how people react to the character -- LUSTING, PITYING, ADMIRING, LAUGHING, BEING ANGRY AT, SORROWING OVER

13. An animal -- OSTRICH

14. What that animal does (or tries to do) to those around it -- BURIES THEM WHILE BURYING HIMSELF

15. Your feelings towards that animal -- PITY

Third stanza

16. Restate the character’s name -- JAMIE

17. Rename the character (a title, a descriptive nickname, whatever) -- YOUNG OEDIPUS

18. A taste -- BITTER

19. A food -- CHOCOLATE

20. Four adjectives to describe the character’s future -- DEFEATED, BEATEN, DEAD, LOST

21. The character’s ending -- I AM NO MORE





NO MORE (inspired by Long Day's Journey into Night )



Jamie - filled with love, filled with hate

an arid desert,

drinking, whoring, blaming, crying denying,

SELF-DESTRUCTING,

a purple cactus flower,

royal and beautiful and dry.

Sadness,

a whirlpool of sadness.



He treats his world

with cruel love.

A red river flowing at midnight.

Those he meets are

laughing, lusting, admiring,

but pitying, feeling anger,

feeling sorrow.

The ostrich tries to bury himself

(and, in the process, others),

and we pity the ostrich.

Pity.



Jamie

Young Oedipus

the taste of bitter chocolate

alcohol that burns.

Defeated, beaten, dead,

lost

I am no more

My name is

Might Have Been.







MARTYRED ONE (inspired by Lord of the Flies )



Simon,

a waterfall of generosity,

of compassion

sympathizing, providing, all-loving, all-caring,

suffering,

dying.

A deep blue rose sad

yet beautiful

falling, falling, falling

the dying autumnal leaves of Simon.



Sensitive to Piggy,

fearless of Jack

helpful to Ralph

feeding the littleuns.

A crimson heart -

broken

too mature, too fearless, too good.

They think he’s batty

don't listen. don't learn

do kill.

A dove of peace, an owl of wisdom, an unsuccessful teacher.

My heart screams out at his unappreciated goodness.



Simon

young Jesus,

sweet salt.

A curing agent

unable to cure.

Misunderstood,

prophetic,

martyr-killed

but still alive

in my heart,

my soul.







THE STAINED MADONNA (inspired by A Streetcar Named Desire )



Blanche - confused, broken,

an empty blackhole

pretending, deceiving, hurting, desiring, soliciting ,molesting.

Formerly white;

formerly Grey

a weed-choked, Stan-choked,

Mitch-choked

fading pink carnation.



A hurricane of hurt.

Still somewhat innocent

still somewhat naive,

Miss White

(but not with the candlestick in the conservatory)

a chilling, wintry

nightfall, a victim of mistrust, gossip, laughed-at, put down,

even raped.

A chameleon,

a slimy lizard

changing colors from white

to gray

to red,

also changing stories,

trying to change her image.



I feel sorrow;

I feel pity.

Blanche

Scarlett O'Hara -

but with no Butler,

stale bread,

champagne with no bubbles,

growing old, falling apart,

victimized

ALONE,

DOOMED

to be unloved,

even by herself.

There is no Shep Huntleigh.







DUMBER 'N PAINT? (inspired by "Strange Snow" )

Megs -

simply, uncultured

but a life-refreshing,

cool, mountain pool.



Giving to others,

hurting to self,

trying to deal with his past

(broken windows and cut hands)

being funny,

being a good friend, a lovely MAN.



Exposing Martha’s beauty

(inner beauty too),

a grey depth of past darkness

dissolving into a brilliant vermilion

sunrise.



Dave is jealous and angry;

(sort of),

but Bobby’s not.

Megs is too alive for Davey.

Martha is trusting, mothering,

wanting to love-blossom.



Joseph Megessey,

a little black puppy

not totally house-broken

innocent

faithful

might run away

but always comes home

even after rejection

and hurt.



Megs,

modern Don Quixote,

a sticky-sweet, Martha-catching syrup, still confused,still hurting,

dumber 'n paint,

but a brilliant soul,

a Martha/David Savior.

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