Greetings from Maryland, where it's 27* this Thursday night, with a "feels like" temperature of ELEVEN DEGREES---so I'm very glad that I tackled Molly's monthly Inklings challenge before all my senses froze over! Molly's been reading Unlocking the Heart (a book whose cover does not seem to know that WINTER HAS ARRIVED), and she gave us this very open-ended prompt therefrom:
“Begin with a specific sensory experience (of taste, sight, smell, sound or touch), and see where that leads you.”
This prompt is not what I was thinking of as I tucked myself into bed one night this week, adjusting for everything from plantar fasciitis to a tendency to clench my jaw, but I woke up in the middle of the night (another repercussion of passing through the middle of one's life) with this very specific and not especially welcome sensory experience in mind.
Check out the further sensory experiences of the Inklings below, and many thanks to Carol at The Apples in My Orchard for hosting us after waaaaay too long a drive!
Mary Lee Hahn @ A(nother) Year of Reading
Catherine Flynn @ Reading to the Core, who may need a bye this month
Molly Hogan @ Nix the Comfort Zone
Linda Mitchell @ A Word Edgewise
Margaret Simon @ Reflections on the Teche
Ooof! That's a powerful juxtaposition and poem there. Super evocative... thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteSomehow I avoided witnessing dissections, but I can smell that formaldehyde. And hoo boy can I relate to adjusting oneself for optimal sleep!
ReplyDeleteWe need more poems about aging! Thank you, Heidi.
ReplyDeleteImagining your body 'pinned', that ancient memory, Heidi, is what happens, and on the bright side, it means the brain is working! Love the connection of your poem, no matter the pain of it!
ReplyDeleteSorry for the anonymous, it's Linda B.!
DeleteHeidi, This is an interesting poem! Do you often awake with poetry on the mind - either in the middle of the night or in the early morning? I do. I am always thankful for such unbidden inspiration! As far as dissection and formaldehyde - been there/done that - in nursing school. We had do dissect the nerves and muscles in a cat and the eye ball of a sheep. The smell permeates everything - even our sleepy state - apparently! Thanks for sharing your sensory poem.
ReplyDeleteYes, that is something that you could hang onto anything over night! Wow, what a sensory image you remembered and brought to life here in this poem. So interesting. I love the use of pins in both stanzas. I'm glad that gray-pink matter is still working so well and blessing us with your poetry.
ReplyDeleteYour connection to that former experience with formaldehyde and a pinned speciman was a most engaging surprise. I also enjoy a poem that takes an unexpected turn. Your work here is most impressive, Heidi. Good luck with those niggling encumberances.
ReplyDeleteOo...my skin crawls at the very well described worm. Such a surprise. I've got plantar fasciitis for the first time ever and I'm very annoyed about it. I woke up with it on Wednesday. I don't know if any poems will come from this experience.
ReplyDeleteIt IS something...to remember that time of inspection, learning from the death of another. It's too cold! Glad you got your writing in before freezing over....lol.
ReplyDeleteHeidi, today I woke to 20 degrees-Brrr but your poem warmed me up for a fun reading experience. Your poem was cerftainly filled with a sensory experience that amazed me. Aging and the description of moving into a sleep pattern, was splattered all over your poem and mind. Kudos on giving your senses front and center. Keep warm.
ReplyDeleteOh! This is such a powerful, evocative poem. You brought me straight back to high school biology class and our worm dissection. Formaldehyde as a spark for poetry--who would've thought! What a response to the challenge! Also, I'm tremendously impressed with the fact that you remembered this spark from mid-night visitation until morning writing. Your brain is clearly working well!
ReplyDeleteI was completely with you in the first stanza, and then...EW! What a compare/contrast!!
ReplyDeletePowerful poem! And I think I need to read this new James Crews book!
ReplyDeleteWow! Your poem took a very unexpected turn. The feel, the smell, the sight, probably the sound, too - so many senses involved.
ReplyDeleteRelatable!!! (And also more than a bit ewwww, at the end.)
ReplyDelete