Friday, February 12, 2016

found: some inspiration

My neighbor and fellow poet here in Maryland, Laura Shovan, celebrates her birthday month each year with a series of daily writing prompts.  She writes every day and invites anyone else so inclined to join her.  This February Laura has made a collection of intriguing found objects captured in photographs, and you can read her introduction to the project here.
 
I can almost never keep up with a poem a day in February, but I like to jump in when I can.  This week I wrote about these two found objects:
http://laurashovan.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/mayr.jpg
stone face in the wood

             
lost not found | Day 8


bold white bruin man
where your boulder feet?
where your legs,
your stone torso,
your swinging arms?

they crash on
through the forest:
white columns of motion
can’t think what they’ve lost,
lost on the way
bare gash of narrow eye
bare slash of missing mouth

–Heidi Mordhorst 2016
all rights reserved


http://laurashovan.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Simon.jpg
lotus seed pods
anthropology | Day 10

once thought to be
an elaborately carved musical
instrument used
only on the wedding day
of a woman born under
the eleventh moon,

it is now understood to be
a deliberately culled muscular
implement used
only on the winding way
of a man burned under
the oppressive soon

context is everything

                                                                   Heidi Mordhorst 2016
                                                                                          all rights reserved 
   
And because I do profess to write for children, I had a second go at this one with that audience in mind:

Making Sense

First it’s something to see–
almost black among the greens and yellows,
scalloped around the edges like
crayon clouds or flowers,
clouds full of black hailstones–
or it’s a leopard-skin jellyfish.

Next it’s something to hold–
not weighty like a microphone
or a metal shower head,
but light and hollow, not plastic
and not wood, part smooth
and part ridged and rumpled.

Now it’s something to hear–
take it by the curving handle oh!
is that a stem? and shake, shake
shake–those blackish beads or
beans or oh! they’re seeds!
they make a marvelous rattling!

~Heidi Mordhorst 2016
all rights reserved

And now, for Day 12, we have this "found object:"

snow moon full cream

http://laurashovan.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/buffy.jpg
when somewhere
    water bound in ice
under the crust of the moon
when someday
    water breaks from ice
up to the dust of the moon
it mounds to this:
    canyons and craters
soft peaks of moon rock
     swirling and moist   
seas of
     clouds of vapor
     islands of nectar
oceans of
      sweet serenity
      tranquil fecundity
snow moon full cream
deep space

Heidi Mordhorst 2016
all rights reserved

It's rather freeing to just jump in, write it down, click it out...and interesting to see what comes of writing late when half asleep!  You can enjoy lots more poems (and some prose) about these found objects over at Laura's new blog, and I'll be giving her a break by hosting the project on Day 15, next Monday--but not before joining in the announcement of the Cybils Poetry Award winner on Sunday (with love)!

Kimberley has the round-up today at her blog...  find your way to some poetry objects over there!






12 comments:

  1. I would most likely share the anthropology poem to my anthropologist friends. Very nice. :)

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    1. Ah, well--my version of anthropology is not very scientific, but I hope they would enjoy it anyway! Thanks for stopping by, Myra!

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  2. I like them all, your unique POV, and still really enjoy that "bold white bruin man" and "where your boulder feet?". You've set such a vivid scene in that poem to me, Heidi. And I like the one you wrote for your young students. I hope you'll find some lotus seed pods and share it with them.

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  3. Heidi, I have followed your poems as you weave your words for Laura's project with delight. The title to the last one is beautiful and the words to the poem flow so well. Writing late, half asleep allows you to churn out amazing poetry.

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  4. Kudos, Heidi - captivating, each one. (And yay for you for getting out even a few of these this month; I'm hoping to join in before the month's over!) Happy Valentine's Weekend.

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  5. Thoughtful, engaging poems, Heidi - and with so many prompts, I know it's hard to keep up! Every time I saw that big stone face all I could think of was Ozymandias.

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  6. It's fun to see what each poetry-brain makes of the daily images!

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  7. Mary Lee mentioned that she was going to participate in the found poetry project. I really wanted to do it, but somehow didn't make it happen. You inspire me to jump in and at least give it a try. Maybe today????

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  8. Ah that half-asleep brain of yours churns out some wondrous words, Heidi!

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  9. The other night I couldn't sleep so I got up and wrote a poem in my notes on my phone. It's not great poetry, mind you. I do enjoy this project keeping me thinking and writing. We should exchange ideas. Like where did you get the form and info for "anthropology"?

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  10. "Context is everything" indeed! Your poems are inspiring, Heidi! Happy belated Valentine's Day!

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  11. Hello! If you fall into depression and nothing already excites and attracts you, this source may be your blessing to find lost inspiration and look at your life from a new point of view http://skywritingservice.com/blog/how-to-find-your-lost-inspiration

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Thanks for joining in the wild rumpus!