Write a hermit crab poem–a poem that takes the structure of an existing text like a recipe, job application, multiple choice quiz, script, or whatever! Here's an explanation of the form and a wide variety of ideas and examples. Have fun!
https://jmwwblog.wordpress.com/2022/10/18/its-an-experiment-hybrid-how-tos-with-arden-hunter-hermit-crabs-part-1-of-2/
I briefly considered attempting to write a poem using the directions from my colonoscopy prep kit, but you'll be happy to know I found something better. Each of us probably knows a federal employee who received (and may still be receiving) the now infamous DOGE-generated "What did you do last week?" email; where I live in Silver Spring, MD, we know numerous families where BOTH adults are feds and fed up. Me too.
In the spirit of resistance and gumming up the works, perhaps you'd like (federal employee or not) to share in approx. 5 bullets what YOU did last week. If* so, try this handy online generator; I like "Salty Mode". I put in Teacher as my Occupation and it spat out 5 satisfyingly snide comments.
Thanks to our own Margaret Simon of Reflections on the Teche for hosting today; don't forget sign up for the April Progressive Poem party and to read the hermit crab poems of the other Inklings below!
Catherine Flynn @ Reading to the Core, if it's our lucky day
Molly Hogan @ Nix the Comfort Zone
Linda Mitchell @ A Word Edgewise
Also sending congratulations to so many of our Poetry Friday family on new anthologies recently or imminently published! One is A UNIVERSE OF RAINBOWS selected by Matt Forrest Esenwine and the other is IF I COULD CHOOSE A BEST DAY, selected by Irene Latham & Charles Waters. I'll take this opportunity to share a poem that NEARLY made it into this If* anthology, and then didn't. I'm still proud of it, and it will be published elsewhere soon...
And now, finally, your crab, having a bright idea:
 |
| Smithsonian Magazine |
and the density of history:
 |
| Flower Power by Bernie Boston, 1967 |
Heidi, yes! I love your topic for the hermit crab poem, and the metal smelting right through to the completion of powerful flowers is beautiful. I enjoyed generating some salty points with your link. Fun!
ReplyDeleteHeidi, I'm so happy to hear this poem will soon be published elsewhere. YAY! Thank you for sharing it here, too. Thanks also for reconsidering on the colonoscopy prep poem...though I'm sure you'd do amazing things with it! xo
ReplyDeleteLove smelting the ore of your outrage and that solidarium with the density of history! Makes me want to invent an element. I wonder, when I see photos like "Flower Power," whether the bad guys have any awareness that they are the bad guys. Maybe a few.
ReplyDeleteHEIDI, you are a riot! I laughed aloud when I thought about writing a poem from colonoscopy prep kit instructions.
ReplyDeleteI had heard of the email, but seeing the hr@opm.gov email address makes it more tangible and unreal at the same time. “Smelted the ore of my outrage,” is perfection. I only wish someone had sent your words in reply!
Leave it to you to find the Just Right form (Just with two meanings here.) "We filled their emptiness" is spot on with my growing rage. I'm glad you skipped on the colonoscopy prep. That brings back PTSD for me. I vomitted most of it the last time. Argh!
ReplyDeleteAnother thank you for skipping the colonoscopy instructions. Your wit and words were better used for these bullet points of rage. Such a brilliant challenge Molly gave us!
ReplyDeleteI love both your poems! In the first poem, the line "with the density of history" really stood out to me--as did the ending--those 5 bullets at the end are so powerful. In the second poem, I love the image of standing still to smell the "unfurling moonflower" and choosing to walk to school forever after.
ReplyDeleteI'm keen to skip the colonoscopy prep poem too. But, I'll bet it's a good one! "smelted from the ore of my outrage" that's a fabulous line! But then to take it to flowers passed out to soldiers...that's just WOW!
ReplyDeleteWow, Heidi! I absolutely love the form you chose for your hermit crab and how powerfully you crafted it. That whammy of a beginning gains momentum until culminating with that final gut punch of repeating bullets. So fabulous! I hope you shared this with some of your fed up friends and neighbors.
ReplyDeleteI very much like your spirit of resistance and the adoption of salty mode in response to that deplorable demand for workers to justify their continued employment. Brilliant Heidi. I also enjoyed reading your 'If We Stopped' poem. It stirs up the wonderful possiblities of alternative responses.
ReplyDeleteHeidi, this is great. I like all of the poem’s suggestions! The colonoscopy instruction idea made me laugh.
ReplyDeleteAll these hermit crab poems are making me so happy... and that this one is so rooted in the rich history of peaceful resistance? Chef's kiss.
ReplyDeleteWow, Heidi - just, wow. My hubby WAS a federal employee but works in another sector now. We have friends in your area directly affected, and we will ALL be affected down the line if not now. Ludicrous beyond words. Thanks for your usual creative ways of standing UP! And your IF poem is lovely.
ReplyDeleteTerrific poems, Heidi! Thanks for sharing your creativity - it's inspiring!
ReplyDelete