Prompt Poem

Yesterday, I provided a link to an article on Mental Floss of the 25 happiest words in English with the idea of using any of those words as a way to get around blank page syndrom and I have to say, I really enjoyed where this exercise took me. 

Discovery is one of the foundations of poetry I love most. There is something magical and thrilling when poetry sidles up and makes us fall in love with even one of the millions of tiny observations that make up our existence. And that, my friends, is what this exercise helps us do. It trains us to write 'blind' with no overarching concept we need to get across. 

When I'm not writing with an end result in mind, I'm not constricted by "That line doesn't get at what I want to say" or the dreaded "What do I even have to write about!?!" quandary because you're writing to write rather than to reproduce an experience or emotion. However, that does not mean your poem shouldn't have a reason for being or that poems based in memory, experience and emotion aren't vitally important - some of my own best poems fall in these categories - but it is nice to break free from 'supposed to' for awhile. 

***

Revisions

Forests are opening 

Pines are opening

Pines uncurl their needles again and again, 
spring sky hazy with green


This morning, the spring sky is hazy with green,
buds sticky with being born, leaves uncurling -
a tide

This morning, the spring sky is hazy with green,
buds sticky with being born, leaves a tide
uncurling against birch, maple, oak, pine.

Here, the spring sky is hazy with green,
buds sticky with being born, leaves a tide
uncurling against birch, maple and oak.

Dearest one, nothing is easy these days, 


Here, my slice of spring sky
is hazy with green, leaves
a tide uncurling against birch
and pine. Rest easier, dearest
one, silky wind ruffles tassels 
of corn

Final

Dear John,

Dorothy May Bradford 

c. 1597 - 1620

Here, my slice of spring sky

is hazy with green; leaves

a tide uncurling against birch

and pine. Rest easier, dearest

one, gentle winds will carry

you across the water soon.

Until then, all my love.

***

As I pointed out above, I was surprised by where I ended up at the end of this exercise. I had no intention of writing a letter, let alone one based on historical events. Though I think this poem stands on it's own, I feel like it has more impact if you know the lives behind it. 

I've recently finished reading Nathaniel Philbreck's Mayflower and found the individual histories fascinating. William (author Of Plymouth Plantation) and Dorothy Bradford set out onboard the Mayflower with a 121 other passengers. Their three year old son, John, was left behind in the care of his grandparents in Amsterdam, meant to come over on a later trip once the pilgrims were established in the New World. Tragically, Dorothy died shortly after arriving and never reunited with her son. 

This small piece of history stuck with me, and in this case, I don't think I could have done it justice (if I even have here in the brief poem above) if I set out specifically to write their story. In all, I was able to use four of the twenty five words and used 'forests' as a springboard to 'birch and pine'. Most likely, I will return to it at a later date and make further revisions.

I hope it was helpful to hear one writer's process and I wish you the best of luck in your own poetry!