Friday, April 26, 2013

PAD Day 26

Once again, I had a hard time reconciling the two prompts for today.  Poetic Asides' prompt is to write a "casting" poem.  Maybe I'll come up with something by the end of the day, or tomorrow.  Meanwhile I worked on today's prompt from NaPoWriMo, which is to write a "deletion" poem: Take a longer poem and delete most of the words, then use the words you have left - in order - to form another poem.  It is suggested that you even leave the words more or less in their original positions on the page, which makes for a more concrete, post-modern appearance. I tried this with one of Billy Collins' longest poems, "Victoria's Secret", and here's what I came up with.  (The title, "To Rise" is also an excision of the original title.)



To Rise

                   a deeply scalloped
                                           shoulder

cannot hide the shadow of
               
                                organza

Here, the            
                   reclining           
                                         widow
decorated
with       ruffles
                                                mouth

    arching,
as if to say           I am         nothing
but        
                a low sweetheart

                                                a music box
                    will wake         her
                                catlike
in the                                       library

with a   
                                                shimmering
                                                  fireplace

                                her neighbor

 a beautifully shaped
princess
                  displays             
                                                photographic
                ice cream
       a new sofa
peach,                                  rose, and periwinkle
It is
                                                a   swollen
                                                                   garden

Rain is beating on the roof.                          



No comments: