Yes, it feels a little nutso to be writing a poem a day again after only a month off since a haiku a day in December, but in the same way I've learned that if I don't go out and walk in the early morning I will never meet the deer and hear the owls ("Must Be Present to Win"), I know that for every day I don't write, those poems are lost forever.
Laura Shovan cooked up this Found Object Poem project. Here's a description, along with other February poetry projects she's done. Here is a post with links to all the poems the whole crew has written so far, and here's a link to all of my poems.
My favorite poem I've written so far is for this picture of moth eggs on a car window. Laura didn't reveal that's what they were until after we submitted our poems, but I was pretty sure I knew. Not sure enough to write a moth egg poem...although I alluded to a butterfly wing as a nod to my guess! I just left them as a mystery.
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| photo by Laura Shovan |
Mysteries
The mysteries of the world are myriad.
Sometimes they look like little balls of butter.
Sometimes they clump together in the shape of South America.
The mysteries of the world puzzle us.
They make us take our glasses off and look so close
we dust our noses with them.
The mysteries of the world hold hidden ripeness.
Each might contain a new life,
or the possibility to change the weather patterns of the entire world.
The mysteries of the world cast shadows.
Hovering above, they block the sun
and send a chill through us as they pass over.
©Mary Lee Hahn, 2016
Mary Lee,
ReplyDeleteYou are a dangerous friend. No one can drag me into considering crazy writing challenges like you do --- and you really just put them out there. This one looks fun. Do I dare during this crazy busy month of deadlines? Do I dare when Slice of Life is only a month away? Hmmm...
Thanks for sharing mysteries --- and reminding me I must be present to win.
Cathy
Mary Lee, the use of repetition provides an entry into each new thought - image that stands out: They make us take our glasses off and look so close/we dust our noses with them.
ReplyDeleteSouth America -- yes! We have some moth eggs on a picture window so your poem is much appreciated. Now I will have to look closer at our eggs. :)
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love this poem. It's simply vital that we dust our noses with mysteries like this.
ReplyDelete"The mysteries of the world are myriad" and that's what keeps us writing! Love this, Mary Lee.
ReplyDeleteI never would've had an inkling of moth eggs! Also, I'm deeply amused by balls of butter and South America joining forces in the same stanza, and having those two images in my head puts me completely in the right frame of mind to read on about mysteries.... and be receptive to how you repeat your questions, but in a myriad of ways. Lovely.
ReplyDeleteMoth eggs? Who knew...well apparently you, Mary Lee on some level. "Each might contain a new life,". I love the idea that we have to show up for the words to arrive - something I think Keri alluded to a few weeks ago.
ReplyDeleteLOVE this, Mary Lee. Your last line gave me chills. Literally.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the reminder to notice and ponder the unknown. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteYes, there is something to be said about writing daily. I love the repeating 'mysteries of the world."
ReplyDeleteLove this, Mary Lee. Favorite lines:
ReplyDeleteThey make us take our glasses off and look so close
we dust our noses with them.
I do enjoy these challenges - not because I write poetry, but because people like you do...and it's always such a delightful surprise, like this line:
ReplyDeleteThe mysteries of the world hold hidden ripeness.
Who knows what will spring forth from that hidden ripeness? It's the mysteries unfolding that keeps us on our toes. I liked this, too: "I know that for every day I don't write, those poems are lost forever."
ReplyDeleteI love the invitation to consider the mysteries--and the invitation to write a poem daily. I may have to check this out and join in.
ReplyDeleteYour words grab my heart and twist hard. I've learned that if I don't go out and walk in the early morning I will never meet the deer and hear the owls ("Must Be Present to Win"), I know that for every day I don't write, those poems are lost forever." When you said you were writing this month, I thought about it, and even copied the picture of the vegetables, but then I just didn't get it done. And now I want to. Thanks for being the friend who encourages me to write and live better!
ReplyDeleteI don't know if I could pick a favorite poem from this week. I loved the sensory images in the crunchy vegetables. And that gorgeous picture. And I loved the playfulness of the oscillating fan. I didn't have any idea what this picture was. It looked to me like Kix cereal, when my boys are horsing around and eat out all of the colors except one.
Thank you for sharing your fav found- object poem from this past week. No wonder you feel good about it! Myriads of wisdom about mysteries!... One mystery that always piqued my attention relates to plate tectonics (not to be confused with any "a capella" groups of similar-sounding names) Thus, the little round butter balls looked like Africa or South America to me (I wasn't sure which), and imagine my gleeful surprise when you identified So. America in your poem. I felt like a kid who couldn't believe (s)he got the right answer--the TEACHER'S ANSWER!--almost. Thanks and God bless you!
ReplyDeleteYou are indeed industrious! And mysterious! I would never have guess moth eggs. Lovely job. My favorite image is taking off the glasses, looking so close, "we dust our noses with them."
ReplyDeleteGreat poem. I like how in it you keep the door open for the photo to be almost anything. Before you revealed what they were, my thought was some beading on fabric (but there was that strange reflection below...).
ReplyDeleteHi there Mary Lee. The last three lines made me really sit up and take notice:
ReplyDeleteThe mysteries of the world cast shadows.
Hovering above, they block the sun
and send a chill through us as they pass over.
Lovely photo of the moth eggs too.