posted by Ruth at 8/01/2006 04:01:00 PM
The assignment, briefly, was to imagine that someone was speaking to you from beyond the grave in the first piece, and then to respond to that person in the second piece, in whatever form we chose.
Forget
Why do you cry
for me
a spirit gone
from earth?
No more in
chains,
I rise
to freedom.
Go out from here
no more
to walk in shadows.
Forget.
No longer
remember with
eyes closed tight
to squelch
the tears.
Stop,
hold
close
what is now.
Awake to today!
Lucille,
Don’t ask me to forget
for there is still time yet
to remember.
I did not live your life,
was not mother, was not wife.
I’ve only heard
The tales your children tell
and it would not bode well
to think they lie.
But still I cry in sympathy
and feel for you in empathy
and cannot bear
The knowing of how you lived
or how you ever could forgive
such injustice.
Do not ask me not to cry
or ask me not to wonder why
life must go on
In constant repetition
repeating its only known rendition
of sadness sans joy.
Look down from where your spirit roams
to those you’ve left here all alone
and cry for us.
Don't ask us to forget
for there is still time yet
to remember.
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Ruth,
Peter,
PeggySueO,
Fred MacKenzie,
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Workshop Exercise
4 Comments:
Today I went to a new poetry group in Crystal River, FL. Part of the program was the exercise I just posted here. It was "an approach to the persona poem and the dramatic monologue". We had ten minutes to complete each section. Again, (as some of you have read on another blog) I chose to write about Lucille, my husband's mother who recently passed. So tell me what you think of these quickly produced pieces. All comments welcome.
By
Ruth, at 8/01/2006 04:23:00 PM
I think they're excellent!!!!
And excellent advice... don't ask me to forget, as there is still time to remember.
Indeed -- I've only lost 3 people close to my heart -- they all left in a big bang 20 years ago, but still I find myself in awe about how those three continue to influence my life.
By
Peter, at 8/02/2006 12:56:00 PM
I think for 10 minutes of forced writing, they are very good. I can't imagine someone saying to just come up with 2 poems and do it in the next 10 minutes!!!
By
PeggySueO, at 8/02/2006 09:36:00 PM
I agree with Peter and Peggy. They are excellent and I don't know how you can do that in ten minutes. Maybe, if you already had these running through your head. But otherwise too much pressure.
By
Fred MacKenzie, at 8/04/2006 02:07:00 PM
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