Writing 201: From A Journey Through Fog…
“The only journey is the one within.” Rainer Maria Rilke
Writing 201: From A Journey Through Fog… A One Way St w/ Azaleas shrub
A dog down a one way street
In search of pink poodles in heat
His eyes grew quite round
when, guess what he found?
Pink shrubbery with cats sending tweets!
Assignment 2: Your prompt: journey
Form: limerick (first two lines rhyme, then the next two, and the final verse rhymes with the first couplet)
Device: alliteration
Today’s word prompt is journey. Write a poem about anything that word evokes for you, from the excitement of a trip you’re about to embark on, the mental progress you witnessed someone make, or the struggles, pleasures, and extreme emotions that travel can bring about WP Daily Post: Writing 201
I’m wrapping up the week of Writing 201: Poetry by completing the remaining assignments in this post. It’s been quite the exhilarating journey and nothing gives me more joy than to exercise my brain creating some poetry. I decided to make the first one funny because I grew up reading pretty hilarious limericks with a bit of a silly edge to them. So the journey in this piece is playful and funny with unique surprises along the path. It is like life in that, if we stay flexible on the journey, we’ll see plenty to laugh about.
“Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.” William Shakespeare
Writing 201:From A Journey Through Fog… A Cardinal’s trust
Take your time with Cardinals
Respect their skittish ways
Unless you give this red bird … some space
Suffice to say, you’ll always lose
To gain its trust for your photo shoots.
Assignment 3: Your prompt: Trust
Form: acrostic (An acrostic is any poem in which the first (or last) letters of each line combine to spell out a word or a phrase, or follow the order of the alphabet.)
Device: internal rhyme
Today’s word is trust: write a poem in which you address, reflect on, or tell a story about the feeling of trusting or being trusted by another (person, animal, object, potted plant…). Or about distrusting them (or not being trusted yourself). WP Daily Post: Writing 201
If you read my post on the rule of thirds, you’d know that I have birds wintering in my yard. They gather daily to be fed and because I always put food out for them, they’ve become comfortable with hanging around the balcony. I’ve tried to take pictures of the Cardinals and, because of their bright red plumes, they are skittish and constantly on the lookout because they are easy prey to bigger birds and cats. It has taken a while to gain some of their trust and so this poem touches on that point. This is true about building any kind of trust anyway; it takes time, a willingness to help, and a caring relationship of mutual respect.
More Below!
“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.” Anatole France
Writing 201:From A Journey Through Fog… A plastic garden rat
Plastic rats…
__________________
running amok in gardens…
____________________________
they run up the stairs to taunt us…
_______________________________________
We sometimes wish for real ones to appear…
_______________________________________________
And put them on cheap buses leaving for who-cares…
____________________________________________________
Who plants plastic rats in a beautiful, fertile garden…?
__________________________________________________________
Assignment 4: Your prompt: Animal
Form: Concrete poetry(Any poem that’s typographically arranged to represent a specific shape (recognizable or not) is a concrete, or “shape” poem)
Device: Enjambment (focus on the arrangement of words on the page; when a grammatical sentence stretches from one line of verse to the next)
Today’s word is Animal: Polar bears, microbes in your cells, unicorns, your pet hamster, lolcats: find a way to include an animal, today’s word prompt, in your poem. Or write about a situation that can bring out the animal in you (or someone else). Or dig deeper into the word’s etymology (anima = latin for breath). One way or another, give us a beast of a poem.WP Daily Post: Writing 201
This poem was a bit more challenging because I kept forgetting the enjambment and had to go back and change a few words around. What i love about poetry is that, like Tweets and Haiku, you have to train your mind to say less and mean more. When you look at this piece on the “Animal ” in the garden, it is really a look at the world we inhabit and how we fall for things that are not real; like the plastic grin on that rat’s face… hm mm
“Derive happiness in oneself from a good day’s work, from illuminating the fog that surrounds us.” Henri Matisse
Writing 201:From A Journey Through Fog… Reflections on a Foggy Day
On wintry days, we take long walks in the foggy park
On blustery days, our joyful hearts go elsewhere…
On beautiful days, find joy on walks in the now sunny park
On fretful days, drown your stress in the cold river….
Assignment 5: Your prompt: Fog
Form: Elegy ( each couplet usually makes sense on its own, while forming part of a larger work)
Device: Metaphor Metaphors are everywhere in poetry and in everyday speech-I’m drowning in work
Today’s word prompt, FOG, can be taken in so many different directions: condensation on your car’s window. An eerie landscape (or streetscape) at dawn. Your glasses as you enter a warm room from the cold outside. The mental state of confusion, forgetfulness, or dementia. How will you introduce fog into your poem today? WP Daily Post: Writing 201
There’s something about fog that I find comforting. I’ve taken a ton of photos in the fog and I return to them again and again to learn what is asking to be seen and heard. For this piece, we had to employ elegy and metaphor. I wanted to tie the fog into the journey that started this assignment and so the walks are a way to demystify things that confuse us and pursue those that comfort us. I haven’t finished this piece as I have more to add to it. For now, lets lift the fog around us and enjoy the coming of spring. We should ask for nothing less.
Have a great week ahead!
This post was inspired by WP Writing 201: Poetry There will be ten assignments published daily between February 16-27 (weekends are off). Each assignment includes three optional elements: a word prompt, a poetic form, and a poetic device. Join In! It started on Monday, Feb 16th
Positive Motivation Tip: Wherever the journey started, there will be moments of fun and fog. Push through them and stay focused.
PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS: All Photos via my Personal Collection; except The plastic rat via Wikipedia
Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet
Gah! The plastic rat “planted” in the garden is hilarious!
Glad you liked it… Whispering… I like it too. Hahaha! 😆
Great post – you did well!
You are so sweet. thank you!
Wow you have been busy, very sweet poems!
Thank you Gilly! Just trying to get things moving…. 🙂
This post is very inspirational Eliz! Beautiful words, I hope you have an awesome week!
I think these deserves an applause, your attempt at poetry is a great start! And was stuck with how you’ve gained the trust of these birds. Trust it is! Kudos Elizabeth!
Awww… the red bird is so pretty! And i see that you talk about trust, and I feel that it needs to be earned, even in cases between human and animals…
P.S. I got a shock when I saw the fierce rat! Luckily it’s only a plastic one.
The plastic garden rat looks scary. I always enjoy reading your poem and find some insight in between the line. Good job.
I love it when I am standing at my kitchen sink doing dishes & look out the window and see a cardinal in the tree outside. They are gorgeous.
They are truly beautiful! 🙂
I loved reading all your poems. My favorite was definitely the one about fog. You used such beautiful imagery.
Thank you Pam! I appreciate the feedback. 🙂
Your poems are very nice! Plus, the pictures are just absolutely gorgeous! Thanks for sharing such an awesome post!
Thank you Cassie. It’s a work in progress. 🙂
Beautiful writing and gorgeous photos! Thank you so much for sharing with us!
What an interesting decoration, lol! There is something absolutely terrifying about that rat. lol!
Haha! That’s why I found it inspiring. 😉
Writing about journey can be pretty easy but sometimes you can think of it as reflecting through life as well. Trust is also a topic that can be challenging to write on. This speaks more about experiences and close relationships with other people.
True… All of the prompts are pretty easy topics to write about. However, when you add the forms and devices, they become something more technical to do. Poets, like writers, have their preferred genre. I love haiku and limericks and find them quite easy to write. Other forms take more effort and that is why I’m enjoying the workshop. It forces me to step out of the familiar and try new forms. 🙂
I like your limerick. Cats sending tweets, lol.
Thank you! Finally, someone picked up the humor in that one. lol! 🙂
Cats sending tweets? Uh oh! Writing different types of poems sounds like a great mental exercise.
Haha! Yep. It is! 😆
I have a BA in English with a concentration in 19th century poetry. I am not much of a writer, but I love, love, love to see how a poem is constructed and the thought process behind creative writing in general. Those prompts are great!
Sharpen your pen and go to it. I bet you’ll create wonderful poetry.
Love your writing style and creativity! Thanks so much for sharing your poetry!
Thank you for your kind words.
Hmm, fog… I shall try..
My eyes have been blinded by a thin veil
Harsh winds pricks my will
This sentence that has been laid upon me
I know I must prevail
But in this darkness, there is a light
So white so pure so bright
Gently caresses me inside
I know I’ll be alright
Just like a white fog cast upon the woods
Beautiful! But alas! An endless choking arrest
Only one walks out of it
Can faith and courage attest
🙂
Brilliant! Bravo! 🙂
It’s the first time I’ve ever heard of the term Enjampment. It sounds complicated, and when I read the description, it really is. nonetheless, I like how the other prompts are easy to follow when writing poetry.
Enjambment is when a line of poetry continues into the second sentence. For example:
I went searching for truth…
and found myself along the way.
It was a surprise
to realize,
the answers were inside me.
I am a bird lover myself, for me birds are the embodiment of free spirit, they are such sweet innocent creatures that I also feed on my balcony every day. I love Cardinals for their awesome red color and feel inspired to write a poem about them as well.
My hometown is about 5,000 feet above sea level and we always get fog on rainy season and also on cold months. I like how serene it looks when it’s foggy.
This was an awesome post! I wish I could write as well as you!
I love poetry!
Wow I’m so glad I came here and read the poetry. Been a while since I got to read nice poems. Keep up the good work!
you really are a poet. Simply love your writing style. Love your poem about the red cardinal. Simple yet the message is clearly established.
Beautiful pictures. Loving the way you have taken pictures. I really like your poetry
How difficult it must be to write an acrostic poem. So hard to choose the proper words to fit in there. Love the cardinal photo. So up close! – Fred
i’m not really into poetry but i like the one you did for the prompt of trust. i’ve never ever heard of enjambment before. but it’s like the first and second line should technically be 1 complete sentence? then should the 3rd and 4th line follow this rule as well?
Your writing and poetry passion is on full display at this post. Great job Eliz!
Thank you!
Love it! I’m no poet, wish I was but my brain just doesn’t work that way. Really enjoyed this post!
Such beautiful words! I also love the pictures that you have used, especially that plastic rat (too funny!). 🙂
These are beautiful words and images. It reminds me of spring and starting again.
Wow you are an amazing writer! It was really wonderful to read these prompts. Thanks! Tiffany cutcliff
Thank so much! Will return the visit soon
Those are gorgeous pictures to go along with lovely words. You are quite the talented writer,Elizabeth.
Thank you! I have my off days, like everyone else. 😉
You have such a way with words, I love the photos in the post. Especially the one with the rat in the garden, that had me laughing so much.
It had me laughing too. It is so scary in a silly way. Haha! 😎
great composition…you did a great job!
Thank you so much!
That plastic rat would def. give me a fright if I didn’t know it was there. I have an unhealthy fear, lol. I like that you enjoy creating poetry, it suits you well writing it too. 🙂
Thank you! The day I saw that picture. It caught my attention in many ways. Rats! Haha 🙂
I love Cardinals, they are one of my favorite birds. I always wonder why the males are the pretty bright ones and the females are dull. For a moment I thought that rat was real. lol
One of my kids read up on it and found that the males need to preen themselves, and be bright and dashing, so they can find a mate… Interesting there! 🙂
What a beautiful poem! Just absolutely loved it 🙂
You did amazing on the poetry! Love the cardinal picture
Thank you Lisa!
That cardinal photo is a beauty. I’d love to see one of these in real life. I’ve only seen them in photos.
They are very attractive and skittish. But over time, they started to get used to me and a relaxing a bit.
I love the first two photos, very beautiful! I wish I were better at writing poems, you did great.
I really like how you write poems. This is inspirational as well. You’re really creative with your words.
Those are some beautiful pictures to go along with those amazing poems.
Awe – I love the acrostic ‘TRUST’ about the cardinal. It’s so true too! Fun writing prompts all around the board.
those captures are truly wonderful and fit for the message of it – I love it.
Loved the poetry and the pictures! Beautiful as always!
Love this poem! I need to do more creative writing. You’ve inspired me :).
Although I don’t find fog comforting, it does invoke many emotions in me. Mostly melancholy, though.
I used to write poems daily in high school and just stopped. This seems like a lot of fun to do and writing prompts are so helpful.
These are some great photos and very interesting post. I appreciate you sharing. Thanks.
Loved all the poems! I especially liked the one on the plastic rat! That was hilarious!
You have some great talent hun. beautiful poems loved all of them. I have bookmarked for letter
Thank you again for your kind words Myrabev! 🙂
Love the red bird in the picture. Can’t help but notice it 🙂 I love your poems as well. Thanks for sharing.