Welcome to Poetry Play Thursday!

Today’s poetry prompt is a photo. I hope it will inspire you to write. If it does, I hope you’ll share you poem, or a link to it, here in our comments. We’d love to read what you’ve written! Have fun!

Train Tracks by Peter Griffin

Imitation:  Does it kill originality?

Some people believe that trying to imitate a favorite poet’s work will stifle originality in your own work.  I believe this can certainly happen, but can it also do just the opposite by helping us discover what we truly enjoy about reading and writing poetry  Could those discoveries [...]]]>

Imitation:  Does it kill originality?

Some people believe that trying to imitate a favorite poet’s work will stifle originality in your own work.  I believe this can certainly happen, but can it also do just the opposite by helping us discover what we truly enjoy about reading and writing poetry  Could those discoveries then help us hone in on what and how we should be writing?

Try this:

1. Read a poem or two by one of your favorite poets.
2. How did the poem(s) make you feel?
3. Write down what you really enjoy about those poems:  sound, imagery, length, language choice…
4. Write down why you liked what you chose in Step 3.
5. Write a poem using the same techniques you enjoyed about your favorite poet’s poem.
6. Can you spot the similarities and differences between your poem and the poem that inspired it?

Here are a few much loved poems to help inspire you:

HALCYON DAYS

Not from successful love alone,
Nor wealth, nor honored middle age, nor vic-
tories of politics or war.
But as life wanes, and all the turbulent passions
calm,
As gorgeous, vapory, silent hues cover the even-
ing sky,
As softness, fulness, rest, suffuse the spirit and
frame like freshier, balmier air;
As the days take on a mellower light, and the
apple at last hangs really finished and in-
dolent ripe on the tree,
Then for the teeming quietest, happiest days of
all!
The brooding and blissful halcyon days!

- Walt Whitman

*

THE PLAID DRESS

Strong sun, that bleach
The curtains of my room, can you not render
Colourless this dress I wear?—
This violent plaid
Of purple angers and red shames; the yellow stripe
Of thin but valid treacheries; the flashy green of kind deeds done
Through indolence high judgments given here in haste;
The recurring checker of the serious breach of taste?

No more uncoloured than unmade,
I fear, can be this garment that I may not doff;
Confession does not strip it off,
To send me homeward eased and bare;

All through the formal, unoffending evening, under the clean
Bright hair,
Lining the subtle gown. . .it is not seen,
But it is there.

- Edna St. Vincent Millay

I hope you’ll give this a try and share your results here in our Comments or leave us a link to where you’ve posted your poem.  I’d love to read what you’ve written!

Today’s prompt was inspired by Sage Cohen and her book Writing The Life Poetic.

Hello, all!  It seems like forever since I last posted.  I was on hiatus while recovering from an illness but am feeling better and look forward to hanging out with you all again!

I’ll bring you a new prompt next week for Poetry Play Thursday so I hope you’ll stop back and participate.  I love [...]]]>

Hello, all!  It seems like forever since I last posted.  I was on hiatus while recovering from an illness but am feeling better and look forward to hanging out with you all again!

I’ll bring you a new prompt next week for Poetry Play Thursday so I hope you’ll stop back and participate.  I love reading your poems and discovering how the prompt inspired you!

Some of you may know that I’m addicted to changing the theme of my personal blog every month or so (sometimes more often than that!) and you’ll be happy to know that I’ve finally found one with enough options to keep me happy for some time to come!   For those of you who use WordPress, I’m using the free Suffusion template downloadable right from your Dashboard.  It’s awesome!  I’m in the process of updating my blog now and hope to complete it soon!

That’s it for now.  I hope you have a fantastic weekend!

~ Pamela

Hi everybody,

I have no prompts today, but I wanted to let you know that next week, I’m interviewing a writer named Diamond Taylor. Be sure to come by for that. She’s going to be giving out some posters and bookmarks, too. That’s Tuesday the 10th! I hope you’ll visit and say hello. [...]]]>

Hi everybody,

I have no prompts today, but I wanted to let you know that next week, I’m interviewing a writer named Diamond Taylor. Be sure to come by for that. She’s going to be giving out some posters and bookmarks, too. That’s Tuesday the 10th! I hope you’ll visit and say hello.

I’m doing NaNo this year, so if any of you have joined up, feel free to add me to your buddy list, or just come by to check out info about the new NaNo book, Strange Familiar. I can’t believe it’s been an entire year since last NaNo!

Also, I’ve submitted four books to three different publishers, and when I hear back from them I’ll let you know. If you’d like to check out my other books, please visit my website for information, links, news, my blog, my Cassidy Hunter website, links to my Etsy shop, a link to my free (erotic) read, and more. I’d love to see you!

Jane E. Jones

I’m going back to the picture this week. Next week, I may do something different.

As always, based on the picture below, post your 400 word or less story in comments, or leave the link so we can come to you.

I’m looking forward to reading your work!:)

Jane E. Jones

Jane at Etsy

****

Hi everyone!

Because last week’s one word prompt was so fun, I’m going to do another word prompt for today’s TT. Instead of timing it, though, I just want you to be inspired to write something great no matter how long it takes you, or how many words it takes to do it.

Just write!

The word [...]]]>

Hi everyone!

Because last week’s one word prompt was so fun, I’m going to do another word prompt for today’s TT. Instead of timing it, though, I just want you to be inspired to write something great no matter how long it takes you, or how many words it takes to do it.

Just write!

The word is:

CHIMERA

I can’t wait to see what that inspires:)

Jane E. Jones

Jane on Etsy

I’m doing something a bit different for this week’s TT. I hope you all will give it a try! And as usual, write in comments or leave me a link to your site and I’ll come to you.

I’m going to write one word below.

Based on that one word, take one minute to [...]]]>

I’m doing something a bit different for this week’s TT. I hope you all will give it a try! And as usual, write in comments or leave me a link to your site and I’ll come to you.

I’m going to write one word below.

Based on that one word, take one minute to write anything that comes to mind. Don’t think about it, just write.

If you have a timer to buzz you when time is up, set it now.

The word is…

NIGHTMARE

Jane E. Jones

****

Hi everyone!

Time for another writing exercise

Please post a story or poem of four hundred words or less, based on the picture below. Post the story in comments or leave a link to your own site and I’ll come check it out.

Thanks, and have fun!

Jane E. Jones

****

Happy Fall, everyone!

I’m not sure how it’s possible, but once again it’s Tuesday!

Sooo…that means it’s time for Tuesday’s photo prompt. Just in case someone new decides to take it on, the rules follow:

In comments, post a story or poem of four hundred words or less, based on the photo below. If you’d rather post [...]]]>

Happy Fall, everyone!

I’m not sure how it’s possible, but once again it’s Tuesday!

Sooo…that means it’s time for Tuesday’s photo prompt. Just in case someone new decides to take it on, the rules follow:

In comments, post a story or poem of four hundred words or less, based on the photo below. If you’d rather post your entry on your own site, just leave me the link in comments and I’ll come to you.

I look forward to reading your stories!

Jane E. Jones

****

Welcome to Poetry Play Thursday!

Do you enjoy haiku and other short forms of poetry the way I do?  Does your heart beat a little faster when thinking about editing a poem down, cutting here and chopping there until every single word is absolutely essential? Like me, do you sometimes believe that bright, [...]]]>

Welcome to Poetry Play Thursday!

Do you enjoy haiku and other short forms of poetry the way I do?  Does your heart beat a little faster when thinking about editing a poem down, cutting here and chopping there until every single word is absolutely essential? Like me, do you sometimes believe that bright, shiny, and tiny poem could benefit from a complimentary photo or drawing? If so, the haiga might be for you.

Here’s an excellent definition of haiga written by Ray Rasmussen:

Haiga: A Definition

Traditional Japanese haiga involved brush art work coupled with a haiku poem done in brush calligraphy. Like the haiku poem, the focus of haiga is in simplicity of expression.

Digital art-haiku is one form of modern haiga. Other forms include photo-haiku [haiku attached to a photographic image] and all modern forms of art coupled with haiku. Of course, traditional haiga is still practiced.

Just as the haiku form often contains a juxtaposition between two of its lines and a third line, so does or can modern haiga contain a juxtaposition between the haiku itself and the digital art work.In short, the art work does not necessarily directly represent the images presented in the haiku.

If you would like to see examples of other forms of modern and traditional haiga, simply search the internet with the following key terms: haiga, japanese, haiku.

~ Ray Rasmussen

Today’s poetry prompt is to create a haiga using any topic you’d like.  (I’m feeling a bit ambitious for us but let’s give this a try, shall we?)  My hope is that you will post your haiga here in our comments, including the picture portion of the haiga so we can appreciate it in full.  HTML or XHTML codes will work for adding the picture.  If you need help getting code for your picture, let me know.  If you have a blog and would prefer to post your haiga there, please leave us a link so we can admire your work.

Here are a few examples of haiga:

by Michael Rehling

by Naia

Have fun!