Last summer I learned about the 2-Day Poem Contest. I wrote an Ars Poetica poem with last April’s words here. Then this month I actually signed up for this April’s 2-Day challenge. On Sunday morning I woke up remembering it was coming up. I realized I had 16/48 hours left to get started and finish, which actually worked better for me. I can’t imagine how many changes I would have made and undone over 48 hours!
I didn’t spend much time finding a story where all the words could live together somehow. Instead I did another Ars Poetica poem. The words for this year were bog, noctambulant, slink, peachy, broadside, spine, wax, mnemonic, cross, toast.
Ars Poetica
After Archibald MacLeish
A poem should be
Stirring me in small hours
For noctambulant awe,
A stroll to revive my heart,
Even a mnemonic to start
To help me remember
A poem should be
Mother Mary burned on toast
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
Heavenly, holy tidings
Hitting me broadside
Shivers to my spine
A poem should be
Absent plugs of wax
And corked up feelings, but
Lift my mind’s fog
As I cross the endless bog
Of misunderstandings
A poem should be
Peachy and creamy
And full of dreamy
Waves of sweetness
But not sappy or jejune
A little sour too for my soul
A poem should be
Not a still slink calf
Aborted too soon
Not silent and dull
But one born fully alive
Fragile yet ready to thrive
A poem should just be
Today is Poetry Friday and the roundup is happening at Jone Rush MacCulloch’s blog today. Head over there for lots of good things this morning.
Great job, Denise!! Love how you slipped in “jejune” – wonderful word I rarely see in poems. 🙂 I think this one was “born fully alive.”
Yes! A poem should just be. BUT… how fun to flex your poetry muscles and come up with a way to include “noctambulent”! Brava!
Bravo! Such a great poem…and you wrote this quickly? Wow! Kudos to you!
I love that ending, full of more layers when one really ponders it. And I learned a new word, noctambulant, that you so skillfully worked into the poem. Thanks, Denise
What a challenge!