Poetry workshop at Kelly Writers' House
In a "Mad Poets Society" brochure I picked up during the summer, I found an announcement for a free poetry workshop at Penn's Kelly Writers' House, taught by Leonard Gontarek. (Click on his name for more information and some of his poetry.)What an opportunity to have some writing companionship and feedback! How could I pass up the chance! And to have this for free was a special privilege, given that I have been strapped for funds.
I've thought I'd like to return to writing more poetry, and the workshop definitely helps me to do this.
Not only do the assignments generate creativity but I already have received some great feedback and encouragement from Leonard and the group for my writing. Last week's assignment was to write a poem with seven numbered stanzas, from an animal's point of view.
Here's my response to that assignment (with thanks to Leonard for the suggestions that I used in this revision):
From the covert
1.
Interviewed live on TV
News, I soon found fame
boring.
2.
Rumor (fueled, no doubt,
by Aesop, Fox
News, and other
media outlets) has it
that I am a serial killer
of chickens,
and can’t be trusted
with your spouse.
3.
The grapes were, in fact,
sour. Witnesses
later confirmed.
4.
The wine, however,
was worth the wait, a tart,
foxy vintage.
5.
Guard duty at the henhouse today. News flash—
not our dream job—unless you find
Days of Our Lives thought
provoking.
6.
Our name grew
Out of our tails, or so
etymologists will say. “The bushy tail is also the source
of words for ‘fox’ in Welsh,” but they miss the misprint.
It was all about the tales, meaning
the stories,
some we told, some they told about us,
the latter gaining ground—
7.
Which is why I lay low, throw you off
my scent, surprise you with disguises.
beguile you. That
and also to avoid the news-
hounds.
***
I must admit I didn't feel confident about this poem when I brought it to the workshop. Trying to get inside of an animal's perspective was a challenge--and the seven numbered stanzas... would they be too arbitrary? What would be my rationale for the numbers and the sections? Finally, after much use of the delete key and many times answering "no" when prompted to save a file, I decided I didn't need to write a perfect poem. That had not been part of the assignment. And being a perfectionist was holding me back, so I decided to let the poem fly.
Foxes: I see them while out running and they intrigue me. They don't let me see them often. There is a sad history of fox hunting, and people, understandably, are not the most welcome sights for them. So when I see a fox, I am honored. They won't reveal their locations easily. They are secretive. They've had bad press. On occasion, I'll mention that I saw a fox and will be asked, "Weren't you afraid?" or "Aren't they dangerous?" This is because people believe the fairy tales and myths, but don't really try to find out about the animals themselves. Sad to say, I'm afraid the same thinking goes on in regard to the coming presidential election. But I'm not a political blogger, and I'll leave that discussion to those who are. As a poet, I had the responsibility this past week of giving an animal a voice, and I'm grateful to my vulpine friends for sharing their thoughts with me and giving me the chance to share them with readers.
posted by DPMcManus @ 12:13 PM
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