
Our poetry prompt today came from Dave. He asked us to create a Blackout poem. I chose the lyrics to Black Orchid by Stevie Wonder to create my new poem.
Today, Anna challenged us to find a poet born the same month as our birth month. I veered away from a poet and chose Leonardo DiCaprio because we were both born on November 11th. I chose an 11-word quote of his and used it for my striking line of my Golden Shovel poem.
DiCaprio’s quote: “I need somebody to bring me back to who I am.”
Brittany challenged me today to write a poem with some reference to science. Serendipity would have it that I’d listen to a poetry podcast and hear the words of the intro and knew that’s where my poem would be found. I loved Major Jackson’s introduction and used it to write a blackout poem.
Here is what he said and below it is my poem:
“As we stroll slowly beneath the earth’s giants, amidst fungi, moss, lichen, and ferns, we are being workshopped in dappled light. What’s restorative isn’t merely the smells and sounds of woodlands, chirping birds and glimpses of wildlife. We are forced to confront the illusions of modern life. We are awash with a simplicity that takes us to idylls of clarity, that encourages introspection.”
Today, Denise prompted us to explore death in a poem. I read Nikki Giovanni’s poem, Rosa Parks, to inspire my Golden Shovel poem. The strike line I chose was when Emmett Till’s mom said, “I want the world to see what they did to my boy.”
When my mom passed in 2010, she orchestrated her transition by protecting my sister, my stepdad, my daughter, and me from the final phases of her passing. She saved that special moment for the hospice nurse and my son.