Wednesday, August 29, 2007

An Open Window Prompt

[inspired by a prompt at Poetry Thursday]

The Muse's Casement


I spend most days in mundane prose,

deciding on the simplest wording,

stripping text of its nuances, its overtones,

its metaphors.


But every now and then I stop by

an open window to the world of poets

where I drink in the sounds of voices

stringing songs for me to sample.


I smell this one, taste that one,

reach out to touch another

to determine if it feels soft or prickly.

Some catch me up in a dance,

others I set aside for later.

I delight in the varied textures

of voices from around the world.


The refreshed poet in me

returns to the back of my mind,

working patiently, silently,

eventually gifting me with

words spun into gold,

floating toward an open window.

14 comments:

Constance Brewer said...

This is wonderful! I love the handling, and the little turns of phrase that so evoke the spirit of 'poetry'. :)

carole said...

I loved it too - the refreshment to be savoured through poetry!

sister AE said...

Thank you Constance and Carole. I'm glad you like it.

Deb said...

Lovely tribute to writing and poetry. Golden.

sister AE said...

Thanks, ...deb.

Crafty Green Poet said...

That certainly is true, poetry refreshment

gautami tripathy said...

I connect so very well with this!

sister AE said...

Hello, Juliet and Gautami. Thanks.

Clare said...

Hi Sister AE! As I read your poem, its words create a wonderful light and a soft, fragrant breeze -- I can see out the window you opened and look at all the wonders. And I love the line "to determine if it feels soft or prickly" and also "I drink in the sounds of voices/ stringing songs for me to sample". Beautiful poem!
:)

sister AE said...

Thanks, Clare. I liked writing it.

Maria said...

I love to read poetry out loud. I sometimes think that it is the only way to properly dive into it.

I used to find Dickinson to be boring and then I read her stuff out loud and was absolutely floored.

I read Shel Silverstein out loud to my daughter and she loves it too....

sister AE said...

Some of my own poems have to pass a sound test. The words aren't right if they are too hard to string together one after the other.

And I'm not sure how other poets go about placing line breaks, but for me, they function as a tiny pause, like a small comma.

But I haven't yet found the courage to read my poems to anyone outside my family.

Jo said...

This reads fantastically! And I so get the sentiment too (though my poetry is nowhere near this level). I am so glad you find the courage to post them here......they should be shouted out loud!

sister AE said...

Thanks, Jo. I only put up the works I am proud of - and those that I don't hold to be too personal. You should see the mess I have in my "not for sharing" files! But the more I write, the more good pieces I find I have created.