This Week's Assignment.

So we're not taking walks. Poets are too pretty for walks. I take a lot of walks, but I can't remember to bring paper. Whatever, Bernadette Mayer.

Let's do something different.

This week's assignment is to write a thesaurus poem. Find a poem (or other piece of writing) written by someone else (or by yourself, if you'd like). Use a thesaurus to change all the words...

You might change words to their synonyms for interesting effects, or change them to their antonyms. When I got divorced, I wrote a poem like this using the marriage ceremony the minister had written for us...I changed crucial words to antonyms and called it "The Divorce Papers," and it rocked. Maybe I'll find it and post it for an example...

This Week's Assignment: Take a Walk

This week, we will do an experiment based on one of Bernadette Mayer's. Go outside, and take a walk. If you live in a city with blocks, walk 14 blocks, and write down a line for every block. If you are not in a city, establish an increment for yourself, and write down your lines accordingly.

Week 5: Mix and Match

Pick a topic from List 1.
Pick a form from List 2 (don't worry, they're linked to explanations!).
Stretch your muscles a little this week and get out of your poetic comfort zone.

And, if you're really daring -- roll two dice and commit yourself to writing what comes up.

List One: Topics

1. Nature
2. Love
3. Death
4. Shapes
5. Religion
6. Science

List Two: Poetic Forms

1. Pleiades
2. Cinquain
3. Sonnet (Your choice of Shakespearian or Petrarchan!)
4. Burmese Climbing Rhyme or Haiku
5. Prose Poem
6. Anaphora

Fine.

From one, still point, there are infinite directions.
Ascent, descent. Right, left. Whatever
decision, whatever direction,
it could go either way.
"Do you trust me?" asked the mad man.
"No?" said the girl.
Let's sleep on it, and in the morning,
after church, but before the party,
we'll make the decision at last.
There was a sing-song quality
to the voice, and laying out the bits of paper,
the lace and beads and glue,
she knew that no matter what was next,
she would be fine.

A Simple Shift

Footprints of a life on my chest, suffocating me.
heavy souled boots.

I lie on the floor looking down at my body
and up at you. Immobilized just for now.

Forty years. Forty steps.
and I still love.

I roll over, use the strength
of my arms, and raise myself.

I am one and always one.
I am still beauty, still.

In nothing but a simple shift,
I stand before myself. and begin.

I walk with the conviction
of someone freshly robbed
and lightly beaten. Like someone
testing each piece of driftwood on the beach
for  before going forward. I walk
not needing or wanting to look back.

I am new and always new.

I am.

not the footprints of a life.

The First Step

She was strange, with her strangeness
pulled out before them,
crumpled tissues in her bag
and spilling on the floor.
Nobody gave permission, but it seemed
unfriendly, and all the words had Latin roots.
Stubbornly, without consequence,
the elephant on the staircase
made his move. There was an orange syringe,
and God heard a strange voice.
We might have thought of that before
the bodies that lie down.

Staggering through Unfamiliar Territory

One foot in front of the other.
Steady, girl -
Watch out for the hazards.
It'd be easier, I know,
if they were always the same.

But the rocks and roots and holes
That can trip you up
Are as varied and numerous as the
Routes in and out
of this desert wilderness.

The map isn't clear.
No way to tell if
today this step
will be okay.
Or will be the thing that causes you to stumble

Down the rabbit hole again.

So it's okay to go slow.
To take your time.
To be terrified of
landscapes that aren't yet familiar.

It's okay to trip.
Okay to fall.
But you can't stay on the ground.

Because, kid -
You'll never get out of here
if you don't put

One foot in front of the other.

Week 4: Steps

This week's theme is: Steps. Now go write some poetry!

You

In order to get to you, individually,
I must talk in the first person.
I have to get you to drop modesty.
I need to tell you goodnight.
America supports you.
Have you recently been called a geek?
We are making sure you have access.
You are not a gadget.
Are you ready?
Grace to you.
It's all about you.
If you think it can't affect you, your family,
and your friends, your are sadly mistaken.
You're all I think about.
Thank you for smoking.
What would you do?
Fuck you, penguin.
I will teach you to be rich.
You look nice today.
Do you feel it?
Can you run it?
Did you know?
Stop, you're killing me!
You're going to love it.
This will destroy you.
Thank you.

Husband.

A husband is a male participant in a marriage.
A married man.
There is no one-size-fits-all formula
for being a wonderful husband.
I've been surprised by the number of times
people will search "annoying husband"
or "My husband is annoying."
Whether you are a husband looking for advice
or a woman looking for the perfect husband,
this is the place to be.
Tell your husband you are leaving for a couple of days,
and then wait, listen, and watch.
You married your husband for a reason
and committed to spending your life with him.
You have a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach.
Something is not right,
but you can't figure it out.
The position of the husband in the home
and his responsibilities to his family
are quite clearly defined.
Encourage your husband to reduce expenses
and save money.
Place a long-recording digital tape recorder
under your husband's car seat.
A couple goes into an art gallery.
They find a picture of a naked woman
with her privates covered only with leaves.
Monitor your husband's cell phone.
Press as many buttons in his call log to notice
any strange numbers.
There are 7 signs your husband is cheating.
Be prepared.
This year, I realized more than ever
what had been missing.
It was you. It always was.
It always will be.

Week 3: Google.

Your assignment this week is to write a Google poem. Pick a person, place, thing, or idea, and Google it. Create a poem based on what you find.

His Banner Over Me

You are the Potter and I am the Clay
Have your way with me

Short shallow breathes
Sobbing swollen eyes
Long labored inhales

An aching heart
A battered ego
Such murky waters

Forgiveness out of nowhere
Telling them all to leave by name
Freedom and Light

My deliverance

Having been molded by the Potter
I am a new shape
My path forever changed

I am my Beloveds and He is mine. His Banner over me His love.

Altared

We were married in a pool of winter sunlight.
Warm and unexpected,
a gift in a dark season.

Too young to know we should have gathered the sunbeams,
we broke the glass instead of filling it with gold.
We carried the darkness with us
over the threshold

and into ourselves.

Here I Am.

My boy, your mother laughed into herself
when she heard you would be coming.
What would I tell her now?
As I look into your eyes,
I think of how I've loved you.
I wonder if this look will be the last,
or if he'll let you off my hook.
There's no one else I love enough
but you - but without him, you're not.
I'm not. We're nothing.
I do not understand, and yet,
this morning I submit.
I packed you like my donkey,
and here, unbasketed, unfurled,
I stretch you out upon this altar
and make a gift of my whole world.

Week 2: Altars.

This week's theme is "altars."

Create a monument to commemorate your deliverance, your blessings, your curses, divine provision or improvisation, your bests, your worsts, your important times and places and people and ideas.

Halves.

If we cut the earthworm
in two pieces,
we might get two whole worms.
We might get one live worm
after the head grows back,
but the stress of being chopped in two
may kill both halves.

*

A slice of watermelon
has long been a summer staple,
but recent studies have suggested
that the juicy fruit
may stimulate libido.
You and your loved one can cut
into a cool slice and share
its amazing side effects.

*

Do not try to frighten, catch, or track
a snake.
If you find a snake,
back away from it.
Do not try to touch it,
even if it appears to be harmless
or dead.
Even the severed heads
of dead snakes
can deliver venom
through their fangs.

*

If half of you is me,
and half of me is you,
what happens to you
happens to me, too.

Sprouting 2 very small poetry wings

This is a stretch for me
everyone soon shall see

I am a little shy
about this poeTRY

I am so ashamed
I'm not even using my real name

This could be a disaster
or something I can truly master

Thinking this way is so new
thank you dear joy

Ten years...

Ten years, four hours, and fifteen minutes ago you ended one life and changed the course of another.

Five years ago, I married your best friend.

Four days ago, I realised that I am the age you were when you stole yourself away from me.

Today, I am glad you came, and that you left.

Numbers.

I counted back from 60,
thinking that if you would not kiss me
by the time I finished counting,
I'd turn out all the lights.
I made it all the way to 2,
and then, you pushed yourself against me.
I closed my eyes,
and felt my vision fading,
black to blue.

Week 1: Numbers.

The theme for the first week is numbers. I'll be interested in seeing how that floats your boat.