Today I would like us to be inspired by the poem "Take This Poem" by Elizabeth Willis.
It starts out with the words:
"Take this spoon
from me, this cudgel,
this axe.
Take this bowl
this kettle, this
continental plate."
And it goes on. Take this. Take that. Until it ends.
Please read the poem at the link.
You might want to write in the style of this poem, going from one idea to another. You might be surprised where your words take you. The poem has a kind of rhythm and a particular shape. You may or may not want to work with them.
If you don't like the idea of listing one item after another, another option would be to think of one thing to focus on and write a multi-line poem about that. For example: Take this beautiful day.... Take my closet full of... Take this ocean..... etc.
As a bit of nostalgia, I will share a video of a song some of us who are old enough might remember. It is "Take This Job and Shove It" written by David Allen Coe and made popular by Johnny Paycheck. I hadn't listened to it for a while, until today, when I was preparing this prompt. It makes me smile!! (In my mind I can still hear it blaring out of my car radio.) If this inspires you in some way, use that inspiration. For example, you might want to write your own lyrics. Take This ______ and Shove It! That could be fun!
Please link one poem that is your response to the material of this prompt. When you link your poem, please visit other links, in the spirit of community. Please come back during the week to check for other linkersPrompts will be posted Wednesday at 11 A.M. Eastern Time, and will close Sunday night at 8 P.M. Eastern time.
Happy Wednesday, all. Hope you all enjoy this prompt (lots of different ways you can go with it), and hope that after you link your poem you will enjoy visiting the poems of others who post. Also remember to come back and visit the new poets who have linked. Our team looks forward to reading your poems.
ReplyDeleteHello everyone! Enjoy reading and sharing poems. Have a wonderful day!
ReplyDeleteSumana I enjoyed your bird poem....Cannot comment on your blog with your format. Rall
DeleteRall, try using the Chrome browser if you aren't using it. It works the best, it seems.
DeleteI responded in your comments, but not sure it made it through (I used Chrome)
DeleteLovely to be here! It is a beautiful September morning here on the wild west coast, so I decided to share it with you all in my poem. Smiles. Looking forward to reading all of your responses.
ReplyDeleteHello Friends,
ReplyDeleteMy poem was inspired by a recent look back at some travel photos.I hope it suits the spirit of this week's prompt subject. I immediately thought of my poem as a photograph of Chicago!
Autumn is arriving here in Cheshire...best wishes..
I enjoyed your look back, Eileen. Especially since you were looking back at a place I am familiar with as well.
DeleteHello everyone! I'm so glad I made it to the prompt this week, as I will be visiting my sister on the Isle of Wight next week and will be mostly offline. I look forward to reading your poems.
ReplyDeleteThanks for joining us, Kim! Enjoy the Isle of Wight.
DeleteHi to all! I just wanted to pop by and check things out! I love this prompt and hope to be back one of these times to participate.
ReplyDeleteLovely to see you, Carrie!
DeleteOh, Carrie, it would be wonderful if you would participate when you can.
DeleteSo lovely to see you Carrie!
DeleteRall. I still cannot leave a comment on your blog. How I feel for those two girls--assuming they're the same ones through the whole poem--adventurous and enthusiastic but with sacrifice. Sigh. I identify a little, wondering why I left the wonderful places I was in in my 20s.
ReplyDeleteLi/Lisa. I cannot comment at your site, but want you to know how much I like your poem, the unique things you pick as "the poisons we hoard," and the whole prayer to de-clutter. I chant a prayer now as every nook and cranny of my house needs to be "dealt with" for a move to an apartment. Ouch! Why did I hoard books, cloth, letters, art . . . . just got rid of three laptops and two boxes of tenure case history. I feel lighter. I'll NEVER be done.
ReplyDeleteSusan, I have down-sized during my last four moves, and am now in my smallest space with just what I am not ready to part with. Each downsizing feels great, a relief. Even so, I STILL have too much stuff and clutter and could down size again, though I do hope I dont have to move to do it. LOL.
DeleteSometimes if a person cannot comment on another person's blogs, one can try another browser. Even sometimes when I click on someone's link and go to their blog, it will not let me comment or want me to sign in. Often when that happens I COPY that person's poem's link and then open it up again in CHROME. Then I am able to comment. If this happens to you, I suggest taking the poem link and taking it to another browser. (I had to do that today with both Rall's and Lisa's.)
ReplyDeleteI don't understand why I'm blocked. I use Google, gmail, and blogger. I'm having no problem with most, but even here I have to put in my name separately--it doesn't take me in automatically nor remember my picture. In another blog, I have an account as Susantoo and have no trouble. I don't have another browser. Now JaeRose's site blocks me too. Such a wonderful poem!! I am so rejected I'm dejected. Why would my own blog system forget me?
DeleteBy google, I mean chrome.
DeleteI am finding this especially annoying just lately. After YEARS of visiting the same blogs, at so many of them, it acts like it is the first time and I have to go through so much rigamarole. No idea why this is happening to so many of us so often but something online has changed.
DeleteHi, So many thoughts going through my head but, I went with my favorite theme. Be back tomorrow to read I am exhausted. Wishing you the happiest of dreams.
ReplyDeleteSo nice to see you, Truedessa.
DeleteI am new to WordPress and though I think my poem was successfully revised, clicking on the link here still gives the first unedited version. It is 12 midnight and I am tired. In case it does not update I THINK this will show the final version. I have learned to be satisfied with it first before linking here, in future
ReplyDeletehttps://wp.me/pf6dWA-l.
Here is the updated version. In future I will be sure I am done with the poem before linking here.
ReplyDeletehttps://lauriethepoet2.wordpress.com/2023/09/20/take-from-me/
Laurie - Both of your links led to the same poem. I deleted one of the links. If you link a poem and THEN revise it, your link will show your REVISED version; so no need to link again. (This has happened to me sometimes as well. Let's say I discover a typo or want to change wording, I just go in and change it but don't change the link.)
DeleteThe logging in to like or comment and the system refusing to recognise your account are current problems on WordPress. It's infuriating. But Google blocks me from some blogger accounts too. They've all just got too big, I think.
ReplyDeleteNot a great fan of the Willis poem, but it made me think about ownership and rights. Thank you!
Jane, I have solved that issue by having both a WordPress and Blogger loggin. So far that has worked for me. But I agree it is a pain.
DeleteWhat is a blogger loggin? I don't have a problem with most blogger accounts, just some that google just refuses to let me into. Most of my problems are internal to WordPress, having to log in to my account each time even though I am logged in etc etc. I've been having an intermittent conversation (I can't call it help) with the happiness engineers since May, which seems to prove that there is no solution. They don't have a clue.
DeleteI should have said "Google loggin." I guess my answer is a non-answer for most. Seems you have been pursuing the answer in a concerted way by having 'conversations' with those who probably don't care much about blog communications. Sigh. Annoying. Let's hope for a miracle.
DeleteCan't comment on Jae Rose's poem, which I liked a lot. 'condensed, like milk' made me smile.
DeleteJane - tried leaving a response (Loved: I will show you how it works).
DeleteJae has comment moderation, Jane, so hopefully your comment will show up.
ReplyDeleteHey, I really like that example poem. Good stuff.
ReplyDeleteOn my final morning at work in 2017 before retiring, I sang the chorus to that song out loud and with a big grin. I didn't hate my job or anything, but i was glad to retire.
Glad to see you! And, ha, yes that "Take this Job..." song IS very singable! Thanks for linking!
DeleteThank you for inspiring a very different version to an image I collaged. I will swing 'round now and visit.
ReplyDeleteHi there... Someone referenced receiving prompts on Wednesday... Hmmmm is that possible? If so, count me in... Wonderful poem, fabulous poets and absolutely loving this space. See you later on.
ReplyDeletePearl, I don't know of a way that prompts can be sent to you. I know someone else mentioned that, but I don't know that there is a way. Best thing to do is save the Blog Link and return every Wednesday after 11 a.m. Eastern. I will be looking for your poem for this prompt if/when you write it. Always nice to see you.
DeleteSumana ... your poem is so exquisitely delicate and lovely it brought tears... I cannot seem to post my comment... Will try again later... but truly lovely, lovely, lovely.
ReplyDeleteOh Thank you Pearl. Rall also couldn't post hers on my blog. Don't know what's happening.
DeleteSherry, finally got a chance to post something--great prompt, it really got my mind going.
ReplyDeleteKerfe, so lovely you stopped by . I really enjoyed your poem!
DeleteAnnell shared this lovely poem after the widget expired. Will share it here.
ReplyDeletehttps://somethingsithinkabout-annell-annell.blogspot.com/2023/09/take-my-gift.html