Poetry Workshop: prompts and Responses - April 8, 2023

The first of two poetry events was held at the Franklin Public Library Saturday, April 8.  The second event, a Favorite Poem Reading is scheduled for April 29 will also be held at the Library from noon to 3 PM.

On Saturday, there was a choice of two workshops to respond to prompts and have some time to be creative and write. 

Camile Bernstein lead one group, Jamele Adams led the other group.

Camille's group worked on the concept of 'found poetry'. She provided bunches of textual material from which you could select your poems text and leave it in order or revise the order to make it work for you. You can find samples of her output on the Instagram accounts as follows:

• Fridge magnet haiku ->   https://www.instagram.com/fridgemagnetfoundhaiku/
• Ulysses found poems ->  https://www.instagram.com/ulyssesfoundpoems/ 
• 42 is the answer -> https://www.instagram.com/42is.theanswer/

Jamele's group worked from a series of writing prompts that he provided. He would give the prompt, set some time for us to write the response, then if we choose to share the response. The conversation around the responses was equally as good as the responses.

First prompt: you have a short period of time, what would you say to a person that you want to/need to…

Response as a ‘Long’ version (notes, plus)

First select the person

Then the setting

What is the stage

Purpose, reason

I am a poet cuz

Words matter; words

Convey ideas, thoughts

Reasons to be,

Reasons to strive

I write daily, more

Than multiple times

Within the day

Journalism is one

Path to my writing

Reporting on what

Matters, life matters

Life here in Franklin Matters 

Response as a sherku

Sherku: First prompt

poetry cuz

words matter

words convey

ideas, thoughts

journalism 

is one path

. . . . . .

Second prompt: What is your superpower? Write your superpower as a haiku

Response long version (notes, plus)

long distance runner

sweat no worry

shoes tied tight

socks smoothed 

one step, one stride

after another

joy in the doing

Haiku: distance runner

Shoes tied tight, socks smoothed

There is joy in the doing

Long distance runner

. . . . .

Write a Haiku of a superpower of another

Haiku: Jamele 

He's full of color

Brightly welcoming all folks

To comfy front porch

. . . . .

Jamele read one of his recent poems, "Believe" to which we were then asked to respond in whichever way we chose, haiku, or longer. I chose one of the new formats I am creating and working with. An almost complete version is shared here.

Part I (of 2)

Through the door

the window

walk or fly 

nothing possible

until you believe 

Mother child

mother daughter

relationship 

frames this life

until you believe 

The athlete

practices long

hard or not

will not succeed 

until they believe 

House cleaning advice

let the spouse

keep the memories

until you believe 

how do you 

tell someone a 

dream it's images

find words

Until they believe 

Two sides of the one coin

Two faces of one coin

Flipped still solid

Until you believe

When Part 2 is complete, it will be shared here as well.

For more about the event check out the Franklin Matters posting here ->

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2023/04/first-poetry-workshop-success-favorite.html

Town budget limerick

There once was a budget from Franklin
Where every line was tight as a mandolin 
But wouldn't you know
People wouldn't show
Cause the finances were maudlin

In advance of the Town of Franklin budget hearings scheduled for the Town Council this week. https://www.franklinma.gov/town-budget/webforms/fy-23-budget-materials

sherku: retirement too

While Franklin matters
Family's first
We'll explore
Retirement
Together


catching up to what was written but stayed in the file cabinet since Sep 30, 2019

sherku: Blue Man

This man’s not 
Blue in Franklin 
Over nine hundred 
Performances 
He loves it

>
What is a sherku?




This was discovered in 'draft' mode and should have been published along with the interview of Matt Greene.
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/04/this-man-is-not-blue-in-franklin.html

Plan and revise

Long range planning efforts
Don’t do much good if you
Don’t keep the plan up to date

What is a sherku?


Note: I learned from the focus group meeting to review the current long range plan that there have been similar efforts before but by the third year of the five year plan, they were out dated and dropped, hence no confidence in the plan. Of course, a plan needs to be revisited regularly!

Franklin Layoffs?

Now that we are there
How do we stay? Layoff
45 teachers? Rue the day!

What is a sherku?

For more about Franklin's budget situation, please visit Franklin Matters

Franklin's Top 10

Three Top 10 lists found us
If only they would send money
So we can afford it

What is a sherku?

Actually it is two Top 10 and one Top 100 so I'll use this one as a "literary license"

• Top 10 - Family Circle
• Top 10 - CNN/Money
• Top 100 - US News & World Report

walk, walk, recycle

Walk, walk, recycle
Did you pick up any?
Yes sir, yes ma’am
Two bags accompany
One full of cans
One full of bottles
The streets of Franklin
Are less full of disposables


with apologies to Mother Goose

My challenge to Franklin was posted on February 2, 2008

sherku: Where in Franklin #39

White columns. Hand rail.
Odd looking contraption.
Where in Franklin have I seen that?

What is a sherku?

Originally posted at Franklin Matters

sherku: break through week

sun light before the train
leaves for Boston, sun light
still coming home to Franklin

What is sherku?

sherku: Promised Land

How far is too far? To get Away, can't go there Four hours to Promised Land Promised Land State Park, a frequented destination of the Baslocks, is only four hours drive from Franklin, MA.

sherku: Franklin override

Layoff books, Spanish, Music
Springs passionate discourse
Override votes town

What is a sherku?


Other writing on the May 22 Override vote that Franklin passed


The podcast version can be found here