Foundku quartet: Gatsby Series #7

For a moment 

a phrase tried 

to take shape 

my mouth and 

my lips parted 

like a dumb man’s

So we beat on

boats against 

the current 

borne back 

Ceaselessly 

into the past

and his dream 

must have seemed 

so close that 

he could hardly 

fail to grasp it

“thirty,” I said. 

“I’m five years 

too old to 

lie to myself 

and call it honor.”

part of a continuing series of "foundku" based upon "The Great Gatsby"

sherku: Remember

Remember:

“just because 

a place is 

always dark 

doesn’t mean 

it is empty”

With kudos to Stephen King & "The Dark Tower"

Foundku trio: Gatsby Series #4

drowsiness

closed down upon 

some vivid scene 

with an oblivious 

embrace

a satisfactory 

hint of the 

unreality 

of reality

he had been 

very slowly 

bending toward her 

to attain 

this proximity

part of a continuing series of "foundku" based upon "The Great Gatsby"

Foundku trio: Gatsby Series #3

And happy; 

I think I 

walked into 

a deep sleep 

as I entered 

my front door

But Daisy 

glanced up and 

held out her hand; 

Gatsby didn’t 

know me now at all.

If you want to 

kiss me any time 

during the 

evening

just let me know 

part of a continuing series of "foundku" based upon "The Great Gatsby"

Foundku trio: Gatsby Series #1

With the 100th anniversary of the publication of "The Great Gatsby" exercising the synapses with a rereading, it was originally read in school many years ago, and finding unintentional sherku in Fitzgerald's writing.  Unintentional simply because I was not anywhere near him at that time, nor had the sherku idea occurred to me so I could share it and he could write accordingly.

A baby act

in costume,

champagne served 

in glasses 

bigger than 

finger-bowls

One of those

rare smiles,

the whole world

for an instant,

at that point

it vanished

Slow-thinking 

and full of 

interior 

rules, that act 

as brakes on 

my desires

Thanks to CB for the idea to revisit Gatsby 

Hurt people triptych

** Good loop

Hurt people

hurt people

So find hurt folks

Care for them

Before they 

hurt others

** Bad loop

Hurt people

hurt people

Leave them free

And they will

Find a way to

Hurt people

** Loopy loop

Hurt people

Hurt enough 

Folks that there

Are no people left

To care for those hurt

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

sherku: kids alright

Hello the 

kids are alright 

now they will be 

dangerous 

taking things apart

sherku: 2 sides

Pine needles

Soften the forest floor

Or a pain

To pick up

At Christmas time

------

Snow falls so gently

Or listen

To the grunts

And curses 

Of the shovelers

------

sherku: small things 2

It should be that

Calories count

Less the more family

And friends you eat with

sherku: small things 1

Goodness is

Wiping up

The last bit

Of soup or

Pasta sauce

With piece of bread

sherku: catching up

Air travel is

Exhausting

Maybe the

Soul's effort

Rejoining

The body

sherku: return

From short sleeves to

Long, green leaves to 

Autumn glory

Welcome home to

New England

sherku: chocolate pudding

I will vouch

For the fact

That the joy of

Chocolate pudding

Can be lifelong

sherku: windows two

On the other

Hand frustrating

To know it won't

Last after

The rains have come

sherku: windows one

On the one hand
Washing windows
Satisfying
To enjoy the
 Clarity

sherku: hare still

The hare sits still

Continues 

To eat grass

Watching I fear not

There is plenty

sherku: summer breeze

The porch door 

not fully closed

opens with the breeze 

and then breathes 

gently closing

 

sherku: hare

The hare sits

Nibbling grass

I sit reading

Keeping an eye 

upon its meal

sherku: incredible

Struggling

With how to

Capture the

Feelings that

Rose and flowed

At "Beautiful Noise"