Sunday, October 19, 2014

A Writer's Found Poem

I peer out from behind 
the dividing screen,
unseen, walled in by doubt,
wondering why I stay
in this country of
costumes and capers,
a dream of story-telling,
my writing hand stilled.

Childhood was like that,
a series of hard knocks,
until I learned I could leave.
And so I will step away,
walk along leaf-strewn paths,
hear again the call 
of Canada geese flying south, 
and breathe in the season’s turn
in the little sharp bite of the wind,
knowing I will write again tomorrow.

Honey Locust at Finch Arboretum (Camp 2014)








Yesterday’s poetry prompt from Octpowrimo.com asked us to write a ‘found poem’, a poem constructed from a page chosen at random from a book in our library. 

I chose Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall (page 269), a book long on my ‘to read’ pile and then wrote the poem above, drawing from these words: writing hand, why, country, stay, knows, walled, knocks, costume, capers, childhood was like that, unseen, dividing screen.

7 comments:

Reema D'souza said...

A nice poem :)Nicely expressed.

PATTIPEANUT said...

Thanks for sharing! You are incredibly talented with using words that convey imagery well. I enjoy reading your posts. Even though I don't have any poetry talent personally, I enjoy reading poems that others write.

Bing said...

Lovely, Beth!

Fida Islaih said...

I love this line: breathe in the season’s turn!

Here, There be a Writer said...

Beth,

This is lovely! :-)

Michelle Liew said...

This reminds me of my own journey as a writer!

Shan Jeniah Burton said...

Oh, Beth! This is loveliness. So glad you gave it a try, because - yum! =)

And that image fits perfectly!