I’ve been reading Kyle Vaughn’s Lightning Paths: 75 Poetry Writing Exercises, which inspired me to delve into another book study of poetry forms and responses. I’ll be making my way through the exercises and prompts between now and the end of the year.
In today’s exercise, Vaughn challenges writers to listen to two contrasting pieces of music and compose a poem that deals with their dissonant nature. This morning, I chose to write a cento – a poem comprised completely of existing lines written by other poets/songwriters. I chose the theme of place rather than sound, and used the ten minute frame for writing, deciding to see what I could accomplish in only a short span of time. And I left it unfinished – because that’s okay. Sometimes, having an idea of using four seasons in lyrics that take us to places we don’t belong, and then come home to where we do belong doesn’t result in the fully executed plan.
I’m okay with that. No one except me knows without my admission that this piece is yet unfinished. Poetry lets me move on anyway – and that is therapeutic!
Contrasting Music Cento on a warm summer’s evening on a train bound for nowhere there is a house in New Orleans they call The Rising Sun and it’s been the ruin of many a poor boy welcome to the Hotel California you can check out anytime but you can never leave country roads take me home to the place I belong
Common Threads 