Pure

I'm starting again, and really hope to make a go of it after stopping beause of the stress of organising a wedding.

Last week I was given the word pure for the next poem. This pretty feeble effort about hate is the best I could come with before the deadline.

Distilled through generations,
Crystalising in diaspora,
It deals in absolutes;
Excoriates and levels doubts,
Unleashes Newton's laws,
Returns to dust all whom within
Its sickle's compass come.

Edward

Just out of sight of paddock-mates

And smuggled over barbed-wire fence,

A fortune's worth of apples pass

Between his curled-back lips and teeth.

This halved and quartered haul belies

His stunted frame and jester's gait,

And shows his drove that they can keep

Their plaited manes and fancy ways,

As when the weekend comes they see

That it's the clown who wins the crowd.

 

I'm a bit late posting this one up... and I was bit late finishing it too. Suffice to say I found it really hard this week.

Broccoli

This was the title for the first week - before I decided to make this a blog. If you want to have a go at it you can do two this one too this week.

Here's my effort:

 

An area the size of Wales, some say,

Shelf-stacked, cellophaned, and best-befored;

Al dente trunks submitting to the axe

And saw of knife and fork, pruned then felled,

Deforestation wreaked at supper-time.

Join In

I really want other people to get involved and do ths with me. We can learn from each other through reading each others poems, and give each other feedback too. Anyone is welcome to send in a poem or feedback.

The blog is aimed at people like me, who want to find a way of writing more and getting better, but seasoned and published poets are just as welcome to join in. The blog is written from Bristol, and is hoping to attract people from the area to help writers of all ilk come together - but contributions from anywhere in the world are welcomed.

What should I be sending in?

Well, that's up to you. But we're not after polished masterpieces. At the moment I'm ignoring my reservations and going for quick and dirty - whatever is ready come Sunday evening.... and if you are commenting on people's poems, you should remember this.

A week isn't very long to write a poem on a theme you didn't pick - particularly when you're fitting it into a busy life. I plan to spend an hour or two over the week working on each poem, maybe more sometimes. Poems can be as short as you want them to be. If you're just starting out, I'd try and stick to traditional verse like iambic pentameter / blank verse - it's actually easier than writing free verse which opens up all sorts of cans of worms.

If you like the poem you post here, you can always work it up in your won time. You might get some helpful feedback here for doing that.

When should I send in poems?

Unless otherwise stated, anything sent it after Sunday evening won't reach the main blog here. If the deadline slips, then so does the point of the whole exercise.

How to send in poems

Each week I'll put up the theme / title. Write your poem in the comment box - I'll copy it into a post on the blog for people to see. Please leave a name (it can be initials or a pen name, and an email address (optional) so I can get in touch should anyone want to contact you about your contribution and I can let you know your poem is on the blog.

When send your poem in, it won't be seen in the comments section - it will appear in the blog later, in a post of it's own, credited to you.

What kind of feedback should people post?

Constructive feedback is the best, and praise is always appreciated. Tell people what works for you in their poems, and why you liked it, if you can.

I'll be moderating feedback and comments so it remains a positive and encouraging place.

If you're new to poetry...

If you're really new to poetry, you haven't read many collections, and you've not tried writing much before, it's a really good idea to have a think and explore before you get involved. Maybe look at the links and books at the top of the blog.