Friday, November 30, 2007

Poetry Friday: Sonnet-and-pie-looza

I wrote two poems this week. One of them you can see here, at the crazy-fun "15 words or less" challenge that Laura Purdie Salas hosts each week. The other was the first sonnet in the crown of sonnets that I'm creating with Kelly Fineman, Laura Purdie Salas, TadMack from Finding Wonderland, cloudscome from a wrung sponge, Liz Garton Scanlon, and Tricia from The Miss Rumphius Effect. You can't see it yet, because we're going to unveil all seven sonnets at once and charge admission! No, not really, but we do want to present them together, so you can wear the crown with all its viewpoints and experience its corona as "many lights as one."

I wrote my sonnet curled up on the couch on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Some things I discovered:

1. Pie is very inspirational.

2. Trust the first image that comes to you, no matter how crazy. For me, it was shoelaces.

3. You are the boss of rhyme. It is not the boss of you. Didn't your momma tell you that?

4. Sonnets aren't extinct for a reason. They're hardy, and won't die in your rough care. They're like the giant bear of an uncle who lets all the little kids pile on in football.

5. Second helpings of pie are even more inspirational.

6. So are long walks.

7. Iambic pentameter is your favorite aunt talking. She's easy to listen to, and she can count cards and make you look good when she's your Euchre partner after dinner. And she brought the pie, so thank her.

8. The sonnet form will hold your thoughts, but like a shopping bag, you have to open it up and dump stuff in. Later, you take take out your purchases, one by one, and see what fits.

9. Don't be fooled. Not everything fits. Return the baggy sweater. If you're not sure about the pleather pants you found on sale, ask your sister. She'll tell you. (Or Liz, my poetry sister!)

10. Sonnets are better than pie. I hate to say that, but the pie is all gone. The sonnets are just getting started.

Poetry Friday is hosted by Two Writing Teachers today.

16 comments:

  1. :)
    You set the bar high, sister, but thank you for saying it's the bar for the roller coaster -- true! This really will be (scary) fun.

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  2. I couldn't get your words out of my mind (the form holds you up), so that became the first line of my very first (and very weak) sonnet. I need to practice, practice, practice.

    I did wake last night with lines of iambic pentameter in my head, so I know I'm in the right frame of mind.

    And as for euchre, I'm with you, and will be your partner any day. I even know how to keep score!

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  3. Oh, you always come up with such challenging ideas! I want to play around with a sonnet now. I'll be awful at it, I know, and I don't really have time, but ... oh, wait, yes I do. I'll do it with the kids and we'll call it school. After all, life and writing ... that IS school.

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  4. Rhyme is not the boss of me. There are days I would've disagreed, but phew -- thanks -- how freeing. This is a lovely funny post that will only be exceeded, I know, by the unveiling of the actual sonnet! (PS -- when the pie's all gone, there's always ice cream...)

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  5. How I love this post, the way you feed us advice one delicious spoonful at a time. It almost gives me the courage to sonnetize! I fear I'll need 100 pies before I get up the nerve.
    The crown is going to be spectacular!

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  6. Oooh, you have really whet my appetite for this sonnet crown. And pie. But mostly the sonnets.

    ~eisha

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  7. Sonnet pie. Sounds good to me.

    I can't wait to see what y'all write.

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  8. Yummmm... pie!

    Thanks for inspiring us to write poetry and especially enjoy a piece of pie!

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  9. I shall eat pie while I read the sonnet.

    -- Jules

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  10. One could make *more* pie.

    And, Sara, you play Euchre??? Why weren't we playing Euchre in Chicago? We must remember this the next time we meet IRL. I can *totally* count cards when I'm playing Euchre (not when I'm playing Hearts, though, there's way too many cards in that game for that).

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  11. This is really going to get me going. I am going to have to make some pie today and work on my rusty sonnet muscles. Thank you!

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  13. I typed in my word verification and deleted my last comment. Must get coffee.

    I've a weakness for lemon meringue pie. I'll take some with what I know will be a luscious, powerful crown sonnet.

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  14. Nice post. If only it were always easy to tell whether the pleather pants are a find or a mistake.

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  15. Perhaps I should write a sonnet about Euchre, pleather, and pie? Hmmmm. I believe that would be highly returnable.

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