For our first poetry challenge of 2022, we composed "overheard" poems---which, as the name suggests, are created from borrowed material. They are similar to found poems-- but made from oral snippets instead of written ones. The inspiration came from Susan Thomsen's blog.
The challenge was clear enough---but when I went looking for material to borrow, I found that overhearing things was not easy in this muffled age of masks and social distancing. And the more I tried to listen in, the more dejected I felt.
Phooey.
I missed the easy give and flow of public, un-orchestrated conversation.
I missed conferences, workshops, Kidlit drink nights, retreats.
I missed these lovelies, pictured below.
So I wrote about that. Only one word of this was overheard. I'll tell you which one at the end.
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| Some of the Poetry Sisters (August, 2010) |
FantasyI stand, neck-deepin the rollicking streamof an overbooked hotel lobbybar, my thighs braced,minnows of gossipflicking my hair.I order a bottomlessglass of well-water, clearas rain on the plain; toastthe flash of the bartender’sgold tooth as she catchesmy words, first try.I laugh as three fevereddiscussions stalkthe room like rare griffins,battering dusty tropeswith their ropy tailsand cavernous beaks.Our voices pollinatethe air, floatinto anyone’s ears;maybe we shoutas the elevator openslike a levy, spillingpoets into the room:HEY, old friend!
Afterwards,I tell the doctor whatwas wrong: I needed words.And he doesn’t blink,a dry-eyed unwillingphoenix, and say: What’s that?Your knee is worse?One day...One unmuffled day.-----Sara Lewis Holmes (all rights reserved)
