Writing ODES To Everyday Things

I found myself rummaging through my wardrobe and came across a collection of old ties. I rarely wear ties anymore, but there was a time when I wore a tie regularly during my days as a school administrator. They were always bright, some would say, garish.

My aim back then was to add some colour to the day. They became a talking point for staffand students. My ties were varied in colour and quality. Somewhat questionable strip of cloth, you might say.

These days they just hang in my wardrobe as historical artifacts. The discovery of those ties has inspired me though. It has inspired me to write an ode to everyday things!

The poet, Pablo Neruda devoted a whole volume of poems to simple objects. Ties certainly fall into this category. An ode to one of my ties seems therefore acceptable. It has brightened an otherwise drab day.

Ode To A Tie

We once hung out

Quite regularly

You used to hug my neck

And keep my collar neat and tidy

You protected my shirts

From crumbs, stray morsels

And Thai food stains

You were the colourful one

Draped across my shirt

An eye catcher

In those days

You went to school with me

And your dazzling presence

Your pattern of bright flowers

Snapped eyes to attention

You were a carpet of colour

A strong statement on an otherwise

grey day

You served me well

That is why

You remain with me

We are tied

Forever

Alan j Wright

Comments

Poetry Inspired by Images and Objects

There are many ways pictures and photographs can be conscripted to support the writing of poetry. Allow me to share a few ideas with you: Old photographs are a great source of inspiration. Cynthia Rylant explored this idea with great success in her book 'Something Permanent' where she employed the Depression era photographs of Walker Evans to add a new voice to the starkness to the lives of people experienced under extreme circumstances. I have used this strategy to spark many individual poems. In ' I Bet There's No Broccoli On The Moon,' I used a photo I had taken in 2004 while living in New York to inspire a poem. The poem was based on a story related by a friend who grew up in New York. I regularly combined poetry and pictures in my writer's notebook, drawing on inspiration from the photograph and my personal memories. We can also utilize existing cartoons and illustrations to create ekphrastic poems. I frequently use the illustrations of Jim Pavlidis to co...

Peter Dixon -Teabag Poem

Today I'm highlighting the poetry of Peter Dixon. Peter Dixon was not just a poet. He was a performer, educationalist and artist. He grew up in London during WW2, and as a boy his schooling was far from successful. He struggled with spelling and the understanding of word, form and grammar, so he tended to write secretly at home, drawing and writing of things largely ignored by schools. Despite this difficult phase of his life, Peter eventually became a school teacher and then a senior lecturer in education. It often mystified him as to how all of this came to pass. As a teacher, he strived to be unbiased and did not neglect the children who experienced learning challenges. Peter Dixon became a full time children’s writer and educational consultant. His first book was published in 1978. Whilst living in Winchester, Hampshire, with his family, he contributed to over 100 poetry anthologies and had seven collections of his own work published including Grow Your O...

Powerful Poetry, 'Refugees' by Brian Bilston

This week, Poetry Friday is hosted by Janice Scully @ Salt City Verse where Janice shares some original words and offers us a taste of Thomas Carlyle to ponder. I encourage you to join a host of poets from all around the globe and visit Janice's page... Almost two years to the day, I wrote a post featuring the poem 'Refugees' by Brian Bilston. The poem was included in Brian's first book of poetry, 'You Took The Last Bus Home.' A very powerful Reverso poem and technically brilliant. A Reverso poem can be read from top to bottom or bottom to top. It will often express opposite opinions depending on which way you read it. Such poems really make us think. A Reverso poem is like a picture turned upside down, a frowning face upended to reveal a smiling one. The poem read in reverse, contradicts itself with an opposing message. In 'Refugee' Brian Bilston focuses on a societal issue that tends to polarize feelings and the opposing views are clearly in eviden...

Search This Blog