The Poetic Influence of Mood & Moment

Poets are influenced by the times in which they live. They are influenced by mood and moment. In these challenging times of global pandemic I have noticed my writing output has noticeably increased. I am writing more, resulting from having fewer wider world distractions and a lot more time at my disposal. Months in fact...

I have found myself returning frequently to matters surrounding lockdown life, community attitudes and political posturing. I move away from the subject, but then drift back into the concerns surrounding Covid 19 a few days later. I am not lamenting this, but rather acknowledging it as an influence on my current writing. I have been very much aware of retaining a conscious sense of optimism, openly resisting any urge to climb aboard the outrage train. Here are some short poems that have emerged in my notebook in recent weeks. I shall add them to my ever expanding Covid Chronicles. May the mood and moment find you, pen ready.

The Day To Come

I will see you my friend

In the brighter light of a future day

Together we'll be, once more

Like the salt and the sea

Nourished by the shared moments

Of the days to come

Till that time rolls by

Listen for the soft whispers of hopeful souls.

Life in Lockdown

I have remained active during my lockdown life

Each day I

Race against the clock

Run for cover

Jog my memory

Toss away my worries

Move obstacles

Reach for the stars

Spin my yarns

Remove doubts

Strike a happy mood

Shuffle paper

-And now I've jumped to a conclusion.

A Perfect Time

We are living in a perfect time, it seems

A perfect time to reside in solitude

A perfect time not to rush to judgement

A perfect time to show compassion for others

A perfect time to be creative in our responses

A perfect time to listen to the wise ones

A perfect time to show we care

We are living in a perfect time to be makers, not breakers

Now is, the perfect time.

Faded, Not Jaded

The labels on the days are fading

Washed out, hard to read

This twenty four hours

Indistinguishable from its

Predecessor

My calendar is missing in action

Rendering my days numberless

-but not meaningless

For they count in other ways

Too many to enumerate.

Do Not Lose Your Song

Do not lose your song

When the sorrows of the wider world pile up at your door

Do not lose your song

Every bird in the forest contributes to the morning chorus

Do not lose your song.

Two Sides Of The Fence

How one views a fence‬

‪Is dependent upon which side‬

‪We find ourselves standing‬

‪It's the same with toilet doors‬

‪Every barrier has two sides‬

‪Our lockdown lairs keep us safe‬

‪And the virus at bay.‬

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

Opposite Poems

O pp o s ite P oem s In his book, ' How To Write Poetry,' Paul Janeczko presents the idea of opposite poems. Paul suggests they could also be referred to as antonym poems. This is wordplay and it's fun to try. Here are some examples Paul provides to help us see very clearly how these short little poems work. I think the opposite of chair Is sitting down with nothing there What is the opposite of kind? A goat that butts you from behind Paul Janeczko You will notice the poems are written in rhyming couplets. They can be extended so long as you remember to write in couplets. Paul shows us how this is done. What is the opposite of new? Stale gum that's hard to chew A hot-dog roll as hard as rock Or a soiled and smelly forgotten sock You might notice that some of Paul's opposite Poems begin with a question. The remainder of the poem answer the question posed. Opposite poems are a challenge, but it is a challenge worth trying. Not e

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

Linda Mitchell12 September 2020 at 07:05
It's nice to see your pen ready...and yourself ready to greet friends again. I do miss friends. And, I am weary of the distancing. I'll be fine. I won't give up. But, I long for normal. I want to be the one to lock the door and go out to eat in a restaurant with a friend. Someday!
Linda B12 September 2020 at 07:39
If and when your "chronicles" go into the wide world I would like to see if others feel the same. You've touched me through various parts about this strange time yet if not writers or doing some kind of art or creating through cooking, how are their days going? I have a favorite, Alan, "Do not lose your song." I don't want that at all, but do mourn those who have.
Mary Lee12 September 2020 at 08:42
I love the optimism of "A Perfect Time." Thank you!
Kay13 September 2020 at 05:13
I love the thread of optimism that runs through these poems.

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