I quite enjoy the notion of revisiting poetry forms, previously trialled, particularly those forms memorable for the challenge they presented and the pleasure derived from persisting.
The pleasing outcome of poetry when it delivers the words land safe and sound is for me, quite rewarding. These poems become our good companions and often reveal things we hadn't previously noticed.
The poetry terrain is vast, so poems come from a variety of cultures, different parts of the world and from different centuries. The choice is part of poetry's appeal.
I am returning to Golden Shovel poems. These poems are a relatively new form of poetry. 'Golden shovel' poems refers to a form of created by Terrance Hayes around 2010.
A reminder of the rules that apply to the Golden Shovel Poetry form:
Take a line (or lines) from a favourite poem
- Use each word in the chosen line (or lines) as an end word for each line in your poem.
- Keep the end words in order.
- Give credit to the poet who originally wrote the line (or lines).
- Your newly created poem does not have to be about the same subject as the poem that provides the selected end words.
- If you select a line with six words, your poem will be six lines long. The more words you select, the longer the poem will be. Each selected word represents a line.
Hi, Alan ~ Thank you for reminding me of golden shovel poems.I have to come back and read yours on my laptop. I'm reading it on my phone tonight, and the end of each line you intended is not the end of each line on my little tiny screen. So I can't make sense of the original quote.
ReplyDeleteThe poem was okay when I was drafting it, but has uploaded and transposed some lines. Hopefully, I have now rectified the issue. Sometimes technology has no appreciation of poetic structures!
DeleteThanks for the reminder to 'dig' out previously attempted forms and try them anew, Alan. I, too, am not sure which is your "strike line" for your poems, but the imagery of your hailstorm poem is 'loud and clear'. (Hailstorms create such a cacophony that my dog, Smidgey has been known to dive under her blanket at the onset!)
ReplyDeleteI initially had some formatting problems when my post went live. Hopefully, this is now rectified to clearly reflect the chosen lines, Bridget. Glad you heard the hailstorm despite those layout gremlins getting in the way!
DeleteGolden shovel poems are challenging and I like these, the shoreline and hail, both so dramatic.
ReplyDeleteThe challenge they present is sometimes siginificant, but it is well worth the commitment of time and effort. I'm pleased you appreciated my resultant 'shovels.'
DeleteI'm a huge fan of the golden shovel. (I happened to hear Terrance Hayes read last night at Dodge Poetry Festival--no golden shovels, but what a performance!) I agree that giving credit also means including the actual line you're using as your striking line. I'm fascinated to find that the passive voice you use in At Day's End is very effective!
ReplyDeleteHeidi, i initially had some formatting problems when my post went live. Hopefully, this is now rectified to clearly reflect the chosen lines. Incredible synchronicity with you happening to hear Terrance Hayes at the time of my Golden Shovel revisit. Glad you enjoyed my efforts.
DeleteYay for revisiting Golden Shovels! I confess: my problem with Golden Shovels is I don't like ending a line with a word like "the" or "a"...so I limit myself to striking lines (like your Hailstorm) that don't include those kinds of words. Love the rich language in that one especially!
ReplyDeleteI'm with you, Irene. The search to find lines without those words you mentioned. It takes quite some research on occasions, but it is so pleasing when your eyes settle upon some glorious line! Glad you enjoyed my Hailstorm poem.
DeleteThey are challenging, like digging deep into the earth, but you showed two new scenes from older lines. I liked reading the scene with those 'grateful ladies'.
ReplyDeleteThe grateful ladies were a gift ending, Linda. They made the challenge all the more worthwhile.
DeleteHi Alan, Thank you for sharing the requirements of the Golden Shovel poem. I've read them but never written one. It does seem challenging and creative...both things that I enjoy! I will have to try some this winter. I like your first poem very much! It caused me to pause and think. Thank you, again.
ReplyDeleteCarol from The Apples in My Orchard on WordPress (blogspot likes to use my other email).
DeleteCarol, I hope you are soon able to take the next step and dig into a Golden Shovel poem of your own making. Glad you liked my first poem.
DeleteAlan, I enjoy writing Golden Shovel poems. Sometimes, I have to read several poems to find the just right striking line. I think the hailstorm one is full of sensory images with a bit of sadness attached to the idea of wrecking what is treasured.
ReplyDeleteLike you Carol, I read a lot of poems in my quest to find suitable lines. Irene noted the continuing limitations posed by words like 'the.' Thank you also for your feedback.
DeleteI just worked on a golden shovel last week... and was so surprised where it took me. But I have to learn to be more selective in my strike line, as I had a couple of articles that made the effort a bit less interesting. I really enjoyed your hailstorm!
ReplyDeleteIt's true that the destination for these poems is sometimes shrouded in mystery, but i think that adds to their appeal. As you state, choice of strike lines becomes a crtical consideration. I think we get better with practice -as in most things we tackle. Glad you liked my hailstorm poem.
DeleteI do love this form. I feel like I am side by side to the original poem/ poet when I write them. Your examples are vivid and each have a distinct tone. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI like your portrayal of this particular poetic form Margaret. I agree, there is a sense of partnership in this process. Thank you for your most pertinent response.
DeleteThis form is such a good opportunity to converse and collaborate with other poets. That's why I enjoy writing them. I'm always surprised at how golden shovels come togher. These are wonderful even as that surprise storm ruined tulips and fruit. I hope they come back!
ReplyDeleteThere is a palpable sense of collaboration when writing a Golden Shovel poem, Linda. You are correct. It is the task of the writer to seamlessly sew the old and the new- and that is what delivers the surprises. Recent extreme weather events in Australia across winter and spring have prompted me as well. So glad you liked the resultant poems.
DeleteI love what you said about how poems "become our good companions and often reveal things we hadn't previously noticed." Such big truth, and probably the core of why I write. Golden shovels are also one of my favorite forms, especially when the poem I create speaks in a slanted way to the quote I used for the striking line.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad my thoughts resonated in this way Mary Lee. As always your comments are much appreciated. Linking the stimulus to the response is always most satisfying when writing Golden Shovel Poems.
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