I previously shared a first line index poem in March last year. It was titled 'Island Observations.'
I recently returned to this poetic form using the index from Carol Ann Duffy's anthology '101 Poems For Children' as inspiration.
I must admit, I love the challenge these poems present. You are driven by the urge to be a word weaver. It is a process requiring patience and being prepared to let the words settle for a while. You want the lines to display connectiveness. Lots of reading aloud is required to determine if the resulting poem has a sufficient sense of flow to it. Here's what I made of these special lines...
Exploring At Night
First Line Index Poem
In winter I get up at night
At nine of the night, I open the door
And we left our beds in the dark
The first whisper of stars is a faint thing
Big Dipper, Giant Racer, Figure of Eight
Fish-bones lay in the smelly bin
Monday, I found a boot
Come on everybody
Come play with me
I am waiting for you
In the far corner
In the gloom of whiteness
We cannot hear the birds sleeping
Who heard a whistle in the night, so far away
Who or why, or which, or what?
I’ll tell you if you really want to know
The rustling of leaves under feet
in woods and under
hedges
It was in the garden of golden apples
The fox fled over the fields away from the farm.
Alan j Wright
OOOOOOOOOOH, How beautiful. And, the photo matches the tone of the lines perfectly. I like how this cento takes reading and crafting. It's good for a poet mind. I need to try this.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Linda for your positive response to my poem. You're right about the exercise being good for the poet's mind. It becomes an enticing challenge.
DeleteNice job, Alan! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you. I feel pleased with the outcome.
DeleteAlan, what beautiful imagery. So many thoughts, ideas, and phrases to love! “In the gloom of whiteness” is striking.
ReplyDeleteThank you Tracey. The poem was gifted these fascinating lines. I guess my job was to weave them in such a way that they were seen to maximum advantage. I found the whole exercise quite stimulating.
DeleteWe once had a cabin far in the Rockies and didn't walk far really but would sit near on a downed log, watch as eyes adjusted, and listen, hard! Your poem brought me back to that time, Alan. If one lets it in, it is very special to go out into the dark. Your line choices are wonderful.
ReplyDeleteLinda, you paint an idyllic scene of that cabin in the Rockies. As you write, night walks in rural settings are quite special. I'm glad you enjoyed the final meshing of those chosen lines.
DeleteWow, this sets SUCH a mood. I love it. I've only written one or two centos, but I love this challenge of assembling borrowed lines or titles. I'm going to need to give this a try! Thank you.
ReplyDeleteMood is good, Laura. That pleases me. The challenge is compelling. Good luck with your index line explorations...
DeleteWhat an invigorating challenge you set for yourself, Alan! You've combined these lines to such great effect here. I'm definitely going to be searching through my anthologies to look for a first line index so I can try this. You make it look easy!
ReplyDeleteIt was indeed invigorating as a writing challenge, Molly. Good luck with your anthology ponderings.
DeleteYou set up a bit of a mystery here, and with some satisfaction I read the last line. Nice work connecting these lines!
ReplyDeleteThank you. The mystery was inherent in so many lines in the index. It was presenting itself as a wonderful possibility.
DeleteFrom Carol Varsalona Alan, I followed your trail backwards to understand what an index poem is. It is challenging to be a good word weaver but you captured a great flow in your poems. In this post, I really loved the image of the house and the word chosen to bring it to life.
ReplyDeleteThanks Carol. The word weaving is at the heart of this challenge, no doubt about it. It was great material to work with.
DeleteI have been using the words, word weaving, for years now. It is a wonderful way to make writing appealing, Alan.
DeleteWord weaving is a wonderful concept, Carol. Like you, I find it most engaging.
DeleteYour collection of lines and the organization of them creates a cloak of mystery - perfect for the night. Now I want to try a first line index poem. Thanks for the inspiration!
ReplyDelete'A cloak of mystery' - I like that, Rose. Thank goodness for those first lines. They made for a compelling invitation. May your inspiration lead you to find words you feel obliged to weave!
DeleteFabulous...and fascinating! Add me to the crew who wants to try first line index poems!
ReplyDeleteAnd away you go, Mary Lee. Thanks for your response. Good luck with the search for a suitable index!
DeleteWow! What a masterful result for (IMO) a VERY difficult challenge, Alan! -- Anastasia
ReplyDeleteThank you, Anastasia. Your kind words are appreciated.
DeleteFAvorite: "The first whisper of stars is a faint thing" -- because I think stars insist on using inside voices even outside. And they want us to go slow when we star gaze.
ReplyDeletePatricia, you reveal yourself as a student of the stars. You have the origins of a poem in your response, me thinks.
DeleteI love thinking about us all as word weavers. What a cool type of poem to try!
ReplyDeleteWe are indeed word weavers all, Marcie. Glad you liked my poetic investigations.
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