10:12 a.m. — Atlanta
Hello everyone. My, I have missed you. If you have hung in there, waiting for my reappearance, thank you.
A wonky computer + a malaise + traveling + a time lag = a longer than intended absence. So, let’s get right to an exercise. I will keep it simple, as I am easing my way back into computering.
This comes from something my daughter said when she talked with me last night. She was trying to get me out of the house and suggested a walk with a purpose. I know that over at We Write Poems, we are being asked to walk this week. My walk has a sightly different twist but, if you have not walked yet, the two can be combined, walkwise, if not poemwise.
I am setting us a time limit of forty minutes, give or take five. You might consider your route before you leave the house, or let your feet take you where they will. Carry with you a camera in whatever form you have one, or a paper and pencil on which you can sketch [no one will see it -- don't worry about whether or not you can draw. The sketch only needs to make sense to you.].
Here’s the tricky part: you may take only one photograph/ sketch one thing. Once that photograph, or sketch, is done, finish the walk, but no more pictures, or sketches. It will be surprisingly difficult, as you will immediately spot six things you want to record. No!
Like the walk, you can make the picture-taking serendipitous, or set out with a plan, such as, you are going to photograph something pink, or a sign, or an animal, or a flower. You may wish to jot down notes on sensory imagery, other than visual, you might not remember. But remember: once the picture is recorded, that’s it. No cheating! One thing you can do is to mark what you want to record and take the picture on you way home. This may save you seeing something else you want.
When you return home, upload the picture, or tidy up the sketch and decide what it is about what you have chosen you want to write about. It can be the whole picture, or you may notice one aspect you want to write about.
I have missed your poems almost as much as I have missed you, so do post what you write and leave a link, or post in comments. Remember, that you can post at any time. There is no late.
I am still easing, so I will give Thursday a miss, but do send me a topic if you have something you want me to discuss. That option is always open, especially as I’m not sure which direction to go in next with my Thursday Thoughts. I will see you Friday for a roundup of this week’s prompts; and Tuesday might be the next form — no panic. It’s a piece of cake.
I am so glad to be back among you. Happy writing.
vivienne Blake
16/08/2011 at 11:13 am
Margo, I’m so glad you’re back. I was getting really worried, so it’s good to know you are still with us! I hope all your various problems have resolved themselves. I’ve just said goodbye to my sewing ladies after an afternoon of what Jock calls stitch and bitch, so I’m too weary to go out walking tonight. Tomorrow, promise!
Love,
ViV
margo roby
16/08/2011 at 11:28 am
I am smiling just seeing your name, Viv. I have really missed you. I am suspecting by the symptoms, depression, but am not sure why as, except for one nasty bout a few years ago, it’s not something I am prone to. However, I recognise the pit when I see it. Will continue fighting.
margo
pmwanken
16/08/2011 at 11:35 am
YAY!! I was so happy to see your post pop into my inbox. I have missed you, so! …as have others. I was just telling Viv this morning in an email that I was going to call the number you gave me while in town to see if it reached you somehow. I wish we could meet back at Panera for another dinner–I think it would do us both some good.
*hugs*
~Paula
margo roby
16/08/2011 at 11:42 am
Paula! I was just heading for your email to answer it when I saw this! I could use a dinner with you. Right now June looks a long way away. It was thinking of friends like you and Viv and the others in our poetry cyber group that helped me a lot during the past weeks. Hopefully, I am back
pmwanken
17/08/2011 at 10:29 pm
Here’s my poem…I combined several prompts with this one.
http://whenwordsescape.wordpress.com/2011/08/17/long-hot-summer/
wordsandthoughtspjs
16/08/2011 at 12:12 pm
Margo, I was delighted to see your post in my email as well. I was wondering where you were, and if you were ok. Good to see you! I will try to get to this over the next few days, as I am swamped with work right now. My husband and I took a mini vacation a couple of weeks ago down to the coast, and of course it helped, but it set me back on some translation work, argh!
Pamela
margo roby
16/08/2011 at 12:32 pm
Hello, Pamela! I am enjoying seeing all my friends. Don’t worry about the poem. But take the walk break anyway, if you are swamped. The break will allow your mind to refocus on the translating if you take it completely away for a half hour. Good luck with that.
margo
brenda w
16/08/2011 at 1:39 pm
Yay! You’re back. Lazily, I was avoiding the We Write Poems prompt. Ha! Now you are forcing the issue. I’ll be walking…and on part of my walk I shall twirl with the hopes of lifting your malaise. Magic happens.
~Brenda
margo roby
16/08/2011 at 3:11 pm
Magic does happen, doesn’t it, Brenda?! Already the vision of you walking and every few yards twirling is making me grin.
margo
Mike Patrick
16/08/2011 at 5:34 pm
Don’t pay the ransom, she’s escaped!
Nice to see back. Your absence may have added huge numbers to your blog visitors as we kept individually checking for your return.
Now, I have to get some exercise? What kind of poetry is this? Oh, I feel a poem coming on.
margo roby
17/08/2011 at 8:55 am
Oh yeh! And she might be dangerous! Hi, Mike. Another friend I have missed. I must try and stay loose.
I’ll go check my stats and see. How funny that would be, but thank you for the concern.
It’s whatever kind of poetry you make of it–you knew that was coming.
margo
vivinfrance
17/08/2011 at 12:15 pm
Here you are, Margo: http://vivinfrance.wordpress.com/2011/08/17/afternoon-walk/ not much of a poem – more of a freewrite, as I must go and deal with too many runner beans and a fresh fillet of sea trout.
margo roby
17/08/2011 at 2:49 pm
How lovely, Viv: fresh trout and runner beans!
wordsandthoughtspjs
17/08/2011 at 5:48 pm
Margo, unexpectedly, I was able to put something together. I wrote this to your prompt and We Write Poems, after a walk at dusk yesterday. I didn’t post a photo, because I didn’t have my camera with me. I usually take this walk every evening, and I just took mental notes. Thanks for the prompt.
Pamela
margo roby
19/08/2011 at 7:40 am
Heading over to read now, Pamela.
Teri
19/08/2011 at 10:36 am
Margo- I have missed your voice over at WOWH. So took it upon myself to search you out. It is a delight to find your site here has blossomed into a lovely place. I am SO glad to have found you again!. I started out walking/writing/photographing in January during the first River of Stones project. And your kind were words were instrumental in getting me writing again. (High school writing class 30 years ago was a LONG time ago) I hope to take advantage of all you offer here and just wanted to know how much I appreciate you writing and support. I will be walking on over to We Write Poems after visiting here- So glad to have found you again- blessings teri
margo roby
19/08/2011 at 10:46 am
Teri! I am so glad you found me. I have been absent from everywhere for about a month and am slowly easing my way back in. Haven’t quite made it to WOWH yet [haven't even looked at my Facebook].
We Write Poems and A Sunday Whirl are my two regulars. They have inspired more poems from me in a short space of time, than any other influence aside from my mentor. If you check out today’s posting you’ll find links to both places.
More glad than I can say to have you here. Of all my WOWH friends, I have missed you the most.
margo
Teri
19/08/2011 at 5:46 pm
Ah Margo- You caught me off guard with that last bit. The soppiness (spell check be damned) of my younger years has been peering through a lot lately…that and a bit of melancholy. All I can hear is Dorothy as she is leaving Oz saying to Scarecrow-”I’m going to miss you most of all”. I feel nostalgia all around. Maybe I am not over my daughter’s wedding yet… I guess I should stop rambling in your comment section huh? Great to be here- xo teri
margo roby
22/08/2011 at 10:05 am
Funny you should mention the ‘soppiness’ [I love that -- my parents always took me with them when seeing off clients at the airport because I could be guaranteed to cry, even if I had known them only 24 hours and, yes, spellcheck be damned. How else can one spell it!]. Lately as I have been rereading novels, I seem to be much more emotionally aware. I am quick to laugh and, to my surprise, to tears. We must be going through a phase, Teri. And you may ramble in my comment section anytime you want.
margo
Teri
20/08/2011 at 12:24 am
I have been writing small stones since January- Many times this is done while on my two mile walk with my dog- I use my talk to text feature on my phone to “write” and by the time I get home I have a good start. On my walk today I found my small stone and incorporated your prompt- http://smallstonegatherer.blogspot.com/2011/08/easy-surrender.html
margo roby
22/08/2011 at 10:06 am
Oooh! Talk to text. I shall have to investigate that. My phone is new enough it must have it. That would be ideal for walks. You should see me balancing a small notepad against a tree trunk.
margo
Teri
22/08/2011 at 10:13 am
I am not kidding- it has changed my life-! This phone has opened up a whole new world for me! Look for an icon that looks like a microphone…
At night when a stone falls into my head I don’t use the” talk to text” feature…. I just text myself. Don’t want to wake up my hubby- I label it for my writing folder and email it to myself- Also since my phone is Gmail/google possessed I have all my texts go right to my gmail writing folder too… Technology who would have thought!!!?
margo roby
22/08/2011 at 10:17 am
You text yourself…wow! Can you tell I don’t think out of the box? I have seen the microphone wandering around. Shall now go look for it!
margo