9:55 a.m. — Atlanta
listening to Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield
Hello! Now we know what happens when my husband is on a field trip with eighth graders: Margo becomes slothful. I don’t remember the last time I woke up late.
Today’s exercise is an interesting one as it asks us to consider all our wants. Sit a while and think about it [if you are like me, have pen and paper handy -- if I don't jot, I lose it]. Then list every single I want you can think of. Go into freewrite mode if you want [hehheh], but get them all down, no matter how mundane, cliché, reprehensible [no one else has to see the list], out of reach, or silly [to you]. Aim for a page, at least.
Look back through your list for categories, or patterns. Pull together the wants that seem, to you, to go together. Consider how you feel about what you want. That may or may not inform your poem.
Write a poem using as few, or as many, as you feel like. You can use I want as a refrain, or, if it makes sense, pull the phrase out, once you know where you are going with the poem. As far as form, that depends on what it is you find. I can see a case for a long sprawling free-verse, a haibun, a tightly constructed sonnet, a cascade… form = content. Don’t decide until you see what you have to work with.
The I does not have to be you. The list tells you what you want to write about on the topic of wanting. You take off from there. You can even add wants that fit but you hadn’t listed. Whatever works for the poem, remember.
The spur for this came from a list written by sculptor, Louise Bourgeois. I was fascinated that she had so many, yet, I suspect she hadn’t even begun to plumb the depths — like I say, at least a page when you are jotting. I would not look at her list until you think you are done with yours. Only then, visit. [ignore the Facebook sign-in and scroll down a bit]
Short and sweet [see, I can do it!], but should be interesting. I will see you Thursday for serendipitous things; Friday for the roundup; and next Tuesday for self and emotions, part 1.
Happy writing, all.
vivinfrance
11/09/2012 at 11:08 am
Ooh! You’re asking for trouble. My list is already three pages of scribble and I’ve hardly started!
margo roby
11/09/2012 at 11:12 am
Well, that gave me a laugh. Can’t wait to see what you come up with, ViV. May have to have a series. I’m still chuckling.
vivinfrance
11/09/2012 at 11:25 am
Oh well – here’s the free-write-ish result of my scribble.
margo roby
11/09/2012 at 11:31 am
Love the title — I forgot to say. You clean up good when free writing-ish.
val dering rojas
11/09/2012 at 11:11 am
This could be very interesting…..I’ve got my list right here. Hmmm.
margo roby
11/09/2012 at 11:13 am
I thought this might push a few buttons. I do love what I do!
val dering rojas
11/09/2012 at 11:18 am
Sometimes those buttons need to be pushed! I like it because I’ve been trying to attempt prompts that pull me out of my rut of the ordinary.
margo roby
11/09/2012 at 11:21 am
I know exactly what you mean. It’s why I do the wordles. Producing a poem that quickly is so far out of my comfort zone, I can’t see the boundaries.
val dering rojas
11/09/2012 at 11:25 am
Exactly.
Hannah Gosselin
14/09/2012 at 6:33 pm
For some reason…I couldn’t see where to post comments, Val…I love your descriptions in Migration…was that the piece intended for this tryout?
val dering rojas
14/09/2012 at 9:20 pm
Hi Hannah, thanks! I know, the page with the poetry from prompt is a little confusing. There is a regular comment box below, you just have to look for it. No worries, though. Yeah, the poem was actually a response to the migration prompt on Adele Kenny’s blog. I made my list for this prompt here, but haven’t written a poem yet.
rosross
12/09/2012 at 12:59 am
http://roslynrosssmallstones.blogspot.com/2012/09/wanting.html
purplepeninportland
12/09/2012 at 3:31 pm
Very interesting prompt. Taught me something about me. Mine is up.
margo roby
13/09/2012 at 2:38 pm
The best kind of poetry, Sara.
Misky
12/09/2012 at 3:55 pm
http://miskmask.wordpress.com/2012/09/12/the-i-want-list/
I think my muse has gone walk’bout
margo roby
13/09/2012 at 2:39 pm
Misky, mine has been gone for weeks. I am piddling around the edges as I await the return. She always returns.
Annette Mickelson
13/09/2012 at 10:57 pm
I think mine must be out on that walk about as well. Plum gone this week.
margo roby
14/09/2012 at 9:35 am
I suspect we all do too much, Annette. A bit of isolation might be good for the muse!
JulesPaige
12/09/2012 at 9:28 pm
http://julesgemsandstuff.blogspot.com/2012/09/margos-tuesday-tryouts-unfolded.html
Can I have what I want? I suppose I’ll have to work at it…
margo roby
13/09/2012 at 2:46 pm
Yes, you can, but as you say…
barbara_
13/09/2012 at 1:15 pm
You do realize I’m supposed to be doing revisions. Apparently, I don’t *want* to.
http://briarcat.wordpress.com/2012/09/13/late-to-tuesday-tryouts/
margo roby
13/09/2012 at 2:31 pm
Yes, ma’am. I live to thwart you.
markwindham
13/09/2012 at 1:29 pm
I’ll play. Perhaps a bit more narrow in focus than what you had in mind…But I think you will understand.
http://wp.me/p1ZKiY-2o2
margo roby
13/09/2012 at 2:31 pm
Can’t wait to see it. I saw the word beer go by in the ping thing. I understood immediately.
Annette Mickelson
13/09/2012 at 10:48 pm
I wrote a big ol’ list and then one of the items took over…
http://hoofprintsinmygarden.wordpress.com/2012/09/13/i-want/
margo roby
14/09/2012 at 9:36 am
Can’t wait to see who staged a coup. I’m heading over.
Hannah Gosselin
14/09/2012 at 5:55 pm
http://wordrustling.wordpress.com/2012/09/14/just-one-wish/
Thank you, Margo…this was just what I needed to start letting some words flow on a topic that has brought me to a space of wordlessness these days.
I bent the rules and only wrote on one wish.
margo roby
14/09/2012 at 6:58 pm
Hannah, I like that you said you bent the rules, rather than didn’t follow the prompt because as you know all rule bending is encouraged.
You sound like you need hugs sent your way. Consider several sent.
Hannah Gosselin
14/09/2012 at 7:54 pm
Kindly received, Margo, thank you.
I so enjoy the easy atmosphere that you create here.
margo roby
15/09/2012 at 10:32 am
Hannah, I love coming upon conversations between, among, you. I love that you feel comfortable enough to have the conversations. I’m thinking this can be a practice version of our porch, when we are all old and gray and ready for rocking and reflecting. It would be quite a house wouldn’t it!?