Thursday, March 6, 2008

gather ye poems...with a twist

It's Thursday! Time to pony up your poems for our next round of patchwork poetry.

But wait! This time around, we're doing something a little different. This week, instead of offering up one of our own poems, we're going to provide a link to one of your favorite poems by another poet!

Beware the copyright goblins! Please don't post a poem that is not already in the public domain. There are many, many wonderful sites, inlcuding author's own web sites, where you can find a poem. Check out Poetry Magazine, Writer's Almanac, poemhunter, Poetry Foundation, Poets.org, the list goes on. Just be sure the poem you link us to is already in the public domain!

* An important note on form. There should not be any of your own words in patchwork poems, or centos.

While altering tenses and omitting such words as "but," "and," "is," even changing "I" to "me," or "he," to "she" is ok, putting your own words into a patchwork poem is not.

Patchwork poetry uses full lines of other poet's poetry. Please try your best to adhere to this when you are doing work with the poems offered here. The purpose of this project is not to use other poet's poetry to jump start your own poems.

Again, please use only the lines offered by other poets. Or, in this week's project, the full lines of "famous" poets. (Of course, fame is subjective!).

I am anxious to see what everyone's favorite poem is. Have fun, and be sure to credit your many muses! (I always want to write "Be sure to drink your ovaltine" when I start that sentence. Anyone seen The Christmas Story?)

17 comments:

jillypoet said...

Here's a poem by one of my favorite poets, Margaret Atwood.

They Eat Out

paisley said...

here is something i only just came upon... it is written by keith douglas

To Restore a Dead Child

paisley said...

ooppppsss.. forgot to click in for comments

Christine Swint said...

I'll come back with mine later. I just wanted to say hi, and see what poems y'all had already.

Christine Swint said...

I've seen the Christmas Story, can't tell you how many times. I watched first with my father- he grew up in those times. He laughed like nobody's business. Still does!

Here's a poem by Carolyn Forché. I can't say it's my favorite, so many are my favorite, but it's an excellent poem.

As children together

Christine Swint said...

I'll try again. That link wouldn't bring up the poem. Here's one to copy and paste.

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poem.html?id=176622

writerwoman said...

I was really confused about the process of forming these poems, I guess. I didn't know you can't add any of your own words. That will really complicate things. I'll get it a try but I'm not sure it will come together.

writerwoman said...

Here's one I like

Still I Rise by Maya Angelou

Lirone said...

I'm a big fan of Carol Ann Duffy - this isn't actually my favourite of hers, but it's my favourite out of those I could find in the public domain, and offers some very interesting possiblities for patchwork:

Mrs Lazarus

Antoine Cassar said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Antoine Cassar said...

I imagine you are already familiar with the multilingual Semicento published just before the millenium:

http://www.worldofpoetry.com/sc_multi.htm

I find it a sublime and most noble initiative.

Keep up the good work!

Antoine.

www.muzajk.info

paisley said...

i am unclear as to whether or not antoine's poem is being offered as a portion of the patchwork,, or an example of a patchwork, (cento) as it is one... let me know....

Antoine Cassar said...

Well, I suppose you could consider a line of verse from the Semicento for the new cento... We could put together centos of centos of centos, in a mise-en-abîme - it would be extremely interesting to see what lines made it through to the final poem!

gautami tripathy said...

I know I am latein offering a poem here:

Here is one of my favourites by Mary Oliver:

A Visitor

writerwoman said...

I already wrote mine so I was only able to use the first few offerings.

paisley said...

i believe it would be a good idea to institute a cut off time for submissions as we need time to work on the poem without having to wait till the night before to see what submissions have come in.... what say you????

jillypoet said...

I had mentioned last time that poems should be in by Tuesday. I suppose I could turn off comments...if I knew how. Let me look into it!