Monday, April 21, 2008

Poetry prompt based on Kevin Prufer's "Seeds"

Kevin Prufer's poem, Seeds, is loaded with concrete images, scenes from a daily life. From the opening visual of "The pepper on the cutting board and the seeds inside it..." to the "sliced cantaloupe and its stringy heart..." and the faucets which won't stop dripping. However, this is far more than a poem of the domestic. Prufer seemlessly merges the domestic with the dire, using the simple action of cutting, and then bleeding, to ruminate on a loved one in the hospital.

How can you merge the domestic with a greater theme? This week, give it a try. You do not have to write about a huge drama. It could be as universal as a fender bender, no one harmed. The spilled milk, maybe? The idea is to move from the mundane, common, the everyday, into the universal ache. Of course, it could be the illness, but it could also be the fight with a child, friend or spouse, the bills, the taxes, the lonliness, the regret...

Maybe this poem meant something entirely different to you. Perhaps your reading of it lead you in an entirely different direction. Whatever the path, follow it. Re-read Seeds, then write a poem based on your reaction/interpretation.

Come back next Sunday, April 27, and post a link to your poem.

And, hey, if you have an idea for a prompt related to this poem, leave your idea in the comments section this week. No poems, please! Save those for next week!

Happy third week of National Poetry Month!

4 comments:

said...

I guess we are expected to use this post to post links to our poems. This one primarily uses the small and insignificant to talk to the larger as does seeds but deals with a little bit less weighty of a topic...

little harbingers

jillypoet said...

Glad you have your poem written already! However, links come next week. Please be sure to stop by Sunday, the 27th and leave your link again!

Anonymous said...

from Therese--My poem "Tuesday" is a villanelle which begins "I was at the bank to make a small deposit." If anyone wants to read it, send me an email at: theresebroderick@yahoo.com

paisley said...

have you forgotten to put up the request for poems on this??