Tzara
Continental
- Joined
- Aug 2, 2005
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I've been reading, and greatly enjoying, Alicia Suskin Ostriker's The Old Woman, the Tulip, and the Dog. All of the poems in the book are three stanzas in length, each stanza consisting of some kind of comment on the title or something the title represents, and with each stanza written in the imagined "voice" of (as you might guess) an old woman, a tulip, and a dog. In that order.
This structure seems to give Ms. Ostriker a great deal of flexibility to deal with themes from different perspectives--human/plant/animal, age/beauty/nature, experience/sensation/immediacy, etc. It seems to me that this tripartite structure might be a good one to base a challenge on.
So. Pick three things/entities/objects or whatever and write a poem that deals with a thought or theme or subject in the three distinct "voices" of your chosen subjects, each stanza containing the phrase "said the {whatever you select as entity}." So, for example, if you choose the Three Bears as your voices, you would have a poem with three stanzas, one in the voice of Papa Bear, one in the voice of Mama Bear, and one in the voice of Baby Bear. If you chose rock, paper, and scissors, you would have a three stanzas, one each with the thoughts of rock ("said the rock"), scissors ("said the scissors"), and paper ("said the sheet of paper").
Here's some examples of Ostriker's work for reference:
This structure seems to give Ms. Ostriker a great deal of flexibility to deal with themes from different perspectives--human/plant/animal, age/beauty/nature, experience/sensation/immediacy, etc. It seems to me that this tripartite structure might be a good one to base a challenge on.
So. Pick three things/entities/objects or whatever and write a poem that deals with a thought or theme or subject in the three distinct "voices" of your chosen subjects, each stanza containing the phrase "said the {whatever you select as entity}." So, for example, if you choose the Three Bears as your voices, you would have a poem with three stanzas, one in the voice of Papa Bear, one in the voice of Mama Bear, and one in the voice of Baby Bear. If you chose rock, paper, and scissors, you would have a three stanzas, one each with the thoughts of rock ("said the rock"), scissors ("said the scissors"), and paper ("said the sheet of paper").
Here's some examples of Ostriker's work for reference:
The Promise Triptych
I promised myself
said the old woman
that I would always remember
the afternoon I slow-danced naked with him
in his cheesy apartment
on St. Mark's Place
I promised the sun
said the tulip to her girlfriends
boasting and blushing madly
describing the kiss the lips
I'll always adore him oh my god I felt
the earth move under my roots
I promised the man
with my eyes and nose said the dog
half-asleep on the couch
that I would love, honor and obey
he promised he would always
stroke my brow like that
The Vow
I must solve my life
said the old woman
thinking of her grandchildren
and of her marriage
and of her many former lovers
I must solve my life
said the red tulip, arranging her skirts
troubled by the ache of sunshine
the squirrels and dogs
far too hyperactive
I must solve my life, said the dog
torn between tame and wild
bouncing from chow bowl to street
addicted to human love
dumb animal
The Moment on Stage I
I am
happy to be
here
said the fragile old woman
when my beauty
fades I
shall die
said the dark red tulip
Come on and
throw me
that Frisbee
said the dog
Source: Alicia Suskin Ostriker, The Old Woman, the Tulip, and the Dog (U of Pittsburgh Press, 2014)
Post responses and any comments on the responses in this thread. Challenge to run through 02/14/2017.I promised myself
said the old woman
that I would always remember
the afternoon I slow-danced naked with him
in his cheesy apartment
on St. Mark's Place
I promised the sun
said the tulip to her girlfriends
boasting and blushing madly
describing the kiss the lips
I'll always adore him oh my god I felt
the earth move under my roots
I promised the man
with my eyes and nose said the dog
half-asleep on the couch
that I would love, honor and obey
he promised he would always
stroke my brow like that
The Vow
I must solve my life
said the old woman
thinking of her grandchildren
and of her marriage
and of her many former lovers
I must solve my life
said the red tulip, arranging her skirts
troubled by the ache of sunshine
the squirrels and dogs
far too hyperactive
I must solve my life, said the dog
torn between tame and wild
bouncing from chow bowl to street
addicted to human love
dumb animal
The Moment on Stage I
I am
happy to be
here
said the fragile old woman
when my beauty
fades I
shall die
said the dark red tulip
Come on and
throw me
that Frisbee
said the dog
Source: Alicia Suskin Ostriker, The Old Woman, the Tulip, and the Dog (U of Pittsburgh Press, 2014)
