My challenge for the last day of National Poem Writing Month is to write a poem about space - the sense of space revealed and concealed can have a powerful emotional core.
THE SLEEPING ROOM
A very old man sleeps
in an upstairs room,
his cot to the right of the door,
then a chair, a simple table
with a jug of water and
a window overlooking an oak tree.
There's a crack on the wall
above the bed, a frayed jacket and
towel hang behind the door.
The angle of the room is shifting,
the chamber slightly askew,
the front wall diagonal
to the street below.
The man sighs, turns over,
sinks deeper into sleep.
The room is dark now
but there's a curious
slant of moonlight at midnight.`
Then the room turns to glass
and a little music box
plays in the corner.
Process Notes:
This poem started in one place and ended somewhere completely different. But that's what they do. Sometimes they have a mind of their own.
And now a few words about NaPo. 30 days/30 poems. It was hard this year, harder than previous years. There were moments when I did not think I would finish. But I did it! Thank you to Maureen Thorson for putting NaPoWriMo 2012 together. And a big thank you to the people who supported me along the way. Your encouragement and your writing inspired me to keep going. Because of you, I think I am a better writer today than I was 30 days ago. You can't tell, but I'm raising my coffee mug to you ... CHEERS!
4 comments:
I love the poem, and the music box ending ina glass room. It encapsulates the entire piece.
Thank you for your kind words. You helped me become a better writer, too, and we've strengthened our connection. I feel like we're friends, and that's a good thing.
This poem started in one place and ended somewhere completely different.
That's how the best poems work, I think, and especially the ones that are like yours. Undramatic shifts in mood by the details of setting. I'm still practising. :)
Yay, I gotta say this is my best Napowrimo ever. And if we go at it we'll get even better. High five, Marianne.
This is a beautiful poem, I love where it ended up. The ending is gorgeous.
Cheers to you, Marianne. Your encouragement helped me more than you will ever know. I also feel as if, we are friends. Certainly a bonus my friend.
Pamela
Ah, I knew you'd finish. Lots of good stuff this month, too.
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