Sunday, April 15, 2012

Progressive Poem - Day 15



1 Irene at Live Your Poem

2 Doraine at Dori Reads




6 Mary Lee at A Year of Reading

7 Penny at A Penny and her Jots

8 Jone at Deo Writer

9 Gina at Swagger
Writer's

10 Julie at The Drift Record

11 Kate at Book Aunt

12 Anastasia Suen at Booktalking


14 Diane at Random Noodling


16 Natalie at Wading Through Words

17 Tara at A Teaching Life

18 Amy at The Poem Farm

19 Lori at Habitual Rhymer


21 Myra at Gathering Books


23 Miranda at Miranda Paul Books

24 Linda at TeacherDance

25 Greg at Gotta Book

26 Renee at No Water River

27 Linda at Write Time

28 Caroline at Caroline by Line

29 Sheri at Sheri Doyle

30 Irene at Live Your Poem

Look at the company I'm joining as I add my line today to the progressive poem! I'm honored to be included. I've enjoyed watching the poem develop, and anticipated my day with excitement but also fear. I asked my family for advice, and they weren't much help. My daughter's suggestion was "Suddenly, Ninjas!" The conversation deteriorated from there.

As I read and reread what is in the poem so far, I see a theme of togetherness, a group. Maybe it's because the poem is a collaborative effort that I'm thinking that way, but look: "Sit with us." "Let's riddle it together." The drying of tears and sharing of wine (filling, then pouring) are not done in solitude. We're figuring out secrets in a little huddle, not by ourselves. And the frozen fingers are those of the band, playing together, not a soloist. So my line continues in that vein. I added a question to the riddle, going back to Morocco and the spices. A tagine, I learned, is both the cookware and the stew. (It's two syllables, and the g is soft.) You can read more about it here.

But I'm talking too much. I do that when I'm nervous. Here's the poem. (Hope you like it hope you like it hope you like it!)


If you are reading this
you must be hungry
Kick off your silver slippers
Come sit with us a spell

A hanky, here, now dry your tears
And fill your glass with wine
Now, pour. The parchment has secrets
Smells of a Moroccan market spill out.

You have come to the right place, just breathe in.
Honey, mint, cinnamon, sorrow. Now, breathe out
last week’s dreams. Take a wish from the jar.
Inside, deep inside, is the answer…

Unfold it, and let us riddle it together,
...Strains of a waltz. How do frozen fingers play?
How do fennel, ginger, saffron blend in the tagine?





Photo source and link to recipe

11 comments:

Jessica Stock said...

Love it!

Irene Latham said...

Oooh! Nice sensory detail. And YES to questions in poems. I've always liked that. Well played, Ruth! Thanks so much! (btw, "Suddenly, ninjas!' cracked me up :)

Renee LaTulippe said...

At this point, this poem terrifies me! I am ALL FOR "Suddenly, ninjas!" please!

KateCoombs said...

"Suddenly, Ninjas!" What a great line! But yours is better--I think the spices are my favorite part of this poem so far.

KateCoombs said...

P.S. Forgot to say, I also really liked your thoughts on the theme of togetherness.

Diane Mayr said...

Tangine? I've never had it, maybe it's time! Who knows, maybe the band shared a tagine before their last "performance."

Robyn Hood Black said...

Mmmm... yep, love those sensory details. [And Renee's call for the Ninjas cracks me up! ;0) ]
Lovely thoughts in your commentary, too.

Amy LV said...

This poem smells so good that I want to eat it. And I, too, loved reading your thoughts about this process. (I also feel nervous!) Thank you for bringing back that market! a. ps - Your daughter made me laugh out loud!

Linda B said...

Sorry I'm so late to reply, Ruth. What a line & is it the blending of those tastes, or of the group that you described? Love that part about the tagine, & of the ninjas. Tell your daughter they can appear another day!

Tricia said...

Lovely! I like where you took (pointed?) the poem.

You could have taken the iambic pentameter line that my son & a friend came up with - I think I told you this one before. "A ninja ninja ninja ninja duck." (a ninja ninja ninja ninja spice? tear? something one syllable :^)

Janet said...

This makes me very hungry. :-)

Off to get caught up on the rest!