Today’s writing inspiration comes from Susie Morice, writer and editor. She is a consultant with Santa Fe Center for Transformational School Leadership and the Institute for School Partnership at Washington University in St. Louis. Susie is also a Teacher-Consultant with The Gateway Writing Project, a former public school classroom teacher for 30 years, and a poet, who is the winner of Member-at-Large Best Poem, 2014 – Missouri State Poetry Society contest.
Inspiration
An Imaginary Mrs. – Today is a playful day! Our mentor poem is a giggle. We grew up with some iconic and varied famed personae in our palette of famed men, those solo characters who stood triumphant all by themselves: Mr. Clean, Noah, The Rifleman, Gandalf, Superman, Ali Baba, Sherlock Holmes, Don Quixote, the Tin Man, Mr. T, Hop-along Cassidy … Yet, we all know that behind that person there was the unspoken, typically invisible “little woman” or, in this case, the Mrs. that no one ever considered or even thought existed. Suspend that myth for a bit and imagine there was a Mrs. Clean, Mrs. Noah, Mrs. Rifleman, Mrs. Gandalf, Mrs. Quixote, Mrs. Tin Man…
Our inspiration comes today from the St. Louis Poet Laureate, Jane Ellen Ibur, long-time poet in the St. Louis area and around the country. Jane’s latest collection is entitled The Little Mrs./Misses and hosts a delightful collection of imaginary characters.
Of course, write about whatever moves you.
Process
- Consider several famous iconic solo characters. Of course, I’m not contending male is better than female or vice-versa – feel free to choose whatever works for you … in Jane’s collection she zeroes in on men who’ve taken center stage, so for this exercise, I’m using her strategy. Imagine several iconic powerful solo men (real or imagined, whatever rocks your socks — you get the idea from the examples I listed above).
- Think about all the amazing achievements of that character… make a list.
- Make a parallel list that notes all the remarkable actions that character took to demonstrate those amazing feats.
- Now the fun part: Imagine there is a Mrs. X.
- List some of her perspectives on her hubby’s feats… what drew her to her Mr. in the first place? Is there a back story on his accomplishments that only she knows? Where was she during all this conquering, action, achievement? What does she have to say now that time has passed? Where is she? Give her a voice! Take us to what became of Mrs.
- Have fun with this as you weave your Mrs. it into a poem. Have fun with this!
- As always, write whatever works for you!
Poem by Jane Ellen Ibur, Poet Laureate of St. Louis, Missouri
“Mrs. Tarzan”
Attracted to a man who swung on vines,
I got tangled up. Summer vacation
came every day,
swimming in rivers,
climbing trees,
riding elephants.
I wandered deeper into the woods
unmindful of quicksand,
vegetation thick as a sea of snakes
coiling around my feet with each step
ready to trip me up.
I hung around as long as I could.
He didn’t read,
didn’t talk much.
I was lonely, pulled another direction
once I had a glance at King Kong’s wife.
She was hoarse, her voice unused.
I coaxed her speech and speak we did
deep into the night high in the trees
under the canopy of leaf and sky.
My heart awakened in days that slipped
into one another. Inseparable,
we sat on stones and spoke,
our talk sometimes light as fireflies,
sometimes heavy as heat.
One day we realized the men had gone,
Disappeared like the wind whipping.
“Who will take care of me now?” she whispered.
Me, Jane.
Jane’s book is available on Amazon:
(Penultimate Press, Inc. and available on Amazon)
Post your writing any time today. If the prompt does not work for you, that is fine. All writing is welcome — any topic, any form. Please be sure to respond to at least three writers, too. Below are some suggestions for commenting with care. Oh, and a note about edits: The comment feature of this blog (and many blogs) does not permit edits. Since we are writing in short bursts, we all are understanding (and even welcome) the typos that remind us we are human.
Courting Buzz
You had me at those magic first words
“To Infinity and Beyond!”
Your self-confident demeanor
As you introduced yourself to the gang,
Strutting your stuff in that awesome space-suit
I’m sure I saw you winking at me!
So impressed with your accomplishments –
Star commander of Gamma Sector 4,
A “Space Ranger” –
Fighting Evils in the Galaxy
Shooting those infrared laser beams
With such stealthy accuracy
And if that wasn’t enough to get my goat
Your story about your ship crash landing –
But you were the sole survivor!
Oh! And that impressive wingspan
Whooo eee!
Then when you said “Reach for the Sky”
And flew around the room
I knew that you, and only you
Were the one for me
And I longed to hear you call my name:
“Mrs. Lightyear” will you join me in this fight against evil?
To Infinity… And beyond!
I love the innuendo – the adult level of humor that would have little kids spellbound with the literal and adults chuckling with the figurative. That’s one thing that I love about your guides with mixed age groups – they can appeal to everyone at all levels. That’s one thing I love about your poem – the impressive wingspan, strutting your stuff, shooting those laser beams. And that ending – an adult version of happily ever after. Bravo! Delightful!
Judy — This is just too fun! I LOVELOVELOVE Buzz Lightyear, and clearly, so do you! LOL! I’m with Kim’s response: the innuendo is just a giggle. I especially love that your details (that bulging muscle spacesuit) brought the whole Toy Story back to me, complete with the voices–Tom Hanks and Tim Allen have very distinctive voices. [I missed your poem till this morning–so glad I went back to find it! An early morning treat! Picture me having breakfast with Buzz! LOL!] Thanks! Susie
Two Being
Durable yet soft, pleasing to the eye,
Transforming big messes,
Drawing all that need him nigh.
Mr. Brawny to the rescue,
Masculine would be his name,
But, oh, times are a-changin’
There are some new rules to the game.
Soft yet durable, soothing to the mind,
Securing the tangible and imagined
Drawing all that need her nigh.
Mrs. Down-y to the rescue,
Durability would be her name,
For sure, times are a-changin’
There are some new rules to the game.
Your use of two opposites (who attract?) – He Man Brawny and She Lady Downy – is the timeless concept of attraction, but then you cleverly added a new spin with new rules to the game. I love that repeating line that times are a changin and there are new rules. Your use of the parallel structure in each stanza to show the similarities and differences is a pleasing format to help us see Mrs Downy and Mr. Brawny for who they really are – “people,” just like us.
Candace — You pulled out a character that I hadn’t even thought about — so inventive! Of course, that Mr. Brawny is an iconic image — the stereotype destined to confront “times are a-changin’,” which I love. So funny to think of a Mrs. Down-y (with the Y — brilliant to think of her strengths, that “durability” as the added Y). Fun poem idea! And the repeated changin’ times really works! Thank you for posting. [I had missed your poem yesterday, so was glad to find it this morning. What a good week of writing we all had!] I appreciated your contributions! Thanks, Susie
Colossus had no time for her namby-pamby hand wringing about the tired, the poor.
He had narrow worlds to bestride!
Not to mention junk to dangle
over each incoming, outgoing junket.
His brazen arrogance–
Who could live in that man’s shadow?
And so, late one night,
She lit a lamp
Held it aloft
Snatched up her writer’s notebooks
and tucked them under her arm.
She pushed the hair off her face
with that silly pointed crown–at last useful!
She gathered her robes around her
and cinched them with a rope.
And she never looked back.
She found safe harbor
Where she now stands
Beside the golden door
Welcoming the tempest-tossed,
Breathing free.
Allison – This is quite beautiful and crafted with a fitting sense of grace! Our Lady Liberty would be proud! I could feel her strength as “she gathered her robes” with her “writer’s notebooks,” a nice writerly touch. 🙂 And you anchored that statuesque image that plants her in the “harbor” facing eternally (“never looked back”) as a “welcoming” breath of freedom. Just wonderfully crafted! I am truly impressed at the details you brought to life in the statue. You’ve done great honor to the meaning of the strength shown as she greets the “tempest-tossed.”. A colossal success! 🙂 Wow! Wow! Wow! Thank you so much for posting! Susie
That silly crown — -pushing the hair off the face and now useful – that gets me. Everything about her is down to earth, but the “useful” crown drives it home about her caring spirit and heart for others. I love that you took the liberty of having HER leave him and not stand behind him. She’s free at last! A winner for sure – and your use of words – junk, junket, tempest-tossed, brazen arrogance – make it fun to read aloud. And then that last line – – what we all want to feel sometimes as women. Breathing free. I also like the use of the rope in a more independent way, not roped to him but roped to herself. This is a true winner for sure!
Kim and Susie, Thank you both for your generous readings of my poem. Susie, I have been loving your prompts. Each day I think “hmmmm…don’t think I’ve got a thought here…” and then, surprise!, I discover I DO. This has reminded me of William Stafford’s admonishment to go to the page not because you have something to say, but to discover what it is you have to say. This week has been so much fun!
I’m going to go first.
This is an intervention.
Now, before you go storming out of the room, just hear me out.
We appreciate all you do for others: excellent service, attentive to the needs of others, generous to a fault.
However, the last incident was the tipping point.
We’ve already leveraged the house to pay for the lawyers, and now this!
Junior’s school is suing for damages. Not only was there structural damage to the Kindergarten classroom, but Mrs. Kraft may need neck surgery!
People have gotten hurt!
This has to stop! Now! Or I am taking Junior and leaving you!
The small rivulet running down his face might be tears. Might be condensation.
In a deep, Barry White voice, Mr. Kool-Aid says, “Oh yeah!”
Before anyone can speak, he has already pushed through the cinder-block wall (always cinder-block).
Shaun — Holy cow, I haven’t seen a Kool-Aid Man commercial in eons! This was fun. You prompted me to get on YouTube and watch a boatload of these vintage and more recent ads. I was totally fascinated with the talking Kool-Aid man when I was a kid — couldn’t get enough Kool-Aid for sure! When I was a kid, those little packets cost a dime and you had to dump in a ton of sugar– a recipe my mom trusted us to make without supervision! 🙂 So, you really walked me back in time. The idea of an intervention for that storming through cinder-block walls habit was so funny. Super idea! The “tipping point” — FUN! The “tears….might be condensation” — LOL! Too funny! And that “Barry White voice” was perfect. You had fun doing this — I had fun reading it and revisiting my Kool-Aid days. Now, I’m going to go look for something sweet to guzzle… Happy Thursday! Thanks, Susie
The tipping point ….leveraging the house…..how creative and funny! I love the Kool Aid man – he was a fixture on my childhood TV, and this brings back memories. Than you for sharing this!
Oh what FUN! Your “I’m going to go first” using intervention as the frame was brilliant! The condensation/tears made me laugh out loud! I love how your “storming out of the room” foreshadows …everything we know about Kool-Aid Man! Cinder block! Thank you!
Shaun, when you wrote “structural damage to the Kindergarten classroom, but Mrs. Kraft may need neck surgery!” I was on the floor laughing because this line caused me to reflect upon my early years of guest teaching in various classrooms. One of my experiences was in a kindergarten classroom with some very inquisitive and lively students that kept me busy; I can imagine myself in this situation on that day. Lol! Thanks for sharing.
Mine today is lame. I didn’t go with a fictional Mrs. i went with a real one.
I wrote it quickly and tried to play with rhyme a little since I seldom do. There’s a reason. ?
Coach’s wife
In the gym
I sit alone
I cheer on kids
I hardly know.
Away from the crowd
I try to be
So parents can gripe
And not affect me.
After the game
I leave solo
And drive back to
Our humble home.
He comes In later
Game on his mind
Replays key moments
Always on rewind
He doesn’t ask
How I have been
Only thing matters
Is lose or win
Strategies from me?
Nah, not that.
But what I do
Deserves a pat
I handle home
While he’s on the bench
With me dealing there
His life is a cinch.
Coaches lose
And coaches win
Their wives are there
Through thick and thin
Susan – Not lame at all! Good heavens, you have created a very real world here, and it is a complicated one. I love that you have given voice to the part of the “I” that truly craves a voice… your words convey that with something with which many of us can identify. Your “I” pushes away those parental gripes in the name of self-preservation — amen for that strength. Responding to the coach after the game is no small feat…all that game adrenaline is difficult to navigate… the coach is not listening for “strategies from me” who gets that “pat” — yeow. The role of making it “through thick and thin” is no easy path. I truly appreciate the honesty in this piece, as it sees and activates a hushed voice that comes to life through this poem. Thank you so much for sharing! Susie
I agree – SO NOT LAME! This is truth. I like the rhyme and love the heartfelt sentiment. You are the glue that enables him to do what he does. You show sensitivity to him by sitting away from comments about him that would upset you – and you reinforce that you are there through thick and thin. Great poem, awesome woman!
I appreciate you playing with rhyme, and I REALLY appreciate you trying to avoid parents! 🙂 Sitting alone, cheering on kids you don’t know…I feel your pain! I also like the subtle “win some lose some” message in the final stanza, which reminds me of a deep truth of the long-married: through thick and thin. Thank you.
Thank you for the kind comments. I actually added one to yesterday’s thread today, too. I am behind. ?. If some would go back and offer feed back, i would appreciate it.
“Coaches lose
And coaches win
Their wives are there
Through thick and thin”
reminds me of some of my sister’s colleagues and their husbands who coach basketball. When I would attend my nephew’s basketball games, they were always there and supportive of both their children and husbands. The rhyming is awesome! Thanks for sharing.
“Please, Don’t Squeeze…”
I’d had a crush on you
since high school
my parents tried
to nip it in the bud
but it couldn’t be squelched
I hugged my pillow
to sleep
pretending it was you
when you squeezed my hand
on our first date
I knew you were
the one for me
when you fixed my hamburger
gently squeezing
the mustard and ketchup
onto my buns
I had to fan
the flames of desire
you had a good grip on life
sold your ball python
to buy me a ring
we got hitched
managed to squeak by
even in our poorest days
before long
little Whipples came along
You cheered me on-
“PUSH!”
I showed you how
to swaddle babies
you were
a wonderful dad
always
molding Play-Doh
squeezing fresh OJ
showing proper toothpaste dispensing
winning the
Whipple Reunion award
for best hugs
I noticed something
you had a particular skill for the job that made you famous
the rest is history
I, Charmin Whipple
will always
be your main squeeze
I’ve got your back
The end
-Kim Johnson
Kim, or should I say Charmin– I am laughing out loud! This is just way funny. Mr. Whipple! LOL! He is indelibly in my tv memory. And the puns! Girl, you are a deep-down punster! From the “squeak by” and “crush” and “good grip on life” and all those “main squeeze” indicators — LOLOLOLOL — right down to “the end.” LOLOL! Hilarious! This is just a stitch! Or should I say SQUEEEEEZE?! I had a ball reading this…and then reading it again… and yet again to catch even more of your witty wordplay. I’m so glad you squeeeeeezed in time to post this little gem today. Sending you a hugger squeeze today…. Susie
Kim,
You are a clever, girl. I echo Susie’s reading of this in every way. A great example of how multiple readings and context help illuminate the word choice. The last line “I got your back” is just perfect!
RIGHT? Also “skill for the JOB”!
Kim – I love the chronology from the crush days (hugging the pillow), to the family reunions. It’s kind of ominous “The end” – is it?
OH OH OH! I was into the fourth stanza before the 2+2+2=6 clicked for me! (That is how I tell students to watch for recurring patterns/imagery/etc. Mentioned once? Okay. Mentioned twice? Could be… Mentioned three times? BINGO! We have a winner!) Looking back I realize you’d laid out five references!) I love how the poems tonight unfold with surprises! Yours was delightful!
I was so tickled with Jane’s poem that I had to goof around with one of my own. Susie
MRS. BUNYAN
Beguiled was I
by big guys in red plaid wool shirts,
so northern, so manly raw,
that beefcake
beard that tickled my fancy.
At first, I was wowed by the ax,
so adept you were
at felling those jacks,
pines and cedars,
lumbering from Bemidji to Badger,
your swagger.
But winters were tough —
the well freezing up;
snow burying the woodpile;
porridge, never enough —
short days and grey
began to pull my heart away.
Even new seasons unleashed their woes —
biting black flies,
mammoth mosquitoes,
deerflies, and ticks.
Long summer days,
you off in the sticks,
and I on my knees,
planting whate’er I could squeeze
from stubborn soils below.
It wasn’t Mr. Appleseed —
planting his seeds across the state
tempting me
with hard cider while you
axed your path from lake to lake —
that wooed me away.
It was that I had to draw the line,
dear Paul,
your heavy boots, leaving huge puddles in your wake,
your affinity for posing
for any sculptor with a carving crave,
that smile that flashed for others and not me;
oh Paul, dear Paul, it was none of that.
It was the ox.
Such perverse coveting,
that blue apotheosis,
your offensive obeisance!
Our whole relationship,
infected with pox and smothered
under a massive pile
that no amount of my wifely tending
could shovel aside.
Babe?! Really?!
And you named her BABE?!
I love the humor in this. And that ending! Not only the massive pile shoveling attempts but the reminder of the name choice (why had I never thought of that before!). You have humanized the tall tale hero and his relationship with his wife. It brings to mind all of the other too tall heroes smiling for others. Well done!
Susie,
Because I am in Summer Sarah mode, my mind is able to wonder more easily to adult things. These lines were kind of naughty: “so northern, so manly raw,/that beefcake/beard that tickled my fancy.” And then the narrative unraveling — by the way, I love how we are all using direct address (or is it second person) — moves us through the relationship’s seasons until you invite the third wheel into the stanzas. Now again, I am thinking of the martial relationships I have observed where one partner is perhaps a little too intimate with the family pet. You really capture that with “Such perverse coveting,/that blue apotheosis,/your offensive obeisance!” I had to look up apotheosis (the highest point in the development of something; climax or the elevation of someone to divine status; deification) and obeisance ( a movement of the body expressing deep respect or deferential courtesy, as before a superior). Such precision. As I said the other day, I am always learning from you, Susie!
Peace,
Sarah
I agree–that beard tickling my fancy was a word-treat!
Clever idea if the love triangle – picking one folk hero over another because of the wet boots and the ….other stuff 🙂 you clearly have taken a mind trip to see what would be annoying trying to love a lumberjack – the pitfalls that come with all the Magic Mike masculinity! Love the creativity and the hyperbole with the wet boots – it fits the exaggerated size of Paul!
I can’t stand it! “Babe?! Really?!”
“massive pile no amount of my wifely tending could shovel aside” –ah! marriage!
There is so much I love about this poem, including your obvious KNOWING of Minnesota winters.
Also the unexpected rhymes that pulled me along (although I didn’t need pulling!).
I thought the idea of an affair with Johnny Appleseed was spot on!
THANK YOU!
For me, writing comes from personal mining, so I really tried to look for hidden or marginalized Mrs. in my life and in the media I consume. And because we (my spouse and I) are in the process of selling our condo, what immediately came to mind was the absence of women on our condo board, and I often wonder why only a few of their wives actually come to the monthly board meeting. Thus, here is my take on today’s prompt.
His name was on the ballot
not mine.
I helped him write his bio
not mine:
X number of years doing this.
Y number of years doing that.
X beliefs about this.
Y beliefs about that.
It’s not that I do not have years
in this or that;
I do.
It’s not that I do not believe
in this or that;
I do.
In fact, the X in his XY
is the synergy of our bios.
Every year,
every belief
was shaped
by
through
with
alongside &
because
of
the extra X
I humbly share
with him.
So rest assured —
my voice is present
even if I am not.
As he “motions” this
and “seconds” that
in the meeting room,
I will be reading a book
in my comfy condo.
Sarah — Oh man (pun intended), you nailed this! Really nailed it! I love the chromosomes especially — how inventive! Each line delivers a punch, a tone that just calls out the gender and then magnifies your voice. Oooh! Love it. I just sold my condo last year and moved back into a house that I lovelovelove, because it does not involve a guy I not-so-kindly referred to as the CondoNazi. He derived way too much pleasure from of his seat on the HOA board. Ugh! I love the “rest assured…” as it carries a strength that you are in the catbird seat. I also loved the repetition of the “I do”s. Effective and requiring no more words — power is there so clearly with so few words. The notion of the “he” on the ballot left to his “motions” was quite an image! You DO have a heck of a voice in this terrific poem. Thanks! Susie
Your play on the X and Y is perfect. What really resonated with me was that too often I see girls in the classroom who perform, do, think, create so incredibly well while boys attempt to goof along. Often, one of the girls comes to their “rescue.” It makes me wonder why they do this and when the shift occurs that prevents more girls from holding positions of power ( board seats). Your poem reawakened this disparity, but also allowed me to appreciate your chance to do you while reading and still have a present voice amid his motions and seconds. Thanks for this!
Thank you, Jennifer and Susie. To be clear, MY husband is not on the board. We attend the meetings and are happy for others to lead. I was just imagining, projecting about the spouses of the all-male board and what their wives were doing back in the condo or out on the town while their husbands were running the meeting.
Yeah, Sarah, that came across very clearly to me. Again, cool poem! Susie
Thanks for clarifying that!
Irony : As I sit here reading this, I have joined my County Commissioner husband today for a funeral. All male commissioners in my county in Georgia. We had to stop by his office on the way home, and I asked for the conference room where I could finish my poem and read the others. So here I sit, in a comfy chair, in a conference room, while he is next door in the meeting room with our state representative, …..because his name, as you began, was on the ballot. Not mine…..and maybe not my voice, since we are a house divided politically…..oh my, your poem resonated with me in an eerily Twilight Zone way today, Sarah! I loved this poem – it really caught me by surprise…still pinching myself!
Kim — I am picturing you write the Mr. Whipple poem while your County Commissioner husband and state representative have their meeting. The contrast and, perhaps, irony of that (depending on their conversation and whether or not there is a deal being negotiated — sorry to project).
🙂 I’m laughing along with you….kind of hard to WIPE the smile off my face when I think that the subject matter was leaning in the same directions in both rooms ?
Sarah – I love the short, almost terse, lines. There’s a controlled, but confident voice who gets to skip the boring meetings, but still calls the shots. I love it.
I heard resentment in the voice, especially in the repetition of “not mine.” Yes, she “gets” to skip the boring meeting…but the speaker also asserts that
“every belief
was shaped
by
through
with
alongside &
because
of
the extra X”
My take on this is that Mrs. “Name on the Ballot” should have been on the ballot herself. Yes, she “gets” to skip the board meeting…but….
Sarah and Shaun – a conrolled but confident voice resonates with me with me in this poem as well. What also comes to mind is the oxymoron – silent voices, just as influential as those in attendance who are speaking. Thanks for sharing.
Jane,
Thank you for sharing you for sharing your poem on Ethical ELA today. I love the intimacy between Kong’s wife and Jane, especially these lines with alliteration and simile to offer a rhythm of their relating:
“My heart awakened in days that slipped
into one another. Inseparable,
we sat on stones and spoke,
our talk sometimes light as fireflies,
sometimes heavy as heat.”