Transforming Art into Words

Welcome to Day 3 of the August Open Write. If you have written with us before, welcome back. If you are joining us for the first time, you are in the kind, capable hands of today’s host, so just read the prompt below and then, when you are ready, write in the comment section below. We do ask that if you write, in the spirit of reciprocity, you respond to three or more writers. To learn more about the Open Write, click here.

Margaret Simon lives on the Bayou Teche in New Iberia, Louisiana.  Margaret has been an elementary school teacher for 35 years, most recently teaching gifted students in Iberia Parish. Her first book of children’s poetry was published in 2018 by UL Press, Bayou Song: Creative Explorations of the South Louisiana Landscape. Margaret’s poems have appeared in anthologies including The Poetry of US by National Geographic and Rhyme & Rhythm: Poems for Student Athletes.  Margaret writes a blog regularly at http://reflectionsontheteche.com.

Inspiration

I subscribe to a few Poem-of-the-Day emails. Sometimes I have time to dig into a poem and its process for inspiration. On August 5th, Poetry Magazine sent a poem by Dean Rader, “Did You Walk to Oklahoma.” The poem was written “After Edgar Heap of Birds, “Ocmulgee” (2005).” When I googled Edgar Heap of Birds, I did not realize it was an artist’s name. The poet explored Heap of Birds’ artwork and used spaces to reflect his response.  I was fascinated by the phrasing and repetition in the poem, the spaces between words. How do spaces work differently from punctuation to tell a reader how the poem should be read?

Process

Choose a work of art or creative practice and explore phrasing, spaces, and repetition in the way Dean Rader does. How can you evoke an emotion by playing with this form? 

I recorded my yoga teacher’s class. I’ve always thought the way she speaks to us is poetic. I explored using her words and instead of punctuation, I spaced words out. How does this evoke the feeling of being present in the class, of meditation, of breath? 

(Note: If you’d like to use spacing in crafting your poem, the comment box may not preserve this, but you can type your poem and then take a screenshot just before submitting to submit the screenshot, too.)

Margaret’s Poem

Your Turn

Now, scroll to the comment section below to write your own poem. (This is a public space, so you may choose to use only your first name or initials depending on your privacy preferences.) Not ready? That’s okay. Read the poems already posted for more inspiration. Ponder your own throughout the day. Return later. And, if the prompt does not work for you, that is fine. All writing is welcome. Just write something. Also, please be sure to respond to at least three writers. Oh, and a note about drafting: Since we are writing in short bursts, we all understand (and even welcome) the typos and partial poems that remind us we are human and that writing is always becoming. If you’d like to invite other teachers to write with us, tell them to subscribe.