More on collaborative poetry

There are probably thousands of ways that collaborative poetry can be approached. My suggestion; mix it up. A recent project between myself and two of my co-poets explored one facet of collaboration. This project was a lot of fun and, we all three agreed, turned out some pretty good pieces.

The parameters we set were minimal, we were each to write a 20 line poem on any topic. Next, we sent one of the others  only our even lines and the other, only our odd lines. The second poet was to fill in the blanks, keeping each piece at 20 lines. The only other caveat was to not create too long of a line compared to the ones preceding and following for the sake of symmetry and visual appeal.

Today, I will share my original 20 line poem. The revisions or fill-ins will follow shortly.

Sunday Morning

sips of coffee

and subtle glances

take the place of

morning conversation

under the table

dog lazing between

our feet, not seeking

attention,content

to just be still

in the morning light.

in no hurry to start

the day, mugs refilled

and sections of newspaper

exchanged, the silence

finally broken by the whine

of the dog needing

to relieve herself

back door opened

and sun on face, you ask

“What do you want to do today?”