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?”

Let's make a scene

3rd installment of

Java Dock Cafe's open mic will be:

Sunday May 31st 3-5pm

please arrive by 2:30 to sign up
if you wish to perform

bring your best...

poetry, prose and/or acoustic music

Get your voice heard!

Well the first session got off to a rocky start due to some folks getting there a bit late but we eventually got going and ended up having a really good first session, even if we were mainly performing for the other artists there. Connections were made and some friendships as well. All in all a good day.

So, with that being said, we are doing it again, hopefully with a little better turnout.
It is time for another Open Mic at Java Dock Cafe
Twitter @javadock_cafe
www.javadock_cafe.com

Sunday April 26th from 3-5 get there by 2:30 to sign up.

Get your voice heard!

Open mic @ Java Dock Cafe

Hey folks,

Just dropping a note to say that I am very excited to be curating an open mic series at The Java Dock Cafe in beautiful Port Washington, Wisconsin. We are opening this for poetry, prose and acoustic music. The first set will be on Sunday April 12th starting at 3pm. I will host each session and will be the featured reader for the 12th. I am hoping to get some great poets in to be the featured reader each time we offer this. The hope is to do this at least once a month, with two this April, the second being April 26th.

Java Dock is a special little coffee shop with a great atmosphere, they concentrate on offering great coffee drinks and excellent bakery items made fresh daily, in-house.

I look forward to this new venture and to seeing all of you out there, either presenting your work or just to hang and listen.

you can find Java Dock on Facebook and Twitter

Making a push...

Hey world!
Here I am!
Look at me!

That is what sending my work out for consideration to be published feels like to me sometimes.
Yet, it has to be done, I mean, otherwise what am I doing this for? No, I'm not really asking you, I am asking myself. As a writer/poet, we are often asked (yes, even by ourselves) why we write. Depending on the day or my mood, the answer varies, greatly. Sometimes, I feel like an observer or reporter of the world, or at least my own environs. Other times, it feels as if I am just journaling, jotting down my thoughts. Still others, I feel like I am locked in a bare, windowless room with bare feet, pounding on the door,begging to be heard or acknowledged in some small way.

So... fingers crossed. I just sent five poems to www.caketrain.org for their consideration. Let's hope they hear me, because I really have to pee.

Co-poets pt. 10; the end

This piece will conclude this particular project(a study in collaborative poetry)

My final poem comes from the piece my brother Chad and I came up with...

Woodland Birds

The eyes shine bright
as the name of every
woodland bird
and their different
calls come easily
to the tongue

but pictures found
in  a hat box
left to linger
in a mildewy attic
ring no bells
the eyes now
glassed over
as the tongue
laps the mouth
searching for purchase

Co-poets pt. 9

This is my rendering -a very spare piece based off of the poem Paul and I did together.

Vortex

Things forgotten
come swirling back
in a vortex of memory
a random mind chooses
which to spew
and lay bare
for the unwitting
passersby
pretending
not to hear