I’ve gotten woefully behind in reading a poetry book each day for #TheSealyChallenge, and that’s because school has started. My focus has shifted. So to create a post for today, I sat down with Late Father by Taylor Mali, a gift from Janet Fagel for the summer poem swap. I got lost in the poems that lead us through his life with candor, humor, and grief. Then I googled him and found his website and a link to his Facebook page where I watched a video…In other words, I took too long on this post.
I’ve heard from a few poets that giving the title some of the heavy lifting can be helpful in writing a poem. Irene Latham does this often in This Poem is A Nest. I noticed it in Elizabeth Acevedo’s verse novel The Poet X. (Title: “Another Thing You Think While You’re Kneeling on Rice That Has Nothing to Do with Repentance”) And here it is again in Taylor Mali’s book. Time to pay some attention to this craft move.
I’ve Already Worked too Long on this Post
Praise be the poet who,
having written a poem every
day this week, opens her docs
and plops one into a blog post
and calls it Poetry Friday.She must know that I will read it
again and again and call myself
a faker. Berate the time I spent
watching “Outer Banks” rather
than writing this poem.(I got this.)
She must know that poetry can be
LaMiPoFri* by Margaret Simon
a playground with a swingset anchored
for cloud viewing–even if now there’s rain–
the memory of a vision is enough
to build a poem on.
*Last minute poetry Friday form coined by Kat Apel.
Reflections on the Teche 
Wow! I love rabbit holes…and this post is full of them. Praise be the poet, indeed. I laugh when I have the thought, “I’ve got nothing.” Because, nine times out of ten…it’s not hard to find somethings if I just relax a bit. Of course, now that school has started that’s not as easy as summer. Tomorrow is Ethical ELA. Woot!
Golly, Margaret–that last stanza (also the rest) is something! I just love this:
a swingset anchored
for cloud viewing–even if now there’s rain–
And yes, sometimes all we can do is plop!
Thanks for the Taylor Mali poem, too.
The anchored aspect of the swingset is very important! With it the poet does indeed know “I got this!”
This poem reminds me of a photo you shared of your grandson on the trees with the low, heavy branches, in I think New Orleans. I love how you used Taylor Mali’s poem for a craft move. What I love is how a poet can look around and if with eyes and heart open find a poem opening before them, but for me, that does not happen on command! Yet, the memories in our notebooks (or brains) can be mined. I am glad you are enjoying his books. His daily poetry moments during the beginning of the pandemic were a balm to my soul. He still does some now and again, but it is not the same, busy schedules and all that. (PS In my younger days i could compose with more ease and on command, but I am not sure my craft status was where it could have been. I tell the critic voice to stop and let me write!!! But……)
Yes to titles that tell stories 🙂 I love that last stanza of yours. Reminds me of “The revery alone will do,
If bees are few.” (E.D.)
I adore long titles & yours lies among the enticing ones, Margaret. Praise be indeed!
I love the pure honesty of your post, Margaret. The fact you run out of time, write a last-minute post, and get lost in the poetry of others makes you human, and a curious one at that! My honest self-assessment is that I definitely need to work more on titles for heavy lifting. I am guilty of slapping one on my post and not giving it a second thought – even though I know it is a mistake to do so. Thanks for the reminder. Best wishes for a happy, productive school year!
What a great craft move you have explored here iwth your long title. I will surely need to pay attention to this soon. Maybe this week for our Quick Write. Your post motivated me yesterday. It was a long, lazy day spent with my husband. I had not given a thought to Poetry Friday, as I usually do earlier in the week. However, your LaMiPoFri first made me laugh and then reminded me that I did have a poem idea to share even though it was getting later on Friday. Thank you for always inspiring!
Love the idea of a title doing much of the heavy lifting. Thanks for sharing (and I’m been spending time watching “Outer Banks,” too!)
Rose, I’m taking some time off from watching Outer Banks. Some of the violence is getting to me. But I need to know what happens!
That’s a great point about titles doing heavy lifting. I haven’t hear of LaMiPoFri before – yours is great fun. Thanks for sharing Taylor Mali’s poem, and yours in the same style.
Love! All of it! Ruth, thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com
Long titles (or titles that are actually the first line of the poem) are some of my favorites. Your description of your rabbit-holing made me snort with recognition.
And so much for this being a “LaMiPoFri” — you nailed it!!
“poetry can be
a playground with a swingset anchored
for cloud viewing” — so beautiful, Margaret!
You know how much I struggle with titles! Thanks for the reminder to look at some mentors (including yours and Taylor Mali’s) and work on this craft move. Also, I, too, love that final stanza of yours.
I am constantly reminding young writers how important title are, so your poem has been well served by the title you have awarded it Margaret. Mind you, the words you included in the poem did the title proud. You started strongly and ended just as strongly. What more can a poet do? Love the cloud image- striking.
Yes to “playing in the box it came in is more fun!” Love the last stanza of your poem, and these words, “playground with a swingset anchored
for cloud viewing–” cloud viewing is wonderful, and it s-l-o-w-s us down–wonderful cloud-burst image, thanks Margaret!
Hello from Taylor Mali! Thanks for posting my poem and the poem of yours that it prompted. And absolutely make the title do some of the work of the poem. Especially if you have a tendency (not you, Margaret, but many) to shy AWAY from simple clarity in the poem itself. Some folks look at poems as little puzzles and are afraid of making them “too easy.” A good simple title can often point the reader in the right direction. I had a student once who wrote a wonderful poem called “Living with Ana.” It seemed to be about a bullying and belittling friend who was slowly killing the persona, but there was something we weren’t getting. Finally I asked the author if Ana’s last name happened to be “Rexia,” and she nodded her head like she’d been caught!