Here we are again with a monthly Inkling challenge. This month Molly challenged us with a prompt from Pádraig Ó Tuama who said “A poem is a word-event going in many directions at once. Sometimes the “you” of a poem is a specific person, at other times it’s the poet, or a general audience, and at times there’s no you at all so the poem addresses itself to the world.”
Molly asked us to write a narrative poem that includes observations about the world and explores the craft of address, the you of a poem. On a recent morning walk, I spoke two observations into my notes app. I felt invaded upon when a truck high up on oversized wheels revved its engine at me as it passed. The other observation was not connected at all. I saw oak tree arms leaning on electric wires. We’ve had a number of sudden storms this summer, and each one is frightening. That’s all to say that poetry is a place where I can vent; I can let steam rise and fall. I address this poem to the you of a random monster truck.
June 6, 2024
You disturb my peace.
You! with your hot wheels
rumbling down the road,
motor revving, disrupt
this peace of mind I’m in
writing a poem
in my head
about birds singing.Birds sing as you pass,
your rolled-up windows
beat-boxing,
shaking a rhythmof my walking, heart pumping
brow sweating. I’m in this groove
you move your hard edge
against.My poem wants
to be kind, but I cannot wash
away your harsh sound
that erases the wind
heaving a heavy sighlike the old oak arms
leaning on electric wires
holding heavy vibration–
a lightning bolt I cryto be saved from.
Margaret Simon, draft
Take a look at how my Inkling friends approached this challenge:
Linda @A Word Edgewise
Catherine @Reading to the Core
Molly @Nix the Comfort Zone
Mary Lee @Another Year of Reading
Heidi @my juicy little universe
Reflections on the Teche 