Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Poets United Midweek Motif ~ Fool for Poetry


April is national Poetry Month in the USA and in Canada, and poets from everywhere are participating: Are you joining the yearly challenge to write a poem a day in April?   It is not too late to begin.  In the comments below, please let us know where you post and where you find prompts. 


2014 Poster Design: by Chip Kidd, offered by Poets.org from the Academy of American Poets.
The 2014 poster features the lines "Failing to fetch me at first keep encouraged, / Missing me one place search another, / I stop somewhere waiting for you."
from Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself."
~


Midweek Motif ~ Fool for Poetry


It's hard to find positive meanings for the word "fool."  One that can be positive or negative is "To be a fool for something" meaning  to succumb to it, something we are often too logical to do.  That is the motif of Marge Piercy's poem "Toad Dreams" below.  The Tarot card "The Fool" is a positive image that stands for innocence and readiness to experience everything, even if difficult. And then there is the paid job of being a fool--as in a Shakespearean jester or a stand-up comedian or a late-night talk show host.  

Today's challenge:  Write a poem about being a fool or a fool for something, positive or negative.  

At this time of year, I get Spring Fever.  I am a fool for love, nature, and art galleries.  Colors and smells grab me and I dream a lot, willingly, especially of happy endings. And I am a fool for poetry.


“I still believe that peace and plenty and happiness 
can be worked out some way. I am a fool.” 
― Kurt Vonnegut
~

Toad dreams
That afternoon the dream of the toads rang through the elms by Little River and affected the thoughts of men, though they were not conscious that they heard it.--Henry Thoreau
The dream of toads: we rarely
credit what we consider lesser
life with emotions big as ours,
but we are easily distracted,
abstracted. People sit nibbling ...

Please read the rest of this amazing poem at The Poetry Foundation.
Marge Piercy, "Toad dreams" from Stone, Paper, Knife (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1983).  

 

~

Viola:  This fellow is wise enough to play the fool;
 And to do that well craves a kind of wit:
 He must observe their mood on whom he jests,
 The quality of persons, and the time,
 And, like the haggard, cheque at every feather
 That comes before his eye. 
 
William Shakespeare, from Twelfth Night


~

Please:  
1.      Post your "Fool" poem on your site, and then link it here.
2.      Share only original and new work written for this challenge. 
3.      Leave a comment here.
4.      Honor our community by visiting and commenting on others' poems.


(Next week's Midweek Motif will be Distractions or Stops Along the Way.)

Mister Linky's Magical Widgets -- Auto-Linky widget will appear right here!
This preview will disappear when the widget is displayed on your site.
If this widget does not appear, click here to display it.

38 comments:

  1. hey susan...i am in...hope your trip is going well susan
    i am on special assignment today to an elementary school today
    so should make for an interesting day...i will be back in a bit to see who else
    is playing...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Brian, for starting off our day!

      Delete
  2. Happy April, Poets! Second day in on National Poetry Month. I find prompts everywhere! Two places I love are Imaginary Gardens with Real Toads and NaPoWriMo, but so far I haven't linked my Blog. What about you?

    Here, today, I hope you will post a brand new poem about what "grabs" you. Come visit us all and bring your friends.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Good Morning Susan,
    This is nice: the idea of foolishness not being merely silly, but also innocent, ready for new experiences and open-eyed.
    My self-imposed sonnet sequence for NaPoWriMo is not making life easy :-)
    I don't always need prompts, but they do help.
    Hoping I can make it hold on a bit longer.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes you can! I love sonnets, too, though they don't always suit the moment.

      Delete
  4. Time to get back on the road as I drive across mountainous West Virginia USA today. I'll be back for a lunch break and later ...

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm trying to get back to writing again, and NaPoWriMo seems as good a place to start as any. I'll try to stick with the prompts on their site, but will inevitably end up seeking inspiration elsewhere (like here) too... Poems are like drinks, it's hard to stay with just one... *smile* Will get back with a fool-ish poem later, thanks for a good prompt!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Cc, I find that my WiFi goes on and out in these mountains. I cannot get to you today, but I'll try again tomorrow. Thank you for posting!

      Delete
  6. April Fools Day is a controversial aspect for the Month in many countries yet the day is celebrated and being a 'Fool is common among people' but to make someone feel like a fool? well that is a challenge and yet a greater challenge to write a foolish poem...prompt sites are various ...Poets United to begin with

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. i could not get to your poem...the link went to a blank page....

      Delete
  7. I had that song "Fooled around and fell in love" going through my head so was inspired by that. Hope you (Brian) had fun with the kids today.
    I am not doing National Poetry Month but am doing the April A to Z Challenge - so it is a busy month for all. Happy April!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ha its def a different environment from high school...but yeah i did have fun....smiles...

      Delete
  8. Thank you for the prompt, one story sprang to my mind in an instant.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi everyone, I don't profess to be a poet but most definitely am a poetic fool. So, here I am...:)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Mr Brian please check now I have tried to link up and my poem is published-

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. i found you in the side bar...and linked it in under corrected...the second one does not work either...but no sweat...we got it...smiles.

      Delete
    2. Brian, thanks for helping out! smiles.....

      Delete
  11. Hello dear poets! My WiFi is unstable today here in the mountains. I will not be able to visit until tomorrow. I hope to have a full score and a half of poems to read by then. Your fool for poetry, Susan

    ReplyDelete
  12. Thanks, Susan for fool theme! Happy WiFi for tomorrow! Enjoy poet month, poets! xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am back, Hum, but cannot find your post. Sad.

      Delete
  13. I am doing Robert Lee Brewer's April Poem A Day Challenge at his Poetic Asides blog, as I have done most years since its inception. (In 20112 I did something else, but still wrote to a couple of the April PAD Challenge prompts, lol.) You can find it at this link: http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/poetic-asides There are wonderful poems submitted, but be warned: over 1,000 on the first day! I am also posting mine at my Passionate Crone blog: http://passionatecrone.blogspot.com.au/ Don't know if I'll manage a fool poem as well, but we'll see!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the links, Rosemary! I'll definitely be by both of them. Good to see you!

      Delete
  14. Hi kids, I didnt "commit" to a poem a day, though I tend to write most days. Am just trying to keep the stress level down, as I have so much on the go right now. But am following all of the April "doings" with interest!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for covering for me Sherry! I am staying at a place with Good wifi though this new little computer likes to take vacations from working several times a day. ////Sigh. I hope you are feeling better.

      Delete
    2. This was supposed to go with your earlier comment of writing your own poem. My mouse has a will of its own.

      Delete
  15. Thanks so much for that wonderful poem by Marge Piercy!

    Mine is up at: http://purplepeninportland.wordpress.com/2014/04/03/oh-that-face/ ‎

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are welcome! She is one of my favorite poets. I took a memoir class with her at Omega Institute. Please put your link in above!

      Delete
  16. Linked my poem above, although the first draft was more on target with the fool prompt... after several drafts the poem evolved! I thought I'd link anyway :) Excited to read others posts!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Linked my offering ~ I'm not doing 30 poems in 30 days, too much for me ~

    I will be around later to read & visit ~

    Cheers,

    Grace

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Your poem is exquisite. You definitely do not write every day poems.

      Delete
  18. Thank you for the excellent poetry-- I am so happy from reading this feast of wisdom. Thank you too for being patience at my absence for the last 24 hours. I will keep this prompt open through Saturday after which it is Poetry Pantry time. I have to go and write a poem for day three ...

    ReplyDelete
  19. I always look forward to April's poetry challenge with excitement and a bit of worry.. It's not easy writing a poem a day and wanting it to be good, too! I'm glad I found this blog - after all, to write one must read, and it's nice to meet other poets!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh yes! Come on around to visit our poems and please leave comments too. You are welcome. We do one prompt a week on Wednesday and have a Poetry Pantry to post a poem on Sunday. And in addition we post interviews great new and old poems and poems we wish we had written.

      Delete
  20. I hope you like my poem! Thanks for the challenge!

    ReplyDelete

This community is not meant to be used in a negative manner. We ask that you be respectful of all the people on this site as each individual writer is entitled to their own opinion, style, and path to creativity.

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

Blog Archive

Followers