Thursday, August 16, 2012

A Prose Poem Made From Stone

We're in week 7 of the Our Lost Jungle Poetry Form Challenge. This week's form is the Prose Poem. It's a poem written in prose or prose written poetically. I'm leaving the explanation to Khara House at OLJ.

For inspiration for this week's challenge, I decided to look through some of my photographs. (I'm sorry. I just can't help myself.) I chose one that I took in Arrow Rock, MO, last fall. The poem tells you what I see in the photograph.  What do you see?



Made of Flint

The stone visage looks out from the rock. It’s features have been chiseled over time. Perhaps a piece of one eye helped guide an arrow to its mark. Was a splinter from the cheek large enough to spark a fire to keep travelers warm? Did the chin split when a father collected a souvenir for his son? The face shows that life leaves scars and it wears them with dignity.

6 comments:

  1. Nice one, Michelle. It looks skeletal, almost pre-historic. And all of those suppositions could easily be correct.

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    1. Thank you, Claudette. For me, looking through photos was a natural for trying to create a prose poem.

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  2. Very nice, Michelle. I love how to sculpted language and flow of this reflect the stone it describes/discusses. What a great way to sort of "defy" form to create a stunning effect!

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    1. Thanks, Khara. I think I always knew I would write something to go with this photo. Thanks for giving me the nudge.

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  3. It definitely looks like a skull to me. TALU!

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    1. I was surprised when I saw what looked like a skull in the rock formation. I knew I'd write something about it! TALU

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