Okay, I found out that you really can't post much on other pages - it's meant for "content that doesn't change often." <sigh> So my poetry will appear here and I hope you will post some of your own creations. It may well mean that I have more than one post on a given day because they often are separate thoughts or come to mind because of other thoughts that I post.
I also want to share some of the techniques I learned to brainstorm and create, mostly from an NCCAT seminar. These I will label "Poetry 101". Today, first lesson :-)
One of the first things we did was brainstorm different words for blue. Of course, brainstorming is best with a group, but you can do it yourself. Try to discipline yourself to not use a thesaurus. After we had some time for this list to marinate, we were given a chance to write. The stress was on imagery. Rhyming, while not prohibited, was discouraged.
Focus on something or someone you could describe with the colors. Don't necessarily think in terms of describing attributes (like a blue balloon), but on creating images in your readers' minds. Use as many of the words from the list as will gracefully fit into your poem. Remember, in poetry metaphors are allowed and encouraged. The following was my attempt. Please feel free to comment and critique, but bear in mind that this was an early attempt, so be gentle.
By the way, NCCAT stands for North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching and they sponsor week-long seminars on topics important to teachers. It is where I found my poet's voice. I hope Beth doesn't mind my sharing this one since it's about and for her.
Blue
Boys' color - Beth's color
My blue girl.
Blue as bright as your eyes as they awake to a new dream
sea-foam dreams
azure dreams
cobalt ice-castle dreams.
Blue as serene as the deep pools of your thoughts too deep to see the bottom
cerulean thoughts,
turquoise thoughts
sapphire stars reflected on the surface thoughts.
Blue as strong as the steel in your spirit as you face your pain
blue-grey steel
periwinkle steel
forget-me-not for I will prevail steel.
Blue as deep as the melancholy that grabs your you soul when your crosses become too heavy
midnight soul
indigo soul
ice cold silent keep out soul.
Blue
Boy's color - Beth's color
My little blue girl
My love.
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