Fourth Day MVICW Conference

 

The morning session for Martha's Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing Writers' Conference was titled, "Who's on First? The Persona Poem at Play". The session was parallel to yesterday's session, but had unique aspects that expanded my understanding of the persona poem.  Again, these poems were done during the open writing time, so they will probably be revised later.

 The first writing prompt was centered on a fictional character. I chose the very hungry caterpillar on Saturday morning.

“In the Park”

Hmmm,

There should be a song about Saturdays and parks

What a lovely day

I almost don’t feel the fear of why

I am so ravished with this hunger

It seems as if my very soul is empty

For days I’ve been searching

Enjoying delicious fruits

Walking in your rays

But each night, I fall into a troubled sleep

Stomach hurting

Feeling myself expanding

Each morning

When I see you

This hunger drives me farther from my home

I need more

Huhhh

What is this red and white thing on the ground?

 

 

The second writing prompt was centered on a historical event before we were born or during our lives.We were asked to take the perspective of someone at the event that wasn't a main figure. In the Love Poetry session yesterday we read the first ever recorded love poem, "The Love Song of Shu-Sin". I considered how a servant might have been there.

 

“The Love Poem”

I remember how much time it took

    Sun moving through the sky

I would bring her food and drink

She barely touched them

Her hands working the sharp reeds into the wet clay

The pile growing smaller as the edges became dull

I could see her mouth move

    Repeating words

    Verbal kisses she transcribed onto the clay

I don’t remember what she wrote

I was assigned to prepare for the wedding feast

Before she was done

The next time I served her

    She was queen

 

The afternoon session was focused on prose poetry, "The Pliable Prose Poem".  We had a number of writing activities that helped the attendees understand the form. With one of the exercises, our instructor shared info on the Blue Lake Rhino Cave.

“Blue Lake”

We’ve lost more than our names in the waters of today. The echo of us is in the caves formed in our lives by time and trouble. We must take a deeper breath than ever before. Dive into the lake that once created a cave from the death of a rhino.