From Robert Lee Brewer:
Today is a special day for so many reasons, but one in the poetic realm is that today is International Haiku Poetry Day. It always falls on April 17, because of National Poetry Month and the 17 syllables in many (though not all) haiku. This year is extra special because the year is ’17 as well.
For today’s prompt, write a dance poem. The poem can be about the process of dancing or just somehow incorporate or reference dancing in the poem. There are so many styles of dance out there and even more occasions for dancing: school dances, daddy-daughter dances, wedding dances, people who dance when they are happy, people who dance when they are sad, people who dance in large groups, and those who dance alone. And, of course, there are so who just won’t dance for anything.
Note from Victoria: Maybe we should make this a double challenge and do a haiku as well as the "dance" poem.
May I Have This Dance (an acrostic poem)
ReplyDeleteVisually beautiful women
in gowns of silk, like angels
easily glide along in the arms of
natty men in black tuxes with tails.
Never stopping in their movements
eyes are on them as they dip and
slide across the floor
ecstasy in a bloom of color.
While the music plays from
allegro to adagio the rhythm
lifts the dancers. They seem
to fly gracefully as they twirl with
zeal and flare in mesmerizing moves.
Wow. Awesome imagery and an acrostic to boot. Nicely done.
Deletethis is truly magnificent!!! You are good at acrostics.
DeleteThe visuals are terrific!
The feeling of the poem matches the acrostic.
Deleteleaves dance across earth
ReplyDeletespin and swirl in unison
birds sing provide music
You are ON today! Another great image!!
Deletebeautiful!! I can see and hear this haiku...
DeleteToes wriggle through grass
ReplyDeletefeel the earth beneath my feet
Dance the dance of Spring
I did both in one poem!!
Deletelove the image of toes wriggle through grass... brings back memories and scents of spring grass... beautiful!
DeleteI have already danced the dance of spring in my bare feet before he mows and makes the grass less soft. Beautiful haiku!
DeleteLovely both!
DeleteONE HUNDRED EIGHTY SECONDS
ReplyDeletea pantoum
Bow to each other. Bow to the ref.
“Fighting stance. Begin” Hesitate. Then,
a suddenly compact universe,
reduced to two. Fighters move, parry,
fighting stance. Begin. Hesitate, then
start a three minute relationship
reduced to two fighters. Move, parry.
Eyes locked, we watch peripherally,
start a three minute relationship.
I push, urge him on, move him closer.
Eyes locked, we watch peripherally,
dance, casual acquaintances. Will
I push, urge him on, move him closer.
to me? Weave, reach, move away, we play,
dance. Casual acquaintances will
anticipate, try to dictate moves
to me. Weave. Reach. Move away. We play
like not yet lovers. A foot I don’t
anticipate! Try to dictate moves
as it slips my guard, touches me hard,
like not yet lovers. A foot I don’t
stop. Suck breath, circle, counter, block, punch,
as it slips my guard, touches me hard.
Sweaty vinyl gear smacks together.
Stop. Suck breath. Circle. Counter. Block. Punch.
Still foreplay. Nothing below the belt.
Sweaty vinyl gear smacks together.
We breathe hard, touch hard, clothes wet, still on,
still foreplay, nothing below the belt.
Finally comes commitment. Hit hard,
we breathe hard, touch hard, clothes wet, still on
guard, I watch, back off. Begin again.
Finally comes commitment. Hit hard,
again, again. Padded gear smacks loud.
Guard. I watch. Back off. Begin. Again
I mount the assault, corner him, hit
again, again. Padded gear smacks loud
against his solar plexus. My point.
I mount the assault, corner him, hit
openings, kick inside. Gasp. Heave. Push
against his solar plexus. My point.
A second wind drives me to search for
openings. Kick inside. Gasp. Heave. Push
as he counters, scores. Scores again.
A second wind drives me to search for
his eyes, look for signs. Pause ends
as he counters, scores, scores again,
ends without warning. The ref calls, “Break,”
His eyes look for signs. Pause ends,
A suddenly compact universe
ends without warning. The ref calls, “Break,
Bow to each other.” Bow to the ref.
holy shit!!! what a powerful poem and just the dance/fight but the written words made me hold my breath, catch my breath and move on for the next steps. this is super great!!
DeleteWow!!! this is truly remarkable and a great pantoum to boot!!! You two are on the ball today!! I enjoyed your dance/fight very much. Like Bonnie said "Super great"!!!
DeleteUnfortunately, this is an old one. I thought I put that in the post but must have overwritten it when I pasted the poem.
DeleteWell old or new, I am in awe.
Deletethe vagabond virago, Everwander, dances in firelight
ReplyDeleteher beaded hair flies, sparkles, ravishes the wind
night eyes danced into eyes like magnets
that wash her free of guilt. Tonight.
He looked deep into her happy, sad eyes
and through her veil of leather and saw
her innocent soul. They fell upon her bedroll
fire hot with passion, in union, for love
climactically she shook her beads,
flashed her eyes to the left, to the right
quickly, your name before I part
she murmured softly to the night
eternity echoed the moon...
and the stars...under their...breath...
lovely images dance off the page
DeleteI love "vagabond virago" and I love the rest, too, but it could be a lot tighter. The relationship is good, the action is good, the sex is good, the language doesn't always keep pace.
DeleteMy essay on tired words/working words might be useful here - http://tadrichards.com/tiredworking.htm
But here's what I'd like to see you look at again.
Magnets don't wash. What do they do? That's what should be happening to the guilt.
"Looked deep" - cliché.
What did the eyes look like? What color were they? What did they reflect? Let the reader feel and decide their happy/sadness.
There's something really good here about the lover's eyes like magnets that draw the guilt out of her and uncover the innocence. But "innocent soul" is so heavy. It gets in the way of the reader's discovery of that innocence behind the guilt.
You know what I'm going to say about fire hot with passion, don't you?
quickly, your name before I part
she murmured softly to the night
She's a pretty earthy girl - she'd probably say something less poetic, like "go." But I don't understand why she's the one who's parting. This is her campfire, he's the vagabond. Besides, if he's the one who's parting then "murmured softly to the night" has real resonance. It echoes the "night eyes" in the earlier line. She's the one with the night eyes there - has he taken that quality on, absorbed something of her? Besides, if she's murmuring to the night, she's murmuring too late - he's already gone. And that doesn't make sense if she's the one who's parting.
I liked the imagery here. I see everything Tad said but at the same time, this being a "daily poem" you did a damn good job. Next month we should go back and for a prompt, pick poems from this month to edit.
DeleteI would like that Victoria
DeleteGood idea.
Deleteflowers are dancing in Spring
ReplyDeleteonly then to die
as summer flowers dance in
poor spring flowers!!! such a sad life
DeleteDancing indeed, they danced themselves to death, I guess.
DeleteHere's a pretty recent dance poem. I don't think I've posted it here before.
ReplyDeleteOLD GROWTH
A girl carries a case
into dense
old growth forest
takes out a trombone
attaches the mouthpiece
her first breath
is hesitant
but she finds whispered
rhythm in the wind through
the treetops
it begins to
coalesce in her
soon she is slurring notes
playing blues
in E minor
the deer don't get it
they have their own rhythms
but squirrels
nod and begin
to dance as they fill
secret hollows with hard
shelled acorns
groundhogs dig it
beavers slap time with
broad tails behind the beat
I remember reading this before. I think you may have posted it for another prompt, or maybe it was in one of your books. It has a very fairy tale feel to it.
Deleteyes, I remember this one also. I loved it when I read it before and I loved it this time. I could read it 10 more times and find something more to love in it. Also, thank you, Tad for the in depth analysis of my vagabond virago. When time is more available, I will work on this one. It gives me good feelings. I once saw a girl with long beaded hair dancing in the campfire light and imagined her as my vagabond virago.
DeleteShe was not beautiful but her attire and the way she carried herself and her dance was all you could ask for in beauty. This was at a rainbow festival in Eugene, Oregon.
lucky me with my memory issues that I don't remember this one. it is a fresh read for me and whispers softly to me in the words, the flow of the rhythm and the soft lovely images the words convey.
DeleteNice images an evocative scenery. Lots of sensory input. Nice job.
DeleteMy Dancing Teacher
ReplyDeleteMy Father taught me to dance.
He was an excellent dancer.
He taught me how to follow him
his hand was firm on my back.
He was an excellent dancer,
I loved dancing with him.
He taught me how to follow him
so I could learn to dance.
I loved dancing with him.
I went to dancing school,
so I could learn to dance.
He was more fun to dance with.
I went to dancing school
where the boys stepped on my feet.
He was more fun to dance with;
I didn't like dancing school
where the boys stepped on my feet.
He was an excellent dancer,
I didn't like dancing school.
My father taught me to dance.
good try and wonderful pictures created by the words. you got the repeating lines mixed up a bit... the second and fourth line of each verse is repeated as the 1st and 3rd lines of the following verse. still nicely done.
DeleteI love to write pantoum. In fact I wrote so many of them that Victoria and Tad told me to go into free form for awhile. This is a really fun attempt. I enjoyed it a lot.
DeleteOh dear, I'll have to rewrite it some time. I thought I was doing it correctly. Like I said, I get confused. Thanks for the correction. At least I tried, eh? And thanks to you both for the kind words.
DeleteThis is my first ever Pantoum, I believe. I have trouble keeping sequence thing straight because I get confused when I try to figure it out, but I managed this time.
ReplyDeleteOutside my window
ReplyDeletethe maple twigs have green tips
spring has tiptoed in.
my comment got lost.. try try try again... this one made me smile. i love the line spring has tiptoed in
Deleteyes and outside my window everything is finally greening and I loved the way you have Spring tiptoeing in...fun read
DeleteMany thanks for kind words.
Delete