Wednesday Prompt: While You Were Gone

FONDER

Absence does something to the heart,
and while you were gone,
I balanced its workings
against my forgetfulness,
lest the soft drumming memories
in my burdened chest be drilled
away as angry metal to concrete,
replete with the chiseling
of your exit.

Absence does something to the heart,
and while you were gone,
its hold would conjure the best
days against the soft rays
of sparkling hindsight,
melting away the stony corridor
lining the path between
yesterday’s reminiscent smile
and today’s familiar hurt.

Absence fondled my aching heart
while you were gone,
making a home in its chambers,
settling, cleaning, applying time
to bandage the tissue
needing healing,
and the something it did for me,
made me fonder of the freedom
you threw at my feet
once you were gone.

****

This poem was inspired by today's Poetic Asides Prompt. I guess I had more poems in me! The manuscript is coming along. Thanks for all your suggestions and encouragement!

Craning for Understanding: The Newspaper

Today's WORD on Journalism: Craning for Understanding:

"The Newspaper

“A newspaper is a collection of half-injustices
Which, bawled by boys from mile to mile,
Where every one is kindly and unfairly tried
By a squalor of honest men.
A newspaper is a market
Where wisdom sells its freedom
And melons are crowned by the crowd.
A newspaper is a game
Where his error scores the player victory
While another’s skill wins death.
A newspaper is a symbol;
It is feckless life’s chronicle,
A collection of loud tales
Concentrating eternal stupidities,
That in remote ages lived unhaltered,
Roaming through a fenceless world.”

—Stephen Crane (1871-1900), novelist, poet and journalist,
from War is Kind and Other Lines (1988)"

'via Blog this'

If you allow "newspaper" to represent "modern media" this poem really stands the test of time.

Bad Sex In Fiction Award 2011

Any reference to graphic incest would automatically win this prize. Thanks Sophocles...ew!

BBC News - Bad Sex In Fiction: David Guterson's Ed King wins award:

'via Blog this'

Post-Challenge Thoughts and Actions

Deadlines are motivators for me. I work best with a clock ticking. With these facts in mind, I look at the selection process of choosing (at least ten, at most twenty) poems for the chapbook manuscript in a time frame. I have about a week.

This means I'm going to need your help. Below is a list of titles and prompts (with links!) from November's poetry challenge. Let me know which ones were most significant, enjoyable, or memorable to you by commenting or replying with three title(s) you liked. I didn't include all the drafts here, but if you liked one not found on the list, mention it as well.

Let the sifting begin!

Poems and Prompts

1. Pink Collar - Procrastination/proactive
2. Wasted Solidarity - Epigraph poem
3. Sort of Silly - "Sort of  ________"
4. Discovery - Something unexpected 
5. Rising Anew - Broken poem
6. Dead or Alive - "______ or  ______"
7. Overcast - Different perspective poem
8. Cliche To Do List - Math or numbers poem
9. Enough - Excess poem
10. The Lioness - Kind poem
11. Location, Location - Love/anti-love
12. Once Upon a Train - "Once upon a _______"
13. Revelations - Something revealing 
14. Best Ever Farewell - Best ever poem
15. Whenever I Remember - "Whenever _______"
16. Beet - Fruit/vegetable poem
17. Alive - Travel poem
18. Right to Assemble - Gathering poem
19. To My Mistakes - Tribute poem
20. Let There Be - Evening/day-time poem