Category: New Things

April 3: May “the force” be with me

On By Suzanne B. LeitnerIn My Poetry, New Things, Poetry, Reading1 Comment

Today’s poetic device:

Catalogue:  The listing of persons or places or things. Catalogues are sometimes endless genealogies or listings of proper names and places that can create an hypnotic effect in the rhythmic repetition of strange and curious and exotic names, like a recitation or an incantation.  Eventually the phonetics of the items being listed will become soporific, thus lulling a listener or reader into a mild trance state.

(The Poet’s Dictionary: A Handbook of Prosody and Poetic Devices by William Packard)

You may have heard these kinds of poems referred to as “list poems.”  I have never been a fan of these types of poems because I don’t feel I have ever written a good one.  The first one I remember writing was a study of all the things on my daughter’s bedroom floor when she was about 7 years old.  Really, I found the whole exercise quite depressing.  At any rate, my reluctance is exactly the reason I am making myself do this today.  “Get out of your comfort zone” and blah blah blah.  Continue reading “April 3: May “the force” be with me” →

April 2: The “B” Word

On By Suzanne B. LeitnerIn My Poetry, New Things, Poetry, Reading4 Comments

As I explained yesterday, I am going to be taking on a poetic device a day, from The Poet’s Dictionary: A Handbook of Prosody and Poetic Devices by William Packard, in celebration of National Poetry Month. You are invited to play along.

Yesterday, the device was Alexandrine.  Because I wrote one alexandrine (one line), I later posted a poem, because I did also promise a poem every day this month.

Working with today’s device, however, will involve making the effort to draft a complete poem.  Now might be a good time for a Warning!  I am not afraid to post “bad poems.”  Remember – in my world, “bad poems” are known as “drafts.”  I am embarking on an exercise here.  Revisions will be in order, certainly; I am transparently starting at the beginning of the process, and inviting you to start with me.    Have at it!

Today’s device is:

Ballade:  Early French form with twenty-eight lines divided into three octave STANZAS, each stanza having a RHYME scheme of a/b/a/b/b/c/b/c with the final line as a repeated REFRAIN line; the ballade ends with a four-line ENVOI rhymed b/c/b/c with the final line being the refrain line.

[all caps indicate another poetic device that is defined in the book].  What follows is my first draft of an attempt at a ballade.  There are many things wrong with it, but I would prefer to let you find them on your own.  Thanks for reading! Continue reading “April 2: The “B” Word” →

It’s April. I Must Be a Fool.

On By Suzanne B. LeitnerIn New Things, Poetry, Writing and Not Writing1 Comment

I get nervous even typing that word.  Must be a southern thing, since here we learn the Bible practically by osmosis (see Matthew 5:22).  Anyway, it is April, and it is Poetry Month.  And if your response, in your head because you’re too polite to say it aloud, is “That just proves that April is the cruelest month,” just let me remind you, that little ditty is poetry too.  Therefore, every day this month, I am foolishly going to attempt to post a poem a day.  But wait!  There’s more!

Continue reading “It’s April. I Must Be a Fool.” →

The Tuesday Project: Update with Pictures

On By Suzanne B. LeitnerIn Intervals, New ThingsLeave a comment

The Tuesday Project that my mother and I have embarked upon together is going quite well.  By “quite well,” of course, I mean we are having a blast.  Some things I have learned thus far:  I cannot paint.  My mother can paint.  I don’t knit very well.  My mother knits fairly well.  Knitting makes us both laugh for no apparent reason (of course, when you see our knitting, you may laugh too!).

We are off by a week because the painting took us so long, so we won’t start our next project until next week.  For the next few weeks, my mother is going to teach me the ancient art of Tai chi (we were going to cook, but neither of us really wanted to do that – presumably, there will be no dishes to clean up after we practice Tai chi).

To see some pictures of our efforts, click on “Read the rest of this entry.”  Please keep in mind that we are not claiming to be good at these things we are trying to learn about by putting our hands to them: that’s exactly why I am showing you these pictures.  Maybe it will inspire some of you to try a new process, regardless of the “success” of the outcome.  Continue reading “The Tuesday Project: Update with Pictures” →