draws itself in, waits
for the moon to shift, release
sunlight seeps through clouds,
settling like pewter
beaten beneath us
I walk in Suzanne’s shadow,
hungry, eyes open,
ears attuned to hers
Ever heard of a mask poem? I hadn't until I read this guest post by Robyn Hood Black on Janice Hardy's blog.
In simple terms, it's writing a poem in the viewpoint of someone/something else, so you can get under the skin, into the heart and soul of a character. Since I already love writing my version of haiku, this seems like a fantastic tool for me--both as exercise with photo images and as character development for stories.
When I shot the above photo, I could see that one woman was active, doing what she pleased, and the other was following, there for the ride, for the excitement her companion generated. Even their body language shows that. Of course, I don't know these people, I am extrapolating for use as character development. In the poem, the shadow woman sees the world more clearly through her friend.
7 comments:
Mmmm, I like this device. Great take on your photo.
This fascinates me. I love to write from the pov of objects or animals. You get such a different take on topics.
I loved your poem and the picture that generated. Thanks so much for sharing both.
Very intriguing idea. Thanks, once again.
Oooh, I LIKE that--the photo too!
Laraine, Lee, Donna and Christina: You guys are awesome. Thank you so much.
I've never heard of this poetic device but you use it well. I like how the photo relates to it too.
Sarah: Thank you!
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