Thursday, December 6, 2012

Shadow Girl, haiku mask poem

swish, hiss--the gray sea retreats
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:

larainydays said...

Mmmm, I like this device. Great take on your photo.

cleemckenzie said...

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.

Donna said...

Very intriguing idea. Thanks, once again.

Christina Lee said...

Oooh, I LIKE that--the photo too!

Tricia J. O'Brien said...

Laraine, Lee, Donna and Christina: You guys are awesome. Thank you so much.

Sarah Laurence said...

I've never heard of this poetic device but you use it well. I like how the photo relates to it too.

Tricia J. O'Brien said...

Sarah: Thank you!