This week (April 27th-May 3rd) I will be hosting a series that will examine the lyrical-narrative free verse poem. Each day a poem, craft essay, and prompt will center on various parts of the poem: opening lines, body of the poem (4 aspects in 4 days--narrative arc, lyricism, imagery, and emotional connection), closing lines, and on the final day title and epigraphs. In addition, a submission suggestion and recipe will conclude each day's entry.
For fun, the recipes match up with the various parts of the poem--appetizers (opening lines), body of the poem (main course), closing lines (dessert), and title / epigraphs (after-dinner drinks).
Day 1: Opening Lines
POEM:
If There Is Another World
If there is another world,
I think you can take a cab there--
or ride your old bicycle
down Junction Blvd.
past the Paris Suites Hotel
with the Eiffel Tower on the roof
and past the blooming Magnolia and on--
to the corner of 168th Street.
And if you're inclined to,
you can turn left there
and yield to the blind
as the sign urges us--
especially since it is a state law.
Especially since there is a kind of moth
here on the earth
that feeds only on the tears of horses.
Sooner or later we will all cry
from inside our hearts.
Sooner or later even the concrete
will crumble and cry in silence
along with all the lost road signs.
Two days ago 300 televisions
washed up on a beach in Shiomachi, Japan,
after having fallen off a ship in a storm.
They looked like so many
oversized horseshoe crabs
with their screens turned down to the sand.
And if you're inclined to, you can continue
in the weightless seesaw of the light
through a few more intersections
where people inside their cars
pass you by in space
and where you pass by them,
each car another thought--only heavier.
By Malena Morning. From Astoria (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2006)
CRAFT:
"How do you begin a poem?" This question can be unpacked into many questions. "How do you transform the blank page into a first line or lines?" "Do you begin with a title or just start writing? "How do you evaluate the opening lines to a poem?" The list could go on. I'd like to briefly discuss how I determine the strength of opening lines. For me, all poetry--no matter whether it conforms to formal rules or whether its more organic (free verse)--should pay attention to two things: craft and emotional connection with the reader. The earlier those two elements appear in a poem the better.
What makes the first sentence interesting?
If there is another world,
I think you can take a cab there--
or ride your old bicycle
down Junction Blvd.
past the Paris Suites Hotel
with the Eiffel Tower on the roof
and past the blooming Magnolia and on--
to the corner of 168th Street.
And if you're inclined to,
you can turn left there
and yield to the blind
as the sign urges us--
especially since it is a state law.
Especially since there is a kind of moth
here on the earth
that feeds only on the tears of horses.
Sooner or later we will all cry
from inside our hearts.
Sooner or later even the concrete
will crumble and cry in silence
along with all the lost road signs.
Two days ago 300 televisions
washed up on a beach in Shiomachi, Japan,
after having fallen off a ship in a storm.
They looked like so many
oversized horseshoe crabs
with their screens turned down to the sand.
And if you're inclined to, you can continue
in the weightless seesaw of the light
through a few more intersections
where people inside their cars
pass you by in space
and where you pass by them,
each car another thought--only heavier.
By Malena Morning. From Astoria (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2006)
CRAFT:
"How do you begin a poem?" This question can be unpacked into many questions. "How do you transform the blank page into a first line or lines?" "Do you begin with a title or just start writing? "How do you evaluate the opening lines to a poem?" The list could go on. I'd like to briefly discuss how I determine the strength of opening lines. For me, all poetry--no matter whether it conforms to formal rules or whether its more organic (free verse)--should pay attention to two things: craft and emotional connection with the reader. The earlier those two elements appear in a poem the better.
What makes the first sentence interesting?
Its exact shape and what it says
And the possibility it creates for another sentence.
—Verlyn Klinkenborg, Several short sentences about writing (Vintage Books, 2012)
Although Klinkenborg is not writing about poetry per se--hence he's discussing "the first sentence"--we can substitute "line" or "first lines" for "sentence." What makes first lines of poetry interesting for me are: 1) vivid, fresh images that I can easily access (my interpretation of "exact shape and what it says"); and 2) the possibilities the lines create for future lines.
Why do I want images in first lines? Jack Gilbert points out in an interview by Chard deNiord (Sad Friends, Drowned Lovers, Stapled Songs: Conversations and Reflections on Twentieth Century American Poets, Marick Press, 2012) that "Seeing is infinitely older [than speaking]," and engages the reader much more than abstractions. And early engagement with the reader is what I'm after in first lines.
I think one of the main things [about great poetry] is simply concrete detail. After all, speaking is one of the newer arts of human beings. Seeing is infinitely older. We react from seeing something much more than we react from hearing it said. We are designed to respond to physicality. Like in a basketball game, the man who is going to shoot the ball to win the game is standing there doing nothing at the line. Now, what he is doing often is visualizing himself taking the ball, making it bounce in his hand, lifting the muscle, shooting, watching it go up and up, and down and down and in the basket. When he does that, then his body can sense. Oh, I can do that! And I can imitate that! If you tell me an abstraction then, it's not good. It may or not get through. Draw me a picture, make a movie, and let me see.
Morling's lines engage me physically because I can easily see myself getting into that yellow cab in NYC or Chicago or anywhere else and setting out on a journey. But that image alone does not necessarily engage me emotionally.
Although Klinkenborg is not writing about poetry per se--hence he's discussing "the first sentence"--we can substitute "line" or "first lines" for "sentence." What makes first lines of poetry interesting for me are: 1) vivid, fresh images that I can easily access (my interpretation of "exact shape and what it says"); and 2) the possibilities the lines create for future lines.
Why do I want images in first lines? Jack Gilbert points out in an interview by Chard deNiord (Sad Friends, Drowned Lovers, Stapled Songs: Conversations and Reflections on Twentieth Century American Poets, Marick Press, 2012) that "Seeing is infinitely older [than speaking]," and engages the reader much more than abstractions. And early engagement with the reader is what I'm after in first lines.
I think one of the main things [about great poetry] is simply concrete detail. After all, speaking is one of the newer arts of human beings. Seeing is infinitely older. We react from seeing something much more than we react from hearing it said. We are designed to respond to physicality. Like in a basketball game, the man who is going to shoot the ball to win the game is standing there doing nothing at the line. Now, what he is doing often is visualizing himself taking the ball, making it bounce in his hand, lifting the muscle, shooting, watching it go up and up, and down and down and in the basket. When he does that, then his body can sense. Oh, I can do that! And I can imitate that! If you tell me an abstraction then, it's not good. It may or not get through. Draw me a picture, make a movie, and let me see.
Morling's lines engage me physically because I can easily see myself getting into that yellow cab in NYC or Chicago or anywhere else and setting out on a journey. But that image alone does not necessarily engage me emotionally.
The first line should pry up
A little corner of the soul
As the first ray of daylight
Pries open the sleeper’s lids.
—Suzanne Buffam, “ On First Lines,” The Irrationalist (Canarium Books, 2010)
In the same way, Buffam says, that my body awakens to the sunlight streaming in the window, something in the first line(s) should engage me on deeper levels. And that's what Morling's twice repeated "If there is another world" does for me--it draws out my desire for discovery, for a quest. "Another world" sounds enticing and draws me into possible new realms both beyond this one and within me. Thus in two lines (not counting the title), the poet has engaged my senses and my emotions. In addition, she has opened up the poem to allow for any direction that she may choose to go. How those choices are made will be the topic of our craft talk for tomorrow.
PROMPT(S)
Easy Prompt:
Take Morling's first two lines as the first two lines of your poem titled "Poem Beginning with Lines By Malena Morning" and take a different direction from the one she took. Remember to stay in the concrete, sensate world, and try to use that imagery to "show" any deeper meaning, rather than "tell" about it. (More about this tomorrow when we discuss the middle of a poem.)
Take only the first line and half of the second line ("If there is another world, I think ...") and complete the line in a different way entirely. Remember to remain primarily in the world of sensate experience and complete the line with interesting images that engage your readers, as well as open possibilities for future lines. Examples: "If there is another world, I think the wind lifts fallen leaves back to trees." "If there is another world, I think Elizabeth Warren is president there."
Advanced Prompt:
Take only half of the first line "If there is..." and fill in the line with something else. Example: "If there is grass that lives forever, my mother would never plant it in her yard."
JOURNAL:
Most journals and contests do not accept previously published poems. The Aesthetica Magazine Writing Contest (anthology for finalists) is currently accepting submissions HERE. Previously published and simultaneously submitted work is allowed.
RECIPE:
Creamy Goat Cheese, Bacon, and Date Dip (From Ali Slagle on newyorktimes.com)
To begin the poem or the meal, pleasing the senses and preparing them to experience more is a must. This Creamy Goat Cheese, Bacon, and Date Dip meets both requirements, and can be seasoned to be as spicy as your palate can handle. (If you have a NYT account, just click on the link above. If not, I've reproduced the recipe below for your convenience.)
YIELD: 6-8 servings
TIME: 30 minutes
This appetizer is like a bacon-wrapped date in dip form--and every bit as luxe, sweet and simultaneously smoky as that sounds. Here, as you swipe crusty bread through the smooth cheese, you'll gather chunks of bacon and a bit of date, toffee-like from a quick fry in the meaty fat. You could embellish further with nuts, chile or honey [one reader recommends cartelized onions], or you could sip Champagne and dig into the dip prepared with only the ingredients below.
INGREDIENTS
10 ounces goat cheese at room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Salt and pepper
5 ounces thick-cut bacon cut in 1/2-inch chunks
10 Medjool dates, pitted and cut into quarters lengthwise, or roughly chopped
Honey, red-pepper flakes, black pepper, flaky salt, toasted sliced almonds or chopped pistachios for garnish (optional)
Crusty bread, grainy crackers, endive or fennel for serving
PREPARATION
Step 1
Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, stir together the goat cheese, cream cheese, lemon juice and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Transfer to a 1-quart baking dish or ovenproof skillet, and spread into an even layer. Bake until warmed through and bubbling--about 20-25 minutes.
Step 2
Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a medium skillet over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until golden and crisp--about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, then add the dates to the bacon fat in the skillet, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the insides are warm and the outsides blister--about 1 minute.
Step 3
Top the baked cheese with the dates and bacon, and garnish as you wish. Serve at once.
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