I’ve always had mixed feelings about January being “the new year.” Partly because my head and heart seem to be forever on an academic calendar and September feels fresh and full of possibility to me, but also because January is often particularly dark and cold and locked up, and so many folks are wrung out and a little sick. Not exactly full of inspiration.
Still, I gave it my all. We plunged into Barton Springs on New Year’s Day. I hung a gorgeous new calendar. I even wrote a poem befitting the occasion. (Our prompt this month, by the way, was to write TRICUBES, this funny little form made up of three stanzas, three lines in each stanza, and three syllables in each line.)
So, back to it being January. Here was my first go:
JANUARY BY THREES
Liz Garton Scanlon
my heart beats
underground
just waiting
for some sign
promising
warmth and light
this old hope
beginning
its spring thaw
But it turns out this form is particularly addictive and fun to play with, so even though I’m a grinch about January in general, I was able to find some enthusiasm for tricubes. What about trying to write one using just a single word per line? I thought. Like this:
PARADISE FOUND
Liz Garton Scanlon
Intimate
Beloved
Wilderness:
Curious
Mystery,
Generous
Origin,
Sensitive
Paradise
And then, y’all, the truth of the human world just felt too big, too dark, too terrible and important to ignore. I can’t say I understand how or why the things that are happening are happening — I honestly don’t know how the people perpetuating violence and creating chaos and speaking in tongues of rage can sleep at night — but I do know that it is our job to witness and to raise our voices whenever and wherever we can.
OUR JOB
Liz Garton Scanlon
Chronicle
Everything
Important
Everything
Inhumane
Destructive
As Gasoline,
Everything
That matters
I wrote a few others, but sharing three feels right considering the rules of the form. Here’s where you can go to see what everyone else did with it:
Tricia
Tanita
Sara
Mary Lee
Laura
And visit Amy Ludwig VanDerwater at The Poem Farm for all that Poetry Friday has to offer!
Meanwhile, I truly do wish you all a new year full of more health, more peace, more goodness and more light. And, always, more poems.
Oh, PS — next month we’ll be getting to know the work of U.S. Poet Laureate Arthur Sze and writing in conversation with one of his works. We’d love if you’d join us — we’ll be sharing the last Friday of the month.
“my heart beats underground” SIGH I just love that. It reminds me of the myth at the heart of the musical Hadestown (have you seen that gorgeous show?) It ALL matters. Thank you for being one who chronicles.
I’ve actually seen it twice — it BLEW my mind!
I’d like to echo Sara’s comment. Yes, chronicle everything, thaw the hope. xo
How to find hope in the midst of today’s chaos, it’s here in your poems, thanks Liz for the yearning, magic, and chronicling of our human condition.
LOVE, love, love how we trio’d our tricubes. And I’m with you on January; I’ll negotiate a restart for February, because the Lunar zodiac is more fun than plain old dark January – at least we get a Fire Horse in February. 🐎 But, I am with you, heart beating underground, waiting for something brighter and lighter to appear.
And can I LOVE any more the idea of writing the whole poem in single words??? This is giving me so many ideas!!! These are great!
I can get on board with Fresh Start February. Alliteration if nothing else!! Also, like you, I am not done with tricubes at all!!
ooooh. I love, ‘this old hope.’
Thank you, Liz. I love the one-word tricubes and especially the last one that reminds us to take notice and record everything lest we forget. Poetry helps.
I see that the flow of our trios followed the same path — slow and gentle and inward-looking at first, then attending to the hard truths of our world right now. (We need an anthology of protest poems, I think…)
The middle one is my favorite. First of all, using single words = BRILLIANT! But also the flow you created, with the 3 lines, then 2 and (yes to the enjambment!) 2. Such a love letter to our Mother, the Earth.
Thanks, pal. And yes… no surprised that ours followed some similar vein…
Our Job—thank you. It is becoming necessary now…
Liz I just explored your post and your blog and your books a bit as I sit in Central NC watching a gorgeous snowfall. I’m intrigued by your circle of poetry friends’ explorations. Cheers, Doida
Oh, my gosh, I have related so many times and in so many ways to:
my heart beats
underground
just waiting
The one-word-per-line challenge is a particularly fun idea, so perfectly executed.
And “Our Job”? Well, since we can’t stop thinking about our job right now, why not write about it? I’m so thankful for every chronicler, for everyone who cares.
Hopeful for a thawing myself–Meanwhile, I’ll ponder “Generous/Origin” and the space between.
“for some sign/promising/warmth and light” Ooh, I am waiting for this, too, Liz. I really enjoyed reading your tricubes. Documenting is so important right now, whatever form it takes!
Same, Liz, same (about feeling like Sept. is the real start of the year!:)) Thank you for these tricubes, and also showing me a variation (1 word per line in 3 – 3 lines stanzas) which is calling to me. I love all your poem, and the word “gasoline” is especially resonating with me because of all the different contexts that come to mind! Thank you for all the goodness and sharing your Arthur Sze prompt! You are inspiring me to read his work to warm my very cold NY brain. Thanks.
Oh these, Liz. These. Thank you. “Paradise Found” is a balm. xo for the week and new year ahead. You may have all of the fresh starts and new years you wish. a.
I love how all of your gifted us with multiple tricubes. They are like potato chips–can’t have just one. And that’s so awesome! I especially appreciated OUR JOB.
My comments were lost in the ether, so I’m trying again. I’m in awe that you were able to wrangle an entire poem with one-word lines and have it make such beautiful sense. I love the call to action in the last poem, but I think the first is my favorite, and in particular, the last stanza. Thank you for these gifts.