Well, this was my kind of prompt. Some miracle combination of playfulness and empathy. One part “walk a mile in someone else’s shoes” and another part “what if”. I could’ve written a hundred of these if I’d had a less nutty week and if we hadn’t been going on two weeks without air conditioning (which kind of sucks the playfulness out of a gal in Texas in the summer).
Anyway… here’s the specific prompt. We were to write a poem in the style of Jane Yolen’s What the Bear Knows and/or Joyce Sidman’s Deeper Wisdom poems, both of which are really about imagining the inner life of someone or something you’re not.
I didn’t write a hundred poems, but I did write a handful of ’em and I’m going to share two of them here:
THE PENNY
By Liz Garton Scanlon
What does the penny know?
The bottom of a pocket, the drier’s metal bell
The crack between the cushions, the sewer’s eggy smell
And the finger-crossing splash into a magic wishing well
What does the penny know?
That one’s a lonely number, never near enough
That even when you’re shiny-proud, you still might be rebuffed
But wishes, when you mean them, can deliver mighty stuff
THE PEACH
By Liz Garton Scanlon
What does the peach know?
The morning orchard, sunbeam-lit
The rows like dancers, fruit befit
The farmer’s secrets, whispered, writ
What does the peach know?
The branch and blossom, perfect fit
The fresh-faced fuzz, the heavy pit
The beetle eating, bit by bit…
If you liked these, check out my pals’ poems here:
Mary Lee
Tanita
Tricia
Sara
Kelly
Andi
Laura
As for next month, we’ll be writing tankas. Tankas were originally take-offs on other poets haiku, so we invite you to dig into the Poetry Friday archive, find a poem you admire (haiku or not) and compose a tanka based on it or inspired by it or in conversation with it (obviously given credit where credit’s due). Fun, right?
Now, go enjoy the rest of Poetry Friday at Unexpected Intersections and have a great weekend, y’all.
Oh my heart! Such truth, such wisdom! I love your rhymes in Penny, and this line in Peach: “The fresh-faced fuzz, the heavy pit” The juice was just about running down my chin until…the beetle! Great surprise!
I do hope you get a book out of this challenge!! *wink*
Liz: These are so wonderful… I can’t choose a favorite. Yes, this is definitely your forte. I think I must use them as my models and try this challenge. Thank you… and good luck with the AC. PS- the peaches here in NJ have been wonderful this year! I have some waiting for me now!
I love the lucky penny clinking in the dryer and falling forgotten on the ground. Your word choice is spot on. I love “fresh-faced fuzz” about the peach. Thanks for sharing such delicious poems.
THAT PENNY, THOUGH.
You might be rebuffed, but you can still grant wishes. I am now going to cherish each penny I find – that is simply lovely.
The peaches made me laugh and laugh – so beautiful! So beloved of EVERY SINGLE BUG AND BIRD IN MY WHOLE YARD!!!! ::sigh:: Oh, well.
Wow, Liz, I really like these. I’m glad you could get a pocket in there, too.
“See a penny, pick it up and all day long you’ll have good luck.” Your poem adds so much to the penny’s story!
No air conditioning! For two weeks! In Texas! These two poems would have been impressive in the best of conditions, Liz, but Penny and Peach knowing what they do, and written so beautifully by you are two blazing hot poems. I especially love all the senses a lowly penny knows. Wonderful! Thank you for the links to others posts.
Liz, I truly love your two poems shared here. The Penny….oh that last line and The Peach. I wrote a trio of peachy poems years ago as a workshop assignment. Our teacher had us brainstorm all the peach-related words we could think of….there were about 5 in the class. THEN we were assigned to write a poem about a peach or peaches without using ANY of those words. A good exercise, but it has to be done in a way to surprise the “students” so they will happily “share away” all the great words they know! Your poem, while you might have used a word or two, was fresh and interesting. It made me smile.
Reminded me of riding on horseback through the peach orchards at overnight camp, the fruit “lined up like dancers” and perfuming the air.
I KNEW it. You and this form are BFF. Yes to a penny rebuffed, and all the clever wordplay, and Yes to the eclectic mix of sewers with wishing wells…you trusted the reader to follow the penny skipping through it all. Brilliant. And the peaches. I didn’t think I could love peaches more (they’re my fav fruit) but your poem did it. Exquisite.
Oh these are wonderful. I am honored. And makes me want to add this here;
what Does the Wedding Ring Know
The shaky day of trying on,
the passion of adjustment,
The repeating of vows,
The loneliness of sink-side,
the nightsof watching,
the bloat of making babies,
the dark hole of a drain.
The loss, the dross of living
till she marries once again.
© 2021 Jane Yolen All Rights Rerved
It’s all about the wishes, isn’t it? Love that penny poem, have given it my all many times! And our Colorado Palisade Peaches are in, & everyone is celebrating as we do each year – peach delight. I love “The rows like dancers, fruit befit”. Sorry about your AC. Mine went out in late June – replaced finally after a few weeks of what you know. Hope it’s all back soon!
I adore your peach poem. Every line of IT!
I love these poems, Liz, and I am inspired to carry this prompt into my library teaching in April. Thanks for helping me with my lesson planning!
I love these! Especially how the penny poem starts out prosaically, and then takes us to the realm of wishes. Thanks for the inspiration!
Oh, I love both of these! There’s such wonderful rhyme and rhythm throughout both of them.
Yes, one could get going and keep on, playing dress-up and mining your new identities for wisdom. The penny, “the dryer’s metal bell”; the peach with its “fresh-faced fuzz, the heavy pit.” Spot on, again and again.
I’ll be starting on that unwritten poem–Tanita has offered to PAY to read it. : )
Ooohhh, that penny and the wishing well. Yes!
What the penny knows makes ‘cents’! Ha! Both poems are brilliant, Liz. 🙂
Such bright and shiny … and delicious poems! Loved both of them!
Love your sensitive penny poem Liz, so many have felt this way:
“That even when you’re shiny-proud, you still might be rebuffed
But wishes, when you mean them, can deliver mighty stuff
And I could feel your peach’s “fresh-faced fuzz,” Here’s hoping your AC has returned to cool you off, thanks!
Liz, I read this last week but did not comment for lack of time. This line from your first poem resonated with me: “That even when you’re shiny-proud, you still might be rebuffed.” It seems to me this would be a great quote for teachers to have students ponder for a writing prompt. The peach poem shares a beautiful image: “The morning orchard, sunbeam-lit.” Your poems are wonderful to think about just before bedtime.
I wrote couple of poems in draft form at the beginning of the month but forgot to add them into my PF last week. I think I will share them this week.
Oh my, that peach poem! “The morning orchard, sunbeam-lit…”
Liz, I had saved your post in my reading list, and I’m finally getting back to these posts. I’m glad I did. I love how you made this form look so easy-breezy.
The penny is my fave of the two, and I loved ” the drier’s metal bell” I also smiled at “fresh-faced fuzz”
I hope the A/C has been repaired!