Greetings! Welcome to another Poetry Peeps adventure on Poetry Friday!
Normally I’d have next month’s challenge here However, we’re still making the list of poetry forms we’re going to play with in 2023. Stay tuned! And certainly, if you have a suggestion, feel free to drop it in the comments. Happy New Year, Round 1! (Round 2 = Lunar celebration, more on that later.)
Our teaser last month was to let “box” inspire us. Since we just moved house in October, “box” is a lot less inspiring to me than it could be. I wasn’t sure which direction to go… I thought of the ways I can say box… caja, doos, karsten… nope, still not inspired. I thought of the joy of unpacking… the angst of packing, the preference of many two year olds of my acquaintance for the box that holds the gift rather than the gift… amusing, but nothing out of which I could get a poem quickly.
My first go round with the Box form was equally less-than-inspiring to me, but at least I settled on trying the form again. And then I found leftovers from a family game night. My mother sneakily left boxes of treats on the fireplace mantle where I didn’t immediately find them and make sure they went home with her. I immediately knew what to do!
I tried making each poem an individual one this time, even as they all linked to tell a single story. I think that works better for me dealing with the parameters of the Box form. It opened it a bit more to the possibilities…If you’d like to see the other possibilities of being inspired by boxes, do check out Liz’s poem here, Tricia’s wrangle with Lewis Carroll here, Cousin Mary Lee’s poem here, and Laura’s nifty shadow poem here. Molly’s poem is here, Linda M’s Box is here, Carol V’s pre-holiday Box is here, Michelle K’s Box comes stuffed with art too, and Heidi’s Box is here. We welcome Joann and her Box as well. Other peeps are cheering from the sidelines today, and may wander in throughout the weekend, so stay tuned. And thank you to this week’s host, Patricia J. Franz for hosting the roundup.
the debate (or, unboxing match)
i.
A fierce debate
One holiday:
“Ooh! Fudge! Should we
indulge today?”
ii.
Tempting wrangle
A fierce debate:
Want & Greed tie
Should in tangles.
iii.
Only one box…
An urge to sate.
A fierce debate:
(Open? Or wait?)
iv.
Both dark and light,
Bitter and sweet
Real life mandates
This fierce debate.
As I say every year, I loathe the “New You!” insistent January jingles, and the endless ads for gyms and self-improvement with which we’re annually assailed. Don’t forget that you have several new years from which to choose – the Lunar in February, the Zoroastrian or Balinese New Year in March, the Bengali in Mid-April, the Nguni Zulu celebration on the first full moon in July, Rosh Hashana in the autumn and so. many. more. You can start over and value yourself every single month, if you’d like. There’s always time for a new you. And, there’s also always time to eat the box of fudge. Balance the bitter with the sweet. Happy (Neverending Newness) Year.
Haha, I’m used to stories of parents who hide treats so the kids don’t eat them all, not the mom hiding treats so the kids will take them! Most excellent way to think both inside and outside the box to tackle this form and tell a story!
Hmm that last stanza has a real bite to it Tanita, and what a strong line to carry through,” A fierce debate,” it can carry you to so many places… Thanks for the “(Neverending Newness) Year,” and the plethora of New Years to come, I’ll catch my breath and celebrate!
Tanita, I’m so sorry. I have the darndest time commenting here. I hope this comment comes through. Thank you for this month’s challenge. It was super fun. And, I do love a fierce debate. Great response to the prompt–and so eye catching, too!
At 6 a.m. this morning, I “unboxed” the leftover mac n cheese (homemade, sharp cheddar, none of that creamy, soupy crap) and brickle. You can see the Shoulds rarely win here. I extra love your final poem/stanza, Tanita! Wishing you a song of a new year!
“Open? Or wait?” I had the same debate with leftover cookies this year. I’m with you on the monthly (Why not daily?) celebrations. Happy New Year–here’s to fudge!
I had to laugh out loud at
“Want & Greed tie/
Should in tangles.”
While fudge, sadly, wasn’t part of my fierce debate, a dozen kind of cookies featured prominently. To be honest, there wasn’t much debate–I went straight to “open” and indulge. Wishing you a new year filled with all the sweetness you desire!
Cool way to play it: a stack of boxes! And I will fudging well eat whatever I feel like, now and throughout January. Now then–in your new place, are you out of all the boxes yet? Give me hope!
@2ndCousin Heidi: It takes longer to get out of boxes when you make a real effort to pare down the possessions but it DOES happen. You WILL get there. I loved your poem today for how you described things “boxing us in every more” but the escape feels good, even if it is temporary…
I had to laugh when want and greed tied up Should!! And “in tangles” no less!! I feel so seen! (I want that fudge!!!)
A hearty YES to a Neverending Newness Year! Why start fresh just once (and when They tell us to)? I’ll join you in embracing ALL of the New Years!
@MaryLee: The “tangles” are part of Want and Greed’s best tag teaming moves. I want to revisit that particular poem to maybe make it fit better with the rest, but I’m also thinking an entire series of boxes personifying emotional motivation would be fun, too. Poor Should always gets tripped, but he’s so obnoxious!
Tanita, I’ve been thinking alot about how we are almost compelled to begin anew at A new year – ANY new year. And then I came across one of Mary Oliver’s poems The Fourth Sign of the Zodiac, and the line “…why not get started immediately?” More and more I am challenged to see each day as a “new year” opportunity to begin.
I love the process your poetry group has used to talk thru prompt ideas. We are hoping in The Nevermores to begin some kind of monthly prompt and discussion too. Thank you for your sharing this year!
@pjnunz: Mary Oliver FTW! Yes, indeed, WHY NOT get started immediately!? Thank you for that; I need to grab that poem…