July 5, 2013

Poetry Friday--Color-FULL!

Yesterday, despite it being a holiday, Laura Salas held her weekly 15 Words or Less Challenge. The photo prompt she gave to us is, if I'm not mistaken, the glaze on a piece of pottery. In any event, it is blue.

I was at a loss, at first, as how to approach writing the poem. I thought about blue and then for some reason "molecular" popped into my head. I quickly did a search on "molecular" and "blue" and got lost on a Wikipedia page about molecular models and the color blue being used to represent certain elements. Whoa! Much too much for me. That's not where I wanted to go.

Next, I decided to start with a title, which is not unusual. I put down "The Bluebird of Happiness Doesn't Exist." It was a lousy title, but it forced me to focus on blue as the designation for wretchedness. And if you're really wretched, then there's no light. No yellows in your blue. Here's how the poem ended up--without the original title:
The Blues

They’re only true if
unadulterated and
infinitely deep.
No shades, no hues
in the blues.

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.


If you'd like to read more poems about colors, I'd recommend looking for Mary O'Neill's Hailstones and Halibut Bones. The book has been in print since 1961, so I imagine some of you may have seen it in your elementary school days. It's a great tool for teachers who are teaching about color, the senses, poetry, and/or metaphor. How can you resist a poem that has lines like these?
Blue is the scarf
Spring wears on her shoulder
One of my favorite color poems is by Amy Lowell, "Thompson’s Lunch Room--Grand Central Station." I featured it here back in 2010.

To add even more color to your day, head over to Keri Recommends for the Round-Up.

15 comments:

  1. I love this peek into your writing process. I thought the picture was batik fabric!

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    1. I'll have to go back and take another look!

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  2. Really enjoyed learning about your process, Diane. (It's much more methodical than my own.) Hailstones and Halibut Bones has been a favorite for many years... since my boyfriend-turned-husband first introduced me to it as one of his childhood favorites! Also, thanks for introducing me to "Thompson's Lunch Room" -- good stuff!

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  3. Michelle, considering that I have to put together a poem in less than 30 minutes (most Thursdays I have to run off to work), my method is more like hit-and-run!

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  4. I always find it interesting to hear about a writer's process. It helps me to know how others attack the "What to write" dilemma. I love the simplicity of your poem that is really not simple at all.
    I think I have this book in my classroom library. I must go dig it up! Thanks for sharing.

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  5. So interesting to study the photograph that inspired this poem, and to read your thought process. I am in such awe of you poets!

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    1. I like to hear about others' writing processes, so I thought it's only right to share mine.

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  6. I didn't get to Laura's post yesterday so am lucky I can read what you did today, Diane! Those 'blues', if true, really are without other colors, aren't they? And I love Hailstones and Halibut Bones, use it to share with many ages of students. Also loved the "Thompson's Lunch Room"-days gone by I guess. Thanks for such a full post of good things!

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    1. "Thompson's Lunch Room" is a wonder! Who knew there were so many whites in a train station cafe?

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  7. Hailstones and Halibut Bones is one of my favorites!

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    1. It's fun to compare the two differently illustrated editions, too!

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  8. Your blues with "No shades, no hues" -- TRUE.

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    1. Fortunately, I'm a rather upbeat person and don't often get the true blues.

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