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    Mikiesboy
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The content presented here is for informational or educational purposes only. These are just the authors' personal opinions and knowledge.
Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are based on the authors' lives and experiences and may be changed to protect personal information. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 

Timmy's Journal - 52. Found Poetry - Poetry Prompt 20

All lines are lifted from James Joyce's story: The Dead Three words were added by me and one or two words were removed.

Poetry Prompt 20

The prompt: write three Found Poems on the themes of 'Loss,' 'Memory,' and 'Celebration.' Your source material is The Dead, by James Joyce. You may decide if you wish to explore metre in your poem or not, or rhymes to accent certain parts. You may also wish to consider using a repeating section as a refrain. Let your imagination run free, as long as you allow the three principal themes to guide your creation of three freestanding works.

 

Loss

 

Julia, though she was quite grey,

was too feeble to go about much—

though she was stout in build and stood erect,

She crossed the room on rather shaky legs—

that haggard look upon her face.

Better pass boldly into that other world,

than fade and wither dismally with age.

 

 

Celebration

 

Never once had it fallen flat—

it was always a great affair.

Everybody who knew them came to

the Misses Morkan's annual dance.

 

There was a great deal of confusion and laughter.

Plates of goose and plates of ham and spiced beef

went from guest to guest with a dish of

potatoes wrapped in a white napkin.

 

We listened for a moment to the piano,

with the stamping and shuffling of feet.

The most vigorous clapping came when

chocolates and sweets were passed.

 

For years and years it had

gone off in splendid style.

As long as anyone could remember—

never once had it fallen flat.

 

 

 

Memory

 

He stood still in the gloom of the hall

The voice, made plaintive by distance—

the cadence of the air with words expressing grief

burst like stars upon his memory.

If they are gone beyond recall let us hope

we shall still speak of them with pride and affection;

cherish in our hearts the memory of those dead and gone.

Hope you enjoyed these. You'd think it was easy doing Found poetry, but it is not. It takes a lot of reading and effort to find lines and thoughts that fit.
Thanks for reading them!!
Copyright © 2017 Mikiesboy; All Rights Reserved.
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The content presented here is for informational or educational purposes only. These are just the authors' personal opinions and knowledge.
Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are based on the authors' lives and experiences and may be changed to protect personal information. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 

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Oh, my gosh, "Celebration" just brings a helpless smile to my face. The images and gaiety just roll along with ease; I can close my eyes and see it all. Joyce would be proud I think. It's like a distillation of the entire party-part of his story into a tincture. Once that just goes down a treat.

 

The same feeling of concentration of themes carries over into the other two as well. Both are striking. "Loss" for the image of Julia striding across a room to a destination soon to be known, as it were, and "Memory" for how holidays can conjure bitter-sweet nostalgia in us, but also a sense of timelessness.

 

I think these are great poems. You did amazing.

On 11/24/2016 02:18 PM, Headstall said:

I can understand that this must have been a lot of work, tim. Kudos to you for the effort... while I liked them all, I think the best was the last... Memory... that one was truly wonderful... xo Gary....

I finally figured out a method to do these, rather than trying to remember where a line was. It was fun and a challenge. I'm glad I did them.

 

Thanks so much for reading them, Gary!

 

hugs, tim xo

On 11/24/2016 02:32 PM, Parker Owens said:

Oh, tim I really like Memory. That is a true keeper. Can't imagine how long you must have read and researched and worked through it all. Wonderful work!

Thanks Parker. I liked this prompt, but it did take much longer than writing a poem myself. But I got to read a great story in the process. Thanks for your wonderful review and your time.

 

tim xoxo

On 11/26/2016 04:15 AM, AC Benus said:

Oh, my gosh, "Celebration" just brings a helpless smile to my face. The images and gaiety just roll along with ease; I can close my eyes and see it all. Joyce would be proud I think. It's like a distillation of the entire party-part of his story into a tincture. Once that just goes down a treat.

 

The same feeling of concentration of themes carries over into the other two as well. Both are striking. "Loss" for the image of Julia striding across a room to a destination soon to be known, as it were, and "Memory" for how holidays can conjure bitter-sweet nostalgia in us, but also a sense of timelessness.

 

I think these are great poems. You did amazing.

Thanks AC ... Celebration reminded me of feast from Christmas past, in my head. Lots of laughter and food and drink. Glad it made you smile. I just thought Found poems would be an odd thing to do, but it was a great prompt and challenge. I really liked it.

 

Thanks.. tim xoxoxo

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It took a couple of passes before I could grasp the meaning of these words...but when I did? :)

 

I wish I could say I knew which words were gone and which words were new, but I confess I have no clue. But maybe, that's the point. These poems read and sound as they should with nothing tripping my tongue. Bravo to you tim for this seamless exchange.

 

I liked them all, but Celebration spoke to me the loudest...of happiness and friendship everlasting.

 

As always, nicely done. :)

On 11/29/2016 01:14 PM, Reader1810 said:

It took a couple of passes before I could grasp the meaning of these words...but when I did? :)

 

I wish I could say I knew which words were gone and which words were new, but I confess I have no clue. But maybe, that's the point. These poems read and sound as they should with nothing tripping my tongue. Bravo to you tim for this seamless exchange.

 

I liked them all, but Celebration spoke to me the loudest...of happiness and friendship everlasting.

 

As always, nicely done. :)

Well for example ... it should have been ...floury potatos in white napkins .. I took out floury. It's okay to do, but you shouldn't change much.

 

Floury didn't work for me, to I removed it.

 

This was fun to do ... but a challenge.

 

Glad you enjoyed them Reader .. I like celebration too!!

 

Thanks for reading ... tim xoxo

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