W3 Prompt #15: Wea’ve Written Weekly

Intro

Dear friends,

Welcome to our W³ Poetry Prompt, which goes live on Wednesdays at The Skeptic’s Kaddish.

You may click here for a fuller explanation of W³; but here’s the ‘tldr’ version:

Part I

The main ingredient of W³ is a weekly poem written by a Poet of the Week (PoW), which participants respond to in verse.

Part II

The second ingredient is a writing guideline (or two) provided by the PoW. Guidelines may include, but are not limited to: word counts, poetic forms, inclusion of specific words, and use of particular poetic devices.

Part III

After four days, when the prompt closes, the PoW shall select one participant’s poem as the W³ prompt for the following week, and its author becomes the next PoW.

Simple enough, right?

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Okie dokie ~ Let’s do this thing!

I. The prompt poem:

‘Longing for water’ by Britta Benson

Longing for water,
want of drifting.
My speck in amongst souls,
like plankton.
Food for someone.

Longing for water,
medium of flow and undertow.
One continuous journey
with the murmurs of a heartbeat
that does not need to arrive.

Longing for water,
the tickling freshness of currents.
Temperature changes in swirls.
To be nothing in something
and everything in this all.

Longing for water.
When I’m truly rested
in the ease of travel,
I’ll remember who I am.
And then, I’ll swim.

II. Britta’s prompt guideline

• Include the name of a city (town, village) in your poem
  • This could be your home town, or a place you have never been to but long to go, a travel memory, a dream, a tour guide…
  • Maybe you’ll find that a particular form of poetry expresses a sense of that particular place perfectly?
    • Is there such a thing as a tanka town? A haiku hamlet? A villanelle village? Or perhaps, your chosen city is more of a free verse kind of hangout?

III. Submit: Click on ‘Mr. Linky’ below

In order to participate and share a poem, open up this blog post, outside of the WordPress reader. At the bottom, just below these words, you will see a small rectangular graphic with the words ‘Mr Linky’. Click on that to submit.

Submissions are open for 4 days, until Sunday, August 14, 10:00 AM (GMT+3)

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Last week’s W³ poem

This week’s W³ prompt poem (above), composed by Britta, was written in response to last week’s W³ prompt poem, which Sylvia Cognac wrote:

‘Cold Feet’ by Sylvia Cognac

Waiting to feel safe with you
You seem to be just right
Right like all the other men
Men who left me by day light

I try to hide my insecurities
Insecurities might spoil things
Things that work out for almost everyone
Everyone else wears wedding rings

You’re adorable, but I’m silent
Silent because I don’t know how to express
Express that I want you, but I’m terrified
Terrified I can’t live up to this white dress