January 27 Challenge: Fragment Poem

This one is stolen straight from the old poet game I poetrix'd on the web year ago.  Thanks to St. Louie poet/musician Chris King for letting me cut and paste for today's challenge.

charmed, i'm sure

Orhan Veli, the Turkish poet through whom Jana found me (and eventually
Stefene), died with an unfinished poem found wrapped around his toothbrush.
His title was "Love Parade" and it's just that, a parade of all of his
lovers. (Of course, the song we wrote from it is called "Love Poem Found
Wrapped Around the Dead Poet's Toothbrush", couldn't resist.)


Anyway, several lines and almost one whole verse are lost because of
wrinkles and stains from the poem being wrapped around that damn toothbrush.
This is all of the verse from the stanza about the third lover that Defne
Halman and I could translate:


....... go out
....... hang out in the neighborhood
....... in spite of
....... side by side, the walls would be written
....... in the places of fire


So the game is to write a poem about your third lover, however you want to
count them, making use of these pieces of language. The tripple gainer
version would be a five line poem where the lines end with these phrases
(that's how Orhan Veli reads), though I may take the belly flop option and
just use them some way some how in a poem of a different length. Have fun!


Chris

January 11 Challenge: First Letter Poem

What lovely little muses you have!  There were great submissions to the Jan. 10th challenge, with many sent via private methods.  Wish I could share them all.  Remember to check back in at the end of the game to see the original translation of the Icelandic poem.

I'm tempted to give you a Turkish poem to translate, but I promised a new game a day.  When this blog goes back to Regular Programming, any of you hungry to keep poeting are inviting to join me under a new format.

Today's challenge is to take the letters below and create a poem around them.   You're seeing the first letters of two poems by two authors.  Punctuation is intact, including capitalization.  Try either or both.  Let your muse talk for you.


P
----
W  h. W
w  i  i  i  w

I  w.  O  t.  B  t.


W I M J
---------
O t, l a b d. M
t, f, b i y h.
B m t. A g f b a.
J c, v
d.  S f k, a f
A. E t h m, o t b.
C t l n, t n c
a.  D o, t k
t t g. C i c.
L o. M t y a
a n g.  P y k e
b y c f t.  S t
i l s, m m.

January 10 Challenge: Translate a poem

Gets your pencils out.  You don't need to know Icelandic to play this game-- and if you do, email me and I'll send another in a language you don't speak.

Sound out the words and listen for the poem inside, and write your translation.  I'll post poem and author info in a few days in the comments section.  If you're playing catch up, don't peek til your poem is done.  

Fjord on, brave poets-- hope you made someone smile Monday and took some time to go to that nicest place.

Jana

nótt sítrónunnar

glitrandi 

mistur af hafi 

götuljósin stækkuðu 

eitt ljósker skein í hverjum dropa 

á gleraugunum mínum 

við sátum úti á svölum 

og skárum sítrónur 

köstuðum sneiðunum fram af 

svo þær þöktu götuna 

glitrandi 

augu og augu 

í nóttinni 

  

(sítrónunnar) 

Jan 4 Challenge: TOM SWIFTIES

smiling faces:  more fun-whiz-bang!

The quest continues to limber up your Inner poet.  Today's challenge is to write two or more Tom Swifties:  "adverbial" puns that first appeared in a 1920s comic strip. Here's a few examples (don't moan):
"Love your vintage RayBans", Marge said retrospectively.
"I resent all things apairian", he said begrudgingly.
"I could use a little polishing up my look", he admitted lacklusterly.
"Sure wish I could have won one of those horrific paintings being offered as a prize in the month-long poet games", Chip said artlessly.


Looks like quite a lot of you are playing.  It's great to see your additions in the comment section.  If you're behind, find a friend and play catch up.  Remember, you can add your comments anonymously-- but be sure to email me if you want to be in for the prizes.  Challenge continues all month.

--das poetrix

January 3: Let the Games Begin!

2012 vision board, created
by one of our participants.  WOW!

Flex your brain.

To ready for the harder core poet games, let's start with some simple creativity-flexing exercises-- two or three small ones a day.  Try to do them all, but if your brain sticks, don't sweat it.  Something's better than nothing.  We'll begin by working to increase inter-cranial connectivity.

Today:  Sensory blending.  Synethesia (when one sense is interpreted in ways usually associated with another sense) is often correlated with creativity.  Some folks are born that way-- but you can build yours up.

1)  SMELLS:   Research suggests that language and other forms of cognition often trump olfaction.  That's allegedly why most of us have a hard time describing smells in any uniform way.  And during one study, people in a scent filled room being directed on a time-intensive task never noticed they were being blasted with lavender or vanilla.  Our brains like to do one thing well, and make the rest background.

Go smell something,  Now write about it.  A line or two will do.  Describe it as best you are able.  Does it bring up any associations?  Emotions?  What color is the smell?  What is it's texture?

2)  VOICE:  I've always been synethesiac to sounds.  They have heft and texture.  Describe a favorite singer's (or instrument) voice.  Use color, texture, or feel analogies.

3)  FEEL/TOUCH:  find something with a texture.  Any texture.  What personality traits can you associate with the way it feels?  Does a color come to mind when you think of that particular texture?

See you tomorrow...

And don't forget, if you're willing, to post all or some of your responses in the comments.

Jana

Happy New Year! Day One Challenge

let's get jiggy with it, folks.

Hope some of you've had a chance to do our first Challenge of Burning The Old Year.

If you're catching up:  I'll be posting a new creativity-inducing challenge every day during January.  Most will take thirty minutes or (much) less.  Please invite friends to join us!

See how many of the 31 challenges you can complete.   Post your results in the comment section if you're willing to share-- I'd love that.

And this year, I have prizes!  I am creatively reducing my biomass by lovingly recycling some old crap beloved belongings to participants.  JUST FOR PLAYING (one or more efforts posted) you win your choice of a 4X6 pic print from the blog or the collector's version of the One Less A$$hole bumper sticker.

Anyone brave or creative enough to do ten or more will receive something rummaged from my attic a bigger prize. It may be a genuine piece of Bad Art from my carefully curated collection, a book of poems, a strange artifact or found object.  Who knows?  You'll be surprised.  Maybe not pleased, but definitely surprised.

Be the first to do all thirty-one and get thirty one tiny surprises mailed to your door.  

You don't have to do them the day they are posted, but to receive the Grand Prize all challenges should be met before 02/01/12 11:59 pm PST.

Shy but still want to compete?  E your efforts through the contact button, or just say "Done!" in the comments section.
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READY for today's quest?
The Challenge :  You've burned 2011, now invite 2012.  Make a list of what you want to see manifest in 2012.  For super-over-achievers, do a vision board (click for instructions).  Otherwise a simple list is fine.  This ain't for Santa Claus-- focus on positive ways you'd like to expand your potential and what sorts of feelings/awareness/characteristics you want in your life this year.  Peggy's video offers great ideas.  
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Let me know if you did it, and if you like, share one or two things from your list.

Hope you had a good start to your new year--
back tomorrow,
Jana