First Lines

Yesterday’s poetry prompt over at the dVerse blog was to revisit the poems we wrote last year, and using the very first line of 11 poems (one chosen from each of the first 11 months of the year), combine them to make a new poem. The title of the poem is to be the first line from a poem written in December.

Since I barely wrote more than 11 poems, there wasn’t much (any) choice of lines to select. Hence, I humbly present my “found” poem:

Winter Resolve Reigns

When first we breached primordial ooze.
April buds curling
New buds dripping cold rain

Little cherub on mama’s lap
Sweet Violets in the garden grow.

It’s been a dry summer.
Cut boards apart, then reassemble.
Whose parking lot, I have no clue.

A lazy rain beat symphony
Boots sinking deep in mud-browned melting snow
Oh, to yet be young

The full set of rules for this particular writing challenge:

Poem Style:
• write a ‘Found’ poem from your own Jan-November 2023 poems
• write it as an 11 line list/catalog poem
OR
an 11 line verse poem (with or without stanzas)

Poem Structure:
• choose from one poem per month
• select ONLY the first line of the very first verse of your chosen poems
• select your title from the 12th month or any of the previous months’ first lines
• if you’ve posted less than one poem per month for Jan-Nov 2023 then choose a month where there is more than one to make up the 11

Poem Rules:
• your 11 lines can be written in any date order
• you must keep the original word order
• you may only change the tense or personal pronouns
• you may add a conjunction or a preposition for continuity
• minor erasure at start or end of the original line is allowed
• enjambment can be helpful

I had two useable lines left over:

Shall I compare thee to an iced latte? 
and
A pig, a dentist and a cup of hot spiced wine.

I think I chose wisely.

Note to self: write more poetry this year.

About Maggie C

Stained glass artist, writer, respecter of life.
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10 Responses to First Lines

  1. Loved this! Fewer choices still worked so well

    Liked by 2 people

  2. Sherry Marr says:

    I love the journey from primordial ooze to the end, where the poet longs to still be young. So well done.

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Rob Kistner says:

    Oh to yet be young indeed, Maggie. These lines together in s fascinating way. Thanks for sharing.

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Maggie, “Winter Resolve Reigns” beautifully captures the ebb and flow of seasons, seamlessly blending images of nature’s rebirth with glimpses of the mundane and nostalgic. Your poignant tapestry resonates with the cyclical nature of life.

    ~David

    Liked by 1 person

  5. This worked so well… and that conclusion (from confusion)

    Liked by 1 person

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