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| Through Glass Eyes |
Today, I am sharing the macro photography of my daughter, Jaime Clark, with all the toads of the Imaginary Garden, as inspiration for the Shadorma form of poetry writing.
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| Bougainvillean Dreams |
The Shadorma is a simple syllabic verse form, which is surely familiar to many of our poets. It is most effective when written using strong words or phrases.
The Shadorma is:
1. a hexastich, a poem in 6 lines
2. syllabic, 3-5-3-3-7-5 syllables per line.
3. unrhymed.
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| A Single Drop |
Macro photography is extreme close-up photography, usually of very small subjects, in which the size of the subject in the photograph is greater than life size, and our challenge today is to use the Shadorma to achieve a similar effect in poetry, by focusing on the most minute of details.
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| Bee in Bottlebrush |
One may use the form as the basis of a single stanza, and include several stanzas in a complete poem, but for this prompt I would like you to use a single six-line poem for the picture you choose. However, you may choose to write on more than one picture.
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| Growth |
Jaime has generously offered these beautiful photos for our poetic inspiration. If you add an image to your post, please acknowledge the name of the artist.
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| Underside |
The Free Verse alternative for today is to write to the theme: "Extreme Close-Up".
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| Just Dandy |
The Sunday Challenge is posted on Saturday at noon CST to allow extra time for the creative process, so please do not link up old work which kind of fits the image. This is in the spirit of our Real Toads project to create opportunities for poets to be newly inspired. Management reserves the right to remove unrelated links but invites you to share a poem of your choice on Open Link Monday.
She is quite the talent! Can't wait to carve out time or this one. Might not get to it until Monday.
ReplyDeleteI thought I would leave a note in the commentary section about my reasoning for discontinuing the Sunday Challenge. I have noticed over the last couple of months that there has been a drop-off of responses to these challenges, possibly due to the fact that there are many weekend prompts available from other long-term sites. This often results in poets feeling the need to "double up" in order to fulfill as many as possible. Poets are not automatons who can always write on cue, nor would I want to add to a quantity over quality mentality.
ReplyDeleteA huge thank you goes out to all the photographers who have generously allowed us to use their images for our inspiration, and to the toads and friends who have continually responded with poetry of the highest calibre.
Oh, I'll be sorry to see the Sunday Mini-Challenge (which seldom seems mini to me) discontinued, Kerry.
ReplyDeleteI love your daughter's photos, especially "Underside".
Hi to all the Toads from me. No word yet on when Dick will be discharged from hospital, probably Monday, but maybe as early as tomorrow (Sunday).
K
Well, that's sad. I really look forward to the mini-form challenges, and I've loved the photographic ones as well. I hope my own tendency to link to more than one prompt is not a factor---the fact is, I've never been good at off the cuff composition, and I am finding writing to prompt after prompt a bit overwhelming these days--but the last one I would want to lose is this one.
ReplyDeleteShadorma is one of my favorite short forms-thanks, Kerry, for suggesting it, and the photos are fascinating.
I have nothing against the "double up", having done it myself on occasion, and no one person is to blame for the decision. It takes me several hours to research and put together each challenge every weekend, and I have gladly spent the time on it, but interest has definitely been waning in recent times. It is also of concern that we seem to have reached the limit of amateur photographers who are available for a feature every second week
ReplyDeleteI am happy to know that those who habitually wrote for this weekend prompt have got a lot out of it and perhaps something new may takes its place in time to come.
Whu-hoo! I'm first? and a form poem to boot. I shall be clucking with satisfaction all afternoon. Hee hee. I know how much time it takes to keep these prompts coming, Kerry. Whatever you decide will be fine with me.
ReplyDeleteI find that sometimes combining prompts just works for the poem! Gives it more depth. Joy (Hedgewitch) mentions above that writing prompt after prompt can get overwhelming... and I HAVE gotten caught up with that as well... but I think if we all realize we all might not be able to do everything, then some prompts will have less participants. And that is OK, I think.
ReplyDeleteMy "problem" is I WANT to do every prompt... but probably shouldn't ;)
Just my thoughts...
I have learned a lot about poetry forms, so I really appreciated this feature ~
ReplyDeleteLovely pictures, I would also like to use them for my haiku poems in my other blog, credit to your daughter ~
I've really enjoyed the Sunday features as well. I appreciate the exposure to forms...stretching my mind and the photo prompts have always been very inspiring. I can understand where you stand though, Kerry...I appreciate all that you put into these and you're right something else will probably evolve...that's the nature of a healthy creative community. Smiles to all and thank you for this...Jamie's work is amazing btw!
ReplyDeleteI hate to see the photo challenge end, but I certainly understand the reasoning. Thank you Kerry for all you do to help us grow as writers. Also my thanks to your daughter, Jaime, for providing her beautiful photographs for inspiration.
ReplyDeleteThanks to all for your responses here. My mind has been ticking over and I may have a solution...
ReplyDelete@Heaven: You are welcome to use these images for your haiku page.
Lovely photos- each one can be an inspiration!
ReplyDeleteSings: When am I gonna write muh-muh-muh-myyyy shadorma? Maybe I should listen to The Knack for inspiration!
ReplyDeleteWonderful photos Jaime...just stunning! Does she get this from you, Kerry?! I definitely will gather my thoughts and see where it goes.
ReplyDeleteJaime you have a beautiful eye! There is a neat book called:
Visual Poetry, you might like~
Yes, I would like to still use photos. One perhaps...
I am still trying to gather talent from ETSY. It is difficult...
First of all, Kerry, Jaime's photos are spectacular. I'm well known to be somewhat averse (not on purpose!) to photo prompts, but her photos are incredible, as was the photography of John Edwards. Well, they've all been incredible, truly, so perhaps my brain is functioning differently because I've managed to respond :)
ReplyDeleteI must say that I LOVE the weekend challenge, and particularly the mini form challenge, and look forward to it each weekend. For me, sometimes the weekday prompts pass me by because I just can't attend to them (for example, I have yet to write to Shay's from Friday, though I'd like to and still might) but on the weekend, I can let my brain percolate differently. And I love forms, as you know :) I've appreciated your work on the weekend prompts and want to thank you.
Having said all that, I realize that we are not voting, and that change is inevitable and good. I just wanted to offer my hand in helping out, if help is needed. I feel like I could take on another day/prompt of the month in addition to the music prompt, so please do let me know if I can help in any way.
Love to Toads!
Thanks Marian! I mulled this problem over in my sleep and have come up with a solution. The feature itself will be down-scaled, but the photo prompt, at least, will continue with a welcome donation of photos from our members, all of whom have already been featured on Sunday. Instead of several photos, however, there will be one which may possibly be linked to a form, as I have done with this challenge. I hate to disappoint all the loyal weekenders!
ReplyDeletePS. Jaime is just thrilled with the warm response to her pics. I see her out in the garden snapping away again, so I will add her to the Sunday selection again.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear you are going to still feed us form fiends as you are able, Kerry. I do know that it takes a tremendous amount of work to research these little gems, to give background and examples, and make a clear explanation of the process. Hours and hours can go into something like that. One of the things I've always appreciated about the way you've done it, is that you minimize the chit chat and get down to the basics and integral feel and structure of the form. You give enough background to understand its roots, but present it clearly and succinctly as an exercise as well, which makes it so much easier to work from. Many many thanks for all the challenges you've done for us already, and more for whatever path you choose to follow here--I know it will be a productive and creative one.
ReplyDeleteAgree with Hedgewitch for sure, and I do love how you've linked the form to the photo. Please, Kerry, reach out and ask for help if you need it! I'd be happy to take on a weekend challenge now and then if you are too jammed to get it done. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteLillian, I'm afraid your link is not working. Please try to enter your blog URL into the Mr Linky again.
ReplyDeleteAnd hugs to all for the vote of confidence!
ReplyDeleteI deeply regret that I discovered this mini-challenge so late... :/
ReplyDeleteIt seems the end of the Mini-Challenge has undergone some alteration through discussion. If I had known it was a disappearing act, I never would have complained even as a joke. I like to be challenged with the forms as they make me grow--but they are not MINI--not for you nor for me. They are MAXI, and I love them for that--I would hope to keep one a month in addition to form-Friday. I like photos too, but not so much in challenges as they feel like exercises in writing rather than poems that stand on their own. That may be a fault in how I approach them. The poem I wrote for today, as an example, would not work without its incredible photo, but I had fun writing it.
ReplyDeleteKerry, you know that I haven't taken on any responsibility at the Garden yet, and I would like to--so call on me, yes? Lots of love for your work and your openness, Kerry.
Kerry, Jaime is your daughter? Wow! I included a link to her site on my post, I was so impressed.
ReplyDeleteHey, some prompts end. I can't imagine the time it takes to come up with all these ideas and assemble them. Many prompt sites have multiple chances to post, including Toads, and I haven't participated in this one until today because of the reason you cited: Too many weekend prompts.
The shadorma is one of the only forms I embrace, so at least I'm going out with a bang. My girl is an artist, too, so I know how proud you must be!
Thanks for all you have done and continue to do in the poetic community. Don't apologize to me, cuz I can't imagine tackling a project like this in the first place! Glad the "last bite" was a mom/daughter collaboration. Love, Amy
Dear Kerry
ReplyDeleteIf you have time, remind me how to get the URL to the exact poem???
I am so glad I tried the mini challenge this week. I had no idea it was going away. I am glad you are reconsidering. I write very little from photo prompts. For me it is a way to get poetic juices flowing when you can't come up with ideas to write about, and I don't really have that problem. I have more ideas than I have time. But after I stop for awhile, it helps to jump-start the process. The forms you've presented are a great resource. I keep a personal catalog of forms I find and want to try, even if I don't write something that day.
Thanks for the challenge and the extraordinary pics your daughter took.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know about the Shardoma.
Well, I have tried.
:)
Hi there, thanks for posting up such a great challenge and such lovely photos. It's a pleasure to use one in my blog.
ReplyDeleteAnne