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Thursday, February 12, 2015

Kerry Says ~ Is Love a Tender Thing?

Romeo and Juliet
William Shakespeare
It falls to me, this year, to provide the Valentine's Day prompt... an easy task perhaps, and we could all set out to write a 'love poem', leaving cynicism behind, or challenge ourselves to explore heartbreak without sentimentality.

Illustration by E. Nesbit
for Children's Stories from Shakespeare
(Raphael Tuck c 1900)

If you do an on-line search of "Quotes on love by William Shakespeare", you will find an almost unending supply sourced from his plays and sonnets - ample inspiration for any creative writing prompt but I have selected the one that asks what I believe to be a quintessential question: Is love a tender thing? Certainly, humans spend an exhaustive amount of emotional energy in the pursuit of love and happiness, which we believe are synonymous. However, William Shakespeare reminds his reader that we often pay a high price to achieve something which is, at best, ephemeral. In attempting to fulfill the principle to love one's enemy, one may find that love is the enemy. But the converse is also true. Our fellow poet, Brendan, (Oran's Well) left a very perceptive comment on my blog last Saturday. He said: Love is a deadly enough fray without those big guns. None of us asked for this mess, but to fail to love in a time of ruin somehow makes its victory even worse...

I put it to you then. This challenge could be to write to the theme: Love Thy Enemy or Love is The Enemy or Love, Despite Your Enemy.

This prompt is posted at noon on Thursday to allow extra time for the creative process. It will remain at the top of the Home page until noon on Saturday, so later entries are welcomed.




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25 comments:

  1. FireblossomFebruary 12, 2015 at 12:51 PM

    Cool challenge, but as you know, I really don't write love poems; I pretty much stick to haiku.

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  2. hedgewitchFebruary 12, 2015 at 1:17 PM

    A perfect anti-Valentine exploration, Kerry. Unlike Fireblossom,(who possibly writes some of the best love poems out there) my forays into the genre are always dubious at best, but at least you give us a fresh twist here.

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  3. Kerry O'ConnorFebruary 12, 2015 at 1:27 PM

    Agreeded re FB but I can't concur with your assertion that you write dubious love poetry. There is a fortitude in your exploration of relationships which I find very striking.

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  4. JazzbumpaFebruary 12, 2015 at 1:59 PM

    Yea - I'm first.

    And probably worst.

    Cheers!
    JzB

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  5. SusanFebruary 12, 2015 at 6:30 PM

    Happy Valentine's Day, Happy Love Any Day, rare as it is!

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  6. Audrey Howitt aka DivaloungerFebruary 12, 2015 at 7:19 PM

    I am hoping I can join you today--

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  7. Sherry Blue SkyFebruary 12, 2015 at 11:42 PM

    What a cool prompt, lots of scope.....will be back in the morning,. Must sleep. Worked all freaking day today, argh. Hope I get to retire at 70.....we live in hope!

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  8. Sherry Blue SkyFebruary 12, 2015 at 11:42 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  9. brudbergFebruary 13, 2015 at 1:47 AM

    Oh yes.. I loved to mingle love with war.. I think avoiding the stickiness of love-poem is a good thing, I always preferred brimstone to sugar in poetry.

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  10. MarianFebruary 13, 2015 at 6:53 AM

    ahhh, love.

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  11. AnonymousFebruary 13, 2015 at 7:24 AM

    Thanks for making love so challenging - which it must be, having zoned us so strenuously between this life and Heaven (or Hell). I had a hard time deciding what to go with -- none of the genres quite fit -- and my "Pianos Are Forever" from Sunday already went at "love in a time of ruin" -- so I choose the ring the old gospel bell of longing. Bon-bons and heart-shaped to youse all ...

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  12. AnonymousFebruary 13, 2015 at 9:46 AM

    Hey Kerry--cool challenge all--I am up tomorrow and would give a hint, but am working today and will have to squeeze it what I can till this evening. Take care! k.

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  13. Susie ClevengerFebruary 13, 2015 at 11:43 AM

    Love, I enjoyed this non Valentine challenge. I got to explore bitter. :) Thanks Kerry!

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  14. Sherry Blue SkyFebruary 13, 2015 at 12:01 PM

    Well, I cheated. Anything I could write would be a repeat of my definitive Valentine's poem, written in 2010. Thus please forgive my posting it here.

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  15. Sherry Blue SkyFebruary 13, 2015 at 12:01 PM

    Well, I cheated. Anything I could write would be a repeat of my definitive Valentine's poem, written in 2010. Thus please forgive my posting it here.

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  16. JimFebruary 13, 2015 at 12:22 PM

    I love you, Kerry. Who else but you and Brendan could have us mixing love and enemies? Well, there is one other, I guess, Jesus the Christ commanded us to 'love those enemies.'
    Could be I'm still missing for this one, good job here, Kerry.
    ..

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  17. HannahFebruary 13, 2015 at 1:12 PM

    Thank you, Kerry for the meaningful challenge and the post itself...thought-provoking. Happy weekend poets. :)

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  18. ✿February 13, 2015 at 1:19 PM

    "to fail to love in a time of ruin somehow makes its victory even worse"

    This is pretty brilliant.

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  19. AnonymousFebruary 13, 2015 at 5:33 PM

    I don't know why I linked up. A very small drop in this veritable wellspring.

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  20. MargaretFebruary 13, 2015 at 6:26 PM

    I played loosely and lightly with the theme… hope it is OK …

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  21. MargaretFebruary 13, 2015 at 6:54 PM

    I'll be back later tonight or early tomorrow morning to visit and comment.

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  22. KerridwenFebruary 14, 2015 at 12:47 PM

    I feel like my poetry writing ability is seriously diminishing, but I tried anyway ;)

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  23. my heart's love songsFebruary 14, 2015 at 1:26 PM

    thank you, Kerry! i've been in a real writing slump and this prompt got me moving.

    Happy (?) Valentine's Day!

    ♥

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  24. Kerry O'ConnorFebruary 15, 2015 at 4:13 AM

    @Camilla
    I was unable to reach your site via the link you provided.

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  25. grapelingFebruary 17, 2015 at 3:01 AM

    sorry to be so late, Kerry. thanks for the forum, though. will be back later to visit all ~

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