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Friday, April 12, 2019

Fireblossom Friday : Love

Hello dear Toads and fellow amphibians. To all of you who have stuck with this poem a day thang, good job!!! It isn't easy! So, now it's my turn--and my happy responsibility--to provide some inspiration for you for Day 12. 

This being my last proper Fireblossom Friday--I do still have one April prompt left, on Monday the 22nd--I want to go back to the stuff poetry is made of. It's all well and fine to write about anything from fruit salad to politics, but the great majority of topics--in my view--lend themselves better to prose than to poetry. When it comes to poetry, the Big Three dwarf all other subjects and the Big Three are--drum roll please--nature, love and death. Nature is very busy this time of year, so we'll leave her to her duties. Death, I salute you, you are, as a subject, a poetic behemoth. Our knowledge of mortality--our own and that of those around us--lends an urgency, a richness, and a great well of sorrow to life, and poets through the ages have embraced this, pondered it, tried to express its impact and meaning. But today, I am going to ask Death to have a seat, over there, and wait for another day.  Today we're about Love.

What can I say about Love? Poems have been written about every kind of love, and every emotion connected with it, from the giddy beginnings of romantic love, to the ruin and despair of losing love. Young love, mature love, sappy love, selfless love, familial love, star-crossed love, lost love, love for animals or home or country, all of these have been written about for centuries and still, the subject is never exhausted. 

So, how shall I pare down this tremendous subject for our purposes here today? Here's what we'll do: write about love for someone who does not know you love them. The guy at the music store, the gal in the apartment across the hall. That actor on the screen, that character in your novel. You can write about someone you actually know or know of, or you can imagine someone. You could complicate it. Maybe they're married, maybe there's an age difference, maybe you don't want to rearrange your life, but there they are, making your heart beat faster anyway. Above all, write POETRY. It needn't rhyme, it needn't have a formal construction. But it can't be prose. Give us the emotion and the nuance. Make us sigh or laugh. I leave you with the lyrics to a favorite love song of mine, by Joan Jett:


Crimson and Clover
Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
Ah, and I don't hardly know her
But I think I can love her
Crimson and clover
Ah, now when she comes walking over
Now I've been waiting to show her
Crimson and clover, over and over
Yeah ah, my mind's such a sweet thing
I want to do everything
What a beautiful feeling
Crimson and clover, over and over
Crimson and clover, over and over
Crimson and clover, over and over
Crimson and clover, over and over
Crimson and clover, over and over

Write, link, have fun!
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18 comments:

  1. tonispencerApril 12, 2019 at 5:37 AM

    My goodness. This prompt brought out the pain ad the passion. I am gonna miss your prompts fren. 💜💜💜

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  2. tonispencerApril 12, 2019 at 5:40 AM

    Except I remember this song in the voice of Tommy James and the Shondells.

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  3. FireblossomApril 12, 2019 at 6:10 AM

    Toni--Yes, they did it first, but it has always been Joan's version that speaks to me and conveys the desire in the lyrics. I'm glad the prompt spoke to YOU.

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  4. Ornery Owl of Naughty Netherworld Press and Readers Roost April 12, 2019 at 8:42 AM

    I'm sorry but doing an unrequited love poem would have depressed me far too much, seeing as it's one of the two kinds of "love" I've known in this life, the other kind being abusive relationship "love." I did a dumb limerick instead. If that's floating the rules too much, you can remove my link.

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  5. Kerry O'ConnorApril 12, 2019 at 8:49 AM

    I have been avoiding love poems this month, since I have gotten a bit stuck in the rut of unrequited love (which is one of my favourite themes) but since you asked so nicely... and it is your last Fireblossom Friday.. how could I say no?

    I want to take this opportunity also to thank you, Shay. In the sidebar, we can see you have hosted 67 Fireblossom Fridays over nearly a decade - that is a huge and lasting contribution, not only to our site but to the world of online poets. I know that your influence has been considerable, and your imminent 'retirement' from the pond is very sad, but I hope this is not goodbye but see you soon. A million thanks, friend.

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  6. hedgewitchApril 12, 2019 at 9:09 AM

    Dear Shay, thanks for all you have done to support my poetry over this last decade, and as Kerry points out, that of so many others, with your singular gift. I am not much able to muster words these days, but I have had this one in the closet, and with a little brushing and dusting, have brought it out to mark the occasion. Though many things in this world come and go, still they also leave their weight and beauty behind. Thanks again.

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  7. grapelingApril 12, 2019 at 9:55 AM

    Shay, you are one of the finest poets of this age. I'll muster something for this prompt, in honor of your brilliance, and your final FF. The pond won't be the same without you. ~ M

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  8. JimApril 12, 2019 at 10:15 AM

    Been a while since I wrote a tear jerker but it's time for another. Really a nice prompt, nicely written, Thank you Shay.
    "Crimson and Clover" was one of my favorites, I still like it a lot although our classic rock station hasn't played it for ages. That one gets the honor of my car radio playing full volume and then I watch the mirrors shake to the rhythm at the stop lights. Still can. Oh yes, my car has a cloth top (or open).
    ..

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  9. FireblossomApril 12, 2019 at 10:20 AM

    Cie--you're fine. It made me laugh. :-)

    Kerry, Hedge, grapeling--thank you from the bottom of my heart for the very kind words. I am thrilled to see all 3 of you here. I just don't know what to say except that I value you more than you know.

    Jim--rock on.

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  10. MarianApril 12, 2019 at 10:34 AM

    Shay... I'm at a bit of a loss on the topic of you leaving the Garden. I don't want to be morose but do want to reflect on all that you have given me and all of us. I feel like we've grown quite a bit together here. I'm really grateful for your presence in my life and writing. Thank you so much.

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  11. Sherry Blue SkyApril 12, 2019 at 10:56 AM

    Oh Shay and Hedgewitch and the last Fireblossom Friday - too sad. Thank you, Shay, for all you have done here in the Garden. Your poetry has always shown me the heights and breadths and depths poetry can aspire to. The first poem of yours I read, in 2010, blew my doors off. It is a privilege to read you and to have shared our love of poetry through the years. I am glad you will still be around, and writing, as I never want to miss the opportunity to read a poem of yours.

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  12. Linda Lee LybergApril 12, 2019 at 11:19 AM

    Hello Shay-Although I haven't been around a very long time, I appreciate all you have done here at the garden. Thank you!

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  13. Susie ClevengerApril 12, 2019 at 4:59 PM

    Shay, you are my writing rock star and so thankful what you have pulled from me with your prompts. For this one I went all tender and stuff..It was hard. lol

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  14. OutlawyerApril 12, 2019 at 9:17 PM

    Love the pics especially and all you prompts and poems.

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  15. MargaretApril 12, 2019 at 11:02 PM

    Thank you, Shay, for this last prompt. It is a very emotional one for me - one I thought I'd never write about... It really is in the beginning stages.

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  16. Carrie Van HornApril 13, 2019 at 9:56 AM

    I am super late, but here none the less. Love this prompt Shay! I went a little silly with it....:-))

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  17. OutlawyerApril 14, 2019 at 6:54 AM

    I just realized that i posted the poem but didnt link it! Oh well! I enjoyed the prompt, thmks, Shay.

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  18. AngieApril 14, 2019 at 11:22 PM

    you, my dear~
    are the piace de tesistance… @$&$!
    some foreign thing I understand
    but can't hold a candle to
    (nor spell).
    you've been a mentor and friend
    and I know you're up to something
    big. I hope to stay in touch, but
    also know that's what people say.
    your words (of needed poetic reproach)
    live with me forever, THANK YOU

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