Weekend Mini Challenge: Portraiture

Welcome to the Weekend Mini Challenge with Kim from Writing in North Norfolk.

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As some of you may know, I am a fan of Seamus Heaney’s poetry. One of the things I love about it is the way he paints portraits with words. I have three examples to share, for which I have provided links. 

The first is ‘Ancestral Photograph’, which is not only about a sepia photograph of the poet’s great uncle, who doesn’t seem to have been an attractive man, but also reflects on traits of the poet’s father:

https://belfastgroup.ecds.emory.edu/groupsheets/heaney1_10116/#heaney1_1094

The second is ‘Docker’, a description of a stranger in a pub, in which Heaney speculates about his life:

https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/docker/

The final poem is ‘Twice Shy, about a relationship, which starts with a brief but lovely description of a girlfriend:

https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/twice-shy/

Write a new poem, or revise an old one, which paints a portrait. It can be of someone you know or have known, a relative or a lover, or it can be a stranger. You could go to a park, café or bar, or even sit on some form of public transport, and observe someone interesting or unusual to portray in a poem, in which you should also speculate a little about their life, their beliefs and relationships, as Heaney does in ‘Docker’.

Join in by clicking on Mister Linky and filling in your name and url – not forgetting to tick the small ‘data’ box. And please remember to read and comment on other toads’ poems.