Saturday, May 16, 2015

Weekend Mini Challenge--Connect the Chimes!




Hey Toads,
 

I first focused on the fact that I was scheduled for this prompt right at the end of the rigors of April. My head rang slightly every time I thought about it, as in “omg--I have to come up with a prompt?”  Then, oddly, two of my favorite lines would reverberate--“never send to know for whom the bell tolls/it tolls for thee.” 





The lines are from John Donne, and, at first, made me think this prompt should be about bells, or, really, the use of repeated sounds in poetry--repeated words, or phrases--a repetition that always seems to me like the tolling of a bell.  (Even when the words and the poem have nothing to do with bells.)

But then I looked up the Donne lines, which come from “No Man Is An Island”--

No man is an island,
Entire of itself,
Every man is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thy friend's
Or of thine own were:
Any man's death diminishes me,
Because I am involved in mankind,
And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee.





So, because these words keep ringing in my mind--and because they are such beautiful words-- I’m giving you a couple of choices for the prompt today--(i) is to write something arising out of the idea of tolling/ringing/knelling--this can be need not be about a bell;  it could involve any kind of repetition (or not.)  A great example is Break Break Break by Alfred Lord Tennyson. 

The second choice is to write about connection:  what connects you, or someone or something else, to some kind of mainland.  Note that this choice does not require autobiography--it can be about the connection of anything between anything else--though, it can also, of course, be about yourself and your own tethers.  (The connection does not have to be positive.) 



No Toad -- in this case, frog--is an island either.
So, ring them dots!  Connect them chimes!  Again--note this prompt does not require a poem about bells or islands or even peninsula!  Really, just use this as a platform to dive off from.

For fun, and further inspiration, here's a very middle of May kind of video of Judy Garland and Gene Kelley:

BTW--this is Manicddaily/Karin Gustafson --also unfortunately known on Blogger as Outlawyer.  All the above pics, other than the Indian one, are mine.  (The Indian one is by my daughter Meredith Martin.)  The elephant is from my children's counting book, 1 Mississippi.  (Check it out!)   All rights reserved. 



21 comments:

Outlawyer said...

HI All, I should add that anyone is free to use a pic from the prompt as part of their poem--please do give credit to me, Karin Gustafson, (or if you use the Indian one) to Meredith Martin. k .

hedgewitch said...

Really a complex and layered challenge, but also wide open and simply focused--I had absolutely no intention of writing today, but thank you for making it possible, k. I love that video, (though Judy Garland looks somehow odd as a blonde.) Will be back around later or tomorrow to read.

brudberg said...

This was an interesting challenge.. I tried to weave a story into this. Bells can be so much. There was no way I could weave all elements into this. :-)

Anonymous said...

I'm having trouble linking

Outlawyer said...

Candy-I linked for you. No worries. If you want to delete the bad links, go ahead--not sure I can do that. k.

Kerry O'Connor said...

These words from Donne's sermon have been a benchmark of my relationships my whole life.

I am struggling to find focus in my writing at present, my mind being occupied with too many concerns and a brutal schedule at work. But your prompt is very inspiring, whether I can do justice to it or not.

Thank you, Karin.

Outlawyer said...

You are very welcome, Kerry. It really is a beautiful poem. Take your time--I wrote something way too long, and now as I try to shorten it, it becomes about something else--boy, Donne knew how to make it short and sweet!

I have figured out how to delete Candy's wrong links. K.

Anonymous said...

Thank you. Sometimes I get it right and sometimes .......

De Jackson said...

Loving everybody's pieces today. Thanks for the inspirational prompt.

Sanaa Rizvi said...

Hello everyone,

Hows everyone doing? Sorry I'm late but I wanted this poem to be perfect! Sharing my poem "Wedding Bells" :D

Thank you Karin for this lovely opportunity, this one's for you! Hope you like it :D

Lots of love,
Sanaa

Susan said...

I wrote a little thing which may work here. Hello Toads! Congrats to Corey on his book!

Hannah said...

Serendipity...thank you for the thought-provoking challenge today!

Rosemary Nissen-Wade said...

I had a much needed sleep in this morning, so am fairly late to this. Lovely prompt! I have loved that Donne poem since my father introduced me to it in my childhood. Not hard to find the chimes in my life! And the poem is about connections too, but more subtly (I hope).

Rosemary Nissen-Wade said...

I have, somewhat belatedly, added a picture of my wind chimes. :)

Outlawyer said...

Thank you, Rosemary. k.

Jim said...

Thanks, K. I envy your artistic talent and I love the elephant, always.
This is a neat, fun challenge prompt, I didn't do it justice but had fun writing. Enjoyed it.
..

Blogoratti said...

What lovely photos, and great challenge!

Outlawyer said...

Thanks. K.

Gail said...

I stretched the prompt a bit.

Thanks.

Anonymous said...

"ding-dong." something's ringing a bell in my haphazard life of running around and forgetting things.

my heart's love songs said...

great post, Karin!

Happy Week everyone!