Poetry is such a great way to build community! This week concluded the bonus week of Christie Wyman’s course and I enjoyed it so much. I was able to reflect on how much I learned in a very relaxed setting. And I had to think: “Do I make time in class to allow students simply explore and play with language?” I wrote some of the best poetry yet and got to share and read some great poetry.
Below is my poem “Poetry Is,” I then contributed three lines to our community poem. Please check it out and consider donating to our bountiful feast. I like that metaphor. It makes me think of the story Stone Soup. Come reader, take a seat, enjoy and/or add to our bounty!
Do not forget to check out this week’s roundup.
Poetry is
a journey into another self.
Momentarily unremember,
glimpse into the stream of thoughts of another person.
In one moment, we are us. And in the next, we are reading poetry
following the poet from bend to twisting bend into the unexpected.
In the brief loss of self, we can enter space that allows us to remember
or discover something lost.
Is it possible for poetry to be memory and discovery?
Come reader, I’ll take you to the sunspots that my mind is afraid of.
We’ll arrive at surprise itself, and the journey will be worth it.
Mar de Meditaciones 
The surprises in your poem echo what happened when I wrote mine! And the way you describe the act of reading poetry (“Momentarily unremember”) and the importance of community/collaboration. It’s one thing to write a poem, another to read it, but that transaction that occurs between writer and reader is the magic.
Lucky you, to have been writing with Christie! I look forward to next week and the “Poetry Is…” poem we create together!
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How wonderful! I’m so glad you have found the Poetry Friday community. It takes a bit ( or, it did for me) to find your stride. But, it’s a wonderful community of very encouraging people. I love the idea of writing Poetry Is poems.. the idea of unremembering is wonderful. Your invitation to the reader to come find out more is perfect.
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Sounds like Christie’s class was inspiring! I like your description of poetry as a vehicle for discovery.
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“I’ll take you to the sunspots that my mind is afraid of.” I’m ready, let’s go! Glad you got so much out of Christie’s course. Going to check out the community poem now…
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“twisting bend into the unexpected” YES, that’s exactly what I love about poetry!
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Your final line is exactly what I think about poetry, “We’ll arrive at surprise itself”, the fun and joy of reading poems. I enjoyed reading the community poem on Christie’s post, now your words, too.
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“The sunspots that my mind is afraid of.” PERFECT! Ruth, thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com
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I like the way you explore this question by taking us out of ourselves into another, then to community, and back to ourselves. All the best poems do this.
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This is a wonderful meditation on the experience of reading poetry. I love your final line!
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