Art Abandonment: Poetry inspiration

Art abandonment is a fantastic movement where people all over the world create and then abandon art. The items vary from painted rocks to jewelry, sticky notes with positive words to fine art on canvas. There are no limitations to what can be abandoned. The items are then left with little notes. Most people don't…

A long, long overdue update

Beyond Rhyme or Reason is back! A few upcoming posts are already planned. Read more to see what's coming.

Writing Prompt – Dickinson style

What do I mean when I say “Dickinson style?” Well, first off, the tone and pacing is conversational and leisurely. The pace is not rushed. Also, close the laptop and turn off the computer. This is an exercise in handwriting poems! Instead of using bold or italic or underline in Word to emphasize words, use…

Poet #4: Emily Dickinson

OK. Most people who read poetry either love or hate Emily. It's rarely anything in between. Emily lived during the 1800's. While she was raised in a much more strict environment, she never married. Emily was reclusive, and rarely left her home. That didn't stop her from writing, though. She would often include poems in…

Prompt response: Nature poem

Hey there. It's been a while, I know. But moving is bad for the blogging. I've been working on this poem for a while now (since I posted the prompt a few weeks ago), and while I don't think it's done, I'm sharing the first five lines here with you: The bush, he says, the…

Prompt: Nature

In the previous post, we learned about Whitman and Merwin, as well as Emerson, and their fascination with Nature. We learned how Nature, in all its grandeur, makes for a powerful and, well, easy subject. This week, do some free writing about Nature. Take a walk and scribble down some notes in that notebook you…

Nature and Poetry

A child said, What is the grass? fetching it to me with full hands; How could I answer the child?. . . .I do not know what it is any more than he. -- Walt Whitman, "A child said, What is the grass?" Nature has long been a popular topic for poets. Its serenity, violence,…

Poetry as Mantra

So here is my response to the Mantra Writing prompt: Mantra Today I plant the seed of happiness. I nurture it with smiles and hope. In the mind it takes root. In the soul it grows. Today I plant the seed of happiness. It grows within me. It will bloom in you. Here it is…

Writing Prompt — World Seeds and Visual Poetry

A friend of mine posted on an interesting topic -- world seeds. I thought it would make an excellent writing prompt. The thoughts we dwell on, with their accompanying emotions, affect our view and experience of our world. So here's the idea: create a positive visual mantra. According to Wikipedia, a mantra is "a word or…

The Poetry You Have to See to Believe

Sorry to disappoint, but this isn't one of those "Shock and Awe" posts. Most often, people will tell you that poetry is meant to be heard. The rhythm of a poem comes out when spoken aloud, especially for genres like Beat poetry, and a reader can immerse him/herself into the sound of the poem. But there is a…