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Poetry Prompt: Fireworks, Sparkles & Speckles

By Kortney Garrison 12 Comments

Living Sparks Writing FireworksIn Rumors of Water: Thoughts on Creativity & Writing, L.L. Barkat tells us that “writing starts with living” (29).

Summer is full of opportunities for sparkly living—whether it’s morning walks when the sun is just shining through a million drops of dew, afternoon swims with “diamonds” glinting across the pool, or evening meals unfolding beneath a fiery sunset.

Of course, there’s also vibrant life to be had in seeing July’s fireworks or making your way through the light and shadow of the tents at your local farmer’s market. Even the smallest trips can give us fresh eyes and a new spark when we return to our writing chairs.

Reading Gerard Manley Hopkins, one gets the impression that he spent as much time out of his writing chair as in it. For example, take a look at this famous sparkly, speckly poem…

Pied Beauty

Glory be to God for dappled things –
    For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow;
        For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;
Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches’ wings;
    Landscape plotted and pieced – fold, fallow, and plough;
        And áll trádes, their gear and tackle and trim.

All things counter, original, spare, strange;
    Whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?)
        With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim;
He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change:
                                                                    Praise him.

—Gerard Manley Hopkins

Try It

Take a little time to engage in some sparkly living this week—whether it’s at the fireworks, the farmer’s market, or on your morning walk. Pay special attention to what glints and gleams, sparkles and speckles, or… explodes! Then try writing an ode to whatever enlivened you most.

Featured Poem

Thanks to everyone who participated in our recent poetry prompt. Here’s a poem from L.L. Barkat that we enjoyed…

Trek

Blueberries, each
in their own
orbit.

Each,
a universe,
a round promise

only some of which

I will ever
touch.

Photo by Dominic Alves, Creative Commons, via Flickr. Post by Kortney Garrison.

__________

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Kortney Garrison
Latest posts by Kortney Garrison (see all)
  • Poetry Prompt: Fireworks, Sparkles & Speckles - July 2, 2018
  • Writing Prompt: Science Fiction and Ecopoetry - June 25, 2018
  • Poetry Prompt: Science Fiction with Ray Bradbury - June 18, 2018

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Filed Under: Blog, poetry prompt, poetry teaching resources, Sparkles & Speckles, writer's group resources, writing prompt, writing prompts

Comments

  1. Megan Willome says

    July 2, 2018 at 8:39 am

    Only of my favorite poems ever, the Gerard Manley Hopkins one. I put it in “The Joy of Poetry.”

    And I really like L.L.’s too, especially the way she broke apart what I thought would be a third-of-three-line stanza into two—one with one, one with two. Plus I just like poems about walks/hikes/treks.

    Reply
    • Kortney Garrison says

      July 8, 2018 at 8:47 am

      “All things counter, original, spare, strange;”
      –one of the best lists ever! I wonder if you’ve read Exiles by Ron Hanse? Excellent novel about Hopkins.

      Reply
  2. Rick Maxson says

    July 2, 2018 at 3:51 pm

    Trek is so large a poem for being so small.

    Reply
    • Kortney Garrison says

      July 8, 2018 at 8:40 am

      Well said! It speaks of pilgrimage to me.

      Reply
  3. Rick Maxson says

    July 2, 2018 at 4:09 pm

    Mind of Winter

    There is the Cardinal’s proclamation
    through the solemn air,
    bringing to life the ghost of winter.

    You must be content with this cry and color,
    and the holly berries under the window,
    until the bells of crocus pry
    the snow, and the wild iris
    brings the memory of her eyes.

    For now, there is only the naked fragrance
    from fresh snow, a memory
    fallen in tangled crystal
    that holds the wine of inspiration.

    Reply
    • Donna says

      July 5, 2018 at 8:22 am

      Rick, I’m grateful for this poem. For the cardinal and the holly berries,and for the tangled crystal. I was trying to describe a child the way snow glitters in the sun up where I’m from.

      Reply
    • Kortney Garrison says

      July 8, 2018 at 8:54 am

      All these colors and the crystal and the wine of inspiration puts me in mind of “The Zen of Housework” by Al Zolynas, especially “the grey wine / of domesticity.” https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2012/jun/06/poetry-zen-housework/#

      Thanks so much for this late winter poem at the beginning of summer, Rick!

      Reply
  4. Donna says

    July 5, 2018 at 8:17 am

    After-weather Report

    I could scarcely hear my friend
    Over the tinkling of diamonds
    Dangling in the evening sun
    Suspended one by one
    From tips of a thousand pine needles
    Sparkling
    Like a crown
    Atop her head.

    Reply
    • Kortney Garrison says

      July 8, 2018 at 8:42 am

      Love how *loud* this tree is, Donna! Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
  5. lynn says

    July 30, 2018 at 2:30 pm

    Beauty that stuns us into praise! I’m thankful for the beauty found here in poetry by Gerard, L.L., Rick, and Donna. I wrote a “sparkler” poem and paired it with a photo so will share link to it:

    https://madhatterpoetry.com/2018/07/30/life-in-pursuit-of-happiness/

    Reply
    • Donna Falcone says

      July 30, 2018 at 3:51 pm

      Lynn, so glad you’ve stopped by to sparkle. Thank you for your comments, and for your very tender poem about your dad. xo

      Reply
      • lynn says

        July 31, 2018 at 10:32 am

        Stopping by Tweetspeak is my pleasure, Donna 🙂 My Dad is nearly 85 and I think this past trip was his last drive to Iowa.

        Reply

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