Way to Begin! Ab Ovo
When you begin a story ab ovo, you start it at the very start. Concerning epic poetry, Homer was praised by Horace for not beginning ab ovo in his tale of Troy. For Homer to begin ab ovo would have been to start at the very, very beginning: Helen of Troy’s birth from an egg. But Horace thought Homer made a better decision: to start in the middle of things.
So maybe you’ve guessed it? Horace coined the term from the egg to compare it to what he felt was the superior in medias res (in the middle of things) approach. Beginning from the egg can be a bit mundane, after all, as it can include too much information that bogs the reader down. Better to start where the real action is.
But sometimes you really do want to start ab ovo. For whatever reason. You’ve heard it somewhere before, right? “In the beginning…” (Yes! The book of Genesis.)
You can try it now, Horace be darned. Go ahead, go ab ovo.
Try It: Ab Ovo Poetry Prompt
Start a poem from the absolute beginning in the timeline of a small tale you choose to tell in your poem. You can use the classic opener “In the beginning” or find another way to signal the chronological beginning. If you like, try pairing your poem with the abecedarian form, which is a form that tries to express something in its completeness (From A-Z, as they say. Or maybe from egg to chicken.)
Featured photo by Autumn Mott Rodeheaver, Creative Commons, via Unsplash.
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L.L. Barkat says
Fall
In the beginning,
a table
autumn,
and a table
an offer
to assist
at the end,
then
a guitar
and countless
words
promises
from autumn
to autumn
to autumn
the leaves
of years
the left
of what
the table
began.
Bethany says
Ooh, interesting poem. I like the structure of the lines and how they fit with “Fall.” This poem carries many possibilities of meaning.
“In the beginning/ a table,” makes me think about another beginning with a garden and the ways autumn, fall, trees, play a role. (Funny enough, I’ve never thought of autumn in that garden, although it is the ultimate image of fall.) But then the guitar brings me right up into present times, and still that connection of the wood – the notes – the words – the leaves –
…and there’s so much more to unfold.
Thank you for sharing this with us, LL!