Hey,
Back to me writing again this week. And another shift in tone and form and theme. I am enjoying these shifts immensely, are you?
And so to the poem I wanted to send you this week.
I received this absolute gem of a book for my birthday - Bluets by Maggie Nelson. Is it a prose poem? Is it an autobiography? Is it something else entirely? It’s certainly lyrical and exceptionally well written. It doesn’t necessarily fit neatly into a designated category of writing - which I very much like in and of itself (see this earlier prompt about breaking rules). I do actually plan to read this book chronologically (unusual for me with a poetry book) because I think it is supposed to be read front to back. And either way, I am drawn to do so.
I'm told to expect themes of love, loss, desire, sex, beauty. The front cover itself is tantalisingly stroke-able, almost waxy and so vivid (hence why I had to photograph it for you). Ooh I can’t wait. Has anyone read it?
Here’s how it all begins…
But the verse (incantation? parable?) that I wanted to share with you is the one below because it made me think about our noticings, the sending out into the universe of our intentions to write more poetry (100 poems in a year?!) Our desire to read more poetry. To live more poetically.
And how we start to gather up our ideas, slip the rocky edges of certain lines into our coat pockets, be ready for the double-take, even if actual poems do not immediately appear.
Our Poetry Writing Prompt for this week:
Write some noticings (a list poem, however long you like) about a colour of your choice, After Maggie Nelson. Perhaps you could you tell someone what you are working on and ask for their input? Collect your colourful fancies over the course of a week ready to be cajoled onto the page? Immediately fill your boots. Or perhaps go more abstract? Both. All of these things.
Enjoy a colourful week and I’m looking forward to Friday already,
Nelly x
I love this ❤️
I think of the artist, Laxmi Hussain, when I think of the colour blue - https://www.instagram.com/thislakshmi?igsh=a202MWJoYjU3MW12
Also. This type of book here is my very favourite type of book and is the type of book I one day hope to publish 🙏✨. Maggie Smiths memoir is also prose/ poems/ all the words and Nikita Gill has a beautiful fictional story that she’s written in a similar way. Like reading a story and a song and a poem all in one ❤️ thanks for sharing xx
I love Bluets 💙 am only part way so far, wasn't helped that I bought a German edition by accident at first