Tuesday

I'm trying to be a better blogging citizen. I mean, I have people's blogs that I check everyday. Yet I do not update my life enough on this thing. Although, I must admit, it becomes challenging telling the same store several times over. I write most of my life in my journals/moleskins.

Today ends my November week-long poetry challenge. This has been a good one. I believe I love every poem I wrote, although several now I cannot remember.

Let's refresh. Here's the titles, at least, of the poems written this week. Everything is about Harlem.

Wednesday: M101L Uptown Bus
Thursday: P.S. 153 Auditorium
Friday: Bird Song
Saturday: 120th and Morningside
Sunday: Cerebral
Monday: 132nd and Adam Clayton Powell
Tuesday: Saturdays, 125th Street

The last two pieces are in form. Monday's poem is a Pantoum, as said. Today's poem I came and sat down at a cafe with a nice cup of coffee and pounded out a hefty sestina. It's probably one that I'm most proud of, and well, I've written a lot of sestinas. It is my #2 favorite form.

I believe I hit a momentum. I believe the momentum came when I finally let the project be a project instead of a bunch of poems in a folder. So. I think I'm going to try one more week. Or just continue as long as this lasts...as long as I have something. Although, I do believe that my turn to form is saying I am beginning to lose things to talk about. Weird conclusion, for some, I know. But I tend to turn to form when I have a poem I don't know how to shape or get out (my pantoum is about a homeless man & a severed 5$ bill on the ground at his feet)....or when I have a half-realized idea....I sit down at the table with it like a sudoku puzzle and move some things around and turn it and twist it until it fits into a poem. I think that's how my sestina arrived.

I might try a few more forms both to give some "weight" -- as form seems to do that for poetry books -- and because I feel like there are still some things that if I'm writing about Harlem I need to address.

What kind of things would you like to see about Harlem?