A Year in the Life … revealed …

Hello Dear Ones!

Two years ago today, on the Sunday of Canada’s Victoria Day long weekend of 2009, I stepped onto the retreat grounds of Queenswood and an incredible journey began … leading me to write my first book:

A Year in the Life of a Bus-Traveling Poet

It has been – and is still – a magical journey, one in which you, Dear Reader, took an active role … as one of my dearest inspirations! That’s why I thought to stop by today to share this exciting news with you … my book has been published and is now available for sale!  You can check it out here: http://bit.ly/buspoet (paperback) or here: http://amzn.to/buspoet-k (Kindle version)

And, as a tantalizing little bonus for you, a glimpse of one of my very favourite sections:

“Here’s an exercise for you if you’re so inspired to indulge:

Below I’m going to give you the description of someone I saw one day last summer. I would encourage you to write a poem – or several poems if inclined – about this individual. Be playful. Be inventive. Trust the words that come to your mind. Write them down no matter how foolish!

Don’t edit what words you hear in your head before you write them out, and don’t edit them once they’re on the page. Never use an eraser! Never use the delete key! Once words have been removed, you can’t get those thoughts and inspirations back. And trust me, some of my worst phrases or sentences may have been inappropriate for the piece I was working on at the time, yet – lo and behold – I found them to be modifiable and ideal for something else along the way!

Here’s the description:

An 80 something woman with long ringletted hair, wearing a sun-faded yellow, broad-brimmed hat with wilted blue silk flowers. She sports an aged gingham print summer dress hiked to her knees, showing off her rolled-down support hose while riding a rust-red bicycle. She hums a tune that has her smiling. Though you do not recognize the tune, imagine it to be … any tune you choose.  Possibly: K-K-K-Katie, Beautiful Katie, You’re the only G-G-G-Girl that I adore … Or maybe: Barney Google, with the goo-goo-googly eyes, Barney Google with a wife who’s twice his size …

(yes, those really were songs that were popular in her day!)

Now, may I suggest you make a poem from the description [ … ] as it inspires you. Make it playful, fanciful, light, loving. Yes, you can make it sad if you are so moved … yet my hope for your expansion here would be to show you how easy it can be to become poetic – in every aspect of your life, from the frying pan’s sizzle to the awe of dew drops on the first crocuses of spring – and to do it playfully as a child might.

Here are a few examples from my own inspiration:

The yellow hat brim flapped and flapped
Against her cheek it slapped and slapped
The bicycle chain it tapped and tapped
As the old woman hummed a tune.

Or how about?

The blue flower wilted, drooping sadly
Rolled support hose retracting badly
Little old lady peddling madly
Humming gladly.

Or this one?

Yellow hat and wilted flower
Hair in ringlets a winded mess
Support hose rolled beneath the knees
Above the knees a gingham dress.

I’ll leave you now with, hopefully, inspirations floating around in your own mind. Go find that pen and some paper, open up your word processor, or be brave and use the white space here in this very book! Whichever method you choose to use, have fun with it!

Happy poeming!!!!! “

Like what you’ve read here? To learn more … here are those links once again: http://bit.ly/buspoet and http://amzn.to/buspoet-k

In Light and Laughter and Love,

Marcia

P.S.  Have a QR scanner? Use this:

A Year in the Life of a Bus-Traveling Poet

2 Replies to “A Year in the Life … revealed …”

  1. Dale

    Delightful. Original. Lovely but (there always is a but isn't there) My dear, I am 79 and Ka ka katie and Barney Google goo goo….etc were old, old, folk songs when I was young. I won't tell anyone if you don't.

    Reply
    1. tomarciamae Post author

      Hello Dale … thank you for dropping by and for your lovely comments!
      I'm still chuckling at your referral to my choice of music. Thought those tunes would be a winner as I learned them from my parents and grands … and I'm in my sixties! Still laughing with appreciations!
      In Light and Laughter,
      Marcia

      Reply

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