Friday, March 25, 2022

#SOL22 March Musings Day 25: Ekphrastic Dodoitsu

The Poetry Sisters posted their March Challenge asking poetry peeps to create an ekphrastic dodoitsu. Lucky me, I knew what type of poetry that was since Mary Lee Hahn, one of the Poetry Sisters, gifted me during a poetry swap with a deck of handmade dodoitsu cards and original poems she created from the deck. 

The cards grace my desk and when inclined, I use the cards to create short poems of four lines with a 7-7-7-5 syllabic pattern on topics of love or work. The one glitch for me is writing a humorous poem as the format asks for. This part is a bit difficult for me. Why? Well, my husband considers me to be a serious type of person, not a humorous one. Since I love to play with the Poetry Sisters each month, I gave it a try. 


This is actually a true story and the photo is an original one of the conference hall. It was a March day with brilliant sunshine but towards the end of the conference, the weather shifted and all that darkness at the top of the digitized photo is the snow that came down and made a sloppy mess.

circle of love welcomes all
enter my year-old abode
with careful steps walk slowly
boxes block passage
©CV, revised 2022

Unfortunately, my house looks like the first few months when we first moved in, cluttered with moving boxes. The boxes that are in my dining room and hallway now are holiday decorations that are being sorted and moved from our attic to the garage that is decked out with new organizational systems from The Container Store (that are still not in the completed stage). 

THANK YOU TO:

Poet-author-teacher, Amy Ludwig Vanderwater, who hosts Poetry Friday this week. I am joining Amy at her blog, The Poem Farm, where she is not only announcing her new National Poetry Month 2022 project, Pick A Proverb, but shares her first proverb poem that will start a full month of writing. Amy invites everyone to write alongside her.

Thank you, Poetry Sisters, for the challenge. #PoetryPals

Two Writing Teachers for this daily meeting place to connect with a community of reflective writers. 

21 comments:

  1. Thank you for your poem, Carol. I wasn't expecting the shovels! And that wreath is gorgeous. xo

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  2. Your poem is funny...you did it! That wand-tapping is so funny, and it's happening here this weekend again - snow on the daffodils. Enjoy your continued-settling-in. I wish you love in making your home and welcoming others with poetry and flower circles. xo

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  3. Your poem reminds me that Mother Nature must have a sense of humor! Thank you!

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  4. Hah! Mother Nature has STAFF. I knew it! Just like Martha Stewart, all that perfection doesn't get done without help...

    Oh, your gorgeous wreath reminds me I need to get on with putting together something for my door for Spring!

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  5. Oh, your last line and shovels - so unexpected! I loved "changes her mood, taps her wand..." This poem fits the weather in March in Pennsylvania!

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  6. I think you did really well with the humor, Carol! I found the "be funny" dictate VERY intimidating, too! But we settled on just having a turn, a bit of change or cleverness, would be good too. But yours made me chuckle--weather here in Minnesota is super changeable!

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    1. Laura, changeable is what I noticed from Mother Nature today. I woke to cold, went out for errands, saw sunshine, sudden rain that turned into sleet and snow, and rebounded back to sunshine. What an unpredictable weather day but good fodder for poetry.

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  7. Good job w/ the humorous twist, Carol.

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  8. Carol, these poems are great and I love the humor. There are all kinds of humor, blatant, subtle, smile inducing, laugh out loud. The unexpected twist of the last line works beautifully.

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    1. Bob, thanks so much because you know how to swerve and sing with your last lines in your writings.

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  9. The swerve and zing of the last line hit the mark for which you were aiming. And thanks for teaching me about the dodoitsu form.

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    1. Brian, I hope you write a dodoitsu and share it with our slicer community. Thanks for stopping by. I think you just created a great way to think of this poetic format: it swerves and sings at its closing.

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  10. You are a busy woman, Carol. I had forgotten about your dodoitsu cards. What fun to use them now & yes, you made a humorous one! : ) Best wishes with the organizing!

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  11. Nice job with the dodoitsu poems, Carol! We still have moving boxes from when we moved here over 20 years ago -- still unpacked . . . but they're not in our dining room :D.

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  12. Thanks for sharing your fun dodoitsu, Carol. I must try one, haven't yet. Perfect story for March. We had 60 a day or so past, by Monday our high will be in the 30s. Crazy. Good luck with your reorg... always feels good to get it done. Enjoy!

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  13. You nailed the humor! But sadly, we are expecting snow this weekend. Hopefully not enough to shovel.

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  14. Isn't some kind of state of affairs when we need more stuff to help us organize our stuff? Maybe we need a fairy to swing down and encourage us: "Staff, grab your shovels!" I think you did a good job with the humorous endings, Carol.

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  15. Your sweet poem with Nature changing her mood is funny! I love, "Staff, grab the shovels." Good luck with the boxes and your container store system, Carol!

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  16. I think you've got more flair for humor than you think! Both of these made me chuckle with their unexpected twists at the end. Thanks for sharing these with us this week!

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    1. Elisabeth, I have had a difficult time with my right eye from the surgery and my left during allergy season so I came to blog on a previous day, I did not have time to comment. I appreciate your comment and always grateful for my poetry friends.

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  17. I think it's pretty clever that Mother Nature has "Staff" and your poem gave me a laugh! The gorgeousness of that spring wreath will disguise, steal away, and conceal anything in its path, thanks Carol!

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