May Golden Shovel #1

source: In a Dark Time, Orchestral Music to Make You Smile

(New York Times, May 1, 2021, Arts p. C4)

 

Cherry blossoms on May Day sweep in

On a frosty wind, rattling windows of a

Lost haven. You heard brassy notes from a dark

Visitation warning that no one could time

Their birth. Motion made manifest orchestral

Clashes: cymbals, tympani, triangles. The music

Of the spheres turns novas inside out, to

Go backward in time, before sound or color make

Life. There is no beginning in a universe you

Do not understand, yet still, you smile.

 

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I am continuing to use Terrance Hayes’s Golden Shovel poem format, as proposed by the Sunday New York Times "At Home" section, for 30 Poems in 30 Days during National Poetry Month.

 

Take a newspaper headline that attracts you.

Use each word in the line as the end word for each line in your poem.

Keep the end words in order.

Describe the story that the headline is for.

The poem does not have to be about the same subject as the headline that creates the end words.

 

30/30: Golden Shovel #13

source: Music Shows Its Power to Soothe and Heal

 

She never wanted to face the music.

She ran when they put on shows

with a lively song. She wondered if its

lilting melody could uncover the power

to lift her out of the quotidian, to

Float her among crows whose calls did not soothe,

To drag her supine across rusty nails and

Deposit her dreams in an account that does not heal.

 

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Here is how I am using Terrance Hayes’s Golden Shovel poem format, as proposed by the Sunday New York Times "At Home" section, for 30 Poems in 30 Days during National Poetry Month.

 

Take a newspaper headline that attracts you.

Use each word in the line as the end word for each line in your poem.

Keep the end words in order.

Describe the story that the headline is for.

The poem does not have to be about the same subject as the headline that creates the end words.

SOLSC 18: Boring Day, but Interesting Evening

            A lot of catching up today, cleaning up the to-do list. That’s the boring part.

            Tonight I’m going to an Orpheus Chamber Orchestra concert. If you don’t know about Orpheus, check them out. They are a leaderless ensemble; a small group of musicians work together to develop the orchestra’s arrangement for each piece, and have been playing and touring for more than 45 years. You can read about their process here and see their calendar here. They play mostly in New York, but will be in Winona, Minnesota, in July, for the Minnesota Beethoven Festival.

            Tonight, their soloist is a cellist, Alisa Weilerstein, and the program includes a Schumann Concerto for cello, as well as a Mendelssohn, a Schubert, and a Webern (they always include a modern piece).

            Jack and I had a three-concert series with them for years, and I’ve kept it, now including my daughter, good friend GirlGriot, and adding another writing friend next season. It will be peaceful.