Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Poetry Thursday - ch ange


I’m all about change and particularly growth, which is why I thought this week’s prompt was very cool. But I’ve been under the weather and my creative powers have failed. I’ve rubbed the lamp vigorously, but my poetry genie only taunts me. I hear his poetic mutterings, but my head’s so stuffed with fluff the sound dies before registering. So I have little to offer this week other than this short and true story:

I saw my family doctor on Monday for what is apparently nothing more than a bad cold (which I guess makes me apparently nothing more than a big baby – but I digress) – I was sitting in the car worrying about this week’s prompt, feeling sick and uncreative. I felt angry that I was sick. I was tired of coughing and felt overwhelmed by the piles on my desk being ignored due to a cold. And then, I saw these two words in my head –

punch anger

Just like this – next to each other in font colors of black and red. And I thought, “Wow! That’s pretty weird! What the hell’s up with that?!” I wrote them down in my notepad and just stared at them. After a while my head started filling with all kinds of ideas about this unusual juxtaposition. I’ll share with you what I thought about this later – after a few days – but for now, just look at these words together like this, and share with us what comes up for you. Just look at the words. If nothing comes up, then don’t comment. But if anything comes for you, please share it here. This is my contribution this week. If you’re looking for something more like poetry, I have two poems below that I posted since last Thursday. Feel free to take a look.

30 comments:

Carol (a.k.a. Lady Wordsmith) said...

Brilliant

Bloody Brilliant!

Absolutely sums up my state of mind as I meditated on this week's Poetry Thursday prompt ...

Swallow
Swallow
Swallow

Swallowed submissions and sublimated emotions

Change
A change is needed
Change

... and then your post:

Punch Anger

Works for me!
Thanks

Unknown said...

This is very cool - the second I saw it there on the page I loved it - the red, the black, teh font, the diamonds made my the word change - that's what poetry is after all.

I am so sorry you have been feeling under the weather. The one good thing about being sick is when you finally feel better, you feel super better, like, a lot better than you felt before you got sick. You know what I mean?

Anyway there has to be more in the words:

change
can
hang

Anonymous said...

Red and black are strong visual colors for this flash: also reminds me of the newspaper: "what's black and white and "read" all over?" since I hope for change in the way anger is expressed in our world.

Change the way anger is vented by not punching

Felt immediately that the way you see Ch ange is rather like a hiccup: that one could have trouble changing as in started to change (ch) and then needed a push to finsh (hence the space between the parts of the word)

Very creative.

Gel said...

(I'm reticient to post too much, but here's what I felt too shy to post a minute a go):

"each can change" (made from the letters in the word change)
obviously: can, cane, hang, gae, hae, nae, age, gane, cane,hag, nag, eng, and so on.

Crafty Green Poet said...

The first time I looked at this post, there was no image at the top, and I thought interesting, but.....

Then I looked again and the words were there. Excellent, I love the way the text changes, its very transformative.

fuquinay said...

You're cool, Dennis. It's why I come here.

gkgirl said...

i tried to just look at the words
and catch
the words that jumped into my head.

what i caught was
bold

and danger.

hmmmmm.

Regina said...

All I could think was, Yes! Change makes me very angry!
This was indeed, brilliant- even with a bad cold, Dennis- you are impressive...

wendy said...

way cool. very masculine and true. one rockin effort!

Unknown said...

Pun changer? Since people are always asking to be excused for their puns that might be a good thing!

Pauline said...

reminds me of the little space in nowhere that makes now here. Well done, you.

rel said...

Dennis,
"Don't take it out on me" said Judy.
I've got a hunch you'll be in danger if you become
a pun changer.
rel

Jessica said...

I am so glad I'm not the only person who saw "pun changer". I love the way the image works to change the way we look at these words. Very interesting and creative.

Love the story of how the image came to you.

I hope you feel better!

Rethabile said...

Wonderful pictorial poem, Dennis. you came through, as usual. Hope you're feeling better.

Catherine said...

I love the way the red increases and then fades away again - as if the anger is arising and then subsiding, culminating in the white "change" against the black

Anonymous said...

Dude, this is fantastic. But, if you are ever sitting in the car worrying about this week’s prompt, you just have to remember that Poetry Thursday isn't here to stress you out. It's here to be your friend ~ your friend who says it's OK to not be stressed about writing poetry.

gautami tripathy said...

That is great! I can relate too. I have felt like this at times!

It works for me. So what if it not poetry!

Dennis said...

Thanks everyone – You are all way to kind! Really! I actually learned from many of you this week that there is something called a visual poem – I didn’t know that and am grateful for your sharing that with me.

Some of you tried to come up with all of the words that could be made from the letters punch anger. That was cool – and those who did were really thinking outside the blog!

La vie en rose – And make a little magic? I heard your muse now has permission! Actually, thanks for tagging me on your post. My hit counter was off the chart yesterday between your link and all of the poetry thursday hits. My ego almost burst from being over-inflated. (LOL)

And to all the healing well-wishers, I’m finally starting to feel better today!!! Thanks for the kind thoughts.

Dana – thanks for the advice, but my worrying is genetic, and compounded by multiple complexes which my tireless therapist works to extinguish every other week for 50 minutes. Seriously though, you’re very kind. Thank you.

Alessandra Cave said...

All I could think was - Hey, have a punch with that anger! :D Nothing like a fruity spicy drink to make you sweeten up when you need it! Well, perhaps that is the girly way to look at it! Sending you sweetness!

Cassiopeia Rises said...

Dennis, well done my friend. Have we all not felt like this once in a great while?


love-bd

January said...

Dennis, you would have never gotten to that great poem without being sick!

And Poetry Thursday stresses me out, too. But I kinda like it.

Cassiopeia Rises said...

Dennis, I love both of your poems. They are so powerful in different ways. One speaks of the death of love and the changes poem the death of anger. Great work.

love-bd

sam of the ten thousand things said...

ch ange is a wonderful piece. Interesting, and very much poetry.

Anonymous said...

Sam - Thanks for taking a look at this and sharing your thoughts.

Joy said...

Dennis, that was brilliant! I loved it! I had to come back over and over again just to view it.
WOW :)

Anonymous said...

Joy - thanks for the kind words!

angie said...

There is anger management in those words, methinks...

Anonymous said...

WOW!! a visual poem i like!!! what a rarity!

this is fantastic in its form and shape and simplicity--it's quite striking, and it manages to convey a clear feeling while preserving its meaning-mystery.

Anonymous said...

Leah! Thanks so much for the visit and the kind words. It's been very exciting this week having so many positive reactions to this poem. Thanks!!

Ó Seasnáin said...

An interesting thought! Thanks!