Friday, April 01, 2016

Poetry Friday -- Bygones





Jack

He had a reputation
for being a prankster
and a tease,

but if you could
stop time,
somehow freeze

the moment,
you would realize
that he's

not forcing them
to do this. All they want
is to please.


©Mary Lee Hahn, 2016






Happy National Poetry Month! When Mom and I were sorting through a drawer full of old pictures last December, I was struck by the forgotten faces and the unknown stories that were captured on film. This April, I'll bring 30 of the photos back to life through poetry. The main home for this project is on my poetry site, Poetrepository, but I'll be cross-posting here at A Year of Reading every day in April.

Amy LV has the Poetry Friday roundup today at the The Poem Farm. Let the wild rumpus known as Poetry Month begin!!!




21 comments:

  1. What a great photo (what a pose on that top-standing dog!)and a great April Fools' Day poignant poem! For lots of reasons, I appreciate the sense of hope and "rightness" you've captured. I especially love the sense that "he's not forcing them to do this. All they want is to please." Every blessing with your Poetrepository project--it's a very pleasing gift for the generations, and I'm looking forward to enjoying your poems from the outside, looking in. God bless you.

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  2. Like the form, Mary Lee! Should I know a name for it? Those sweet dogs definitely look like they want to please.

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  3. Happy Friday - I double dog dare you to have a happy weekend!

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  4. Thank you for freezing this moment, ML. So cool, and I really love that you had someone in your family who had dogs ride dogs! Can't wait to follow your project. Happy Poetry Month! xo

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  5. He seems like the very kind of man to let the inner clowns of others take center stage. I love the poem.

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  6. I just love this project. One of my favorite memoirs is Lois Lowry's Looking Back, and this reminds me of that. My favorite Slice of Life Story Challenge was two years ago when I wrote slices around childhood pictures. There's just something magical about old photos.

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  7. I'm so excited to follow this project, Mary Lee. What an amazing photograph -- and I love the last line of your poem. So true.

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  8. That's such a great photo -- love your poem -- such an "awww" moment.

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  9. What a perfect poem for this captured moment. I'm looking forward to your project.

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  10. I love writing from photos. I'm happy you've been bitten by the same bug!

    I love the look of devotion in the big dog's eyes.

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  11. Anonymous8:45 PM

    I love the tilt of the hat, that hides so much of the man's face, and puts all the focus on those dogs, and their adoration. Lovely poem to capture it, Mary Lee.

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  12. This is a beautiful idea, Mary Lee--do I understand that these are all photos of family and friends? I would love to know the name of this dashing dude. I'm excited to follow your project!

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  13. Mary Lee,
    I'm looking forward to your pictures and poetry across the month. As someone who dabbles in genealogy, I always wonder about the stories of those I see pictured in old photographs passed from generation to generation. I'm looking forward to following as you attempt to capture that very thing.

    Cathy

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  14. I always look forward to your April projects. This one sounds amazing and I'll be following!

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  15. Wow, Mary Lee. I'm sure you're right! You looked deep into that picture and saw the heart of the matter.

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  16. Mary lee,

    What a great project for National Poetry Month! I look forward to seeing the rest of the photos that you selected...and reading the poems you wrote for them.

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  17. Clever poem! All the "eez" endings with various spellings caused the rhyme to creep up on me. I like that.

    And I love your project. It's interesting to see how different people are writing to their various inspirations.

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  18. Wonderful, Mary Lee - such an inspired project all around! :0) (& what Violet said about the "eez" sounds....!)

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  19. This is wonderful! The photo is so interesting. I thought for a moment it was a collage. And the poem gives us such insight into the image.

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  20. Anonymous7:47 PM

    What a great photo and poem, Mary Lee! The jaunty tilt of Jack's hat makes him look so debonaire!

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  21. Wonderful poem for that special photo! You have a treasure here, both in the family history photos and in your poems. You show such sublime insight and pull so much from the shot.

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