Note: Last night at Write On, we accepted the "I Remember" Challenge as described below and then completed two prompts off that exercise. The first was to write a poem off one of our "I Remember" statements. I will post the second prompt in the next day or two.
The “I Remember” exercise.
Joe Brainard wrote a novel called: I Remember
It contains a collection of paragraphs all starting with “I
remember”. This is the inspiration for this exercise, and if you’re stuck
for what to write, is a great way to get the mental gears turning. Simply
write “I remember” and continue with the first thing that pops into your head.
Spend 5 minutes writing a short collection of “I remember” statements.
Here are a couple of examples from Joe Brainard’s novel:
“I remember not understanding why people on the other side
of the world didn't fall off.”
“I
remember waking up somewhere once and there was a horse staring me in the face.”
I remember falling 12 feet from our barn’s hay mow.
I remember standing in a beehive.
I remember walking the gravel road from my grandparents’
house to my uncle’s house.
I remember driving on I-88 to move to DeKalb.
I remember breathing a sigh of relief for drawing a walk in
a meaningless at-bat in a random little league game.
I remember my last first date.
I remember a toothpick sticking out of my foot, and a van
door sliding over my thumb.
______
After that exercise, we were challenge to write a poem inspired by one of the statements we wrote. We spent about 15 minutes on this.
It takes a bit of courage...
Go play in the road, they would say
Just a funny expression, indicating get away.
Down the driveway, gravel under toe,
Another place to be, just a mile or so.
It takes a bit of courage, finding a path.
Go be a young man, they would say,
A throwaway direction, then see you in May.
The foot on the pedal, down the fast lane,
There’s no way of going without any pain.
It takes a bit of courage, finding a path.
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