Happy second day, everyone.
Prompt on Day Two: Surrealist questions and answers
And now for today’s (optional) prompt! The Romanian-born poet Paul Celan once wrote a series of surrealist questions and answers. Here are a couple of examples: What is forgetting? An unripe apple stabbed by a spear. What is a tear? A scale awaiting a weight. Today’s prompt asks you to begin by picking 5-10 words from the following list. Next, write out a question for each word that you’ve selected (e.g., what is seaweed?)
Friends, please click on the link to see the word list.
Now for each question, write a one-line answer. Try to make the answer an image, and don’t worry about strict logic. These are surrealist answers, after all! After you’ve written out your series of questions and answers, place all the answers, without the questions, on a new page. See if you can make a poem of just the answers. You may find that what you have is very beautifully mysterious, and somehow has its own logic.
My Answers:
The words I chose (in the order they appear in the list) are:
1. fog: a daze, haze Fog is the pinnacle of all ailments that explodes into grim attitudes that spew malevolence in slanderous speech, vitriolic gossip, and clamorous complaining. It brings distress, holds one captive, and blinds the heart. 2. river - tributary, watercourse A river is a tributary that, spellbound by the melody of the tide, snakes over rocks and temporarily displaced life to replenish them with vigor, and then swells with silent pride. 3. miracle - marvel, wonder A miracle is a marvelous wonder that, If you hurry, you will miss, and it has nothing to do with luck. A miracle is there for your worldly enhancement. 4. cyclops - you with a gun, Cyclops are you with a gun in your hand; a minute predatory invertebrate without a mirror to see the shape of its body or to know it has a single distorted perspective as an eye; crustaceans. 5. generator - You; whole. You are a generator; you are a dynamo, the most beautiful, greatest creature on planet earth that converts energy into electricity for yourself and others. 6. gutter - a sewer A gutter is a brackish cesspool where the scum of the world will eventually end, compliments of the ferryman who ferries the gunk into the River Styx for their souls to drown. 7. artillery - weapons Artillery: objects that change the perspective of its holder who immediately acquires a fanatic badge of honor and prides themselves as impartial honorary vice warriors, anointed with power disguised as virtue, model of scruples, conqueror of woes. 8. elusive - Elusiveness is obscurity disguised as virtue, dangerous drudgery that keeps you in distress and clueless besides. ghost - phantom longing - itch song - chant, melody © selma
The Poem:
OF VICES AND VIRTUES
it's the pinnacle of all ailments
— explodes you into mercurial poses
that spew spitefulness in slanderous lingo,
vicious gossip, and clamorous complaining
brings distress, holds one captive, and blinds the heart
lures cyclops— small predatory invertebrates
who lack grasp of the shape of their bodies;
holds them captive and ignorant: it sports
a single distorted perspective for an eye
and obscurity disguised as virtue
and drudgery that provokes distress,
ever clueless-- wielding shiny objects that
entombs the perspective of its holder
who soon acquire a fanatic badge of honor
and hauteur as impartial vice warriors,
anointed with power disguised as virtue,
model of scruples, conqueror of woes
Ha!
it's no wonder these crustaceans land in brackish cesspools,
where the scum of the world eventually ends.
laud, the ferryman who ferries gunk
into the River Styx to drown rot phantoms!
how bright their journey would be if not:
to get their itch for honor enthralled in
a river that, rapt by the chant of the tide,
snakes over rocks and briefly displaced life
to replenish them with vigor, and
swells the watercourse with silent pride
and you, the dynamo, the greatest soul
on earth, it fills with marvelous wonder
that, if you hurry ...you will miss,
and it has nothing to do with luck:
wonderment for your worldly grace
converts energy into electricity for self
and others— zenith of all that's right with
this world; the healer of mercurial episodes that
rob you of stardust that subsists within
where life flows like a river on a peregrination,
ready to baptize you and asking only that you
awaken to the truth. And thrive whole-- a
dynamo among planetary nebulae,
returned to your source in a new dawn
© selma
Thanks so much for reading, and happy national poetry writing month.
I’m a simple woman who dares to see the beauty in ordinary. I’d love to connect with you and like pen pals, I want something beautiful to blossom between us. Will you join me? Selma is my middle name. Its meaning—peaceful, complete, are euphoric affirmations I like to think of myself as having. They compliment the joy I feel when I write. I sincerely hope you decide to join me on my writing journey. I Wish You Miracles.
Latest posts by Selma Martin (see all)
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wow, comes together so beautifully.
lovely, Selma 🤍
I’m so happy you thought so, dear Destiny. Thanks for saying. Xoxo
always a pleasure 🤍
I love the unique definitions of some of these words!
Thanks, Bryan. It took some doing 😪 thanks for commenting. Xo
Wonderful!
Heather, thanks. Xoxo
Very nice written.
Aww, thanks.
Welcome 😀
Beautifully expressed.💕
Grace, thanks.
My pleasure , Selma.💕
This is lovely, Selma. 🙂
Thanks, Kitty.
Brilliantly written Selma.
Oh, Sadje. You make my day and night brighter. Thanks so much.
You’re most welcome
This is beautiful, Selma!
Punam, thanks for saying that. Blessings.
So beautiful Selma!
Aww, Belladonna. How nice of you to say that. Be well, dear one. Blessing you.
You’re very welcome!
That was fantastic, Selma! Well done!
Yvette M Calleiro 🙂
http://yvettemcalleiro.blogspot.com
Yve, thanks. And I just read your day one. So good. So glad you joined. Blessings. Remember, no stress. Xoxo
Thank you, Selma! 🙂
This is excellent, Selma! Wonderfully written! ❤️💐
Lauren, I’m so glad you think so. I’m so glad you read this one. Blessings on all your endeavors. Xoxo
Seamless and beautiful! 🌸🌿🌼