COME ONE, COME ALL/ May 7
by Carolee, Deb & Jill
It’s show time! It’s our first “Starts-Friday-But-Lasts-All-Weekend-Come-one-Come-all” gathering!
It’s time to post your original poem, written in response to Monday’s wonderful prompt or any other inspiration from the week. (We love it when you write to our prompt, but we also love it when you write on a whim. We all know how fickle that muse can be.)
So leave a link to your blog post, or leave your poem itself, in the comments!
Let the show begin! This post is “sticky” — it will stay right here in the spotlight for you all weekend.
Here’s how prompts work under the Big Tent
You’ve got all week to write your poem, based on this week’s prompt. Come Fridays (today!) you’ll find a “Come One, Come All” post (this one!) where you can 1) leave a link to your poem or 2) leave the poem in its entirety.
We want to give you all weekend to post your work and read each others’ work. Take your time. Enjoy all the poems that are new to the world.
Some hints
Hint: We’ve set Big Tent Poetry to Central Time.
Hint: An easy way to check on new post comments is via a RSS reader, if you use one. Here’s the address you would add to your reader: http://bigtentpoetry.org/comments/feed.
HInt: Since we’re a new site, and you’re new to it, your comment(s) will be held for moderation for your first few posts. We’re checking the filters often, so don’t despair! That said, if it takes more than a half a day to see it come live on the site, do email us at info (at) bigtentpoetry.org. (But be patient, okay?)
Circus etiquette
We figure you know how to play in the poetry community, but here are the basics:
Be nice. Have fun. Remember we aren’t a critique forum. We want to support each other as we bring more poetry into our lives. Only provide critique if someone specifically asks for it.
Although we love seeing our badge in the sidebar of your blog, we would appreciate it if you would also link back to the site in each of your poem posts. Linking within your post helps people travel back and forth from your site to the Big Tent Poetry site, and it helps perpetuate Big Tent Poetry “findability” in Google searches — and that helps us all.
Hi! I am so happy to be here! Mine is called Circus Girl.
http://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewpoetry.asp?id=277544
I like how you went through the generations with this.
Pamela
oh, great angle to be the girl no one sees … yes, someone gets all that stuff ready. welcome to the circus, susan! looking forward to seeing you ’round!
I like how you develop her character in very few words.
a peek into a life chosen by free will…would you not say so? >
Oh what a good idea to speak for this girl!
Welcome to the Big Top — we’re happy you are here, too!
Hi Susan, I like that you chose to be the voice for someone behind the scenes.
I couldn’t work out how to leave a comment on your blog. I love this poem – the contradictory nature of the girl’s history and mundane job with her wonderfully cheerful attitude. Bravo.
http://sky-lined.blogspot.com/2010/05/may-dump-1.html
my “job”
this is pretty fun, thanks for holding these events :) .
Hi Sara. I love the idea of making death do tricks.
Inventive and challenging. Interesting layout. Bravo.
Here’s mine: CIRCUS
Hi Stan. Nice use of the tanka form for a succinct piece.
OK–Come and see The Official Tattooed Lady where she lives! Just click on my name.If you want to.
Hi Joyce.
Nicely done.
Best for me was this bit… very poignant.
:
“this is how I make my living, see
I show the world what eats me alive”
I’m a circus reject.
*and* you wrote a poem? :)
Ya know, I should’ve added a line about being proficient with some obscure poetic form to the would-be freak’s list of qualifications.
Heh.
I really enjoyed your poem. Thanks for posting your link. :)
this is a wonderful turn-out, circus-goers. thanks for joining us! i’m delighted — and your responses to the prompt are creative and lively. thank you. it’s been a pleasure reading today.
So many posters here — fun to see. Mary K (the circus dog trainer) suggested this site and I look forward to seeing what people here write.
The Tiger
I am the tiger,
strong, sleek.
Watch my muscles
ripple as I leap
through the hoop.
They all cheer when
I snarl and show
my teeth, and my
man throws me
meat. Such an
easy life. But
I could kill him,
the hairless ape,
with one swat
of my paw. Not
tonight though.
May 6, 2010
how awesome that you referenced mary by her circus persona so we’d know who she is! love it! oh, that made my morning! and tiger peggy? welcome to the circus — i love how this ends: “not tonight.” shows who’s in control.
Wonderful poem, Peggy. So glad that you ran off to join the circus along with me. Tiger fits!
Love, love the tiger calling “my man” a “hairless ape!”
Welcome to the Big Tent. We’re glad you found us, & by Mary’s recommendation.
Hi Peggy. I like this… a tiger with restraint. :)
I’ve never done this before. I’m both nervous and excited! Here’s my poem:
http://apileofnothingness.blogspot.com/2010/05/breeze.html
Z–don’t be nervous. we’re a harmless bunch (except the tiger just above you. the tiger eats people.) but mostly, we’re friendly. :)
thanks for writing.
Thanks Carolee! I look forward to Monday’s prompt! :)
Z
She’s right. :-) And welcome!
Hi Zaynab. I really like the perspective you chose for this piece, and how it gives an overview of the whole circus.
This is fun. I’m glad to be joining this circus. I posted my personna poem, Fortune Teller as the first entry on my new poetry blog – http://victoria-andnowpoems.blogspot.com/
It’s time to separate poetry from the rest of my blogging, I think.
Wonderful new blog, Victoria! You write very nice poetry. I have decided to share my poetry blog too from this point on!
Hi Victoria. I like your poem. Both your fortune teller and mine know how to keep secrets. ;)
My poem can be read here: The Rag & Bone Shop
Here, to be precise: http://ragbone.wordpress.com/2010/05/04/poem-for-04-may-2010/
thanks, dave, for the link! we should remind people to link to the poem post, not to the blog main page. :)
Hi Christina. What a great choice of persona. I enjoyed reading your poem.
Here’s mine:Circus Maximus
Ni Nate. I really like what you’ve done with the prompt. Kind of a darker take. Love the ending.
http://crankymango.blogspot.com/2010/05/belgian.html
Hi Lucychili. Yours is a richly evocative piece. I enjoyed reading it.
thank you =)
How would I not also be here with you! Hi guys!
masked dramatica
Very nice indeed. Thought provoking.
Best for me:
“and it’s not so much what will I say
as how much I am willing to see”
Love your poem Derrick.
Hi Uma,I love your poem “Shenbagam”.
My poem is from the perspective of a sword swallower:
http://coinandfeather.wordpress.com/2010/05/08/ingestion-of-pain/
The link back to Big tent Poetry went screwy looking, but it works!
Hi Gay. I love the grinding of happiness to bitter shards.
Wow! Welcome everyone. I kind of overslept and there were a lot of new comments waiting for moderation!
So glad to see you here!!
I have to write an “F” poem for my writing group, so while I was thinking I did this bit of silliness….not posting it to the blog so it can straight here:
François the Fearless French Fire-eater
François did not walk the high wire
François instead did tricks with fire
François did not play the baby grand
François swallowed a flaming brand
François didn’t balance on the horses
François juggled with lighted torches
François had no tricks up his sleeve
François though could fire breathe
François they said, had no fear
François drank far too much beer
François abstained from elephant dances
François took far too many chances
François wished he’d lion-tamed
François suddenly went up in flames
Iain
i like the contrast between “drank far too much beer” and yet “abstained from elephant dances” :)
welcome to our circus, iain!
Thank you, pleasure to be here! Can’t wait to see Monday’s prompt…
Looks like things are nice an crazy under the big tent — just the way I like it… jumpin’ dancin’ bears Carolee, looks like the whole town turned out. Great!!! :-)
Pssstt! You Deb and Jill better keep an eye out for that sad little killer clown. I hear tell he is on the grounds… mwha-ha-ha ;)
thanks, rob. even killer clowns fear lions and tigers! the circus is all about balance. :)
Iain, so great to see you here. Francois definitely is quite an amazing circus character!
Thanks Mary, nice to see you too….and so much laudible poetry…what a cool site!
Iain
Hi Iain. I like the format. It reads almost like a children’s cautionary tale… reminds me of Edward Gorey.
nice to attend the first big tent prompt… hrz mine red lips
I enjoyed reading your poem.
Best for me:
“we rode the tourist tempest
waxed wings melt”
Running off to join the circus is very scary when you have never done it before so I had to make my persona very brave.
Bareback
He thinks his balance better.
What does he know in his sleek
leotard and slippered feet?
He carries a pole for balance.
My feet bare and trusting
on an animal’s back, I am
forced to wear spangles and
feathers in my hair.
I jump through hoops -
what of it? A net below
makes him fearless; if I
fall only thundering hooves
await my landing.
what a great idea to capture the jealousy/competitive nature between performers! so glad you’re writing with us, maxie!
I love this poem’s perspective, too. Well done! The last stanza is fearless.
So glad you joined in the fun. Welcome!
I really like the comparisons in this piece. The ending is great.
I didn’t manage to write to the prompt this week, but I did write a poem — the latest in my ongoing series of “mother poems” (appropriate for this weekend, no?) Anyway, it’s here:
Taste
http://velveteenrabbi.blogs.com/blog/2010/05/another-mother-poem-taste.html
hi, rachel! i commented on your blog, but i can’t tell if it disappeared or just went into moderation. in case it disappeared, i want to say thanks for joining us. :)
Rachel does moderate comments, just so everyone knows.
So glad to see many new and continuing friends here under the Big Tent!!
Your latest mother poem really resonated for me. Thanks for posting your link.
What a fabulous weekend of reading!
Remember we have Friday through Sundays to post poems or links to poems, and to read and appreciate what this broad community brings!
And tomorrow!! At midnight Central Time (in the US or GMT – 5:00) we have a new prompt coming your way.
You’ll also see links to our friends’ poetry blogs on the sidebar if you need more prompts (We Write Poems and Writers’ Island).
Here is my poem for the first prompt, “Queen Zarina the All-Knowing”
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?created&&suggest¬e_id=279101829945
posting on FB is a great solution for those without blogs! welcome to the circus, wendy!
I didn’t do the prompt, but I’m glad to see a lot of familiar faces here. I’ll read your poems and jump in on the next prompt.
We’re glad to see you here, too!
hi, evelyn! thanks for stopping by! our new prompt posts in just a few hours. circus time marches quickly forward! wow!
Many thanks to Deb for encouraging me to re-post to this site. My first poem for y’all,
THE BIG TOP: http://amybarlowpoetry.blogspot.com
or just click my link, I guess… dunno, a little sheepish about how this works!
Peace to all, Amy
PS So nice to see familiar faces on the blog – Iain, loved your Francois, and Mary Kling, Hi!
No worries, every site is a little different in how they do “stuff.”
Although it is best to leave a link to the specific poem. That’s proper “link etiquette” in blogging to prompts. :-)
Hi Amy. Your poem was lots of fun to read. :)
Good one Amy!!
Nice to see yout too!
Iain
I love Big Tent poetry already, after just a week, and am excited by the new aural prompt, but i’m also needing help. I posted my circus persona poem’s link last week to my new poetry blog, http://victoria-andnowpoems.blogspot.com/, and clearly a number of Big Tent folk read it and made lovely comments. But I can’t find my linking post here on the Big Tent with other people’s. What do I need to do differently?
Hi Victoria,
I found your previous comment(using the search function, Control F, and plugging in your name, Victoria):
“Victoria Hendricks on May 7, 2010 at 11:30 pm (Edit)
This is fun. I’m glad to be joining this circus. I posted my personna poem, Fortune Teller as the first entry on my new poetry blog – http://victoria-andnowpoems.blogspot.com/
It’s time to separate poetry from the rest of my blogging, I think.”
So if the search doesn’t work for you, try scrolling for day/time.
Glad you are having Good Times. :-)
Uh… duh… I forgot to post my link. It is called The Big Show.
OMG… another blonde moment.
http://scrapsandsass.blogspot.com/2010/05/big-show.html