The moderator for this week is Abby!
Abigail Licad is an immigrant from the Philippines, a former editor-in-chief for Hyphen magazine, a full-on feminist, a diehard Tori Amos fan, a mediocre classical pianist, a dog mama, a chocolate fiend, a terrible cook, a succulent addict, a lover of sending care packages, and a poetry junkie through and through. She has no tattoos and lives in Portland, Oregon.
Tuesday, September 13th, 2022
"Fire in the Hole" by Earl Sweatshirt
Yeah, yeah, yeah (blood seepin' out)
Blood (blood), blood (blood)
Seeping into the mulch, I needed a quick result
I read it and don't respond
She see it and salt sprinkle
I needed another go
I'm seeing her when I want
Fire leaping out the hole
Deep breathing only make it grow
Ain't wanna leave the clutch (clutch)
Far be it from me to plead with y'all (stupid)
Hit, leanin' into the crutch
Speedin' through the lulls (uh)
Take heed, we took an oath to the sword (what?)
The shield took a couple chinks but it never broke (no sir)
I know what he mean, how I play it based on what I'm shown
Consolidate the cream, then I'm headed home (mmh)
Sheen shine like fourteen karat gold, rewiring (uh)
Patchin' holes (it's no rewinding)
It's no rewinding, for the umpteenth time, it's only forward
Peace to AKAI SOLO, the soldier
I couldn't toast a drink to demise, I heard the clink
Life could change in the blink of an eye, I'm wrinklin' time (yeah)
I'ma leave it to y'all to get hoodwinked and surprised
Threw on some Bootsy, I rather be with you when I'm high
I went ahead and mixed some Beetle Juice with the wine
Skin contact, peeling her eyes, squeeze down
It's been a minute since I blew up your line
I leave town fast
Out the dungeon like Outkast
Funnels with the loud pack
Hunter's boots crunchin' through the brown grass
Blood
Blood seeping into the mulch, I needed a quick result
I read it and don't respond
She see it and sprinkle salt
I needed another go
I'm seeing her when I want
Uh
(When I want)
Uh
Uh
1. Write a poem incorporating or responding to one of the passages below:
" Speedin' through the lulls"
" The shield took a couple chinks but it never broke"
" It's no rewinding, for the umpteenth time, it's only forward"
2. Write a stream of consciousness poem centered around any subject, memory, event, or thought that you've been evading or usually prefer not to focus on. What kinds of tricks, maneuvers, or motions does your mind make to perhaps circumvent this subject when it first enters your head?
3. Write an anti-love poem. Write a poem to or about someone you care about, but insert details that undermine common love poem tropes. For example, write about your love-object's imperfections, discuss their annoying habits, infuse your stanzas with logical arguments, or invoke mathematical theorems, etc.
Thursday, September 15, 2022
"Silent All These Years" by Tori Amos
Excuse me, but can I be you for a while My dog won't bite if you sit real still I got the Anti-Christ in the kitchen yellin' at me again Yeah, I can hear that
Been saved again by the garbage truck I got something to say, you know, but nothing comes Yes, I know what you think of me, you never shut up Yeah, I can hear that
But what if I'm a mermaid, in these jeans of his with her name still on it Hey, but I don't care 'cause sometimes, I said sometimes I hear my voice. And it's been here silent all these years
So you found a girl who thinks really deep thoughts What's so amazing about really deep thoughts Boy you best pray that I bleed real soon How's that thought for you
My scream got lost in a paper cup You think there's a heaven where some screams have gone I got twenty-five bucks an' a cracker Do you think it's enough to get us there
Cause what if I'm a mermaid, in these jeans of his with her name still on it Hey, but I don't care 'cause sometimes, I said sometimes I hear my voice And it's been here silent all these
Years go by, will I still be waiting for somebody else to understand Years go by, if I'm stripped of my beauty and the orange clouds raining in my head Years go by, will I choke on my tears 'til, finally there is nothing left One more casualty, you know we're too easy, easy, easy
Well, I love the way we communicate Your eyes focus on my funny lip shape Let's hear what you think of me now But, baby, don't look up - the sky is falling
Your mother shows up in a nasty dress Hmm, it's your turn now to stand where I stand Everybody lookin' at you, here - take hold of my hand Yeah, I can hear them
But what if I'm a mermaid in these jeans of yours with her name still on it Hey, but I don't care 'cause sometimes, I said sometimes I hear my voice I hear my voice, I hear my voice, and it's been here Silent all these years. I've been here silent all these years Silent all these, silent all these years 1. Write a poem incorporating or responding to one of the passages below:
"Yes, I know what you think of me, you never shut up"
" What's so amazing about really deep thoughts"
" what if I'm a mermaid, in these jeans of his with her name still on it"
2. Women are often conditioned as little girls to act nice, complacent, and submissive. Think about the first time you dared to go against the grain, express an unpopular opinion, or break the "rules." Describe the origins of your feminist awakening. 3. Break your own silence by writing about a secret that you've never shared before. Explore the reasons for your prior secretiveness, and think about the implications of your finally giving voice to something that has been deeply unsaid for a long time.
Friday, September 16th, 2022
"Another Spring" by Nina Simone
Old people talk to themselves When they sit all 'round all day This old woman I knew I used to go over there and sit with her And she'd be sitting around In a rocking chair talking to herself And she used to say she used to say Sometimes the cold gets in my bones so bad Till I just don't think I can go Yeah and for a little while well I don't care If my days are coming to an end And just as soon be gone sometimes Sometimes the night comes down on me And I know what's ahead An evening in this cold old house With no one to say goodnight to me when I go to bed An evening in this cold old house With no one to say goodnight to me when I go to bed Sometimes I wonder why I stay What am I waiting for My children are grown and gone away They got children of their own now Don't need me anymore In winter when the streets are bare There ain't nothing much to see I just can't help missing and thinking About that kindly man That one old winter time came And took away from me And then one morning Another spring is there outside my door Things are blooming Birds are singing And suddenly yes well I ain't sad Ain't sad no more ain't sad no more When it's warm and the sun is out It's like my heart's restored I've had my love I've had my children And I have so many memories So don't mind me complaining What the years may bring Cos this old world has been fine with me really And I'm thankful for seeing another spring It's gonna be better this time another spring It's gonna be groovier this time another spring It's what's happening this time So I'm thankful for letting me see another spring
1. Write a poem incorporating or responding to one of the passages below:
" Sometimes the night comes down on me/And I know what's ahead"
" I just can't help missing and thinking/About that kindly man/That one old winter time came/And took away from me"
"When it's warm and the sun is out/It's like my heart's restored"
2. Write a poem also entitled "Another Spring." What kinds of feelings, thoughts, images, etc. does this phrase conjure in your mind? For example, you can write about a Spring memory you have, a Spring tradition you practice with your family, or your particular reasons for looking forward to this season.
3. What makes you hopeful? What gives you hope? Write about a specific moment, conversation, image, event, song, poem, etc., that has instilled or reinstilled feelings of hope and optimism in you.
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