Our theme this week was Invitations, and we read a range of poems that spoke to the theme in completely different ways! Ross Gay invited the reader to appreciate the small things we do with our hands, that may actually be practice for harder things – such as buttoning our shirts with delicacy may help us close the eyes of a loved one. We were invited by Alice Oswald into the spacious but short-lived moment of a dew drop. Through the words of Ted Kooser and Bill Richardson, we attended funny occasions like bookclubs and parties with divorcee’s. Derek Walcott invited us back to ourselves. Billy Collins had (some of us) falling in love with a bar of soap, and David Whyte asked us to see how the soap dish enables us.
Thank you to those brave and generous friends who shared their own writing today!
We discussed next week’s theme: “Ancestors”. Bring along poems to read, and if you feel inspired, write a poem based on that prompt.
A list of the poems we read
I’ve added some links where I could to the poems, poets or books if you would like to explore.
Ode to Buttoning and Unbuttoning My Shirt by Ross Gay from Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude
A Rushed Account of the Dew by Alice Oswald from Falling Awake
Bookclub by Ted Kooser from Flying at Night
A Statistical Improbability by Bill Richardson from Queen of the Dustballs
Love After Love by Derek Walcott from Collected Poems 1948-1984
Aimless Love by Billy Collins from Aimless Love
Everything is Waiting for You by David Whyte from Enchanted Life by Sharon Blackie
Poetry reading & writing prompt for next week
Prompt/Theme: “Ancestors”
When we meet again on Nov 30, bring along poems around the theme of Ancestors. There is no obligation to write, but if you feel inspired, you are welcome to bring your poem to share at the next gathering.