Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Poets United Midweek Motif ~ Marriage

Marriage is memory, marriage is time. ~ Joan Didion

“The point of marriage is not to create a quick commonality by tearing down all boundaries; on the contrary, a good marriage is one in which each partner appoints the other to be the guardian of his solitude . . . .   ― Rainer Maria RilkeLetters to a Young Poet

“In itself, homosexuality is as limiting as heterosexuality: the ideal should be to be capable of loving a woman or a man; either, a human being, without feeling fear, restraint, or obligation.” 
― Simone de Beauvoir


Midweek Motif ~ Marriage


Love and marriage
Love and marriage
Go together like a horse and carriage . . . .

And then what happens??


Your Challenge: Marry your truths about marriage to a story in a new poem.  Enjoy!

Here's some more inspiration:



The ache of marriage:

thigh and tongue, beloved,   
are heavy with it,   
it throbs in the teeth

We look for communion
and are turned away, beloved,   
each and each

It is leviathan and we   
in its belly
looking for joy, some joy   
not to be known outside it

two by two in the ark of   
the ache of it.
Denise Levertov, “The Ache of Marriage” from Poems 1960-1967
Copyright © 1966 by Denise Levertov.  New Directions Publishing Corporation.

Anna Bell and Lane, eighty,
make small leaf piles in the heat,
each pile a great joint effort,
like fifty years of marriage,
sharing chores a rusty dance.
In my own yard, the stacks
are big as children, who scatter them,
dodge and limbo the poke
of my rake. We’re lucky,
young and straight-boned.
And I feel sorry for the couple,
bent like parentheses
around their brittle little lawn.
I like feeling sorry for them,
the tenderness of it, but only
for a moment: John glides in
like a paper airplane, takes
the children for the weekend,
and I remember,
they’re the lucky ones—
shriveled Anna Bell, loving
her crooked Lane.
Used with the poet's permission.
 Reprinted from The Poetry Foundatiom.
From Karaoke Funeral, Snake Nation Press, 2003. 


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Please share your new poem using Mr. Linky below and visit others 
in the spirit of the community.

(Next week, Susan's Midweek Motif will be martyrdom / witness. )

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46 comments:

  1. Hey everyone,

    Wooo hoooo its time for Midweek Motif :D and what a wonderful prompt we have this morning. Its good to see you again Susan :D

    Sharing my poem "Wedding Vows" hope you all like it :D
    Lots of love,
    Sanaa

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  2. Wednesday got here so fast, and would you know i'm early with my response; a marriage of prompt and daring

    Good day to all

    much love...

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  3. Thank you for the midweek prompt - if i can't return your comments and posts many apologies - as ever much appreciate your visits

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    Replies
    1. Good to see you, Jae Rose. Please come back to us as soon as you can.

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  4. I've had breakfast and morning worship here at Pendle Hill where I am Artist-in-Residence for 2 months. Now, I can sit down with you and poetry and coffee. I'll be here after lunch again and after dinner, too, tomorrow and then again next week. I'm very happy! Love to all and special thanks to my partner in Midweek Motif, Sumana. (We've noted how close are the names Susan and Sumana. Neat, huh?) Coming around now ...


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  5. Glad you are having a wonderful time, Susan. I am babysitting elsewhere all day but will have my tablet with me so I can keep up. Smiles. Have a great Wednesday everyone.

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    Replies
    1. I hope your day with the sick one was more pleasurable than you expected.

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    2. p.s. The poem "Raking" is absolutely lovely. So tender....yes, that is the kind of marriage I once dreamed about, one that lasted that long.....a wonderful poem of enduring love.

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  6. Loved this prompt. One of my favourite topics.There are a few poems in me about this topic but fear not Susan,I shall restrict myself to the one:) !Pleased you are enjoying your sabbatical.

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  7. Now I want to watch Married With Children. :P

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    Replies
    1. Each to their own, haha. I preferred All in the Family.

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  8. Who better than the musician to know about a marriage of two? I hope you like "Playing the harp." I wrote the poem after spending an evening studying how to play the Celtic harp.
    Have a great week all!

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    Replies
    1. No one better. The marriage you describe here is one of my favorites.

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  9. He folks!
    I sent our link to Tonia Rochelle
    who wrote "Raking."

    Enjoy, Susan

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  10. Hello Susan! Thank you for the wonderful prompt...Thank God for the sunny orbits of life. Knock wood. Just posted mine. I shall come over tomorrow to read the other entries...its pretty late this side.
    Have a great week ahead, poets!

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  11. Susan,

    I can only write using personal experience as my starting point; almost thirty-seven years of marriage!
    Eileen

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  12. Replies
    1. Thank you for your beautiful poem, Tania.

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    2. What a wonderful poem! Anna Bell and Lane are indeed the lucky ones to have a marriage that lasted 50 years. Working together on leaves together as they do, I picture them having worked on other things together as well through the lifetime of their marriage! I enjoyed the comparison between the younger couple and the older one. And I also wonder if either of the couples were based (even loosely) on people you know or knew.

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    3. Hello, Tania. I loved your poem too. Those old folks are lucky indeed, to know real love into old age! (A good fortune I have shared.) And you described it all so beautifully.

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  13. The poems shared are new to me and I enjoyed them very much. I have strong beliefs and feelings about marriage but had never thought of Googling marriage poems. Thank you for the inspiration on all levels!

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    Replies
    1. You are very welcome. I hope you'll come round and read the other poems too.

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  14. An unexpected response tot he prompt from me this week, Susan. Thanks for hosting!

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    1. Thanks to you, Nicholas. I can see what's on your mind!

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  15. Hi Susan, mine is a satire...don't take my writings as autobiographical...lol have a great night everyone!

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    Replies
    1. Duly warned, James! Thanks for writing to the prompt.

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  16. Great prompt! I just hope I find time to write to it, as there's a lot on just now.

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    Replies
    1. It will be here whenever you wish. Good to see you, Rosemary.

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  17. I love the prompt as it brought beautiful memories along.

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  18. Great prompt. Tried a different approach this time. Hoping it would be good. Will read other beautiful posts soon.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Ramya. What a wonderful poem you left for us!

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  19. Great work by everyone. I don't dabble much in love or marriage poetry as I feel a certain level of pretension when I write them, but I can't deny how fun it is to work the words and soak each line in saccharine.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Luk Lei for posting and visiting and commenting. I looked for pretension, dear poet, but could find it nowhere. It rather seemed the voice of experience. But perhaps it is fiction?

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  20. Forgive me for being so very late. It took me ages to get any inspiration at all ... and then....

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  21. Hello Susan,

    I know I am very late to make an entry but I loved the prompt and couldn't resist writing on it. Thanks for the prompt!

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