Hey Purple Posse! As promised I’m keaping you in the loop as I travel to San Fransisco for the California State Poetry Out Loud competition. This week has been a mad dash of poaching, prepping, and practicing for this competition. But hey we’re finally hitting the road. We’ve got our yummy travel snacks, Thermost of hot tea ( yes I have the soul of a 90-year-old don’t judge me), a backpack full of books, and of course my weatherbeaten well-loved poems. Have I practiced these day in and day out for weeks, yes. Could I recite them in my sleep, yes. Will I continue to pour over them practicing for the entirety of this 5-hour drive, also yes.
The poems I chose to perform at state are “Siren Song” by Margaret Atwood, “A Poison Tree” by William Blake, and “Fairy-Tale Logic by A.E Stallings. Not gonna lie I am completely in love with all of these poems. Siren Song is this powerful charismatic piece with amazing eerie undertones. The striking mythological siren pretends to ask for help fiegning the helpless damsel in need of a hero all while she slowly lures another man to his doom. I remember reading this peace for the first time as Margaret Atwood links modern-day takes with a mythological backdrop. I absolutely love this poem if you haven’t caught on to that too.
My second poem “A Poison Tree” coincidently also ends in murder. A Poison Tree is a short ballad that leads through a story of hate and betrayal. The speaker starts with annoyance towards his foe but rather than airing out his grievances as he would with a friend, he allows his wrath to fester growing into a poison tree, in the end, that poison kills his foe. For the speaker this triumph is bittersweet for in killing his enemy the speaker has also lost himself.
The last poem that I have prepared for the final round of competition if I qualify is Fairy-Tale Logic. It is actually a really funny poem filled with impatiens and exasperation. The speaker explains that fairy tales all expect impossible things from their characters, whether its gathering the chin hairs of a man-eating goat or selecting a prince from a row of identical masks. I think these impossible tasks though fantastical and funny can be easily related to everyday life. Society constantly expects impossible tasks from us. To be feminine and gentle while also fierce and strong. A hardworking A+ student who also somehow maintains the calendar of a socialite. It is impossible and frustrating but the author manages to take that all and turn it into this hilarious short poem so we can all take a moment to laugh at the impossibility of life.
All right that’s enough fan-girling for now. I’ve got some practicing to do so how about I leave you all with a writing prompt? All these poems I have talked about have interesting character voices. So for today’s writing prompt get out your journal and try writing without stopping for 15 minutes about all the miscellaneous details and fun facts about one of these characters. The seductive Siren, an innocent turned murderer, or one fed-up hero. Maybe the sirens’ favorite food is sweet potato pie. Or our favorite murderer a Mark Twain fan. Perhaps this exasperated hero only wears green socks with pink polka dots. Have fun with it and hopefully, it will get the juices flowing. Take your best character fun fact and put it in the comments.
You’ll be hearing from me more and more as this competition heats up so make sure to check the site and your inbox, I’ll be posting regular updates!
