IN PRAISE OF POEMS

by Jane Harrington
I recently returned from a residency in the lettered city of Pittsburghwhere I spent a couple of weeks buzzing around with some truly inspiring wordsmiths. Many were fiction writers, as I am, but the program (an MFA with Carlow University) is dedicated to the idea that the best literary inflorescence comes from cross pollination between genres. I’ve come to believe this.
So, I was glad to see that some of my fellow bloggers here looked to poetry for interesting writing activities in January. (See Jacqueline Jules’ post on 1/13 and Mary Quattlebaum’s on 1/27). I’m going to plant another idea that I think young word crafters might enjoy as much as I did when award-winning fiction writer Jane McCafferty shared this poem-as-prompt in a workshop. She recommends a short time limit to capture what first darts into mind.
PROMPT: Read the following poem and then write an emulation, using your own dreams and/or wishes as subject matter. You can follow the structure very closely or create your own poetic or prose form.
In Praise of Dreams, by Wislawa Szymborska (abbreviated)
In my dreamsI paint like Vermeer van Delft.
I drive a carthat does what I want it to.
I am giftedand write mighty epics.
My brilliance as a pianist would stun you.
I fly the way we ought to,i.e., on my own.
I’ve got no problembreathing under water.
I’m a child of my age,but I don’t have to be.
A few years agoI saw two suns.
And the night before last a penguin,clear as day.
 www.janeharrington.com