Day 17 - Treasure

Pen Play: A poem-a-day writer's retreat in June

Hi everybody! Scoot yourself into day 17, right here <3 

SHOO, okay. Today was the big one, for no other reason than the fact that Spirit told me it would be the day I write my first ever villanelle 😱 (If sonnets were hard, villanelles are a doozy!) This one is completely motivated by

Astrid

(thanks, love) who rolled up in here on Day 2 with a tremendous villanelle, at a time they were already powerfully on my mind. Villanelle representation you want? Villanelle representation you shall get :) 

Photo by Jared Erondu

Today is a day I definitely treasure, because BOY. This undertaking was mighty. As I’ve said before, I’ve always been so fluid with my poetry, so I find it interesting that I’m now drawn to such an incredibly complex structure.

As such, I confess I’ve spent a few days contemplating Treasure, a prompt which has so many extremely diverse, interwoven, and subtle qualities. It’s been so… sheer? that I’ve scarcely been able to name it for myself. 

See, therefore, below the vulnerable efforts of some of my deepest and most intentional explorations yet. It’s rare that I find myself so willingly and calmly present to such a “messy” and ethereal topic, seemingly with no resolution, but as these precious days here wind down, I am using this space as much as you to push myself ;) 

I share both the prose poem/theme brainstorm hybrid and the villanelle itself to offer a little of my process and to keep it real about dancing the edges (but not the border or divider) of truth and discovery. 

Many happy treasures to you all, my fellow explorers! <3 

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Treasure

Good treasure hits between the eyes,
Where it gives all to bridge my golden gaps,
Plundering where heart asunder lies.
On the stage, he takes a bow before “Away!” he cries;
Of course, he never explained the maps.
Good treasure hits between the eyes,
The tangy glimmer of my sensual sighs
That, even when pressed, does not collapse,
Plundering where heart asunder lies.
We must have our deviant to be scrutinized
Yet still you see his audience claps,
Good treasure hits between the eyes.
Indeed, the smash of this heartrending note implies
Something else lives here beyond our caps,
Plundering where heart asunder lies.
So what more must be so wise? 
An easy truth when destiny on my window raps:
Good treasure hits between the eyes,
Plundering where heart asunder lies.

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And then the brainstorm/prose poem:

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Treasure is a wily energy spirit, filling the gaps of empty places with something that shines and compels, a radioactive respite for a heart to become a little more whole and joy to come a little bit closer. Treasure is the shooting star that leaves its glimmer behind in your eyes, the scent that lingers on your clothing after a precious embrace, the note that echoes of the melody that just made you weep. To treasure is to dust gaps gently with gold, to Midas Touch our lives indefinitely and see the wealth of all that surrounds us, all that we’ve created. Treasure is “something else,” removed from the “must” and “should” to just “treasure.” Savor. Contemplate. Feel. Sense. Enjoy. In Treasure is the turn for our senses to shine.

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