Thursday, December 5, 2019

Beauty in the Eye of the Beholder

And like that -- December. How fast this year of writing, that began with one little word, true, has flown. 


Merriam-Webster

It's time to come inside, find warmth, be still.

This first Friday of the month, my Sunday Night Swaggers are sharing a challenge: Beauty in the Un-noteworthy/Ugly.

Check out Molly's May '17 blog post where she first wrote in response to this prompt. I found some haiku embedded in her work there. 

1.
like a star above
this burst of starling beauty
finds beauty within


2.
a walk on the beach
more unexpected beauty
rainbow of colors


3. 
skeletal remains
have a delicate beauty
maybe we find poems


-Molly's words found by Linda 2019

Looking for ugly and un-noteworthy is challenging when you are more accustomed to looking for and noting the good, the beautiful...the worthy.
Paris '19
I turned to my camera roll for ideas. Recent photos made me think...maybe--graffiti? street art? I challenged myself to pair what could be considered ugly to a beautiful poetic form, a sonnet.



Paris '19




More Sunday Night Swaggers Write to this prompt: Reading to the Core Nix the Comfort Zone My Juicy Little Universe Reflections on the Teche



Many thanks to

(fiction, instead of lies)

for hosting this Friday's poetry round up!



Paris '19


20 comments:

  1. Your beautiful sonnet paired with these photos is just a wonderful combination of inspiration!

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  2. I have written a number of sonnets - but find them stilted. (The syncopated rhythm is not my friend!) But yours reads so beautifully! Well done - and perfect pictures to accompany it!

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  3. You have a celebratory lilt in your sonnet, Linda, a shout of praise for those working in the night. It isn't all pretty, but I find those artists amazing that they can create such beauty in one night: "A defacement in name only". Nicely done!

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  4. Ooh, Linda, you are an excellent photographer -- and I loved the embedded haiku you found. I SO love the thoughtful, provocative envoi of your sonnet as well. Beautiful.

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  5. well it took me a while to get to responding to your post today. I thank you so much because your poem and image reminded me of a student I worked with recently and I had to go and write a poem about him.

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  6. Fabulous photos and what a great idea to write a sonnet about street art. You ask a great question: "If no witness, is this truly offense?"

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  7. Love this response to Molly's delicate photo!

    skeletal remains
    have a delicate beauty
    maybe we find poems

    Kudos on the sonnet, always a challenge to stretch meter and rhyming muscles.

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  8. I love this! I understand why some people don't like graffiti--after all it is on property that the owners might have had other uses for--but I'm often impressed with the artwork displayed, like the ones in your photos.

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  9. Ugh...I just wrote and lost my comment....sigh...Ok...I'll try again....I'm always impressed with how you dive into a challenge, Linda. Your topic choice of graffiti was inspired and creating a sonnet was brilliant! Your opening line gets me every time and the photos are a wonderful accompaniment. Beautiful! I also love the found poems you created and shared. I only have one question: When do you sleep!? ;)

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  10. Your sonnet, photography and the word 'benchers' makes me want to reread this. I am fascinated by the street art.

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  11. Finding beauty in the un-noteworthy-ugly is something that makes me stop and ponder. Can I change my perspective to search for these facets of life that I may have passed over before? A quest for sure! Linda, your exuberance for this topic has produced amazing results. I loved Molly's blog and how you spun it to find a poem within. "Maybe we find poems." "spraying wide without restraint./This work reveals a passion deep within." It is the passion within that sparks your way with words. Your sonnet flows with not only a lyrical quality but a visual replay of street art.

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  12. Linda: Lovely lovely sonnet and very interesting photos... and finding the noteworthy in the "ugly" is a good challenge for sure. Thanks for sharing.

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  13. I love this sonnet, Linda! Especially "shaking cans, spraying wide without restraint." I love street art and the furtive, passionate scene you've captured here!

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  14. I like the contrast between who the artist is by day and by night. Well done!

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  15. Beautiful last line and lovely graffiti art–I love the colors of this art, thanks Linda!

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  16. Linda, I love the haiku you "found" in Molly's posts. And your sonnet is incredible! I love how you've gone beneath the surface of the tagger to find the "passion deep within." Your photos are also great. I can see how they inspired you!

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  17. I like the image of timid tightness breaking into passionate, unrestrained art. I also especially like the third haiku. It's a great prompt and you rose to the occasion!
    I shared a post about a graffiti project that you might like: https://tabathayeatts.blogspot.com/2018/04/little-stones.html (This is pretty different, but you might like this street art, too: https://tabathayeatts.blogspot.com/2016/05/slinkachu.html )

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  18. Finding beauty in things that are "ugly" is a wonderful challenge, and one to rise to again and again. As you might recall, Carol Hinz offered the same challenge on TLD in Nov 2017. Had I known back then of Molly's inspiration I would have linked to it. :) Your sonnet, Linda is perfect—love that ending! I LOVE your Paris graffiti photos, too!

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  19. Street art has a way of asking to be looked at twice - just to see the layers of meaning your poem tells us is there.

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  20. I love your sonnet, and also your goal of finding beauty everywhere: "Maybe we find poems." Yes!

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Friendly, positive comments and feedback are always welcome here. Please let me know I'm not just whistling in the dark!