For Writer’s Island Prompt: #17 Time Travel
http://writersisland.wordpress.com
and We Write Poems: prompt 16 Six word memoirs
http://wewritepoems.wordpress.com/2010/08/19/thursday-prompt-16-six-word-memoirs/
with additional six word topics from http://sixwordmemoirs.aarpmagazine.org/topics/General#share
This is a blending of two different prompts with an assist from a third. A bit of Time Travel kept to six words per response. Just a different sort of list.
Six Word Memoir:
Dreams shattered, living
inside self-creation.
Other Six Word Topics:
1. Best Advice I’ve Given:
Be present to each
given moment.
1a. Best Advice I’ve Gotten:
You’re not good liar,
speak truth.
2.Milestone Birthdays:
18 Could pretend feeling
like an adult.
27 Awakening waiting
to become a reality.
30 Six string guitar
with zero fret
40 Movie with friends,
Meaning of Life.
50 Grammy nomination,
birth of first granddaughter.
64 Loss and change
marked by poetry.
3.Holiday Traditions:
Christmas celebrated at
someone else’s house.
4. A Memorable Meal:
Beef-Eater sub eaten
in a rowboat.
5. Siblings:
Are so sure
they know me.
6. Cheating Death
Age four, awareness
of different kind.
7. The Trip That Changed My Life:
Montana, Big Skies
much wider places.
8. What A Child Taught Me:
Wonder born anew
with each sunrise.
9. Revenge Is Sweet:
Walking away into
brand new life
10. Worst Mistake I Ever Made:
Believing anyone could
know me better.
The poem that came out of this was an old one to which I added a new stanza. It can be found here, in response to yet another prompt:
1sojournal 
You’ve done an excellent job with these. Time travelling through your life, as it were.
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Hi Anthony,
it looked to be easy and simple. It wasn’t. Limiting self to six words tops means every word becomes a hefty choice. It was an interesting exercise.Thanks for stopping and commenting,
Elizabeth
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There you are: I knew you could do it.
ViV
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Viv, you could have warned me that this was a bit more work than you made it look, lol. I keep wanting to back and tweak a word here and there. Think I’m gonna have a hard time leaving it alone. Thanks for the idea and your wonderful example.
Elizabeth
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Oh, can I identify with these! Going to be hard for me to write now,lol. Truly magnificent!
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Hi Diane,
and as I told Viv, it’s hard to stop fiddling with them. I’m sure you will do just fine, the Wordle yesterday proved that over and over as each person used the same words to express their own uniqueness and view. Have at it, there were a few surprises here, especially afterward when I reread the whole thing through. Good Luck,
Elizabeth
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Elizabeth, I love this post, and I love that a trip to Montana changed your life. It is a beautiful state. You six-word memoir says a lot! Your work is always a treat for soul.
~Brenda
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Brenda, “a treat for soul.” I think I might bronze that one before storing it in the kudos box, lol. Lovely to hear.
I brought some taped music with us on that road trip to Montana. After crossing the state line, I turned on an old mix and started bawling because the words so fit that moment that had been longed for forever. I also had an encounter with a bald eagle there, and the wonder still remains just thinking about that time. Glad you like the memoir and thanks for stopping by,
Elizabeth
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Elizabeth, I enjoyed your ‘six words’ work. When one does this, it really gives a snapshot of a person’s life, don’t you think? I did mine already too, if you want to take a look:
http://inthecornerofmyeye.blogspot.com/2010/08/six-word-memoirs.html
I plan (hopefully) to turn one of them (at least) into a poem!
I find myself wondering about your ‘age four.’ I bet there is a poem THERE.
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Mary, I agree, writing this out was quite an experience, difficult because of the word limit, but well worth the doing. And I will go take a look at yours.
The story of four year old me is actually on this site and would constitute more than one book of poems. You can find a brief essay about it here:
thanks for reading,
Elizabeth
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Elizabeth, I have read the story of what happened to you when you were four. I am so glad that you recovered, that you did not sustain brain damage. You ARE a miracle indeed. Life is so precious, especially when one comes so close to losing it. And indeed there would be material for many poems!
Mary,
yes, it is a miracle, but even miracles have a down side. I was not the only one affected by that trauma. It changed the dynamics within my family circle and affected all of us. I’m just glad that I have lived long enough to see and understand those consequences and to accept them. And although I have tried to write poems about it, too often I get tangled up in what happened, what I remember, and what I came to know and feel afterward. It was certainly life altering and at age four that means it had very long range affects. Thanks for taking the time to read it,
Elizabeth
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hehe – I knew it, I knew you couldn’t write a post in just “a half a dozen words” (title) 🙂
this is even better, though – a half a dozen words x N…
I love your Six-Word Memoir:
Dreams shattered, living
inside self-creation.
Surprisingly (or not) similar to mine, which I wrote a year or two ago (& is somewhere on the Smith site but I can’t remember what username/password I used there), and which is in plain view on my site. Other than that, I’m not telling till Wednesday. Hmm… or am I? 😉
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Lol, I thought it was going to be short, sweet and easy. No such thing, and you are right, I doubt I could do any post of only six words. Chatty Kathy here.
I’m not surprised that yours is similar, we seem to be moving along parallel paths more often than not. What you say we have a picnic one of these days, I’ll bring a sub, you bring the chips and soda. And when we are finished we’ll find an ice cream shop, lol.
And btw, I think it is most unfair that I have to wait til Wedsnesday, that’s such a long way awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay,
Elizabeth
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Unfortunately, I’ve never been too good at making days arrive faster or, as happens more often now, making them last longer…
um… I love picnics, not too keen on subs, chips (unless you mean French fries? – I didn’t think so, not at a picnic), or soda though. My friends think I’m worried about my weight; not so, I’ve just always been a picky eater. Ice cream??? (Did you just see my eyes light up?) 😉
Ruth, okay you bring yours, I’ll bring mine, and we find an ice cream store afterward. Better yet, let’s skip the food and I’ll meet you at the nearest Culver’s. When it comes to ice cream, I pretend, but am not in the least bit picky or choosey, lol.
Elizabeth
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Love the concept, and rarely have I seen it executed with such masterful simplicity. I like the memoir and 5, 8, and 10 especially.
Also, on an earlier post: the journey stones idea is superb! I’m going to have to try that, if you don’t mind. 🙂
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Hi Joseph, glad you liked and enjoyed. Although I focused in on each topic as it presented itself, the big surprise was afterward, when I read it as a whole and saw all the connections and even a bit of harmony.
Making the Journey Stones was more than fun. Like any repetitive movement of the hands during the creative process, it swiftly became a form of active meditation. And that in turn, made it quite easy to find the words to carve on them. Let me know if you try it with the clay or any other form. I’d be interested in what you discover.
Elizabeth
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Elizabeth wow you took me to some places I had completely forgotten about.
Wonderful!
Pamela
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Yes, it even surprised me. If you try it, let me know. Thanks for dropping in,
Elizabeth
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Some excellent time travelling in this one! Great post! I am going to have try my hand at the second prompt.
-Weasel =)
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Weasel, it’s a good exercise, and one I think I may return to again after some time passes. Thanks for reading and commenting,
Elizabeth
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Weasel, I hadn’t thought of those milestone birthdays as time travelling, but of course that’s what Elizabeth and I did – real time travelling!
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Viv, between you and I, we have ’em all beat for miles and time traveled, lol
Elizabeth
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wow….lots of sixes…..well written and nice to read…thanks
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Thanks Wayne, these prompts just seem to get better and better and really push the boundaries. Certainly can’t get stuck in a rut when you do them on a regular basis. And besides, it’s just plain fun,
Elizabeth
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This is such an interesting prompt; a window into people’s past lives. Nicely done.
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Tillybud, it is actually a lot of fun and rather educational all at the same time. Well worth trying.
Elizabeth
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I did and you were right!
Tillybud, I know. I went and took a look, great job, and isn’t it amazing what you can learn from such a simple exercise?
Elizabeth
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Wonderful~ I am time traveling along with you=3
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Riika, glad you are enjoying the ride. So am I and thanks for stopping and commenting,
Elizabeth
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These were wonderful ElizaBeth — my favorite:
“Be present to each
given moment”
…rob
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Rob,
that’s mine as well. The prompt, however, didn’t say who the advice was given to, just that it be offered by my own person. And truth be told, I am most often its recipient as well, lol. There is that thing about aging and forgetfulness, but we won’t go there, okay?
Thanks for commenting,
Elizabeth
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Hi Elizabeth–
I just went to the AARP “Six Word Memoirs” and added mine. What fun! Maybe getting old has its moments. Thanks for the link….
Jane
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Jane,
did you post it on your site, at least? I’d be interested in reading it. And if you are interested in more of the same the We Write Poems site will be listing respondents tomorrow. They really are fun to read. And yes, being older actually helped a lot on this one. The only problem being that it was hard to choose from all of those years.
Elizabeth
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Elizabeth–
I just have it on AARP. I like the community aspect of this.
Haven’t done the birthdays exercise or the questions. Sometimes I like to answer the questions in celebrity interviews, to interview myself in effect. It is quite fun!
Jane
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Jane, what a delightful idea, mind if I use it? Always looking for inspiration and you’ve proven to be a good source for that. Thanks, but if you do do the rest of the topics, I would strongly suggest you post it. It’s a fun endeavor and people seem to enjoy reading it as much as actually writing them.
Elizabeth
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Hi Elizabeth–
You are more than welcome to use any of my ideas/activities and I am most honored that you feel so inclined.
As to posting, my blog has been deep-sleep mode for a while and I am not sure where I want to go with it, if anywhere. Perhaps these fun exercises will inspire me.
Thanks for your suggestions, inspiration, support.
Jane
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And thank you again for the same. It’s great to know that one is on a wavelength that reaches sometimes around the world. Actually, that’s just plain fantastic.
Elizabeth
PS You might want to try some of these prompts, they are not all about poetry, and I have found them very focusing for my prose essays as well.
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I enjoyed reading these, Elizabeth. A Beef-Eater sub in a rowboat?!
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An early morning spontaneous road trip with fishing equipment in back seat, the sub in a cooler, and the discovery of a beautiful little lake with boat rentals. We even caught some fish, but released them as usual, and the sub, for whatever reason, was incredibly good, out there in the water and sunshine. It was a particular favorite, but that day it was simply superb.
Elizabeth
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These are well considered ElizaBeth, good stuff — I especially like your Grammy nomination… 😉
…rob
Image & Verse
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Rob, thank you. The Grammy nomination was in the Spoken Word Category and was an anthology for which my poem was the anchor piece, and was read by Ed Asner. However, we were up against Hilary Clinton that year, guess who won?
Elizabeth
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Great ones.
reaching out
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Thank you Gautami, I especially liked your story about your brother. Have recently been through something similar with my daughter, so your story hit very close to home, in many ways.
Elizabeth
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nicely especailly the grammy noms…thanks for this
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You are welcome, Wayne, glad you liked it. I’m still not sure which was more satisfying, the nomination or being present for the delivery of my first granddaughter. I take that back, Katie was definitely over the top.
Elizabeth
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