Tuesday, March 21, 2017

DMC: "Ode to One Knitting Needle" by Laura Purdie Salas




ODE TO ONE KNITTING NEEDLE

 You taste sharp and tangy, some metal weapon,
but you dissolve to chimney smoke coziness
Your sleek, pearlescent point
tap dances with your twin,
turns your rhythm into fuzzy ribbons of warmth

 Needle, why do you never rest?
Are you afraid to be alone?

 © 2017 Laura Purdie Salas. All rights reserved.


Helen Frost has challenged us to write an ode poem this month, following these instructions: 
Choose an object (a seashell, a hairbrush, a bird nest, a rolling pin). It should not be anything symbolic (such as a doll, a wedding ring, or a flag). Write five lines about the object, using a different sense in each line (sight, sound, touch, taste, smell). Then ask the object a question, listen for its answer, and write the question, the answer, or both.
Click HERE to read her sample poem, "Ode to a River."

Post your poem on our March 2017 padlet. All contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration on Friday, March 31st, and one lucky participant will win a personalized copy of her latest novel-in-poems from Farrar, Straus, and Giroux/Macmillan:





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9 comments:

  1. Michelle Heidenrich BarnesMarch 21, 2017 at 9:39 AM

    Love all the interesting juxtapositions and connections here, Laura— the metal weapon dissolving to chimney smoke coziness, the pointy tap dancing becoming fuzzy ribbons of warmth. And that startling reference to loneliness at the end. Who knew a knitting needle could be so evocative and thought-provoking?

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    Replies
    1. laurasalasMarch 21, 2017 at 3:42 PM

      Thanks! If only I could command my knitting needles to create something...wearable. Sigh.

      Delete
  2. Linda BMarch 21, 2017 at 10:21 AM

    I love how you cannily referred to what is produced, those "fuzzy ribbons of warmth", Laura. And the "tap dancing" is a wonderful way to imagine those needles.

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    Replies
    1. laurasalasMarch 21, 2017 at 3:43 PM

      Thanks, Linda! I love the clicking of metal knitting needles:>)

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  3. michelle koganMarch 21, 2017 at 1:51 PM

    This is a charming, though sharp at times, pair of needles!
    I love their
    "sleek, pearlescent point
    tap dances with your twin,"
    And a great question for them at the end too.

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  4. Brenda at FriendlyFairyTalesMarch 21, 2017 at 2:31 PM

    Lovely ode, great details. I like "pearlescent," "coziness" and "fuzzy ribbons of warmth".

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  5. jan godown anninoMarch 21, 2017 at 4:20 PM

    Great one.
    "Ode to One Knitting Needle" is poignant & sweet at the same time.
    I think the one needle is a she & I would love to see one more line -
    her answer back to the question, if she ever whispers it to you, Laura.

    This makes me wish I had paid more attention to the knitting lessons I've had.

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