This Bowl

[For some of us with ADHD, our perception of time seems to be very different from what others experience. "This Bowl" is an attempt to describe that difference, based on what I discovered when my doctor prescribed another medicine for me. Unfortunately, I had some frightening side effects and was not able to continue taking it.]

This Bowl

this bowl of striped beads

clinging to each other rolled into each other's space:

this is my life

I try to pull some from the gob

place one in front ­­

the boy playing on our yellow porch,

an old woman talking to me about death ­­

but all roll as one, circle of circles, no beginning, no end

I feel you watching, waiting for answers ­­

no need to look at your perplexion,

between anger and some anguished desire to understand

I could tell you this is my life ­­

no eight, nine, ten, no j, k, l,

just a circled mash, no first no last

if you had a string and your own bowl of beads

one would lead

they would march onto the string

in your precious order a patient line

the past behind, the future ahead,

the boy on the yellow porch would slip on early

but the woman has not yet talked to you of dying

but always this is

my time

clinging to an eternal now this bowl of beads

The Elephant: ADHD

After a little time getting this blog started, I've decided I cannot ignore the large elephant that shows up in almost every room I spend time in. The elephant is Attention Deficit /Hyperactivity Disorder. Especially anything involving Executive Function. That includes things like remembering what I was just about to say or do, having some sense of how much time has passed while I am working on something or of how much time I need to get ready on time. And more. Planning, organizing, deciding… all those important ways of thinking and doing that most people take for granted. So, going forward, some of my posts will deal explicitly with topics related to struggling with ADHD.

Poetry Prompt -- Triversen from News

Twice a month I attend a poetry workshop at "River Arts." We take turns bringing in a prompt to share, and last week was my turn. Thought you might like to try the prompt!

 Two-Part Poetry Prompt for River Arts, August 4, 2015

First, prime the pump:

Part 1.  Getting some thoughts, feelings, ideas, vocabulary “perking”

A.   Think  quickly* of an event from the news in the last week or two that has had some impact on you, touched you in some way. Perhaps it involved you, touched someone or some place you know, prompted more thoughts or feelings than other news. It could be local, national, international, extra-terrestrial…

      Jot down 2 - 4 words which catch, or will remind you of, the connection or meaning of the event for you.

      *in other words, don’t ponder everything possible, just take one of the first few items that pop into your head.

B. Thinking of the event, think of a word or phrase for each of these 7 senses. Try to think quickly, you don’t need to get “the best” word(s), just something to list.:

Touch:

Taste:

Hearing:

Smell:

Sight:

Proprioception* (sense of where your body or a part of it is in space, e.g. my arm is above my head, I am leaning forward):

Kinesthetic* (sense of your body or a part moving, e.g., I am pumping my fist up and down, I am slowly stepping backwards):

*These two words may be used differently in different fields, by different people -- just go with these definitions for this exercise.

Once you finish this section, “put it on the back burner” and continue with Part 2.

Part 2: The Triversen

“It’s a fun poetic form developed by William Carlos Williams (one of my favorite poets–able to write both the concise, “The Red Wheelbarrow,” and the epic, Paterson).” -- Robert Lee Brewer at http://www.writersdigest.com/whats-new/triversen-poetic-form Click on this link for the simple description of what a Triversen is, and for one Brewer wrote.

Lewis Turco originally published The Book of Forms in 1968; the fourth version (revised & expanded) came out in 2011. He is now putting some of his work online. On his site, http://lewisturco.typepad.com/poetics/2014/08/form-of-the-week-2-the-triversen.html , you will find a slightly fuller explanation of the triversen, as well as an example by Turco, and “The Artist,” a triversen by William Carlos Williams. (Note: This poem was published when the “Mr. T” of TV and WWF fame was still a toddler -- it’s about someone else.)

Summary: The “ideal” triversen contains 6 sentences (verses), each broken into 3 natural phrases. Those phrases each contain 1 to 4 stressed syllables.

Once you have the basic idea of the triversen form in your head, go back to Part 1 to look for inspiration for your triversen.

Enjoy!