Back on Schedule....

Now that the vast majority of the craziness of online teaching is past--yes, I still have a stack of final essays in my inbox and two more weeks of teaching Hamlet, but my schedule is nearly manageable now--I hope to get back into blogging again. I am dismally failing at a "no guilt" policy over the 800+ unread blog posts in my Google Reader which I hope to get to soon, but at least I'm back to nearly-daily blogging.

And with blogging comes my favorite writing prompt: Carry On Tuesday. Here a short quotation is posted each weekend, and by Tuesday we are to write a poem or other shorter piece of writing based on part or all of the quotation. These prompts have pushed my poetry into new areas and subject matter, producing some fairly insightful work--if I do say so myself. ;)

So when I went to Carry On Tuesday, I was surprised to see that it hadn't been updated since the last week in March. After heading over to Keith's Ramblings, the main blog of the man behind the wonderful prompts, I discovered the new site for Carry On Tuesday and am now all set. But the last prompt on the old site had engendered a rough draft from me that I never posted, so I thought I'd post a reworked version of it before heading over to the new prompts. I actually started writing a new poem off this prompt today as well--I may post it, too. I'm thinking about it, but I rather like my old poem better.

So my response to Carry on Tuesday's Prompt #46: The opening of Andrew Sean Greer's 2004 novel The Confessions of Max Tivoli:
"We are each the love of someone's life."

The Love of His Life
Her voice,
weakened by days, by years
of calling children and grandchildren
.....in for supper,
of choir singing each Sunday
.....since she was twelve,
of late night whisperings with him.

With her voice
.....unable to rise
.....to pathetic whimper,
her eyes confide her love to him.
Grasping his farm-worn hand
.....with strength belied by
.....shallow breaths,
.....uneven rhythm of heart,
their eyes
speak more clearly
.....than words ever could--
of their life cherished together,
.....memories vivid in the silence.

Then he feels
her grip weaken--
.....eyes glazing,
.....heart quieting.
One last, faint sigh...

and then--
.....forever.

Copyright 2010 by Susanne Barrett

Okay, and here's the rough draft of the one written today to the same prompt:

each of us
is the center
of the universe--
the earth dizzingly slants
on its intangible axis,
yet perfectly choreographed:
a tango in the heavens.

each of us
is designed to dance--
scooped from auburn dust
and molded into His image
between His scarred palms.

each of us
is the love of His Life--
His Spirit breathed into
our virgin lungs--
as if

each of us
were His only one.

Copyright 2010 by Susanne Barrett