This visual poem was sparked by a one word prompt off Mastodon: balloon. And it seemed perfect to be shaped in the form of a balloon.
She wondered
if the air of the poem,
if spoken in verse,
could fill the balloon –if her words,
whispered, were
the size of a quiet
room
Peace (fill it up),
Kevin
PS — not longer after I made the balloon poem, the Daily Create prompt was about favorite kinds of poems, so I did a blackout poem with the prompt instructions.
I was listening to two new tracks by Beyonce from her upcoming country-infused album and I couldn’t help but wonder at the cultural battles that will likely emerge from the country music scene as a result, and that sparked this poem.
Words of the poem are here.
Peace (while listening),
Kevin
My friend, Terry, wrote a poem entitled “Ideas Trapped By Words” and I borrowed a line and took it for a walk, into a new poem (as a sort of response).
His poem — about shredding paper and ideas as the mind wrestles with words — brought up similar for me something that comes from the act of writing a poem every single morning (which is what I do): there are ruts that one gets into with common topics, with form or formlessness, with dead ends that bring it all to a halt. Some days, I post something in the form of what someone might generously call “poetry” that belongs more naturally in the compost bin (but those are the poems, too, that sit in my mind for hours until I tighten them up with revision — so maybe my head is the compost bin?)
Anyway, here is my poem:
I wish more of my words
could become compost –for when I’m fed up
with nothing to say
but still, in ink
and idea, saying it –Just imagine the weeds
on the lawn, droopy at dawn
but strengthening by day,
as if discarded versetook something worse,
and transformed it into
something unrecognizably
beautiful
Peace (and dirt),
Kevin
Today’s prompt for the DS106 Daily Create, by Sarah, is to use Austin Kleon’s idea for making a Gratitude Zine through art. I created a front page of a zine, and posted it via Mastodon, where I share my Daily Create responses every morning, but I am grateful, too, if you have arrived here at this blog for a few moments (via RSS, most likely) at this post. Thank you!
Peace (and props to you),
Kevin
Miranda Keeling is a watcher, armed with a notebook, and in this lovely book of months, she records her observations of the world around her. Like Ross Gay’s Book of Delights, The Year I Stopped To Notice is a reminder of the magic of events unfolding around us, if we only pay attention.
Here, in small passages month by month (most were tweeted, so the length is limited by design), Keeling notices people on the Tube, families on the sidewalks, nature in its unexpected moments, city streets and more. Her keen observational style, and use of light humor in her noticing, make this pocket-sized book a real delight to read.
And it reminds us all to pay attention to the small moments.
Peace (watching for it),
Kevin
This poem originated from an inquiry research article by Wendy T and friends, which they presented at a conference. The inquiry had to do with using GenAI for playful explorations. (see research article – it’s worth your time for the way they reflected on how GenAI might be useful and not for making art).
I popped their article into ChatPDF this morning, and chatted with the GenAI about the piece about human agency, making art and GenAI, and ended with a request for phrases and terms that it could find that I could use in a poem on the theme of the article. (you can do the same, with this link.)
I then took those terms (there were about 20 or so) and whittled them into a poem, adding AI artwork from Adobe Firefly.
Peace (and poems),
Kevin
