Welcome to Sunday Morning Lyricality, featuring a weekly song or poem by a Minnesota writer. Our current guest editor is Sandy Bot-Miller, a poet and artist.
One of the “founding mothers” of a small poetry blog created as a safe haven for women to read and critique each other’s work, Colleen TwoFeathers is not afraid to explore whatever moves her deeply or tickles her funny bone. I’m especially moved by poems she writes related to seasonal changes, birds, grandchildren, depression, and a vast array of social justice issues. the day i stole a yellow boat paints a strong visual portrait of how slowing down and spending time in nature can often bring oneself back to the center of one’s poetic life.
Sandy Bot-Miller
the day i stole a yellow boat
Colleen TwoFeathers
i couldn’t write a poem
so i stole a yellow boat
sitting calm on the bank
its stone house up the shore
that boat had wooden
slats that glistered in early
morning light imagine
sunshine on water
the oar in hand felt solid
my arm’s extension
with each dip of it
a rhythm versed itself
no words no syntax
no commas no line
breaks just row and
glide a poem after all
Writing Prompt based on “the day i stole a boat” by Colleen TwoFeathers
We offer writing prompts based on featured poems for people who want to write something, who need a little help getting started. We don’t imply that you ought to write something. Many people enjoy reading or listening to poems without feeling compelled to write one. You might simply read this prompt as an exploration into what the featured poem is doing, and how its language works. This can deepen your acquaintance with poetry and lead to great pleasure in being a reader of poems.
Want to write your own poem based on an imaginary
caper?
Think of something (in your imagination) “you did one day” and write non-stop for 5-10 minutes describing what might happen if you did this thing. Try not to censor the direction and twists and turns you go while doing it. What do you see, smell hear, touch and/or feel along the way? When you are done writing, see if there is material for a poem that has surfaced and work on crafting it.
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Colleen TwoFeathers is a poet and mixed media artist living in Plymouth, MN. She’s surrounded by shelves laden with poetry, art supplies and too many tarot decks to count. She acknowledges language is simultaneously a curse and a blessing. Her super power is curiosity. She’s been published in Visual Verse and Boomer Lit Mag.