Writer's Corner Wednesday!

Hello and happy Wednesday to all!

For this first Writer's Corner Wednesday, I have to be honest...I haven't had much time to try to write a whole lot myself. So here's the plan: I'm going to share some beautiful words by others, and if it works out, I'll dabble in a few almost-beautiful words myself at the end. Worst case scenario is that you'll have to wait to read some of MY writing next week. :-)

Either way, beautiful words shall be shared. Enjoy!

First up, a wonderful poem by William Wordsworth.

"I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud"

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine

And twinkle in the milky way,

They stretched in never-ending line

Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,

Tossing their heads in a sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they

Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:

A poet could not but be gay,

In such jocund company:

I gazed--and gazed--but little thought

That wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils.

Could the imagery of this poem be any more beautiful? I just sat back and the whole thing played out in my mind after reading it. It's incredible what words can create in our mind's eye, don't you think? I've always had a soft spot for poetry, though. :-)

I have a strong inclination to include this poem, by William Carlos Williams. He has written many poems, some of them much more involved than others, but the following poem was one that caught my eye when I was assigned a research paper in 11th grade about who he was and who influenced him. As a junior in high school, I didn't really see the value in this poem, but reading about other's praise for it slowly made me see the beauty in it.

I give you, "The Red Wheelbarrow".

so much depends

upon

a red wheel

barrow

glazed with rain

water

beside the white

chickens

No really. That's it.

The thing about WCW is that he's all about simplicity and straight forward imagery. You read that poem and you can see the rain on the red wheel barrow; you can see the white chickens. It's kind of amazing, if you let it be.

Okay, one more. This one is from Carl Sandburg, another notable American poet. It's a beautiful and brief depiction of the year in seasons. Enjoy.

"The Year"

I

A storm of white petals,

Buds throwing open baby fists

Into hands of broad flowers.

II

Read roses running upward,

Clambering to the clutches of life

Soaked in crimson.

III

Rabbles of tattered leaves

Holding golden flimsy hopes

Against the tramplings

Into the pits and gullies.

IV

Hoarfrost and silence:

Only the muffling

Of winds dark and lonesome--

Great lullabies to the long sleepers.

Pretty cool, huh? I'm all about imagery in poetry, or in any kind of writing, really.

So the question is now, do I have something to share with you? Perhaps I do. Don't judge me too harshly, it's been ages since I've sincerely tried to write something worth reading. Let's give it a go, though, eh?

The Break of Day (working title)

There's something kind of beautiful

About the break of day.

(Now I'm not at all a morning person,

So this is odd for me to say.)

The break of day brings with it

The hope of a fresh new start

The chance to start things over again

To mend a broken heart

The chance to say "I'm sorry"

And to make things once wrong, right

The chance to change your thinking

And to move from dark to light

Though often, when a new day breaks

I'd rather stay in bed

The chance to go do what I love

Demands I raise my head

Don't waste your time with worries

Or live beneath regret

Tomorrow brings another day--

It could be the best one yet!

Okay, so I know it ended in a way that made the whole thing sound a little like a Hallmark card, but there you have it. I'll work on chipping the rust away from my writing, and hopefully in a few week's time I'll feel more confident about it.

So, I think that's a good place to wrap up today's Writer's Corner Wednesday! I hope you enjoyed the selections I brought you, and I hope you'll be back tomorrow for Thoughts on Thursday, a day of sharing some great quotes. Feel free to share your own favorite quotes in the comments section tomorrow, but for today, let me know what you thought of the pieces I shared today--what was your favorite? Why? What's one of your own favorite poems?

Hope today was a great day--and don't forget that tomorrow can be even better! :-)

♥ Marlee