Our First Challenge

So, not too long after my first post, I decided to try out a form of poetry that I've never attempted before (which, to be fair, doesn't exactly narrow the field).  I deliberated between starting us off with my poem-in-progress or letting you get started on your own attempts first, so that you aren't tempted to get locked into my content or rhymes or anything and have a free and blank slate upon which to begin your poem.

Now, it is worth noting that I typically shy away from formal poetic structures, mainly because I have been known to lose focus of the point of my poem in my efforts to hold to form. And, for me personally, it usually just isn't worth compromising content for form. Granted, I think it is a testament to the skill of those poets that do not have to make such a compromise, I'm just not that talented, yet.

That being said, I came across a form that, when used to its potential can actually add a great deal to the meaning or experience of the poem, so I thought this would be a good one to practice with!  The form is known as a Pantoum, and it works something like this:

This is line 1
Line 2 becomes the next line 1
This is line 3
Line 4 becomes the next line 3

Line 2 becomes the next line 1
This process continues throughout the poem
Line 4 becomes the next line 3
It creates a really neat flow

This process continues throughout the poem
Until you get to the last stanza
It creates a really neat flow
And you can make it rhyme if you want(anza)

Until you get to the last stanza
This is line 3
And you can make it rhyme if you want(anza)
This is line 1

In case I lost you there, the poem is made up of quatrains (stanzas made of 4 lines each) and you carry over lines 2 and 4 of each stanza and make them lines 1 and 3 of the next stanza until the last stanza, which uses Line 3 from the first stanza as line 2 and uses line 1 as the last line.  This creates a sort of loop over the course of the poem that can be manipulated to a few different ends, all of which can contribute a neat feel to the experience of the poem as a whole.
The poem that introduced me to pantoums was Kevin Cantwell's "One of Those Russian Novels," in which he begins on a drive down a gravel road in Florida, and moves his perspective into a passing house, touches on a somber and dramatic scene within, such as one might read of in a popular Russian novel (hence the title), and in the last stanza is pulled from the house and back into the car, as if the whole scene happened in the few seconds during which the car passed the house.

Maybe I was impressed by the fluidity with which the perspective of the poem slid to and from the house and the skill he demonstrated in writing it that way, or the way the circular motion of the poem almost roped off the image in the house like it was some dramatic scene frozen in a time capsule. I don't know, all I know is I thought it was seriously cool.
And I want to try it.
So you should try it with me!

To add an extra challenge, I decided to try rhyming mine as well, but don't feel like you have to. Cantwell's doesn't rhyme, and it's fantastic! So I won't judge you if you don't either.

I want to give you a few days to atleast get started before I pollute your mind with my own attempts at this, so I will wait a few days before I post about my work on my poem. Let me know when you've started, if you're stuck, or if you want me to wait just 1 more day before I post so you can try starting on your own.
I leave you with a poem I thought fitting for our maiden voyage as novice-poets.

P.S. Check out the Poetry180 site, it offers free access to lots of good poetry, all selected by Billy Collins, who happens to be one of my favorites!

A Genesis Hodge-Podge

Since coming to college, I have encountered an interesting interpretation of the Creation story in Genesis 1.  On several occasions and from different sources, I have heard people suggest that part of the way we can interpret Genesis 1 is that humanity has been created to be co-creators with God.  Wrapped up in that interpretation is a fascinating idea,

Creation is Active.  

It did not stop on day 7, or after God made Eve, or whatever other event you might choose as a culminating point.  The process of establishing order within chaos still happens every day, and we are (or atleast, can be) a part of that process.  Indeed, this interpretation of Genesis 1 is almost always paired with the assertion that all of humanity is called to participate in the on-going process of Creation.  Which, for me, could help explain why there is so much satisfaction in a sense of accomplishment.  Because how often do you intentionally set out to establish chaos?  And even if you have, or do, how often do we feel any sense of accomplishment or satisfaction at causing the chaos, unless there is some ultimate creative and ordering motivator behind our temporary chaos?

It is in bringing order, in whatever form, that brings this sense of accomplishment. And maybe that sense of accomplishment is telling us we are living into part of our calling as people created in God's own Creative Image. 

Whether we are cleaning a room, or a park, or a community. 

Or ordering colors and lines and shapes and making art.  

Or combining notes and creating beautiful music.

Or ordering words to write poetry, or a blog, or express truth in some other way. 

Or blending flavors to cook delicious food to share with family and friends.  

Or offering love or encouragement or forgiveness or help to someone who is overcome by the brokenness of their life and the chaos of the world.

The list goes on and on, and is as broad and varied as the people who are creating. And it isn't just right-brained artsy people either. The scientist that takes what she learns and uses it to make our farming practices on their surrounding ecosystems, or our energy usage more efficient and clean, or our population healthier.  When doctors use what they learn and bringing healing to lives and bodies devastated by tragedy or disease. Each of these is participating in the ongoing process of Creation that God called us to take part in when we were created. 

Which brings me to the point of my blog.

If there is one thing I know about creating, it is that it takes a good deal of courage.  I would venture to guess that fear, either of rejection or criticism, has been one of the single most inhibiting factors on the expression of creativity.  Part of what I have in mind for this blog is to help overcome that fear by making you as comfortable as possible with idea of your own creative imperfections, by sharing with you some of mine.

The other side of this is to help give you a jumping off point for your own creative pursuits, because I know if fear of rejection is inhibitor number 1, then fear of options is probably fear number 2. 

What do I do?

Where do I start? 

How do I choose what to do and how to do it?

My plan at the moment is to share with you some of my creative endeavors as I go through them.  I will be here to offer you what guidance I can, what encouragement I can, and whatever ideas and suggestions I can.  I will strive to be as open about my own process as I am with the fruits of my labor, including both successes, failures, and the "ehh, not bad" in between. As such, I welcome all constructive, inquisitive, and encouraging comments. I know theological or biblical conversation has a tendency to spark debate, so as I incorporate such commentary, whether my own or that of others, I ask that we strive to keep whatever debate that may arise as peaceful, constructive, and edifying as possible. Thanks!

For me, most of what I currently create is either in the form of food, poetry, or conversations that pursue Truth. Those will probably be recurring themes in this blog here at the beginning. However, I do expect, if you and I hang around and keep at this, the whole thing is going to evolve over time. I have a feeling that the more I (and all of you) continue to dwell on our roles in God's ongoing Creation, the more Kingdom-oriented our expressions of creativity will become and the more integrated they will be in our lives.  

For now though, this is as much a hobby-blog for would-be poets, chefs, and theologians, as it is anything else.  A hodge-podge of some of the smaller ways I explore the calling of Genesis 1. I am as much a curious novice in these fields as the rest of you.

So try new things, encourage each other, share ideas, and explore this small corner of the even greater calling God has given us.