OULIPOST#30: YOLO Mother

OULIPOST #30: PATCHWORK QUILT
Conclude the project by writing a poem that incorporates words and lines from all of your past 29 poems.

Click on a word, group of words, line or group of lines to see the original poem from which it/they originate.
This poem is for my late Mother. Rest in Peace Mummy. I miss you.

YOLO Mother
You Live, Only.
JESUS
he spur you up
he keep you fresh
in rooms, massive.
[There, there are]
No months, No minutes, 
No trouble outside hell.

We watched in six-inch eyes,
All eyes,
[as] Biological Mother
[was] laid [in] the ground.
burial, 
wound, flesh, pus, family, blood.

Multi-million mother
You are a parent, woman,
celebrated, authentic, true
[with] exquisite gradient.
The sun did not know
[I] get mixed up, misplaced, lost.
[I] have to figure things out,
Where and how to reap big from your
Mother's Breast.

OULIPOST#13: Marriage song for the Late

Every day this April, nearly 80 poets will write one poem per day by applying constrained writing techniques sourced from the Oulipo (Ouvroir de littérature potentielle — or “workshop of potential literature”) group to text sourced from their daily local newspaper. This is the thirteenth of thirty prompts in the Oulipost project.

The found poem below is in response to this prompt:

Oulipost #13: EPITHALAMIUM

 An Oulipian epithalamium, or marriage song, is one composed exclusively with the letters of the names of bride and groom (bride and bride, groom and groom, etc). Visit the engagement or wedding announcements section of your newspaper and select a couple. Write a poem using only words that can be made with the letters in their name. You may choose to use first names only if you prefer anonymity or full names if you’re desperate for more letters.

There were no names mentioned in the wedding section so I looked at the next page and found the obituary of the Late Judith, wife to the Late Lawrence.

unwed

undead

untethered

d( )wn under.

Raw dance

Late dance

Lithe dance

d( )wn under.

and hence

and thence

and whence?

d( )wn under. 

we wander

we thunder

d( )wn under

we're rendered.

REFERENCES

 Obituaries. The Sunday Nation. 13 Apr. 2014: pg 49. 

Unexpectations

Honey, you're not the first person
to go through this kind of thing.
Listen, honey, I think that
maybe you need some help.
Honey, you're not handling it.
We both know what's going on here.

It's been months
You can't keep waiting for him.

I'm not waiting for anything.
I don't expect anything.
I'm not waiting for anything I don't expect.

It's been months.
Can't keep waiting for him.

“Honey, you're not the first.
Listen, honey,
you need some help.
Honey, you're not it.”


Poet's note: Yes, I am a Twihard and proud of it too! This found poem was created from Chapter 4 ("Waking Up") of New Moon, the second book in the Twilight Saga series.

Encore

the psychological uprooting
the feeling of ended chapter
one more portion
of oneself slipping away
into the past

sit light to Life
to all its phases
The useless
word is
"Encore!"

Poet's note: This found poem was created from one of Professor C.S. Lewis' last letters written before he died, portions of which were featured in "Seeking the Secret Place: The Spiritual Formation of C.S. Lewis" by Lyle W. Dorsett.