Poetry Challenge #147-Moody Blues
Lock Down has meant more tube time for me (and maybe you?) I’ve been watching Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, which brought to mind Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist (by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan, pub 2006). In the show, Zoey hears others singing their emotions—often accompanied by flash mobs; Nick (in the book) creates playlists reflecting his emotions. Which has me thinking about our personal playlists, which brings me to the subject of poetry, specifically our own poems.
Poetry Challenge #147
Moody Blues
As Zoey, Nick (and Norah) illustrate, mood matters*. Depending on our moods, we listen to different music, move differently, talk differently—sometimes (often) subconsciously. How often have others pegged our moods just by looking at us?
For today’s prompt, let’s revisit our past poetry efforts with an eye, and ear, to mood. Flip back through the poems you’ve created over the past weeks, month, or this time last year. As you reread, ask yourself what is the mood of this poem? Is it happy or sad? Is it scary or curious, loud, quiet, silly?
With mood in mind revise your poem. Pull out the thesaurus and change words. Make scary poems, spookier; smoochy poem, more lovey, jolly poems happier—happier sounds, happier, snappier nouns and verbs—and sounds. There are 44 recognized sounds (phonemes) in the English language—use them!
Set your timer for 7 minutes
Start writing!
Don’t think about it too much; just do it!
Get in the MOOOOOOOOD Dude!
Moody Blues Playlist:
*Back in the old days we’d set Moody Blues’ Night in White Satin to replay. Over and over and over we’d let it roll over us. Admittedly, we did this with many songs, and by the end we know all the words. But in the case of Nights in White Satin, it was all about moooooood dude!
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge MORE THAN 1500 days ago! (without a miss!!!) We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. If you join us in the Challenge, let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments.