Poetry Challenge #294-Truth in the Night
Tra-lah! It’s May! The Lusty month of May! Let’s celebrate with another May, known for writing poetry and novels as true as the green of spring, fresh and pungent as pavement after a rain: poet/novelist May Sarton!
Born Eleanore Marie Sarton on May 3, 1912, in Belgium, her family moved to Cambridge, Mass in 1916 to escape the German army during WW1.
To say Sarton was born a poet, is no stretch. Her first series of sonnets was published when she was seventeen, in Poetry magazine, and seven years later in her first published collection, Encounter in April.
May Sarton wrote poetry, novels, documentary scripts for the war office… Unabashedly—shockingly to some—Sarton shared her truth. Truths many didn’t want to read, at the time, but that didn’t dull her quill.
“Examined as a whole," Lenora P. Blouin wrote in May Sarton: A Bibliography, "the body of May Sarton's writing is almost overwhelming. It reveals an artist who has not remained stagnant or afraid of change. 'Truth,' especially the truth within herself, has been her life-long quest."
Poetry Challenge #294
Truth in the Night
In her poem Bliss (above), Sarton takes us into her bedroom to see, hear, feel with her as she lay away in the middle of the night. It’s a simple moment and Sarton’s language is simple, but rich.
For this prompt, think of one time, one moment, one special place.
Write a poem describing the look, feel, sound of that moment.
Conclude your poem as Sarton did in “Bliss,” with a line summarizing the feeling that moment evokes in you.
Set Your Timer for 7 Minutes
Start Writing!
Don’t Think About it, Play like Millay!
May Sarton’s poetry and especially her novels are fabulous reading. Here’s Early Bird Books List of May Sarton’s Best Books.
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge 2400+ days ago. Now we take turns creating prompts to share with you. Our hope is that creatives—children & adults—will use our prompts as springboards to word play time. 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.
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