Hello. Having a good weekend? Wordling and preparing for Robert’s first poem-a-day prompt? I must remember I am going to try his other challenge.
Below is my response to Brenda’s word selection for this week. I was startled at the speed of this one. I read the words a couple of hours ago and they would not leave me alone, wretches. Visit The Sunday Whirl tomorrow to read other contributions.
Process Notes:
Words Will Have Words
She had not wanted this poem,
still didn’t, fought its clichéd
sentiments until she gave in to
the incessant chatter of words.
Words can scent a poem, the mirage
taking shape, the smell of some
indiscernible end. They follow her,
a wolf pack on the trail of its prey.
They whisper and paw at her, whine
as she empties the dishwasher. She
can taste the words, chews on them
while putting on a load of laundry.
The words string her along, know
they can trick her, that at some
point she will have to sit and write,
the buzzing of words frantic
to spill out. The words want to primp
and preen, to strut their stuff and
have her pet them, lovingly shine
them, wish only for her attention.
Until Tuesday, all. Happy writing and good luck.
Margo Roby: Wordgathering 
cloudfactor5
31/03/2012 at 12:59 pm
Really loved this poem!
“The words want to primp
and preen, to strut their stuff and
have her pet them, lovingly shine
them, wish only for her attention.”
Fantastic ending !!
margo roby
31/03/2012 at 1:05 pm
Thanks, Randy. You have left me with a huge smile.
b_y
31/03/2012 at 2:08 pm
the words string her along, know they can trick her
Know that feeling. They’re like cats, wheedling, and sneaky. ( I have a vague suspicion my cats/words will bring me down one of these days and wind up chewing me)
margo roby
31/03/2012 at 2:22 pm
I haven’t seen your cats in a while, Barb. Cats will always triumph. Knowing that makes life with them a little easier, surrender before you start.
Misky
31/03/2012 at 6:18 pm
The second stanza nailed it for me, Margo. Perfectly true; gave me a bit of a shiver, it did.
margo roby
01/04/2012 at 10:28 am
The verbs… it’s a strong image isn’t it, Misky.
brenda w
01/04/2012 at 10:53 am
Margo, this is word play at its best. The process, the chomping at the bit urgency of the words, the words, the words.
margo roby
01/04/2012 at 11:03 am
Thank you, Brenda, but oh to have the freedom of voice yours has!
Daydreamertoo
01/04/2012 at 11:36 am
Words do do that to us don’t they? They won’t quit until they’ve been allowed to come out and play. Just like kids at times. LOL
A playful read, thank you.
margo roby
01/04/2012 at 11:40 am
Thank you for stopping by, dd2. Funny you should say that. In my notes I have something about kids, because that’s exactly what the words remind me of 🙂
nan
01/04/2012 at 11:44 am
Great process-within-poem piece, and olfactory to boot. I liked “words can scent a poem…”
margo roby
03/04/2012 at 8:40 am
Thank you, Nan. I can hear the little devils sniffing…
Laurie Kolp
01/04/2012 at 12:33 pm
I love this, Margo (had to tweet it)… I can really relate to the words following us as we do our daily chores.
margo roby
03/04/2012 at 8:40 am
Aw, thank you, Laurie! They never quite leave us alone, do they?
Laurie Kolp
03/04/2012 at 9:22 am
So true!
wordsandthoughtspjs
01/04/2012 at 12:45 pm
You have culled a beauty here, Margo. The words do pull at us like children, as I am beginning to understand all too well 🙂 Though, I am officially on a two week vacation from the little darlings.
Pamela
margo roby
03/04/2012 at 8:42 am
Congratulations on the vacation, Pamela. I got to the point with vacations that all I wanted to do was sit on a sofa and not do much of anything. And, you have young children. Aieee!
Mr. Walker
01/04/2012 at 12:45 pm
Margo, delightful. I like how you used the wordle words with that extended metaphor of words following you around. It recalled to me the quote by Toni Morrison: “I type in one place, but I write all over the house.” I really like “They whisper and paw at her”.
Richard
pmwanken
01/04/2012 at 2:21 pm
That’s a great quote, Richard…I was just telling someone the other day that I like writing as a hobby because I can do it wherever I am and no matter what I’m doing…the words can play in my head while I am doing the dishes, etc., while I wait to put them on paper. I can THINK about cross-stitching all day long, but it gets me nowhere with my project!
margo roby
03/04/2012 at 8:44 am
I love the Morrison quote, Richard. It was a little weird having the words doing what I was writing about them. Thus, the poem.
Mary
01/04/2012 at 1:22 pm
I love this, Margo. Words have a way of being persistent, don’t they.One could be badgered by worse things! LOL. I love how you personified them, gave them actions. In the end they generally get their way!I
margo roby
03/04/2012 at 8:45 am
They certainly do get their way, Mary. Almost as if we are their tools, rather than the other way around!
pmwanken
01/04/2012 at 2:23 pm
Great wordle, margo. I’m not sure which I enjoyed more: envisioning the words chasing you around your flat…or knowing I’m not alone in how the words pursue me, as well! 🙂
margo roby
03/04/2012 at 8:46 am
Isn’t the vision of all of us followed by a train of words lovely, Paula!?
Cheryl's Excellent Adventure
01/04/2012 at 2:43 pm
I love this. This is exactly how it happens. The words nag at you. Chip away portions of your day until you finally sit down and write them down, if only to get them out of your head. Good job.
margo roby
03/04/2012 at 8:47 am
Thank you, Cheryl. I like the way you put it, chipping away portions of our days.
JulesPaige
01/04/2012 at 8:47 pm
…and that Ma’am is why I will not even look at the list until I have time to write. I don’t want them nagging me while I can’t have a pen in hand! I ended up taking the list to the In-laws on paper…and wrote most of it before dinner this evening. Just a tweak here and there as I misread one of the wordles, but was able to add a line to make it fit! I got out the shoe horn!
When the Muse calls…we answer! Most often willingly 🙂
margo roby
03/04/2012 at 8:48 am
My problem, Jules, is that I need to let the words start working, so I have to look at the list right away. Ah well.
markwindham
01/04/2012 at 9:12 pm
they do sometimes have a mind of their own. these did not for me, had to force them into obedience. and they still did not behave. ‘primp and preen and pet’ is good, so is tasting and chewing on them. a fun read.
margo roby
03/04/2012 at 8:49 am
Oh, Mark, the vision of you with a whip and chair and a bunch of recalcitrant words is gorgeous.
magicalmysticalteacher
01/04/2012 at 9:39 pm
Words can be both annoying and seductive, can’t they? 🙂
margo roby
03/04/2012 at 8:49 am
They sure can, mmt!
tmhHoover
02/04/2012 at 12:48 am
“The words string her along, know
they can trick her, that at some
point she will have to sit and write,
the buzzing of words frantic.”
So is this how it is? These words I have let into my life, they are starting to track me down on occasion. These wordle words followed me through packing on Friday evening, and two airports on Saturday, until I finally wrote the beginnings of this weeks wordle on the back of my airline ticket … as I left Atlanta. I was probably right over your head Saturday- writing. Yes, I know I wrote of my husband being away, but neglected to say I took off to see my daughter in Key West. Have a great week. teri
PS no problem about the lost comments- I think they were just the ones I had trouble sending when WORDPRESS went into overdrive on making commenter’s have passwords. ( I must still sign into to “my” unwanted wordpress account to leave comment… ah well.
margo roby
03/04/2012 at 8:59 am
Oh yes, Teri. This is how it is. I have paper and a pen positioned everywhere I can think of and if desperate, will type a line into my phone. It’s both frantic and glorious.
Glad you got some time off!
Did you ever get my responses to the comments because you were asking some questions which I responded to? I discovered that if you have a gravatar you automatically have a WordPress account and that’s why people are being surprised with the news. WordPress must have tightened things up.
margo
irene
02/04/2012 at 7:53 am
Well, I smiled thinking of how the words stalk you, I mean, the narrator.
margo roby
03/04/2012 at 8:50 am
Irene: smiles!
Misky
02/04/2012 at 3:02 pm
I’ve noticed something recently – the inclusion of “process notes” in post(s). Why is it necessary, or even desirable, to reveal the thoughts, logic and reasoning behind a piece of poetry? Isn’t part of reading poetry also interpreting what’s written based on ones *own* experience? Sometimes there’s no process whatsoever behind what I write. It just pops in my head, and I sort of go, “well, okay, who am I to argue with that?” so I don’t. 🙂
margo roby
03/04/2012 at 9:04 am
Misky, process should be about the writing and not the idea, so should focus on why this structure and that word choice, but people fall into writing about the background to the idea for the poem. I have fallen into that.
The reason I like trying to write process notes is so that I am aware of how I have written a poem. It aids in the development of my writing self. The process notes should be for the writing side, not the reader side of us.
I’m glad you asked. I need to refocus my process notes on the writing 🙂
Misky
06/04/2012 at 10:13 am
Okay. I get that. I might start making personal process notes in a notebook for my own reference. Thanks, Margo.
Madeleine Begun Kane
02/04/2012 at 5:26 pm
I really enjoyed your poem. Thnaks!
margo roby
03/04/2012 at 9:05 am
You are welcome, Madeleine. In all the times I stop by and read your limericks, I have not thought to thank you for them! As I receive much enjoyment from them, I apologise for the lapse.
purplepeninportland
03/04/2012 at 12:00 am
Margo, this flowed so well, and I loved the ending.
margo roby
03/04/2012 at 9:06 am
Thank you, Sarah. I enjoyed writing this one in concert with those pesky words.
Traci B
07/04/2012 at 10:37 am
Love this one, Margo! I know the feeling of being hounded by the words. May as well give in and get them out on paper or computer screen; otherwise they’ll stalk you to death. 😉
margo roby
07/04/2012 at 11:11 am
I love that, Traci: stalk you to death! Yep.