03. A poem and a prompt - Easing in

New to poetry or feeling a bit rusty? List poems can offer a gentle way in.

Simple yet powerful, list poems have been around since ancient times.

Author, and Substacker, Kerri ní Dochartaigh recently shared a poem that reminded me just how effective this form can be - Things To Carry Into The Darker Part Of The Year.

Have a quick read and then pop back here and see if you agree, that the repetition and rhythm of this line - “the sea the sea the sea” is just the most wondrous thing.

Photo by Daiga Ellaby on Unsplash

A few months back I wrote what was probably my first list poem.

I’ve often made the mistake of chucking my daughter’s clothes in the laundry without remembering to empty the pockets first. And I’m continually surprised by what I discover in them.

This poem started there and then grew to include my own childhood memories of finding ‘treasure’ in the fields and along the old roads surrounding our cottage.

And as I type this at my kitchen table, I’m watching a tissue make its way around the door of the washing machine. So there’s that to look forward to later.

THE POEM

I EMPTY YOUR POCKETS

One reddish stone, 
smooth from years
of weather-shaping. 

A blue tipped feather, 
iridescent in the light.

The tiny skull
of an unidentified creature. 
Fractured, yet perfect. 

Two seed heads;
both burst open
scattering enthusiasm 
onto fleece cotton. 

A folded up scrap
of squared paper, 
words lost to time. 

The wild of the hedgerow
tucked in the seam.

I miss 
the hidden tissue 
that disintegrates all over
the everything.

THE PROMPT

Here are a few starting points for a list poem of your own.

1. Choose a colour and list the things that you see in it either around you right now or over the course of a few days. I love the way poetry makes me notice things I’d otherwise have missed when I’m out and about in the world. I collect these descriptions together in a notebook or in the notes app on my phone to come back to later.

2. Ephemera can be an evocative place to return to. Have you got a memory box or scrapbook full of old photos, flyers and tickets? If not, it’s never too late to start one. Mine includes the plastic ID bracelet my premature baby wore, my first gig ticket (Bon Jovi in Glasgow), yellowed newspaper clippings with my byline and an accidentally double exposed photo from my first trip abroad (Prague stole not just my heart but quite possibly my liver too). Each one brings a rush of sensory memories and feelings, even as I just think about them now.

3. Things I ate for dinner when nobody else was there. This one is inspired by the fact that I polished off an entire packet of rice crackers while writing this post. The heart wants what it wants.

You can find more list poem inspiration in the Scottish Poetry Library archives. What Not to Write on the Back Jacket of Your Debut Collection by Helena Nelson had me at the title and did not disappoint. Claire Askew’s Catalogue Of My Grandmother’s Sayings is another favourite.

If you missed the first parts of this series you can catch up here - 01 - a sensory, seasonal poem (which is also a list poem of sorts come to think of it) & 02 - a prose poem.

And remember to let me know how you get on if you give it a go!