Poem 1 - Naomi

My output seems to be more influenced by my computer programming class than by the changing of the seasons.

An Exercise in Equinoctial Thinking

If two halves
equal one whole

Then today the day is

complete.

Taking this further--

today we are complete,
as we have gone two solar cycles

without balance

and the universe demands

balance

We shall give it

if only for today.

Poem 1 - Susan

Hello all! It's been a long, long time since I posted here, but I'm very much looking forward to this new incarnation of the blog. Since I'm back in school, but taking science and math courses rather than my usual history and language, I've been missing this kind of creative writing. I can't wait to get back into the groove of poetry, although it's been a long time since I've written with any seriousness.

I've always taken much of my inspiration from school books and courses - it's a constant source of amazement to me how all disciplines intertwine if you look closely enough. It's fair to say that this semester you'll be seeing a lot of Physics in my poetry, particularly relating to Newton's Laws, which have a lot to say about just about everything. Anyway, that's enough of an introduction. Without further ado, here's my first poem:

Song of Scales

Now is the Hour of Symmetry –

Autumnal.

The Sun balanced on its point

precarious above the wobbling Earth.

We could call it a system, unstable –

that when upset, experiences a force

in the same direction as the disturbance –

accelerates away from equilibrium.

Sailors and Astrologers –

(though, sailors have ever been

readers of the Stars)

Once marked this Equinox

when our Great Star, the Sun,

entered into Libra – bearer of the scales,

Goddess of Justice, Balance, Truth –

so many names, we might say,

for a single concept.

All things crave balance –

even our Tilted Earth,

if only for a moment, seeks solace

twice a year, in Symmetry.

And what cruelty then,

that such repose,

should be denied to Us, her creatures –

imperfect, crooked

from straining towards the daylight

even as the Nights

grow long.

Theme 1: Equinox

Source: Wikipedia

For our first theme, Susan and I will be writing about the concept of Equinox.  Because we have both already written extensively about Fall, that seemed too easy a theme, and too obvious.  But I would like to respond to the changes going on in the world around us as the leaves in Michigan react to the changing weather.

I love the idea of an Equinox, both literally and metaphorically.  Take it as you will.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equinox

Restarting the Collection

In the hope of returning to our original intention for this blog - to share a creative experience, Susan and I are embarking on a new project.  Maybe we'll go the 70s rocker way and call it "The Fall Collection Revival."

Here's the idea: Susan and I are both students again (another sort of revival) and we are catching up to speed with the practice of weekly assignments.  I can't speak for Susan, but I know the most creatively productive time for me is also when I have weekly deadlines, like when we met in our poetry workshop, nearly five years ago in Berkeley (wow!).  So we decided, why not create shared weekly poetry deadlines?

While living together, Susan and I played around with "assigning" themes for a week or two, and we are also going to incorporate this into our new project.

So to recap:

• Weekly Poetry Deadlines
• Weekly Poetry Themes

Hopefully the outcome will be greater creative output and a lot more to share with each other and our readers.  

Want to play along?  If others want to play with our themes or suggest themes please let us know!  If more people want to get involved, I'm sure I could find a fun way to incorporate all of our creative output in the blog!

Enjoy!