Figure 6: The Eight Haiku Masters, Japan, Yosa Buson (1716-1783), Museum Rietberg Zurich, foto: Rainer Wolfsberger

# Post card poetry #

I forget now where I saw the first mention of this project, but I remember that I was immediately intrigued, thought for 30 seconds and signed up.

I have been retired for 5 years now and during a full and demanding work life I got used to having to extemporise plans, projects and actions, so how could a post card be hard? I had a stash of cards I had built up over years, starting when we still sent postcards to each other and agonised over their composition.

I picked a selection of cards, some birds, some local places (although I am a Londoner by birth I have been living in Switzerland for 27 years), some places I knew, art from exhibitions I have seen and even a few cards I bought back in the 70’s. These seemed hopeful starts.

I have been writing poems since I was seventeen and always had the view that  ‘the first draft is the greatest’ as Rod Stewart sang. In the 90’s after my first marriage failed I started up with poetry again and went along to a writing group and discovered the joys of getting useful feedback and re-drafting, and actually crafting a poem. This project seemed like an edgy way to let that demand go—write a poem, post it off. Say goodbye.

The physical space is also a challenge and there is no feeling like being halfway down a card with no idea how to end it 🙂 The space determines the form in a way, just as a rhyme scheme might, you want to use all the space, so no short lines here, and you can fit about 10 lines in. Depending on your pen, of course. I resolved to write mine with a fountain pen and waterproof ink, no editing, no going back. No cheating with a first draft in pencil or with a very fine pen. I normally started from the picture and I tried to fit in one a day to my schedule (since I retired and my wife still works, and my daughter of 17 is still at school I do the cooking and dog walking).

How was it? Great, it was much fun, there was a certain freedom sending off poems to people I had not met, and the longer I did it, the more ideas seemed to pop up, unexpectedly, and (this is the secret) always welcome. I scanned every out going card and started a collection of the poems and I look back satisfied. And receiving so many cards back has also been a spark in my day, although they are still coming because the post to/from the USA doesn’t seem to be the fastest.

So thanks to Paul and the organisers and all the people that sent me cards, I will certainly be back next year

Three Disclaimers

Buying into this poem

carries a future risk

identified by phrases such as `may’

`could lead to’

`is like a’

`growth’

`cancer’.

The value of any poem can fall

you may not get back

the time you spent reading,

an author’s past performance

is not a guide to future readings.

 

This poem is a medicine

ask your doctor or pharmacist

before taking it

seriously

study the noted side effects

read the package insert

before it self-destructs.

 

This poem has no right

to remain silent.

Everything it says

will be held against it.

It has no right

to be assumed

innocent.

Register for Year 16 now!

Also, registration for Fall workshops is open now. Take your spontaneous composition skills to the next level.