This month Heidi was in charge of our Inkling challenge. She directed us to tackled a Sudoku poem: “Make yourself a grid at least 4×4. Reread Mary Lee’s sudoku poem post from June 1 for information and inspiration and create…”
I followed Mary Lee’s lead and rolled metaphor dice for my initial column in a 5×5 grid. I decided I’d roll three times and choose one. After rolling and seeing my results, I was happier than ever that I don’t feel a need to gamble. Clearly, the dice are not my friends. Here were my choices:
My teacher is a bright waste land.
Happiness is a vacant promise.
Death is a burning bullseye.
Ooohhhkay…..
So, with these bright and cheery metaphors before me, I chose “Happiness is a vacant promise.” I worked with this for a LONG time. Finally, I realized that I didn’t want to write a poem from that stance, so I changed it to “Happiness is not a vacant promise.” I still struggled, but felt much more successful with this starting place. I will say that beginning a line with “vacant” was super challenging for me.
While working on this poem, I ended up creating another Sudoku poem last week to join in Irene Latham’s Moon celebrations. (You can read that here.) Sudoku poems are meant to create small poems in each row and column. As happened last week, some rows and columns in today’s poem feel stronger than others. I also had to significantly alter or remove some phrases/poems that I really liked. These Sudoku poems are intricate constructions and changing one word or phrase is like pulling a pick-up stick out of the pile. You never know if the whole thing will hold up or if it will tumble and fall into total disarray. It was a worthy challenge indeed!
If you’re interested in seeing what the other Inklings did with this challenge, check these links:
Linda Mitchell
Margaret Simon
Heidi Mordhorst
MaryLee Hahn
Catherine Flynn
This week’s Poetry Friday is hosted by Marcie Flinchum Atkins at her blog.
Nix the comfort zone 
You did it! I love how positive and how the words work together in each column and row to state a truth. I love “promise a solitary bud then full wonder riotous blossoming.”
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It was so interesting how changing “is” to “is not” opened the door to this poem for me.
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Transient contentment
(Swells, pools)
Empty
But then, full.
I love the wild variations of these poems as they dip and cross lines. It’s like a (very easy, from this side of the poem) treasure hunt. I suspect from your side of the poem, I’d have my eyes crossed…
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I think my eyes probably crossed more than a few times as I wrote this, Tanita! lol It’s an interesting process.
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[…] MitchellMolly HoganHeidi MordhorstMaryLee HahnCatherine […]
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Ta da! Wonderful lines in this…I gotta agree with you on what the dice presented. Blech! But, way to go turning that frown upside down with a positive summer daisy vibe. Your anchor line is my favorite…look at all the pretty vines that stem from it.
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My metaphor choices were definitely NOT auspicious! lol
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Your flower-poem-cup runs over and fills us up with “wonder,” “fulfillment,” and “riotous blooming” thanks Molly!
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Happiness is a blooming garden, right?
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Molly, I really appreciate how you took the time to explain your process and the pitfalls we all encountered. “Happier than ever that I don’t need to gamble” made me lol! I think you did a great job of working with and around “vacant,” and my favorite line is
“is not recognizing contentment a reward beyond?”
Yes; yes, it is.
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Thanks, Heidi. This was a very rewarding challenge. I’m so glad you posed it for us!
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Molly, thanks for suggesting using a metaphor dice for quick sparks of inspiration. Although your dice offered strange thoughts, you chose a better path and succeeded in writing a very interesting poem. Knowing that suduko numbers can be ill-placed, I will try out the process and see if I can accomplish the task of writing a poem that makes sense like yours.
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Thanks, Carol. Mary Lee deserves all the credit for using the metaphor dice as a starting point. I think the form would work well with striking lines as well — or maybe some of Linda’s clunkers!
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So reading your process makes me want to try sudoku differently. I just used 3 word prompts and brainstormed columns of words/phrases to build with. Your strike line creates a tension/structure to work within that is more challenging! Well done!
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Thanks, Patricia. It was definitely a challenge. I found it helpful to work with a sort of theme in mind.
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Well done with the “is not” line! I love it all, but I’ll pick that as my favorite line!
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Thanks, Mary Lee! Your mentor poem was a lifesaver for me!
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I love “vacant doesn’t mean empty but moving toward fulfillment” Thanks for sharing your process, too!
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Thanks, Rose. That “vacant” line drove me nuts! I kept having to recreate it and losing lines I really liked.
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I love “riotous blossoming”!!! So great!
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Thanks and thanks for hosting this week!
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I’m in awe of these Sudoku poems. I love:
a full life swells, pools, transcending the finite
Well done!
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Thanks, Karen. The Sudoku poem is a great challenge! I love hearing what lines work best for people.
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“Sustaining beyond the finite” I especially love! What a workout your brain and heart had with this. Thanks for showing the struggled start to this completed finish!
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Thanks! It was quite a process!
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