Once again I want to send a huge thank you to Mary Lee for stepping in with little notice when I had to withdraw from my PF hostess duties two weeks ago. It sounds like word got around, and everyone managed to find their way to the correct site. Poets are so smart! 🙂

Unfortunately, I do have a good excuse for my unexpected absence, as I was unexpectedly sidelined by an emergency eye surgery. (I wrote a little bit about it in this week’s Slice of Life.) This meant, in addition to missing more than a week of work, I missed the opportunity to participate in the Inklings challenge from Linda Mitchell on that date as well. Now that I’m on a path to recovery (and able to read again!), I’m sharing my response.

First, a little context: Linda invited us to explore Whitney Hanson’s poetry. Hanson shares her work on TikTok and is known for sharing poems that “begin with, “in poetry we say…” In these poems, Hanson takes a common phrase we know in English and translates it poetically.” Linda went on to say, “I see an invitation to write in a few ways:

1. Find a poem that you love to show how poetry translates English in a new way
   Or,
2. Write poetry in a way that responds to the phrase, “in poetry we say…”
3. Go rogue and respond to Hanson’s poetry in any way that makes you happy”

I chose door number two. As someone who is perpetually title-challenged, I’ll admit the fact that the structure of the poem essentially provides its own title is a huge plus to me. Unfortunately, now I’m not sure how to write a dedication line when there is no title. There’s definitely some irony there! Anyway, here’s my better-late-than-never response, written for my husband.

In English we say
you were there

In poetry we say
when all seems dark
it’s you I seek
your voice like a lifeline
at the other end of the phone
your hand an anchor
in the swirling storm

©Molly Hogan

If you’re interested in reading what the other Inklings did with this challenge, click below!
Mary Lee Hahn @ Another Year of Reading
Heidi @my juicy little universe
Margaret @Reflections on the Teche
Linda @A Word Edgewise
Catherine @Reading to the Core

This week Ramona has the PF Roundup at her blog.