One of my favorite forms of poetry is the exquisite corpse (beautiful body) — a poem written by multiple poets, often without knowing what the previous poets have written. Last week, Hyde Park wrote their own exquisite corpses. They chose a theme for each poem to guide them, and wrote in a circle, only knowing the line of the poet directly before them. What emerged were beautiful, collaborative, strange poems. This form allows us to appreciate the unique voices of other writers, and to see what can be made from that perspective. For “About Time” the poets challenged themselves to incorporate rhymes and never use the word time, at all.
Ms. Gholston
“The PC” Poetry Club
“Flowers”
A blooming red bud also something that people see as death
A colorful orchid bouquet also seen by some as and black decayed rose
If I was color blind I wonder if a lilac
or sunflower would still bring me to tears
The lack of sight and yet still the beauty of those thorns brought me
to life
With the light of the sun
the morning blooms the daisies DANCE
to the rainy tune
“About Time”
With each tick of the handle on my watch
WATCH THE CLOCK THE MINUTES GO DOWN
STOP THE WATCH AND GET IN LINE
The clocks stop the bodies stop close up shop
He is the one who knows
The sand in the hourglass becomes rock
when I’m asleep
When life ends it’s always a big shock
so block those who come with locks.
