Robert Brewer’s prompt for November 19 was to “write a six word poem.” I should’ve read farther, but the idea of a six-word poem immediately triggered thoughts of the infamous “six word story” (often misattributed to Hemingway). Aside from that one example, I have yet to see six words that, by themselves, constitute a story. They are barely a sentence or two. Six words might capture a moment or a mood, but they are not a story.
Could six words constitute a poem? Maybe. I usually avoid very short forms. Few poets – and I include myself in this – write them well. We all learned to write haiku in elementary school, but most of us learned it badly. Too often, I think they read like fortune cookies or insipid platitudes or the ubiquitous “inspirational quotations” that are floating around on the internet. But Brewer’s prompt brought out my inner smart-ass. He even offered “extra credit” and if you know me, I’ll fall for the “extra credit” assignment every time. He provided a list of six words and urged us to include at least three. That left only three words to play with, as I originally read the prompt. And so I wrote an “immediate reaction poem.”
Write a Six Word Poem?
See my gnarled squint? Gibberish. No.
After reading Brewer’s example, I realized my error. His “six-word poem” prompt was more like the decades’ worth of prompts from the Creative Copy Challenge. I vowed to try again, and the following is the result.
A Mind Gone to Seed
She squints off in the distance contemplates the violence of the tranquil river’s rapids roiling far below. How bit by bit, a millimeter here or there it yields. This hard, river-slicked rock relents, gives way to bubbles’ joyful dancing. He's a cup of summer sunshine held in gnarled hands. Gibberish slips now from his lips like dandelions gone to seed. She knows that it would only take a moment, just the slightest breeze. She blows.
Yikes. I hope he’s in a better place.
Best. Poem. Ever.
Which one? 😂