Tuesday, April 13, 2010

NaPoWriMo #13 - "Poem Staring with a Line from Norman Dubie"

National Poetry Month Prompt #13 (From ReadWritePoem) - Smoke a dubie.

     In his poems, Norman Dubie tells stories, sets scenes and paints landscape, sometimes lush and sometimes wretched. His writing is sure and vivid, and his language is beautiful. As you’ll see below, his similes are incomparable. If forced to compare him with anyone, I’d be more likely to pick a painter than another writer.
     For this prompt, take a Dubie line to jumpstart a poem of your own. Your poem should be titled “Poem Starting with a Line from Norman Dubie.”
      I chose the line, "His chapel fell into flowers long ago."



Poem Starting with a Line from Norman Dubie

His chapel fell into flowers long ago;
A tragedy he can’t recall.
He journeys to the site each day
to excavate the ruins; tools in hand.
He reads the books and makes the plans –
An armchair archeologist extraordinaire –
Even degrees scribed on lambskin are not enough
to uncover lost treasures;
cruelty undeserved.
Memory of his chapel will soon fade;
a blessing mixed with sorrow
for those he loves.
In time, he’ll no longer need
his books and tools.
There will be no more attempts at excavation;
no memory of his chapel will remain.

©Bridget Nutting, 2010


     Alzheimer's is a cruel disease.  We have watched it rob my father-in-law of all his ""chapels.  He was an incredibly brilliant man who was able to cover for quite awhile before we realized how serious it had become.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I used the same lines. Interesting to see what others do with it.

Anonymous said...

Alzheimer's is indeed a cruel disease. Your last line was so true, and so haunting: "no memory of his chapel will remain". That's the cruelest part of all. Good luck with your father-in-law!