It’s been some years since we’ve done index poetry, and I have to confess that it’s actually Table of Contents poetry. Last time we used Annie Dillard’s Table of Contents to The Writing Life, and the results you all shared were quite invigorating.
I will take the first word of each chapter listed in the Table of Contents of Brenda Ueland’s wonderful book, If you Want to Write. Your task is to rearrange these words into a poem that makes sense to you. You can add up to five of your own words, but not more. With punctuation, anything goes. Here you go!
Everybody
Imagination
Why
Works
Sooner
Know
Careless
People
Women
Microscopic
Art
Infection
Dimension
Third
Keep
Know
Using
Tigers
Face
12 Responses
Everybody, keep using imagination.
Know why?
That third dimension, mind,
has microscopic, art infection.
Careless people face tigers
women sooner know roar.
Dreaming works!
Wow! Love that third dimension and the microscopic art infection. You’re on a roll!
Art thou tigers, using careless imagination?
Sooner all people; women, (everybody,) know;
Why keep third dimension, smiley face works,
And know microscopic cultural infection?
A cautionary tale! Good addition of “smiley.” No more microscopic infection!
lol. Hard row to hoe.
First I put each word in a column according to type; verb, noun, etc. I noted different meanings, as with, “art,” “face,” and “works.” Then I looked for connections.
I know
careless people
sooner lie
and everybody
triumphs … why?
Women keep
third dimension
Tigers using
face infection
Microscopic art
works imagination
I know
I like the beginning and ending that are the same. It gives us a lot to think about.
Face tigers sooner, careless people.
Women keep using imagination infection.
Third dimension micriscopic art
Reveals to everybody
Why this works.
Tigers know.
Great job creating meaning out of random words. Loved that tigers know. Somehow it feels like they always do.
Face Dimension
Microscopic imagination.
Careless art.
Keep using people.
If everybody works
It kills infection sooner.
Third world women know
Tigers know
Why.
Why know women?
Sooner or later
infection, a
microscopic
third
dimension
works of
art is our
imagination. Like a
careless
tigers
face.
Everybody
using
people to
know to
keep