Asparagus

A friend of mine is a prolific poet (Hi, David!). Every day he sends me a new poem.

Most are short; a few are longer.
Most are rhyming; a few are not.
Every once in a while, I receive a long prose poem.

Everything he sends evokes an emotional reaction.

Sometimes it's a smile; other times I laugh out loud.
Sometimes I want to cry.
Sometimes goosebumps pop out; other times it's so hauntingly beautiful and bittersweet that I sit in awe.

He inspires me every day to stretch my writing muscles so that my words can be as effective as his.

The other day the title was "Asparagus."

David ranted and raved about that luscious veggie. It was clear that asparagus didn't make his top ten list of favorite green things.

I wrote him back that I loved asparagus and that some kids I may or may not know called it little trees, and they loved it, too.

He wrote back, and I almost fell out of my chair.

David loves asparagus!

Point of view and character voice and selling your emotional story all rolled into one short poem about skinny green stalks that look like little trees. Inspiration comes in all forms.

Happy Monday :)

Comments

he sure got you on that one Carol. you got lost in the story.
Joanne said…
It's true, inspiration is all around us. When we really look, it's amazing the shapes it takes.
VR Barkowski said…
That's what good fiction is all about, erasing the lines between make believe and reality.
Lydia Kang said…
What a great and entertaining post. I love asparagus too. It is too much of an overlooked veg.
I confess - it's not on my top ten list either.
I've had three people who cooked it really well-my friend and co-worker, my sister, and a friend's mom.

Most people cook it dead....
Elspeth Futcher said…
In our house "little trees" are broccoli bunches. I'm on the side of the asparagus likers. How lucky you are to be sent a poem every day!
That’s funny. Having the reader believe every word is the sign of a really good writer! I like asparagus, too – especially when they’re cooked on a grill.
Golden Eagle said…
I don't eat much asparagus, but it's not a bad vegetable when it's cooked right. :)
Carol Kilgore said…
Joanna - Yes, I did.

Joanne - Exactly so.

VR - I wish all the fiction I read did that and that I never thought 'oh that would never happen'.

Lydia - Thanks. Me, too :)

Alex - Oh, boo-hiss - LOL.
Carol Kilgore said…
Words Crafter - I know what you mean. Dead asparagus is mushy-yukky.

Elspeth - I count myself on the fortunate side about the poems, too.

Jane - Exactly. I love them grilled, too.

Golden Eagle - I like mine still bright green and crunchy.

I'll get to all your blogs at some point today or tomorrow.

'Tis the Season!
Anonymous said…
Haha! What a remarkable writer David must be. A bit of poetry every day is also, in my opinion, a wonderful thing. Thanks for sharing and sending more inspiration into cyberspace.
To write a poem a day, awesome!!
Terry Odell said…
Two of the members of my first 'in person' crit group were poets. I was always in awe.

Terry
Terry's Place
Romance with a Twist--of Mystery
Carol Kilgore said…
Kimberly - Yes, he's a great writer.

Karen - My thoughts exactly.

Terry - I know. Same here. Any poetry I try is BAD.
Southpaw said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
Southpaw said…
That’s great. He had you believing and emotional enough about it to write him back!
Maryannwrites said…
Steamed asparagus. YUM!(and yes I did mean to shout.)

Is David willing to let you share the poem on your blog?
Carol Kilgore said…
Holly - It never dawned on me that it wasn't written from his personal point of view.

Maryann - I don't know. I'll ask.
Laura Eno said…
That sounds like a great writing exercise!
Carol Kilgore said…
I learn just by reading them.
Lola Sharp said…
I love that you get a poem every day from a friend. *swoon*

I love asparagus as long as it isn't overcooked to mush. And I really like it if there is hollandaise involved. ;)

I don't like the side-effect of smelly pee, however.

In this house, broccoli spears are 'trees'.
Hart Johnson said…
Ah, yes... the things we can make people believe of ourselves just because we write them... teehee. (though with my drabble today, i clarified so all my high school classmates wouldn't wonder which of them I was pondering sleeping with)

Hart LOVES asparagus...
Carol Kilgore said…
Lola - I love receiving the poems, too. Someone else said broccoli spears were trees in their house, too. Maybe I cut off too much of the trunk for brocolli to be thought of as a tree here.

Hart - OK, you win. I'm heading over to read your drabble. How can I resist :)
Arlee Bird said…
I find that with regularly scheduled blogging I have to find inspiration in all sorts of places. Sometimes I'll just look around the room and start to write about something that catches my eye. Usually I start making connections to that one thing with other things and one thing leads to another and before I know it I've come up with a topic.

Lee
Tossing It Out
Talli Roland said…
I love that inspiration is everyone, even in vegetables! Great reminder, Carol.
Carol Kilgore said…
Arlee - I do that, too. Now everyone knows our dirty little secrets :)

Talli - I love that, too!
Kathy McIntosh said…
So what rhymes with asparagus?
We called broccoli trees, but I see how asparagus fits.
I so often assume the writer is 1) telling the truth, and just like the POV character. Big mistake.
LR said…
I love asparagus. Yum. And I agree with Lola, a Hollandaise sauce with it is a must have. :)
Asparagus--white or green--is one of my favorite vegetables.
Donna V.
http://donnasbookpub.blogspot.com
Anonymous said…
I love asparagus.

I started off writing poetry and it was a great way to put to use many writing elements in a few lines, the same elements I use today in novel writing.
Carol Kilgore said…
Kathy - Not one clue. He didn't rhyme anything with it either. Besides being a poet, he's a smart man - LOL.

LR - You know I'm hungry now. Right?

Donna - I like both, too.

Medeia - I write bad limericks, but I don't think that counts :)
Manzanita said…
You are one lucky Scorp...... a poem a day. It's probably better than an apple a day!! :)

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