Followers

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Kenia posts a list in the Garden

Today at the Imaginary Garden with Real Toads, we are challenged to write a poem using a list of words provided by Kenia, who chose the words at random while leafing through the book Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? written by Phillip K. Dick, published in 1968 and made into a movie in 1982. The novel is set in a post-apocalyptic near future, where life on Earth has been altered by nuclear war and most of its residents have been relocated to a new colony on Mars.
Interestingly enough, Kenia tells us that in the book, an electric toad teaches the main character, bounty hunter Rick Deckard, a true sense of empathy when he makes up his mind to love the fake toad as if it were real.

illegal stones collection

crestfallen,
different humans
shared doubt
that their
future contained
any possibilities.

ever-present dust
made chance seem dismal.
hours under the fragile
semi-ruined
cardboard roof
seemed like years.
                  Kay Davies, February, 2014

Kenia's List:
Semi-ruined, Shared, Collection, Doubt, Roof , Different, Illegal, Human, Cardboard, Chance, Dismal, Crestfallen, Fragile, Ever-present, Dust, Contained, Possibilities, Future, Stones, Hours.


12 comments:

Susan said...

Hours feel like years if devoid of hope. I marvel how this list of words left out your normal happy and fun views and truths.

Unknown said...

Oh man that frog picture is priceless Kay. Nice use of the list - it feels like you stayed true to the work it came from.

Kenia Santos said...

Oh I love it! <3 It's a lot said in a minimalistic poem. Beautiful and so well crafted.

Thanks for writing to my prompt.

Much love from my corner of the world. <3

Ella said...

Clever Kay! That is my new name for you! Damn that cardboard roof-doubt leaked in again!

Gail said...

Well done! I could feel the desolation and hopelessness.

I often wonderful if I get the instructions right but I keep on trying.

hedgewitch said...

You go simply and directly to the source here Kay, and turn the wordlist into a very effective piece expressing so much about the waste and indulgence of our time.

Helen said...

Great use of Kenia's word list! Love the toad too, who wouldn't believe in him?

Sherry Blue Sky said...

Love the closing lines especially, Kay.

gabrielle said...

You go straight to the heart in this spare evocation of despair.

humbird said...

You underline emptiness of world where hours 'seemed as years'. ~ Great work with words and image too :)

Kerry O'Connor said...

This is a very clever incorporation of the words into poetry, Kay.

Kay L. Davies said...

@ Kerry — Thanks, that means a lot, coming from you. It really just sort of happened as I looked at the list. When it all falls into place like that, I just have to go with it, and sometimes it works.