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Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Words count with Mama Zen in the garden

If you don't know Mama Zen's poetry, you are really missing out on something. This woman can pack more meaning into a few words than any woman I've ever known. I can't imagine what it must be like to have a telephone conversation with her. She would have been using Tweet-length messages before Twitter was even invented.
Her challenge for us today is simply a word-count challenge. No particular topic or style. She just says, "No more than 45 words."
Well, you may remember I was really struggling with the prompt asking for a poem with all the words in alphabetical order. It was a disaster.
However, I had an extra 10 words, from A to J, of which I was rather fond.
This morning, that poem came together with the addition of photos by my husband, and a few more alphabetical words, making it 45 for Words Count with Mama Zen.



apparently,
better causes
do exist:
funding good homes
in jungles...
keeping lakes,
mountains
nearby
(our precious
qualities)
Richard Schear photos
really safe
to use.
vast wastelands
emerge, yet zealots
ambitiously
build careers.
diamonds 
extracted 
for girlfriends
have injured
jaws,
knees,
legs;
Machiavellian
new ogres
pretend, quite
realistically,
sadness.



17 comments:

Kerry O'Connor said...

This is excellent, Kay. Such pertinent commentary, all true to form and word count too.

Susie Clevenger said...

Sadly your words are truth. Great message!

Anonymous said...

You did an amazing job with the A-Z. Very perceptive as well.

TCPC said...

sad but true!

Anonymous said...

Kay, sock it to the Blood Diamond merchants! Not that I've ever coveted any, but your commentary here is honest with a tinge of the activist in it! Peace, Amy

Kay L. Davies said...

@ Amy — Thanks! That's me, an honest activist, but in an inactive kind of way these days. I want to stomp and fuss, but I'd probably hurt myself.
K

Yamini MacLean said...

Hari Om
Kay, words like these are what can inspire the 'soldiers' - but I suspect, like me, you'd prefer a world where the words alone could be the weapons and then the salve for the woundss!

A worthy piece. (...and thanks for the joke over at my place too!)
Hugs, YAM xx

jabblog said...

Excellent, Kay. You've certainly fulfilled the challenge.

Susan said...

owWOOOO! You made something huge out of lots of little pieces, and it is gorgeous--pics and all. Its message would mean little if it didn't stand on the shoulders of the way you see the world. Bravo!

Daryl said...

that was indeed awesome

Unknown said...

Kay~
This is the most coherent and compelling poem written in this form that I have read. Really well done. Brava!

http://www.kimnelsonwrites.com/2013/05/02/the-mad-ones/

Hannah said...

Great balance of both hope and the cruel un-pretty side of what can happen with nature's abundance. Well written, Kay!

Maggie Grace said...

Nicely done. Those creative juices still floating around from A to Z.

Mary said...

A perfect response! I am impressed with your A - Z.

Marian said...

yay! i mean YAY!

Kay said...

Well done, Kay and Dick. No more diamonds for me.

Maude Lynn said...

This is really good, Kay! I love the message of this.