The argument

Okay, Word Daddy is missing in action. He must be on another one of his cross-country road trips. I hope his motorcycle breaks down and leaves him stranded in Tucumcari. Sorry, I shouldn’t talk smack about my unreliable muse. I decided to hang out with the Golden Shovel Poems for a while longer. What can I do with a missing muse and so many great poets in the world? I’ve used William Blake, Robert Frost, W.B. Yeats, and Amy Lowell for inspiration. I decided to switch to another poet. I am fickle like that. Emily Dickinson is one of my favorites, so I plan to hang out with her. Most of her poetry was found after her death. The ten poems published during her lifetime were done anonymously. She hated the idea of selling her poetry and becoming rich. Therefore, this new Golden Shovel Poem will be titled The argument.

 Terrance Hayes invented the Golden Shovel style of poetry. This form of found poetry allows the writer to take a favorite poem and use it to make something original. I experimented with found poetry last year when I wrote Blank Verse poems. Now, I am having fun writing Golden Shovel Poetry.  

The rules for writing a Golden Shovel Poem and  The argument

While researching this style of poetry created by Terrance Hayes, there seem to be four simple rules. You can use as many lines of the poem as you want, and the poem will end with you being your creation. I find this idea interesting. Written below are the three simple rules.

1). Choose a poem that you like. Currently, I will use poems by Emily Dickinson.

2)Use each word in the line or lines as the end word in your poem. Make sure they stay in order.

3) Construct an entire poem around them. The meaning doesn’t have to be the same.

4) Give the original poet credit who wrote the line or lines you used.

Now that I’ve finished using Yeat’s poems and moved on to Emily Dickinson, I look forward to playing with her short, lyrical poems. She wrote 1800 poems, so I will have a lot of material to experiment with. The beauty I admire in her poetry is the simplicity of her words. I like the way she broke the rules and wrote what she wanted. The poem I will use as the last word of every line is ,I Started Early─Took My Dog. I highlighted the words belonging to Dickinson. Most of her poems went without a title, but I called this one The argument.

The argument 

I didn’t want to question his motives but
He had to murmur when I said no
And I know there are reasons for a man
To think he knows best and be moved
But that means absolutely nothing to me─
I decided to hold my tongue till
I overheard him misrepresent the
Words I said and I moved against the Tide─
Moved into shallow water and went
Into reverse mod retreating past
The reservation in my 
Mind that made it simple
To trample you under my Shoe─
I walked away and
Felt no regret when I moved past
The words I gather into my
Well-grounded White Apron─
Walking Wizened and
Tightened the buckle on my
Leather diamond studded belt
Bathed in confidence and
A sure step when I walked past
The floor where I took my
Stand my heart thundered in my Boddice─
Knowing that I had won the battle too─

Who is Molly Shea?

Molly Shea is an accomplished fictional short story writer from Indiana who writes short stories and novels about a fictional town called Tecumseh.  To read more of her short stories and adventures, click here.

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