Zelda's Inferno exercises: the process of measuring and recording thought / the courage of the flesh

Posted on: Sun, 01/30/2011 - 20:42 By: Tom Swiss

Zelda's Inferno exercise: I. write a poem that is a list of things (abstract or concrete)

the bees that died to bring you this honey
the slush seeping into my running shoes
the frost on the glass of a streetlight
the reason why I keep around pens that are out of ink
blue ink
the first use of the word "sitcom"
the third word I misspelled today
the process of measuring and recording thought
the women I've gone to bed with, and the intersection of that
     set with the set of women I've loved
the tarnish on my guitar's strings
a chocolate soda
the nerve impulse of an itch over my left 7th rib
a string of costume jewelry beads
the slowly building urge to urinate
a wistful sigh over a certain woman
worries about money and business
the anticipation of spring
the news out of Egypt
the stubble on my cheeks
reflections of reflections
things too vague to name or label
a face that looks familiar but, upon further consideration, is
     not the person I thought
the process of aging
an abundance of Mikes
a small soda belch
a chilly draft
my inability to fingerpick guitar
the nature of this poem
the shop in Osaka where I bought this hat
colored chalk
the bag of dry dog food sitting in my kitchen
the outdated temporary "No Parking" sign across the street
and the desire for some interesting thing with which to end this poem

part II: connect those lines! Drawn at random from those contributed by other participants: "Fear danced my soul backwards while my body remained" and "The path was darker now as I turned back once more, smiled and continued down the road"

fear danced my soul backwards while my body remained
and my mind stretched out between them like taffy
"turn back! turn back!" said the ethereal voices of
     doubt and confusion
but the grounded earth body maintained momentum
the immovable one remained at rest
the courage of the flesh
and slowly the mind pulled the soul back until all
     were unified again
the path was darker now as I turned back once more, smiled
     and continued down the road