Tom C. Hunley’s Scotch Tape World is now available from Accents Publishing! As part of the launch festivities, we are giving away a free copy of the book to one lucky poet who can follow Mr. Hunley’s writing prompt and post a poem in the comments below.
Usually after I finish reading a book of poems, I try to write a poem, using the following method, which I invite you to try.
Step One: Look closely at the book’s table of contents, and underline two-to-five word phrases that intrigue you in several of the titles.
Step Two: Combine phrases from two or more titles from that book, creating a new title that intrigues you. Tweak the phrases as needed. For example, after reading Bender by Dean Young, I combined elements of two of his titles, “Scarecrow on Fire” and “Shadow on Water” to form the title “While We Were On Fire, Our Shadows Glided on Water.”
Step Three: Underline favorite phrases or lines from at least fifteen poems in the book.
Step Four: Write a poem using the title from step two. Let the body of the poem be guided by that title and by the phrases and lines that you copied in step three. For example, after underlining “flames rush in smudges / like lovers who must pass through one another” in Dean Young’s poem “The Afterlife,” I began my poem with these lines: “The flames were not literal though they / embraced like passionate drunken lovers.”
Step Five: Keep writing until you get stuck. Once you get stuck, turn to the next underlined phrase or line in the book. For example, Dean Young’s lines “I didn’t know how alone I was / until they brought out more chairs” (“Beloved Infidel”) led me to write “I didn’t know / how alone I could feel until an airplane / put 3,000 miles between us” which led to about fourteen lines that had nothing to do with Young’s poems, lines about a couple acquaintances of mine who had passed away. When that train of thought stopped at its station, I glanced at Young’s poem “Bivouacked & Garrisoned Capitol” and saw “April snow vanishes / like footprints” underlined, which led me to write, of one of my deceased acquaintances, “He later vanished like April snow, and I received / the funeral announcement a week too late.”
-Tom C. Hunley
Remember: post your poem in the comments below for a chance to win Tom C. Hunley’s Scotch Tape World! For the rest of you, Scotch Tape World is now available from the Accents store and the Morris Book Shop!
“Hunley’s ability to render his love and bewilderment precisely in his poems is unique and necessary.”
-Shane McCrae
Tom C. Hunley is an associate professor of English at Western Kentucky University and the director of Steel Toe Books. Among his previous books are The Poetry Gymnasium (McFarland & Company, Inc., 2012); Annoyed Grunt (Imaginary Friend Press, 2012); Greatest Hits (Pudding House, 2010, Gold Invitational Series); Octopus (Logan House, 2008, Winner of the Holland Prize); Teaching Poetry Writing: A Five-Canon Approach (Multilingual Matters LTD., 2007, New Writing Viewpoints Series); My Life as a Minor Character (Pecan Grove, 2005, winner of a national chapbook contest); Still, There’s a Glimmer (WordTech Editions, 2004); and The Tongue (Wind Publications, 2004). He divides his time between Kansas and Oz.
A Living Psalm for the Afterlife
Awakened by the unfamiliar sound of soft music
in the distance, he blinked. Yet, his eyes were unable to focus
on his surroundings. He was no longer in the hospital;
nor was he at home. Uncertain of what had taken place,
he felt no pain. He was robust and untroubled. Could he have
ascended into heaven? At different times in his life, he thought
that given a choice, he’d trade all this in for another day.
Yet, he had to stay. He was so intrigued by the growing refrain,
he seemed to be pulled toward it in a mystifying way.
His heart began to beat, keeping rhythm with the distant tune
as thoughts of harmony and timbre became a part of him. The music
was not simply around him, it was him. As the melodious sounds
came to a crescendo, he was so much a part of the orchestration,
he realized he had forgotten who he was. All that mattered was who
he had become: the soft-spoken voice who blended his own sound with the
ensemble, joining the hosts of heaven to create what humanity was never able
to fully achieve in the physical realm. A gentle breeze blew
from all directions, and seemed to add another dimension to the music.
Others joined him as they sojourned onward to the heart
of the music, past orchards and gardens, lush and unspoiled
by humanity, more intensely beautiful than anything he had ever known.
Without warning, the scenery changed into a great hall with walls
of jasper and amethyst, and columns of opal. His eyes filled with tears
as he looked upon the great throne where thousands were gathered
to worship. Today they render their adoration toward God,
for tomorrow will never come. Along with the twenty-four elders,
and the magnificent beasts who soar throughout the great hall,
the music swells, and is presented to the One who sits on the throne.
There before his very eyes were all of humankind, the great and powerful,
the small and timid, from every race and tribe, singing a new song,
one that allowed each one to embrace what is true and just. The music blasted,
and the instruments began again their song of praise and adoration.
What a magnificent depiction of what we strive to see and feel when our earthly journey is no more, and we are with Him.
So Dennis, which book were you using when you wrote that. I’m curious about your process.
I thought it rather obvious: Scotch Tape World.
Two Titles: Psalm on a Theme / At the Afterlife Bar and Grill
From “Um” awakened by awful noises
I don’;t understand how I got here
From “Psalm on a Theme” When I die, Lord, I want to come back
From “Road Test” I imagined what it must feel like
From :”Another Dream of Falling” I forgot my name
Need I continue?
Tom,
Much of my writing is centered around biblical themes. In addition to teaching in the public school system for twenty-five years, I am an ordained minister (D. Min. from Louisville Presbyterian Seminary), and I pastor a small congregation. Now you might understand a little more of where I am coming from.
Peace,
Dennis
Dennis,
That’s awesome. I thought maybe I recognized some images and phrases, but I didn’t want to presume. I’m flattered that you read my book and wrote a poem based on it.
Grace and Peace,
Tom
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