Monday, May 17, 2010

Drivin' in a straight line...

Picture thanks to Ireland Genealogy Projects and Roots Web Ancestry

... in a poem is not as easy as it looks on TFE's 'oul bus. I think it might be one of them 'oul-fashioned wans dat dey used ta droive in da 70s & 80s (okay, meybe da 60s) in Dublin - see above.

I gave you all this line: 'I got down on my knees and smelled the brand new linoleum,' from a story by Edna O'Brien (another class act) in her short story collection The Pagan Place.

What you did with it was another matter entirely. Well fair play to you all, you got into it. I'm very impressed with the response - you all engaged with the line and took it your own varied and many ways - and the round up begins here:

Niamh has her Ear To The Ground

Rachel Fox is Flat Down

Emerging Writer is on the bus too

NanU's The Ineffable Scent of Linoleum

JoAnne's in The Kitchen

Don't Feed the Pixies has a quirky take in Out of Gas

TFE's has a Pilgrims Progress sort of moment amongst others

Peter Goulding's pulled out all the rhyming stops for ium

Bill gets technical Close to the Ground

DanaBug dishes the dirt on Willow ware and linoleum

Jeanne Iris is a Mom Interrupted

Poetikat uses her olfactory muscles

Enchanted Oak has a strongly coloured lino: The Red Floor

Pure Fiction breaks Virgin Territory

Padhraig lays it on us in Trackstopper

Colin looks at the roots of it all in Flax

and Watercats with a right kitchen sink drama,

Jessica Maybury talks straight about what you find on the lino

and Linoleum's Fresh Dreams from Chiccoreal

Swiss is better late than never with the process and scents of a Lino cut


I hope that's everyone now! As for the driver well...

The Mechanics of Movement

I got down on my knees and smelled the new linoleum,
adopted the cat stance, then threaded the needle
hand under each arm, slowly in turn, shoulder to floor.
Back to the cat stance, spine arched up and back to rest
and folded my legs with my bum in the bow crook
of my calves. All the while breathin, deeper and deeper.

18 comments:

Padhraig Nolan said...

I'm there now :-)

Anonymous said...

Got my PC repaired today (burnt-out PSU), retieved the poem, and it's up now.

Rachel Fox said...

For obvious reasons it'll be a while till I get round to reading everyone else's work this time...but it's still nice to be on board.
x

Unknown said...

Hi PJ, will pick that up now, same with Colin.

Rachel, you take care and mind yourself and thanks for coming for a short ride on the bus with us :)

Titus said...

Barbara, I've got to say I found that tough but it was obviously a great bit of driving because what I've read as a result of sniffing linoleum has been diverse, interesting, funny and sometimes simply stunning! Good on yer, etc.

Pure Fiction said...

Really enjoyed this challenge - thnks for the drive.

Batteson.Ind said...

well, I might be a bit too late, but I had to take the challenge!.. cool prompt, cheers! :-D
http://thewatercats.blogspot.com/2010/05/beep-beep-running-late-for-poetry-bus-d.html

Unknown said...

Better late than never, Watercats :)

Totalfeckineejit said...

And where pray tell young missy is your own response to your own fably prompt?

Unknown said...

hello! I only just saw this and dashed off a poem for it. Go here: www.jmaybury.blogspot.com

chiccoreal said...

Dear Barbara Smith: I'm "late" for the bus; but "better late than never" so the saying goes, I'll try to catch up! http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=3078811688087039278&postID=5904301984155063492

Unknown said...

Thanks Chicco and Jessica, there's plenty of room on board.

TFE, the driver just about squeezed something onto paper, not easy when you're trying to grip the steering wheel with one hand and and a pen & paper in the udder ;)

swiss said...

after some lateness

http://travelsinthefloatingelvis.blogspot.com/2010/05/i-got-on-my-knees.html

Kay Cooke said...

I forgot ... :( But will enjoy reading what others have written. (I might even still use the line as a starter, I love it so!) I will let you know if I do manage something! :)

Unknown said...

Cool Swiss, glad to have you on the bus. Never mind Kay, I do hope you get to use the line, as it's a corker.

Totalfeckineejit said...

You have an udder? Great poem B brilliantly descriptive and funny.Just like your one for The Poetry Bus mag.
Many , many thanks for driving.Twas a brilliant prompt and yielded some of the best poetry yet, which is fantastic.These breaths of fresh air are the best diesel!

New task is up if ye fancy a dabble.

Dominic Rivron said...

Like your Mechanics of Movement. I wondered if it was simply describing movement or if it specifically referred to yoga or something like it?

Unknown said...

Thanks guys; TFE, I just say what I see/do sometimes, and that seems to get the best reaction - in that vein Dominic you've picked up rightly - it's pilates moves which are derived from yoga. I love that sense of being in the moment as you do the exercises.