The Inklings’ challenge this month was simultaneously issued by Catherine, by Ada Limón, and by Mo Daley at Ethical ELA.
Catherine charged us with joining Ada Limón’s Poet Laureate project, “You Are Here.” The Library of Congress website describes it as a “project is for everyone, and I hope people of all ages—poets and nonpoets—will feel moved to write their own response to the “You Are Here” prompt. It’s simple: What would you write in response to the landscape around you?
On Day Three of Ethical ELA’s Open Write last week, Mo Daley challenged writers to try an X Marks the Spot Poem: “Find a print article from a magazine that interests you…Once you have chosen your article, simply draw an X through the page. You will then write your poem using the words touching your X.” I printed the full text of Ada Limón’s challenge to receive my X, and the words that touched the X are italicized in my poem:
“I believe the way we respond to this crucial moment on our planet could define humanity forever. In conceiving of my signature project, I wanted something that could both praise our sacred and natural wonders and also speak the complex truths of this urgent time. It’s my hope that You Are Here will do just that,” Limón said. “You Are Here: Poetry in the Parks aims to deepen our connection to nature through poetry, and You Are Here: Poetry in the Natural World is an anthology that speaks to the many different ways we are nature too. It may seem easier to surrender to the overwhelm of the world’s challenges right now, but I believe that singing out, offering something back to the earth, noticing our connection to the planet, could help us all move forward together in a powerful way.”
Limón said this project is for everyone, and she hopes people of all ages — poets and non-poets — will feel moved to write their own responses to the You Are Here prompt. It’s simple: What would you write in response to the landscape around you? People can share their responses on social media if they choose, using the hashtag #YouAreHerePoetry.
“Above all, this project is about rising to this moment with hope, the kind of hope that will echo outwards for years to come,” Limón said.
Here’s what the other Inklings did with this month’s challenge:
Linda @A Word Edgewise
Catherine @Reading to the Core
Molly @Nix the Comfort Zone
Margaret @Reflections on the Teche
Heidi @my juicy little universe
Laura has a book birthday and this week’s Poetry Friday roundup at Poems For Teachers. Congratulations, Laura!
**Make a note that Amy LV with have the October 4 Poetry Friday roundup, not me. We’ll be traveling, and Amy generously agreed to host the roundup that week.
A(nother) Year of Reading 
Nice, Mary Lee! I like that “You Are Here” idea very much. Let me see what I can do with it.
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I love the way your poem made me feel. The cicada, jewelweed, and pawpaw brought so much life and made me long to be in the woods. And the phrase “anthology of hopes and wonders” was a meaningful surprise!
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Mary Lee, what a nice time to choose the X marks the spot prompt. I Love your poem, especially, “Sing with the cicadas / above you in the oak.” And, of course, those last two lines. They really are my favorites. I accidentally made a “You are Here” post today, using another prompt inspired by Ida Limón’s project.
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I read your poem as I sat on the porch listening to the cicadas last evening. Your poem is a reminder of the present that is always with us. The details are often seen then overlooked as we move on to the next moment. I love the idea of responding to the landscape around us as a prompt for poetry. Thanks, Mary Lee.
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This is a perfect example of how specificity in a poem can make it more generally accessible–when you name the cicada, the jewelweed, the pawpaw, not all readers live in complex connection to those beings, but you invite them to consider which insect, which weed, which fruit tree they DO cohabit with. Lovely. Trying out that X Marks the Spot soon!
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This is a perfect example of how specificity in a poem can make it more generally accessible–when you name the cicada, the jewelweed, the pawpaw, not all readers live in complex connection to those beings, but you invite them to consider which insect, which weed, which fruit tree they DO cohabit with. Lovely. Trying out that X Marks the Spot soon!
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This is a perfect example of how specificity in a poem can make it more generally accessible–when you name the cicada, the jewelweed, the pawpaw, not all readers live in complex connection to those beings, but you invite them to consider which insect, which weed, which fruit tree they DO cohabit with. Lovely. Trying out that X Marks the Spot soon!
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Mary Lee, I would have commented last night but once again I fell asleep before tmy fingers hit the laptop.am here now intrigued by the prompts, challenges, and wonderful poem. You certainly spoke the truth of life in a flowing way.
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So many rich lines in your poem. I love all the specificity. Yes! add it to the anthology of hopes and wonders. Thanks for reminding me of the “X marks the spot” prompt. I dug out my poem and like it better than when I wrote it. The start of school with all the required meetings has me distracted, so I was happy to have something to fall back on.
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I love your poem and the way you approached it, Mary Lee. Naming the cicadas, jewelweed, and pawpaws ground your poem in your specific place and time. And, as Heidi said, remind us to notice and name who we share our small patch of earth with. Lovely.
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I love that anthology of hopes and wonders, Mary Lee! And that X Marks the Spot prompt–cool! This is one I’ve got to try!
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Just chiming in again to mention that Ada Limón’s “You Are Here” project was on PBS’s “Newshour” last night (Aug. 2). It was terrific! I bet there’s an online link.
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Well, that was pretty brilliant to combine Catherine’s challenge/Ada Limon’s prompt with the X marks the spot prompt. I love all the specific nouns you used and was especially struck by your creative use of the word “anthology.” Another stroke of brilliance! What a fabulous response to the prompt(s)!
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