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I’m having more fun with my personal Sealey Challenge this year than ever before! Right when it came out, I bought the big hunka-munka A CENTURY OF POETRY IN THE NEW YORKER 1925-2025. It’s been sitting on my desk ever since…until now. My challenge is to spend 30 minutes a day reading from it. I usually open to a random spot and go from there, keeping my notebook open to jot juicy words (including ones I’ve never heard and need to look up, as was the case for scaturient), titles of possible mentor texts, memories that are sparked by my reading, connections between poems, etc. I am also keeping my notebook open when I read through the Poetry Friday roundup, which is how I wound up writing this poem, which was inspired by “On Starting” by Phil Kaye from Tabatha’s post last week! The photo is via Wikimedia Commons. I’m too proud to use a picture of my yard, but it would certainly do.
Molly has this week’s Poetry Friday roundup at Nix the Comfort Zone. Remember, next week Heidi is subbing in for Margaret, who will take Heidi’s original spot on September 5.
A(nother) Year of Reading 
Okay, so, I had to look up scaturient (thank you for a new word) and I love your pairing of it with “yearning.” I love this whole poem and the idea of ideas being brazenly prolific. This poem churns with life and lightbulb moments — they are in there, just waiting to assert their perfection!
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Mary Lee, two of the many things I love about your poem: the internal rhyme of angle and tangle makes me want to sing, and the length and determination of the second sentence – it winds and twists just like a weed.
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They “twine and tangle” (great alliteration) until we find the perfection. I love this small poem that is full of poetic elements as well as wisdom and new vocabulary. Sometimes I wish I was still teaching so I could work with students on a poem, but why not take a nod from you and just keep my notebook open while reading posts. Make my student work, my own work?
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The general public hates weeds, but many are medicinal (plantain, anyone?) and some are even beautiful. Thanks for giving these bountiful, determined gifts a shout-out this week and emphasizing that it’s our close inspection/imagination that is necessary. We really need that open notebook, open mind, and a pen in hand.
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Hmmmm, as a chronic-overthinker, I would say this feels quite accurate! 😉
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Love learning a new word! Now if I can just work it into a conversation, maybe it will stick. Weeds as a metaphor for ideas is brilliant, although I think the weeds are winning the profusion race with me.
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I’m with Jane, this is my overthinking. What a great metaphor! I love it. And, the photo is perfect. I kinda let the weeds grow around my house this summer. They just weren’t the most important thing to me. I made friends with a couple of them. LOL. A wonderful poem and it feels so personal. WTG with your Sealy challenge. I love the idea of a chunka munka book of poetry. I may have to peruse that book someday.
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So much to love here! First of all, I’m a sucker for a cool, new word and “scaturient” rings all the bells on that one! (Should I admit my first thoughts drifted to scat? lol) I also love all the rhythms and rhymes you’ve got going on (tangle and angle!) and the overall message. Well done!
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Re: scat.
Me, too, Molly. Me, too!
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Perfect analogy! I am all twine and tangle…I love nature’s urge to LIVE…I mean what’s more determined and optimistic than a weed?? And also: not every idea needs to be nurtured; some can just be left alone. xo
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Yep, my weed right now are “brazenly prolific” that sounds better than “out of control because I’ve been traveling for 3 weeks”. 🙂 I also had to look up the word “scaturient” and what a great word! And here’s to a “hunka-munk” Sealey Challenge book. I have that book too. It could be used as a door stopper.
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Wow, Mary Lee, “scaturient” is a great word, and new to me too. What a great phrase “scaturient yearning.” The title of your poem is an extra gift.
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A large chunk of inspirational fodder finds an outlet in your words, Mary Lee. The metaphor of ideas as weeds is so well presented.
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Love the quiet, yet bold ending with “temporal perfection,” and thanks for scaturient, ideas weaving in and out like overfloweing plant growth…
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Genius re: the NYer poem book. It sits on my nightstand also –and never occurred to me to try to read it for Sealey! I’m blessed if I can sneak in a poem before eyelids surrender! But “scaturient” -??? You’ve inspired me!
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