Postcard Potpourri

Hurray! I have postcards in my mailbox!

Remember that project I told you about? The August postcard poetry project.What? Is your memory that bad? If you don't recall or missed that post, CLICK HERE to read about it.

After (im)patiently waiting, this week I received my first three postcards. I would post pics here but with only mailing addresses, I am unable to contact the artists quickly to acquire permission to do so. However, I can describe them to you.

Like last year year, the first one I received was handmade. It is almost like a haiga in the sense that it combines the poem and picture in one. The image appears to be a painting which she printed onto the postcard, deep red strokes, perhaps flowers or fields or even wild waves of auburn hair underneath a glazed full moon. In the center, in white type, is the poem which has an ending line "axis of desire". Stunning and creative. Thank you so much, Anita E.!

The second I received is a purchased card, lime green, with a quote from Jean Cocteau on it. It reads, "What the public criticizes in you, cultivate. It is you." I agree with that to some extent. However, considering how I criticized my husband's loud snoring the other evening I definitely do not wish for him to cultivate that!

But back to the postcard. The first thing I noticed when I flipped it over to read the poem was the fine-point, red marker ink, handwritten with artistic perfection. Then I began reading the poem which describes a morning in the garden. I liked the alliteration in this line: "did not portend the improbable perfection". Thanks to Cathleen M. for this postcard. I often spend time in the garden, so I could relate to this one.

The third postcard arrived today. It has a wonderful collage with a lady's head, animals, clouds. Actually, that description does is no justice. It is super cool. I like how the rabbit is positioned so that it is kissing the lady's cheek. On the back is the poem entitled Dappled by Joanne C. Thank you, Joanne.

So how am I progressing with this postcard poem-a-day challenge? Well, I had been three days ahead of schedule, then got a bit lazy. Okay. Maybe not lazy. After a week with no postcards to respond to I felt a bit unmotivated and am now two days behind. These postcards have stimulated my wayward brain cells and the creative juices are flowing again. I just jotted down a few idea and hope to write two poems today, write them on the postcards and go to the post office tomorrow morning. Maybe this weekend I create a few postcards. As of now I have only made one, a collage made from magazine clippings. However, I might change direction. Since I love photography, I might print a few of my favorite shots and craft them into postcards.

My friend Linda Hatton, editor of Mouse Tales Press, is also participating in the challenge. To read about her experience with the project, go to her blog post HERE (and then return to it often for updates). One thing she discusses is the need for brevity when writing a poem on a postcard. That certainly is a challenge. How do you capture the glory of a sunrise over the lake with such limited space? How do you express an emotion clearly? How do you detail a moment in only a few lines?

Let's work on that together. In 25 words or less I want you to describe something you saw or felt today and post it in the comments section. Go ahead. Make my day.