If you don’t know what story cubes are, see the introduction to the story cubes series.
To see the original roll of the story cubes, see yesterday’s post.
While we unlock the secrets
Of turning our torchlit towers
Into overlit skyscrapers,
We still get old and die.
But the birds and the bees still fly in the sky
And fish still swim in the Hudson.
Sunlight was all they needed then,
And all that they need now.
A poem this week. Looks like you can write more than just stories with Story Cubes!
I started taking pictures of the cubes on top of a book for aesthetic reasons because I thought it would be less boring than just seeing my desk. It’s also turned out to be a fun way of recording some of the books I’m reading at the time, and on top of that, as I’ve done more of these, I’ve started to learn to use the cover art to make the positioning of the cubes more interesting.
Scenery is an important part of writing, so why shouldn’t it be here? This week, the setting becomes part of the action as the “bee” cube gets turned into the “birds and the bees” thanks to the birds on the cover.
The last line seems like it could have the “that” removed from it, and if I were writing prose, it wouldn’t be there. In this case, though, it serves a structural purpose. Notice that the third line of both stanzas ends with a comma, meaning a pause and a slight gathering of breath before the reading the last line. The “that” there (how’s that for some “th” alliteration?) makes both last lines six syllables.
That brings some symmetry to an asymmetric poem. The lines of the first stanza are short and curt while the first three lines of the second open up and breathe, placing our emphasis on the meaning of the second stanza and reinforcing the emptiness of the first. I know it’s been trendy ever since modernism took over poetry to just write down words and avoid punctuation like a fat guy avoids a salad bar, but there’s room for craft and structure even in something I composed in less than five minutes. Don’t be lazy when you write unless you want your reader to be lazy when they read you.
The comments section is the perfect place for what you came up with. I’m sure you did better than I did this week!
I'd love to hear from you!