Day 17 / Poem 17

Common Duckweed

My self-imposed writing assignment this morning was to use the five words provided by my friend Casey, who sponsored me in this writing-intensive month.

Before I reveal the words Casey gave me, I wanted to say how grateful I am to those who have already sponsored me this month by donating to Tupelo Press, and to say that if you have liked the writing you've seen so far this month, if you think it is amazing that Tupelo offers up its web site to poets every month and gives us a way to reach more readers than we otherwise might, if you think it is crazy or brave or weird or wonderful that I am actually sitting down every morning of September with the intention of producing a poem and displaying it to the world, I hope you will consider sponsoring me by donating to Tupelo Press. Plus, you know, I have ways of thanking you! (See the end of this post for details.)

Casey's words are: surprising, unassuming, searching, kindness, and verdant

Now, even though I think thee are terrific words, and I love the way they play off each other, I really had no idea what to do with them. I spent a while trying out different combinations, ideas, but specific, cohesive images were eluding me. So, I backed up, turned to a fresh new page in the old writing journal, and thought about the three words I most wanted to bring together: surprising, unassuming, and verdant. The last two are probably the ones that made me start thinking about small flowers and wondering what the smallest flower is.

So, I looked it up and was (thank goodness) *surprised* to discover that the smallest flower is considered to be the flower of the duckweed plant. Duckweed! Who knew? And then I felt that rush of seeing how the poem would come together, where I needed to pull from to create it, and how the other words would fit in.

Over the past 17 mornings I have come to crave that feeling.

* * *

How to Donate:

          $5 => set of 4 haiku-by-Merie stickers (the stickers are business card-sized)

$10 => set of 4 haiku-by-Merie stickers PLUS a set of 4 postcards with short poems by me and drawings by Cora

$15 => set of 4 haiku-by-Merie stickers, set of 4 postcards with short poems by me and drawings by Cora PLUS the first 10 people to donate this amount get to supply 5 words that I must use together in one poem

$20 => set of 4 haiku-by-Merie stickers, set of 4 postcards with short poems by me and drawings by Cora PLUS one dozen homemade cookies (chocolate chip or gingersnap - your choice, delivered in October)

$30+ => set of 4 haiku-by-Merie stickers, set of 4 postcards with short poems by me and drawings by Cora, one dozen homemade cookies (chocolate chip or gingersnap - your choice, delivered in October), PLUS a handmade, signed chapbook of all the poems written by me for my 30/30 month (also delivered in October). 

Tupelo also offers a subscription (9 books published by them in 2014 for $99, or your choice of 9 of their titles - free postage!) for those who want to bulk up their poetry library. If you choose to order a subscription, I will also send you the rewards offered at the $30+ level.

There are three ways to donate - with each it is very important that you include my name as the poet you are sponsoring so that I know what kind of treats to send your way! Here’s how you can sponsor me:

1. Subscribe to Tupelo Press (9 books for $99). Visit http://www.tupelopress.org/books_subscribe.php and fill out the form; be sure to put my name in the “comments” field!
2. Complete the Tupelo Press Donation Form at https://www.tupelopress.org/donate.php and be sure to put my name in the “honor” field. (You can also print out the form and send it in with a check.)
3. Donate using PayPal at https://www.tupelopress.org/donate.php - click on the orange “Quick Donation via PayPal” button - be sure to put my name in the “message” field!

If you choose option 2 or 3, be sure to provide your mailing address so that you can receive a tax receipt for your donation! 

Let me know when you donate, and I can make sure your donation has been matched up with my name - and then I can start preheating the oven for your cookies, put Cora to work drawing, or pull out my dictionary to look up the wacky words you are sending me.