Hello, dVersians! Melissa here from Mom With a Blog, bringing you today’s Prosery prompt. What is Prosery, you may ask. I’ll tell you! Prosery is when we borrow a line (or lines) from a poem, or sometimes a song, and incorporate it into a short piece of flash fiction with a beginning, middle, and end, preferably. Prosery should have a limit of up to 144 words. You may break the line or add punctuation, just don’t change the words or their order.
Emily Dickinson is widely considered one of the greatest poets. While introduced to more of her work relatively recently, I’ve taken a liking to her for her unconventional style and brevity.
Emily also resonates for her unflinching candor and her belief and ambition. While not widely published before her death, she was a prolific poet. It is thought that the poetry that saw the light of day prior to her death was submitted by people who were close with her. These poems were edited to align more closely with conventional rules of poetry that she purposely broke.
Though she was a prolific poet, she maintained an attitude of humility and is known for being reclusive. She was not antisocial, choosing to correspond with those close to her, especially later in life, when she did not leave her home. Her life was not a long one, yet she has made, and continues to make, a profound impact in the world of poetry.
Emily’s poetry captures the beauty and mundanity of existence sharply and eloquently. Her niece, Martha Dickinson Bianchi, replaced the initial gravestone that was placed at her burial site and had simply the initials, E.E.D., with a slab of marble that reads “Called Back,” thought to be her last written words in a letter to her cousins. I think she might have appreciated either.
To read more about Emily Dickinson, check out either of these articles:
Publication – is the Auction (788)
Publication – is the Auction
Of the Mind of Man –
Poverty – be justifying
For so foul a thing
Possibly – but We – would rather
From Our Garret go
White – unto the White Creator –
Than invest – Our Snow –
Thought belong to Him who gave it –
Then – to Him Who bear
It's Corporeal illustration – sell
The Royal Air –
In the Parcel – Be the Merchant
Of the Heavenly Grace –
But reduce no Human Spirit
To Disgrace of Price –
The Poems of Emily Dickinson Edited by R. W. Franklin (Harvard University Press, 1999)
For Prosery today, let’s include the lines from Emily’s poem above:
Publication – is the Auction
Of the Mind
If you’re new, here is how to join us:
- Write a piece of prosery of up to or exactly 144 words, including the given line in the order in which it has been given. You may add or change punctuation, but you may not add or delete words.
- Enter your name and a link directly to your post into Mr. Linky. Remember to check the box to accept use/privacy policy.
- Read other writers’ work as they enter their links into Mr. Linky. Check back as more will be added.
- Please link back to dVerse from your post.
- Have a wonderful time!🎉
dVerse 