Happy Tuesday!  I am pleased to present to you our guest host, Walter Wojtanik who blogs here.

We come to this magical place by choice, not by accident. Poetry is more than what we do. It is a “place” we go to express ourselves; it is a quiet alcove of words and meter, rhymes and rhythm. Poetry is a wild party; it is a source of solace and remembrance. We all have set our GPS (General Poetic Sense) for poetry. And so, here we stand.

As with any popular locale or vacation spot, we are curious about the landscape and its people. We inquire about the weather, landmarks and the activities that are available to us. We want to know all we can before we head off to our idyllic escape.

Here in this “Land of Poetry”, we have similar thoughts. We choose to explore more of what makes poetry special to us. Our focus will be one of the basic concepts of the poetic process: Inspiration. It can come from people we’ve come to know; the settings and locations with which we have become familiar. There is a certain “plot” or story we tell in our poetic ramblings. We convey a sense of mood, tone and theme in our poems. And so this leg of our journey begins. Let’s talk about “Characters”.

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Who are the actors on this world stage? Who are these characters that inspire us? They are the everyday people who are referenced or addressed in our poem. They feel, act, choose and reflect in the poem. They inflict their will upon us. A vital person in a poem is the speaker who can be real or imaginary and who exposes their heart and mind in the words we read. The speaker might express in first person, telling of personal experiences, thoughts, and insights, using the word “I”, or in third person (them, her, him, he…). Other times they talk in second person, referencing “you”, touching as many as possible. Poets write in second person more than do prose writers.

“Reader’s Digest” has had an ongoing series that they explore called “My Most Memorable Character”. We all know someone who has influenced us, done something selfless for someone or had been a pillar to the community (or not). A relative who was quick witted, or had a special skill of which people were aware and by which they were influenced. Maybe your children/grandchildren have done something remarkable in their young lives. It might be the annoying neighbor, possibly the rambunctious kid on the corner. Maybe it’s your favorite barista. It could be the poet (or not). No matter who they might be, we are writing of this “Memorable Character”. Tell us about this person through their actions (without naming the character). Let their quirks and traits speak for them. Who is this influence from your little tract in the land of poetry? We’d like to meet them!

If you are new to d’Verse, here’s how it works…

• Write a poem related to the prompt and post it to your blog.
• Click on the Mr Linky button below to add your name and enter the direct URL to your poem.
• You will find links to other poets. Read and comment on other poet’s work.
• If you are promoting your work on social media, use the tag #dversepoets.
• Have fun!