Welcome fellow poets! We are off to see the Wizard!!

Sans the green witch…because I am terrified of her. Instead, we will focus on three other main characters of this timeless classic…The Tin Man, The Scarecrow and The Cowardly Lion.

The Wizard of Oz is packed full of metaphors for life as Dorothy sets out on her personal journey to return “home”. Others join her with their own quest for happiness, but in the end they come to realize that what they desire already lies within them.

Today I am asking you to choose one of these characters and write from their perspective. Imagine yourself as The Cowardly Lion longing for courage, the Tin Man aching for a heart or The Scarecrow yearning for a brain. Choose one and place yourself within the story, embracing their mindset. Bring their woes and wishes to life in your poem….or use their personas to represent the feelings of being heartless, empty-headed or fearful.

Here are a few quotes to refresh your memory….

Dorothy to The Scarecrow: “How can you talk if you haven’t got a brain?”

Scarecrow: “I don’t know… But some people without brains do an awful lot of talking… don’t they?”

Dorothy to The Scarecrow: “What would you do with a brain if you had one?”

Cowardly Lion: “You’re right, I am a coward! I haven’t any courage at all. I even scare myself.”

Cowardly Lion: “Courage! What makes a king out of a slave? Courage! What makes the flag on the mast to wave? Courage! What makes the elephant charge his tusk in the misty mist, or the dusky dusk? What makes the muskrat guard his musk? Courage! What makes the sphinx the seventh wonder? Courage! What makes the dawn come up like thunder? Courage! What makes the Hottentot so hot? What puts the “ape” in apricot? What have they got that I ain’t got?”

Tin Man: “And I was standing over there, rusting for the longest time”

Tin Man: “I shall take the heart. For brains do not make one happy, and happiness is the best thing in the world.”

Here’s how to follow the yellow brick road with me!

• Write a poem related to the prompt and post it on your blog.
• Click on Mr. Linky to enter your name, direct URL and check the box for the privacy policy.
• Provide a link to dVerse on your blog to welcome new poets.
• Drop into the pub to say hello!
• READ and COMMENT on the work of others. Return over the next two days to read more.
• Enjoy!