Hello and welcome to another Prosery Monday, where a given line of poetry finds its way into your prose.

Today I bring you the work of T.S. Eliot. After delving deeper into his bio and literary journey, I have gained a better understanding of the impact he made as a 20th century poet. Born in 1888 in St. Louis, Missouri, Eliot remained in the U.S. to attend Harvard, obtaining masters degrees and studying philosophy. He eventually settled in London under the mentorship of Ezra Pound, an entrepreneur of modernist poetry. This led to Eliot’s first collection of poems, Prufrock and Other Observations which was pivotal in the evolution of avant garde poetry. From the 1930’s to 1960’s, he dominated the literary world, not only as a contemporary poet but also a critic, editor, playwright and publisher. He worked as an editor/director for Faber and Faber publishing house where he assisted many emerging poets. Eliot received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1948. He passed away in London in 1965.

One of the most influential poems of the century was The Waste Land, published in 1922. In this piece he illustrates the brokenness of London, England in the aftermath of World War I. Is it here that I have plucked a line for our prosery prompt.

“What are the roots that clutch, what branches grow
out of this stony rubbish?”

The Wasteland, T.S. Eliot

So let’s get to it, shall we? In composing your prosery for dVerse, you must incorporate the above line into a piece of flash fiction, non fiction or creative fiction. It MUST be prose (a short story) , not poetry or prose poetry. It must be no more than 144 words in length, not including the title. Please include the entire quote. You may change punctuation and capitalization but do not insert words within the quote. Also, give reference to the quote below your prose. Whew!!! Those are the rules, now go have some fun!

To join in:

• Write a piece of flash fiction or other prose no more than 144 words that includes the line given.
• Post your prose on your blog.
• Click on Mr. Linky below to add your name and direct url to your prose.
• Add a link for dVerse on your page so others can find us.
• Visit your fellow poets on the list to read their poems and comment.
• Pull up a seat at the pub to say hello.
• Enjoy!

***Upcoming Event: Thursday, OCT. 14, Lillian will host OPEN LINK NIGHT LIVE.  OLN will appear here at the usual time and you can link up ONE poem. If you’d like to participate live to read your poem in person, there will be a Google link for you to join in the event!