William Shakespeare was a prolific writer who introduced thousands of words and phrases into the English language. Some suggest, however, that perhaps Shakespeare didn’t invent these words and phrases but rather it was the first time these words were written down. The scholarly argument is that the words attributed to the works of Shakespeare were most likely spoken first. Regardless, Shakespeare is considered a master of the English language who continually demonstrated great wit.
One that first appeared in a Shakespearean play was the word “promising.” He featured it in the somewhat serious comedy “All’s Well That Ends Well.”
…and we, Great in our hope, lay our best love and credence
Upon thy promising fortune.”—Act III, Scene 3
Try It: Upon Thy Promising Fortune
Shakespeare used the word “promising” to mean “likely to turn out well.” Have you had an experience that you felt sure would turn out well? What was it? How did it turn out? Have you had the privilege of seeing someone work toward a goal that you felt was full of promise? Did you lay your best love and credence upon their promising fortune? Write a poem that reveals your confidence, your well wishes, and your hopes.
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Featured Poem
Thanks to everyone who participated in last week’s poetry prompt. Here is a poem from Donna we enjoyed:
Five Words
Five words formed
where light lived.
Five words,
like a threadsnake,
slithering upward through
stacked vertebrae,
slicing a new path
through tangled, raw nerves.
Five words clearing a
constricted throat,
sliding over tongue and teeth,
bursting into the dark-as-pitch-day.
I will never hit you.
—by Donna Falcone
Photo by Mike Powell. Creative Commons via Flickr.
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How to Write a Poem uses images like the buzz, the switch, the wave—from the Billy Collins poem “Introduction to Poetry”—to guide writers into new ways of writing poems. Excellent teaching tool. Anthology and prompts included.
“How to Write a Poem is a classroom must-have.”
—Callie Feyen, English Teacher, Maryland
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Donna Falcone says
Heather, thank you for featuring my promise.
Rick Maxson says
Donna, your poem is so taut and suspenseful, leading to that final line. The first two lines drew me in and all the lines after, never a hint.
Donna Falcone says
Thank you so much for that feedback Rick. That was my hope. 🙂
Heather Eure says
Rick summed it up perfectly. Glad to feature your poem, Donna.
Sandra Heska King says
What they said.
Donna Falcone says
Thanks guys. 🙂
Katie says
Yes, such a powerful poem!
Monica Sharman says
Told a friend on the phone
I’m going backpacking.
Where? she asked.
Lost Creek
Wilderness,
Abyss
Trail.
Sounds promising, she said,
and I knew she was smiling.
Donna Falcone says
🙂
Heather Eure says
How fun! Hope your trip proved to be a grand adventure.
Sandra Heska King says
#like
Rick Maxson says
Every year I write a poem for my wife on our anniversary. This was the tenth, many years ago.
Tin Is for Tintinnabulation
—on our tenth anniversary
I give you my heart again,
for the years however they come.
I give you my hand, my love,
to hold in the sun or the rain.
The wonder around us is deep,
there are yet treasures to find.
As always I promise, my friend,
I give you my hand to keep.
Whatever our fates may deign,
I give you the rest of my life,
my truth and my trust,
are yours, darling wife.
I give you my heart again.
Donna Falcone says
I really enjoyed this – a beautiful promise… and the way you worked the rhthym was great. 🙂 What a treasure of a tradion.
Heather Eure says
Rick, what a wonderful proclamation of love and devotion. Totally digging the title, too.
Sandra Heska King says
So romantic…
Sandra Heska King says
In this beginning
is my end.
In this hello
is my goodbye.
In this goodbye
is my hello.
And in this end
is my beginning.
Donna Falcone says
I love the circle of this.
🙂
Sandra Heska King says
I feel like I’m going around in circles lately… 😉
Monica Sharman says
I think you invented a new poetry form! What do you want to call it?
Sandra Heska King says
Ha! Actually, I thought about including a couple more stanzas (I always want to edit.)
In this coming
is my going.
In this going
is my coming.
What if I title it “Paradox” and call it the paradoxical form? 😉
Sandra Heska King says
Wait… apparently that form already exists… 😉
Heather Eure says
Ah, the cyclical nature of living. You’ve made it a comfort in your poem.
Donna Falcone says
sunprints of lace
spread promise
across my morning wall
Sandra Heska King says
😀
Heather Eure says
Sunprints. I love that.
Donna Falcone says
… and this, inspired by this week’s installment of The Magician’s Elephant book club (https://www.tweetspeakpoetry.com/2016/09/21/the-magicians-elephant-book-club-magic-words/):
“What if” going forward
holds promise.
“What if” in the rearview,
despair.
Sandra Heska King says
You’re on a roll this morning. 🙂
Heather Eure says
That’s some deep stuff there, Donna.
Donna Falcone says
Rolling along in the deep end of the pool I guess. 😉
Prasanta says
Finally
A road gravel
Gray, brown, quiet
Leading back to home
Dust stirred up by walking
I waited for words to be spoken
Maybe the leaves would whisper
Or I’d hear through the crunch of gravel
I thought, at times, it echoed in the trees,
When I walked alone.
It was later I found it—
In between—
My fingers skimming lines
Page after page
I heard the words
As I read
Like a silver lute,
Strummed by skilled fingers
Reverberating
Filling the air
Promises meant to exist
Promises made to be kept
And I finally believed.
Heather Eure says
“My fingers skimming lines…” Beautiful– and I loved that last line, too.
Donna Falcone says
Oh this is so beautiful:
“As I read
Like a silver lute,
Strummed by skilled fingers”
Andrew H says
It lay, a shrivelled remnant
Left and neglected by the wayside.
One snip of that ancient Yggdrasil
Loose and unfettered in our world’s tide.
My father said it was a gift,
This sapling without its sap
And that he’d meant to care for it,
Plant it in some well-sheltered gap.
Desiccated and deserted, left to dry
To see all trails of nature die
Still yet it slept within itself,
Dreaming of vaults of heaven high.
And so we piled the brown earth ’round its roots
Gave water, succour and a hope
And sure as Spring, the sapling grew
Slowly at first, yet fast as it could cope.
Now I sit underneath a promise it fulfilled,
The sun a golden lake around its trunk
And green, green leaves displayed upon its head;
A living circlet that will always crown its bulk.
Heather Eure says
“…yet it slept within itself,” Oh my goodness. I could read this poem over and over– and I have.
Andrew H says
Thank you! It was a close thing as to whether it would be going up, haha. I lost confidence in it about halfway through and was going to delete it before figuring I may as well finish it.
Linda S. says
This poem is lovely and hopeful! Thanks for it!
Donna Falcone says
This is so full. I love it, Andrew, and I’m glad you decided to press POST COMMENT. 🙂
This line really grabbed me…. “the sapling grew
Slowly at first, yet fast as it could cope”
I love thinking about that – don’t we all grow only as fast as we can cope, and yet our expectations are sometimes so much bigger than our own rate of coping. What a wonderful way to put it. Thank you!
Donna Falcone says
PS I love poems that send me to GOOGLE to broaden my vocabulary. Yggdrasil!
It really sets a tone. Love it.
Katie says
Rookies Reward
We took the class
we did the work
we put it out there
Full of hope
full of trepidation
full of vision
All the words
all the pictures
all the characters
Brought to existence
brought to fruition
brought to life
Out there, discovered
out there, appraised
out there, received!
Katie says
This is wonderfully inspiring!