I find poetry an intriguing artistic way of expressing ideas, dreams, anger, longing, and visions. The potentially prolific power of poetry intrigues me. Webster’s dictionary has twelve definitions for the word intrigue. Let’s dissect the meanings and potential uses of the word and contemplate how those meaning might transform life and the future.
INTRIGUED
- Verb (used with object), in·trigued, in·tri·guing.
to arouse the curiosity or interest of by unusual, new, or otherwise fascinating or compelling qualities; appeal strongly to; captivate: The plan intrigues me, but I wonder if it will work.
For me, this definition’s beauty is the inherent blending of creativity, math, and science that ends in NEW! I love the potential of a new story. Or even better, lots of new adventures that are fascinating and compel the masses to strive towards universal liberation of all—Having the freedom to choose your passion and live it! One way to this is by piquing others’ curiosity in ways that arouse their desire and ignite their passion; for example, your brother and your sister. Every last one.
Inspired
- Verb to achieve or earn by appealing to another’s curiosity, fancy, or interest: to intrigue one’s way into another’s notice.
Consider what YOU could possibly do to inspire your neighbor’s, brother’s, sister’s, or enemy’s strengths—maybe get them focused on what they are passionate about, the thing that when they are engaged, time slips away.
- Noun the use of underhand machinations or deceitful stratagems.
Getting somebody to open their mind or redirect their energy and attention is not always an easy task. Talk to a few elementary school teachers about those techniques—underhanded does not need to be painful or violent. I used to tell my sons that folding socks was the “sock matching game.” At the time, they bought into the game, and when they called my bluff, I bought boatloads of the same socks to share. It didn’t stop them from wearing my pink socks. Don’t forget that underhanded can be a two-way street. Just be nice.
- Noun such a machination or stratagem or a series of them; a plot or crafty dealing: political intrigues.
For me, poetry has become an entertaining and intrinsic reflex—the play on words and rhyme schemes can be quite fun—Even challenge the poetry reader to contemplate what the author might mean or consider how the poem might integrate into their life experiences. This is the potentially prolific power of poetry.
Now, if we were prolific producers helping transform our neighbor’s, we could all get home faster: I don’t know about anybody else, but I would rather be a pro at removing lif’s ic so I can get home!
IC, IC, let’s get home quick and be done with sick!
Any takers?
The potentially PROLIFIC Power of Poetry
Prolific – adjective
- producing offspring, young, fruit, etc., abundantly; highly fruitful: a prolific pear tree. (check)
- producing in large quantities or with great frequency; highly productive: a prolific writer.
- profusely productive or fruitful (often followed by in or of): a bequest prolific of litigations.
- characterized by abundant production: a prolific year for tomatoes.
Once a Catholic priest asked me once where my fruit was? While I am uncertain if he was being funny or didn’t know who he was talking to, but here’s a taste of my prolific poetic fruit:
The Key
The wind, the palm leaves, waving in the sea breeze
The rustling noises indicating things they have openly seen
Hanging above the seats and the beaches
Peeping on people entirely out of reach
The waves beyond
Whitecaps crashing
noising a voice as if hollering back
Chattering with palms
about people’s odd sounds:
Video games, a cheater, kid’s teachers,
catalogs, phone calls, meat-eaters
Recipes, music beats, weekend retreats,
holiday plans & brother’s sleight of hand
That’s at the tables of lunch guests who decided they know best!
A diet, street riots, mixing drinks,
Grandma’s clogged sink
Silly rules, government fools &
the beach goer’s castle tools
This chatter hardly matters
but it keeps the waves busy
while making conversation with the trees as the palm leaves
spin in the breeze
The water blue, with caps white
make me wonder what they hide
under their toupees so wide:
The little sponge
A sand dollar disk
or jellyfish?
At the end of the day
When people go away
The creatures come out to play
The trash the people leave
cause disease and make it hard
for the creatures to breath
The crab not at risk
his pinchers ready
He’s brisk at the attack
and always fights back
to protect his friends
from a bag made of plastic
and the bottle emptied by strangers
who slur words before falling in the water
causing the little crustaceans to scatter
The people all gone
now nature carries on
cleaning up the mess
and renewing
what God blessed
The seaweed collects debris gathered
while the sponges filter water
as the land creatures ponder
how to deal with the trash people scattered.
Photos by Maria Elena Zuñiga, NOAA, Shawn Rodgers, Vincent van Zalinge, Tim Mossholder, Jeffrey Hamilton | Unsplash