Writing Prompt #17
Ode to Snow & the Haibun
February in the Pacific Northwest can be a drear time. However, a string of cold, clear days has added an extra sparkle. My fixation with this beautiful weather might be a bit of escapism from our current political reality, but it is important to balance engagement with equanimity. So, we are going to talk about snow.
I am thrilled to have a copy of Eowyn Ivey’s new book in my hands. Black Woods Blue Sky came out this month. It is her third book of fiction. Her first book, The Snow Child, is one of my ALL-TIME favorite reads. Both set in Alaska, I can’t help but think about the beautiful snowy landscape she describes in her work.
She could not fathom the hexagonal miracle of snowflakes formed from clouds, crystallized fern and feather that tumble down to light on a coat sleeve, white stars melting even as they strike. How did such force and beauty come to be in something so small and fleeting and unknowable? You did not have to understand miracles to believe in them, and in fact Mabel had come to suspect the opposite. To believe, perhaps you had to cease looking for explanations and instead hold the little thing in your hands as long as you were able before it slipped like water between your fingers.
-from The Snow Child
Writing Prompt #1: Ode to Snow
We have a thin blanket of snow left on the ground. In a descriptive paragraph or poem, write about your relationship with snow. Did you grow up with it? Do you like it? How does it make you feel? What do you make with it? Note: If you are really not a winter person, the anti-ode is also an option.
As an extra challenge try to include a movie title, an article of clothing, an animal, and a part of the body in the piece that you write.
Writing Prompt #2: Haibun
When writing about nature, poetic forms have been helpful to me recently. I learned the Haibun from a workshop with Aimee Nezhukumatathil. She has several, stunning poetry collections and two recent works of nonfiction.
The Haibun form consists of a sensory-rich, objective prose paragraph followed by a 5-7-5 Haiku. The Haiku serves as a whisper to the larger body of the poem.
Here is a little more information: https://poets.org/glossary/haibun
Write a Winter Haibun. Or, maybe, write about a specific place, scene, environmental issue, or memory that comes to mind.
Enjoy!