Today's prompt is an interesting one. It almost sounds like a writing assignment. It boils down thusly:
1. Find a picture.
2. Find a poem in an unfamiliar language.
3. "Translate" the poem into English (or your native tongue) as though the poem is about the picture.
The picture I chose to use was one I took at a state park today. I was trying to take a picture of the honeybee, but my phone focused on the background instead. The poem I used for inspiration is by Ann Jaderlund and was in Swedish; you can find the original and its translation here. I chose a language I know nothing about so that I wouldn't be trying to literally translate the poem, although I must admit I saw the name of the poem in English and that could be why I was drawn to it.
Bees are drawn to flowers and I am drawn to bees
The bee gets nectar and pollen from the flower
On these things it feeds.
Even bees need water.
I need water too.
Are there more things in commons than these?
Does the bee watch me similarly?
The bee hums to another flower.
Unaware of the bee and me
The river rushes
on.
I'm not sure how much inspiration I really took from the original poem, but it was interesting nonetheless.
Happy writing
Sharon
I really like the symmetry, the back and forth between the be and me, each mirroring the other, and how the river rushes unaware. It was a wonderfully brain-scrambling exercise, this prompt!
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked this poem! I wasn't sure about it when I was finished. But I love bees and I often find myself pondering them.
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