First, an update:
After many months of intense work, I’m relieved and delighted to tell you I’ve completed the editing phase of What a Woman is Worth! I’m now onto proofreading, which will be far faster and easier; then I’ll write the introductions to each section. I hope to have the final manuscript to Civitas Press in just a couple of weeks!
Many of you have been so kind to tell me you miss my writing here. As you can imagine, the themes of worth and objectification and harm to women have overrun my mind and lain heavy on my heart all these months. Today I’d like to share with you a poem that was born from these thoughts.
This is a found poem I wrote for TweetSpeak, a website that encourages people to strengthen their writing by playing with poetry. I took phrases from the original poem, Girl with 13 Necklaces by Tania Runyan, and then using TweetSpeak’s suggested device of juxtaposition, created new images and meaning. I’d encourage you to read the original poem first and then come back to mine here.
And now, some writing:
Factory Punched
Is the woman still at the conveyor belt,
Whose factory-punched worth
Is less in a year than mine in a month?
The inspector who passed the velveteen
ribbon slowly through his fingers
to sway above her navel: This’ll do.
Hundreds of tiny seeds of glass glimmer
on her cheek, spilling down her shirt
while she manufactures mine.
The world has made its preparations;
She flops on the couch and falls asleep.
Where are her pink, praying angels?
I loved this the first time! And even more now, knowing you are at stage 2 of your project. It’s going to be fabulous, and I feel so fortunate to be part of it.
Miss you!
Thanks, sweets. I am so grateful to have you contributing!
Miss you too. We don’t get to play as much as we used to, eh?
I really like the original and it is interesting what you did there. Bravo.
Thanks. It was a cool exercise. You’re a poetry guy, aren’t you? You should jump into the fun at TweetSpeak!
I do not know what this TweetSpeak thing you speak of is…
Wowza. Packed a punch, this one did (without stretching the title too far). Heavy indeed. You’ve sparked intrigue into this form of poetry, thank you.
Thanks, Shae. You should try it out– it’s a neat challenge to see what new images your mind can make with someone else’s phrases.
This poem made me happy and sad reminding me of the people on the line where I work as an engineer. I love talking to them as they are more exciting and likely to hug than the other engineers although I love those too.
Now *that’s* real life.
That’s awesome, Tamara! And while I do miss your writing, I bet it will be well worth it.
Thanks so much, Matt. I miss writing more often, but I’m also hopeful that the time I’ve put into editing this book will be worth the hiatus.
Lovely and thought-provoking, as always, Tamara!
I’m inspired to explore tweetspeak myself now – thank you
Thanks, Juanli. Have fun!
cool. just like you. :>)
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