Bellbottoms Burgundy
A poem about my Uncle's untimely fashion sense (I cancelled my Poetic Form Challenge because I needed the freedom to colour outside the lines)
Hello, friends! A special hello to my new subscribers. I’m so glad you’re here. In this week’s newsletter:
Catch you up on my self-imposed poetic form
punishmentchallengePoem: Bellbottoms Burgundy - a homage to my late Uncle Robert’s fashion sense
Substack recommendation: Scott Cassidy’s Poems Read From Scotland
In the 1970s, When I was learning to write in cursive (joined-up writing), my mother constantly told me to close my “a”. I used to think, why do I need to close it if you recognise what it is?
I was also constantly told to colour inside the lines. I specifically coloured outside the lines because it was more fun. So why did I decide I needed to learn to colour inside the lines for writing poetry?
I was excited to challenge myself and play with different formats. I had never studied poetry and thought it would help me be a better poet. It did, but not how I thought. I wrote a sonnet, which was fun, but the further down the rabbit hole I went, the more ready I was to grab a crayon and scribble everywhere. The rules made me feel constraints that took the joy out of writing poetry.
Was this what I needed to learn to be a better poet? If so, no thank you.
My rabbit hole journey taught me a lot about the history of poetry, which has given me an appreciation of its evolution. Honestly, for me, poetry is play. I love doing what feels right for me. I’m still learning, but I can’t won’t colour within the lines.
By the way, I still don’t close my “a”, but my son thinks it’s ludicrous that I write in cursive anyway. He once asked my ex-husband why his signature looked like a butterfly with a penis!
In the spirit of play, here’s a light piece I wrote about my late Uncle Robert:
Bell Bottoms Burgundy
by Shondra Bowie Riley
Bell Bottoms Burgundy Nineteen eighty-five A white shirt Worn tightly A hundred outside Outdated, but In its time Polyester Chic Cigarettes Kool menthol Polyester wreaks Relentless Our laughter Sent him on his way Bell Bottoms Burgundy He’d wear them today
I recommend:
Poems Read From Scotland
Poet Scott Cassidy has been selecting & reading some kick-ass poetry this month. My favourite has been Two Seconds Before the Trigger is Pulled, by Caleb Femi.
I’ve been looking forward to seeing what Scott will read every day—a superb selection of poems curated by a poetry lover.
Of all the people ever, here we are. Thank you for sharing your time with me.
Ooo, ooo, oooo. Love this poem. I too used to very much hate being told how to write poems. For me they normally come from deep within and tell me when to wrote them rather than me gathering words to make a poem. However, I’m also over on Nelly’s Poetry Pals and am enjoying stepping outside my comfort zone and sticking to rules a little bit.
I love this poem. And I’m totally with you on the poetry being fun front. Crayoning every time. I write a Substack called Poetry Pals which I’d like to think comes from the angle of no rule book! If you ever fancied coming over to do a guest post do let me know x