introducing “atomic lemon drops”
07/16/12
— discussion, literature, poetry, reading
if you ever visited the about page, you probably know that the name atolemdro was inspired by my poetry manuscript atomic lemon drops. but where did atomic lemon drops from?
well, once when asked “what is poetry?” langston hughes said:
What is poetry? It is the human soul entire, squeezed like a lemon or a lime, drop by drop, into atomic words.
the quote speaks to a lot of what i strive for in my writing. poetry allows you to give deep attention to the different bits of life in fresh ways. in squeezing this essence into “atomic words,” poets have the opportunity to hit their audience (and sometimes themselves) with thoughts and emotions that impact people’s perspectives.
with this in mind, i want to announce the start of a new series, atomic lemon drops. once a month, i will post one of my own poems along with some background on the piece. the goal is to not only let you in on something that i love, but to also discuss the art of reading and writing poetry.
to help drive our convo, send your questions/comments on the poem via twitter, email, facebook, carrier pigeon or the comment box. know that whether you see yourself as a “novice” or an “expert” when it comes to poetry, your feedback will be equally welcome here. so for example, if you like or hate the poem, tell me why. if something doesn’t make sense or if you’re just curious about the meaning/purpose of a certain reference, feel free to ask “what does this mean?” (that question might be taboo to some writers and readers but it benefits both parties.) i’ll place what you have to say and my responses in a faq page that will accompany the poem.
the first poem in the series will be up on sunday, july 22nd. see ya then.
