WATERMARK

a poet’s notebook

Established 02004

Poems

January 1, 2005

New Year Haiku

Andrew tells us there is a tradition of writing a ‘positive’ haiku on the first day of the year. His is here, and Jill has joined in here. Mine is below; if you would like to add yours to the comments, I’ll bring it up for a New Year’s poem dance. frozen garden — … Continue reading

Cindy Smith, Poem Dancing, poetry, small poems

haiku, Poems, poetry
May 17, 2004

Collaborative Poem Dancing

On Thursday, I posted this small poem both here and on the PoetryEtc Listserve: at the altar an old woman counting breaths Now look at what the PoetryEtc poets did with it! at the altar an old woman counting breaths inspiration, expiration – one purl, one plain one pearl, one pain one… Continue reading

Poem Dancing, Poems, poetry, Poets

collaborative, Poem Dancing, Poems, poetry
April 17, 2004

Ghost Maps

Erin Noteboom’s wonderful book: has been short-listed for the League of Canadian Poets’ Pat Lowther Memorial Award, given for a book of poems written by a woman and published in the preceding year. The judges’ citation reads: In Erin Noteboom’s Ghost Maps: Poems For Carl Hruska, the life of a WWII veteran is movingly rendered… Continue reading

Books, poetry, Poets

Erin Noteboom, Ghost Maps, Poems, poet
April 17, 2004

Poems to Peruse

From Ruby Street: snapshots project I’ve been involved in a great project as part of a list I belong to, poetryetc. It’s called snapshots and entailed list members writing a ‘snap’ of where they are (physically, head-wise or whatever) at some time in the world each Wednesday. The greater part of the second iteration (sorry,… Continue reading

Snapshot Poems 2004

Poems, poetry
April 13, 2004

fiera Lingue

I have been invited to place some of my work at Poet’s Corner on the fiera Lingue website, an invitation I am honored to receive. They want a photo, a bio, and a few "poems which can represent the Poet best." One of my poems is already there, amidst other and better Father poems. I… Continue reading

Poems, poetry, Writing

Poems, Poets, Writing

Ancestral (Artificial )Intelligence

I do not use AI to write. For me, writing is how I think, and I prefer to do it myself. If/when I post anything here that I suspect or know to be AI generated, I will tell you.

I have changed this from Artificial to Ancestral, after Abi Awomosu @ Substack. This medium was made with human history, human thought. All of it, bright and dark. It is ancestral.

Poems

Please do not assume that I am the speaker/ subject of my poems.

In these times of creative nonfiction and fictionalized memoirs, I think of the poem itself as true fiction: it is most likely not factual, but it must be true.

It is likely to be — it is best if it is — a truth I did not know before I wrote, and may not understand even then.

A poem is my way of discovering (dis-covering) what I feel; sometimes, what I think — but it is not necessarily biographical.

Poems

New Year Haiku

Collaborative Poem Dancing

Ghost Maps

Poems to Peruse

fiera Lingue