Trigger

Triggering subject

Composition decomposed

A poem emerges

I'm reading a bit about poetry. Just a bit.

There's something called, The Triggering

Subject, which represents the kernel of the

idea that initially brings your pencil/pen

to paper or fingers to the keyboard. At least

that's poet Richard Hugo's take on it. But don't

get the idea that this kernel is a foundation, of

sorts, from which you construct your poem. Not

so! The trick is to get away from that triggering

subject, lest it subjugates you, and explore the

nooks and crannies of imagination that sometimes

gets lost in the drive to "communicate". It's an

interesting notion that didn't make sense to me

at first, but now I get. Imagination flutters on

its own breeze and is lost if caged. The triggering

subject is simply the launching pad from which

you plunge into the unknown. Here's my first

attempt at using this technique. By the way,

it's really fun to see where things go.

Situation Room

What's the situation in the situation room?

Here's the situation in the situation room.

Jump rope mantra, playgrounds, pigtails,

Around the world arms lift and dip,

Hot pepper 1-2-3-4, fast

Faster, pump it up, Double Dutch.

What's the situation in the situation room?

Here's the situation in the situation room.

Leather wingbacks, sleeves to elbows.

Madame Secretary sneezes

Operation Super Mario

High stakes, hot poker, poker-faced.

That's the situation in the situation room.