Image by found_drama via FlickrHave you signed up for the Deja Vu Blogfest brought to you by D.L. Hammons? It's a fun way to dig back through the blog archives to present one of those early posts that may have been missed or a post that is special in your eyes that you want to highlight. Do you have an oldie but goody that you'd like to share with the rest of us? Friday is the day to do it. Start digging for buried blog treasure now and sign up on D.L.'s page.
I think it's kind of fun and enlightening to look through ones old writing samples to see where you were then and how far you've come since. A while back Deniz Bevan at The Girdle of Melian brought up the subject of reading old writing and sharing it on ones blog. Since we're were on the topic of Deja Vu and last week I talked about and shared an example of some of my old writing, I thought in this post I might share a bit of a flashback from the 1970s.
The following poem was from an assignment in a Writing of Poetry class that I took at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. I don't recall the exact date, but this probably comes from about 1973. This particular assignment was to write a poem in sonnet form. From my dreamy-minded love-longing self of college days, here is my sonnet.
Image by MagdaMontemor via FlickrSonnet
She is the question without an answer.
Though I try to comprehend her meaning,
I fail, losing my view of that gleaming
Vision I beheld. Then, like a dancer,
She pirouettes from sight, my last glance her
Hands acknowledge . I linger in dreaming,
Probing her significance, then seeming
To gather the impression that man's her
Basic prey. Laughing, she throws her head back,
Swoops down with painted claws, tears out my heart.
I, stumbling at her feet, weak from the attack--
I look up. What love might she impart?
Deeply I search for meaning in her face,
But comprehension my mind has erased.
Do you save your old writing? What have you seen when you reread writing from younger days?
Excellent post as usual buddy, I'm sure I do have some excellent old posts I'd be tempted to dig out but honestly I haven't been around here for long enough to justify it so I'll leave it for now and revisit it at some point in the future.
ReplyDeleteYour sonnet was excellent Lee.
ReplyDeleteIt made good reading.
As I didn't start writing until 13 yrs ago I haven't got writings when I was younger.
I have joined The Deja Vue on Friday and am looking forward to read others golden oldies.
Yvonne.
Complete fiction, or inspired by someone? I'm impressed. Any time I try to write poetry all I can come up with is moon in June stuff.
ReplyDeleteYou did good with the sonnet! I have a few old pieces of writing - like the first version of CassaStar, which sucked! All set for DL's blogfest.
ReplyDeleteWow! I kept a few but only because my mom stood guard over them. :)
ReplyDeleteJules @ Trying To Get Over The Rainbow
Thanks for passing on the Deja Vu. Sounds like fun.
ReplyDeletenice one, Lee, who says men can't be romantic :)
ReplyDeleteGreat sonnet indeed. Some of my old writing scares me..haha..learn more as you go and make it better. But some of it I liked that no one saw.
ReplyDeleteI'm interested to continue seeing you post previous writings, Lee. It's a nice, unique touch for a blog.
ReplyDeleteI have done poorly at hanging onto things of significance. Just this past week, I was thinking about pestering a few of my friends to check their hard drives for the beginnings of a manuscript called 'The Night Wire' that I had sent out about two years ago.
(Some of my friends are really archivists ...)
-y
ReplyDeleteActually, -ly.
ReplyDeleteWhat I meant was 'real archivists,' dag nabbet.
Well done, Lee! I wouldn't even attempt a sonnet. :)
ReplyDeleteIt's funny - when I look back at my early writings, I see it took a dark turn somewhere along the line. Don't know why. Maybe it was when I discovered Stephen King? :)
Yeamie & Yvonne-- Thanks
ReplyDeleteSarah -- I don't remember, but there was probably someone I was thinking of.
Alex -- I'm Ready for the fest too.
Jules- I was always the keeper of my writing archives. I doubt whether my mother has any.
Delores -- Retrieving old posts means you don't have to write anything. The biggest challenge was finding the post I wanted to repeat.
Dezmond -- I was frequently lovesick back then.
Pat -- Hopefully we get better as time goes by.
Suze -- I don't think I've ever sent my writing out to anyone. Hope one of your friends has your samples.
Madeline -- I think I took the opposite turn. My older writing is darker than it is now.
Lee
I hadn't heard of the Deja Vu Blogfest, but I'll check it out. Enjoyed the Sonnet!
ReplyDeleteIt's a very mature poem for old writing Lee. It's got some great imagery too. Bravo to the younger you! ;O)
ReplyDeleteI have boxes of my old writing! I'd almost be afraid to read any of it now. I did reread a novelette I wrote in my late 20's and thought wow, this needs a lot of work. But I just might try.
ReplyDeleteI keep thinking I might toss my teen attempts at poetry. They are dreadfully embarrassing. Not even in a funny way --just cringeworthy!
ReplyDeleteLee, How's it going. I've got loads of poems that I've written and have from the past. I have bunches of stuff that one day I want to put to music. Maybe soon. It's been too long since I've been in here, but as my latest blog states, I've been in the real world. LOL. Not really. I've been given more responsibility at work and when I come home I don't do much writing. Anyway, great poem. Hope you come by my blog again. I'm trying to write more, but I don't guarantee anything anymore.
ReplyDeleteDJ GlenMC
Love Jesus, Eat cheesecake, Listen to Pink Floyd.
Oh yes, I still have all my high school poems. And some earlier work too. I love looking back!
ReplyDeleteThis was very dramatic and evocative. Great imagery!
Very nice!
ReplyDeleteI actually don't think I have any of my pre-computer writing. I've always just written for me, so it got tossed! :)
Kirsten -- I love the Deja Vu fest concept. Allows us to get old stuff out that maybe most people never saw.
ReplyDeleteMadeleine -- I was probably about 22 when I wrote this and doing a lot of writing at the time.
L.Diane -- Our younger minds had some good ideas sometimes. I think some of my stories in college are worthy to revive.
Kelly-- I'm sure they're not as bad as you make them sound. I say go for it.
Glen -- Glad you're back. Those songs aren't drawing any interest just sitting in the storage bank--get 'em out and do something with them.
Trisha -- Thank you!
Lee
Jemi--Ooo! You shouldn't toss your creative efforts. It's like having a journal written in code.
ReplyDeleteLee
Wow, this is really good! I enjoyed reading it, great work.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to the Deja Vu fest tomorrow, too. :)
I love what you wrote, so glad you shared! Sounds like a great idea to dig out buried treasure! This was a gem, great imagery and well done!
ReplyDeleteIf you get a chance, stop by and see my interview. I mentioned YOU! ;D
http://withrealtoads.blogspot.com/2011/12/ella-has-edge-on-cooking-up-poetry.html
I have my deja vu post up already.
ReplyDeleteReading my old stuff often makes me cringe. lol
You convinced me to join the blog hop. :-)
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed reading your poem. I usually have mixed reactions to reading my old stuff. Sometimes I'm mortified that I ever thought it was any good. Other times, I'm amazed at my own brilliance.
I'm useless at poetry so can't comment on yours although it does convey the idea that the woman is an unknown entity to the man writing the poem.
ReplyDeleteMy old writing is a good way to gauge how far I've come. I'm amazed at some of the stuff I wrote ages ago.
Great Sonnet! I'm not sure I can participate in anything more this week. Maybe I'll slip it in at the last minute tonight. :) I'll enjoy visiting everyone else, though. Thanks for the reminder.
ReplyDeleteJulie - Thanks!
ReplyDeleteElla -- I'll be over to check it out and thank you.
Mary -- I'll check out you Deja Vu. The older work is interesting from a historical perspective--maybe?
Karen -- I've had similar feelings about my old writing.
Joy -- The woman is an unknown entity to the man in the sense that she is an enigma--not an uncommon reaction for us men sometimes.
Ciara -- The Deja Vu fest is easy in the sense that you are putting up stuff that's already written. Although it did take me a while to decide which one to use.
Lee
I don't think my blog is old enough to really qualify for this. :P
ReplyDeleteI love the sonnet!
ReplyDeleteI destroy so much of my writing, it's not even funny! I love myself as a person, but there's definitely a love-hate relationship with myself as a writer. So it's amazing that any of my writing survives at all.
Dwei -- Deja Vu knows no specific time.
ReplyDeleteRachel-- Nooo! You shouldn't destroy your writing. Like I mentioned in an above comment, if nothing else it provides a peek into who you at the time when you wrote it.
Lee
Powerful poem Lee! Fiction or non-fiction? You are a gifted writer. Will dig around for some old pieces, but would be embarrassed to put it next to your quality work. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteBuck -- Thanks for the flattery. Probably a bit of truth to this as I perceived something at that time in my life--can't say what I was writing about.
ReplyDeleteLee
Well, poop, I missed this! Oh well. Maybe next time. I've been sick a lot lately and haven't gotten my own posts out. I hope next year is better than this year was.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I notice when I reread old stuff is that I was much more free then. Maybe the writing wasn't as good, but I was less constrained in my subject matter. I would write about anything, no matter how dumb or crazy. I always enjoy movies with plotlines like that. Maybe it's time to go back to that. My WIP harkens more toward those days. Perhaps this will be the one that gets a similar someone's attention. The new year is a time for new hopes!