Collaborative Poetry Workshop:
The Mondo
March 30th- April 5th
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The mondo, is a Japanese poetry form and comes from the Zen practice of rapid question-answer between master and student. The poetic tradition of the mondo is a collaborative verse written between two poets--with one asking and one answering a question.
The Mondo is:
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Poem Example:How many stars are
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What We Are Doing and How You Can Participate
We are looking for up to 40 poets to partake in this virtual workshop, with the intent on producing collaborative Mondo possibly to be published in a chapbook after the project is done.
Step 1: Write your question verse and email it to us at
[email protected]
Step 2: We send your question verse to another poet who will write the second verse and send you back another poet's question verse for you to respond to.
Step 3: You write an answer verse to the question verse you receive.
Step 4: We all enjoy the results of the collaborative poems.
Workshop Filled. Thanks To Those Who Participated! There are still some more poems being written so check back for more results.
Workshop Progress
We've had a bunch of good completed collaborations emerge so far!
We expect there is some more good work coming!
Below are the results so far.
We expect there is some more good work coming!
Below are the results so far.
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How can birds still sing
in the hush that has become our world? Pandemic. The bird's song just is... The world keeps spinning around The courage to live. ~ Poetess Bethany Camille James & Katherine Gotthardt, M.Ed. |
Do bees love honey...
Do they pollinate with it? Pollinate all the flowers. The way they do it, giving back to all the world. This sweet, vibrant life. ~ Katherine Gotthardt, M.Ed & Poetess Bethany Camille James |
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When the ocean roars
Tossing, turning, revolting What is the message? Under scarless waves Manatees swim untouched by Man's isolation ~ Jamie Ann Colangelo & Megan McDonald |
When time is finite
And walls surround isolate How then can words soar? Words, not bound by time Nor by walls built to contain Soar via sound waves. ~ Megan McDonald & Jamie Ann Colangelo |
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Where will my footsteps
direct me as I wander seeking out a goal? Sometimes skipping can add weightlessness to a line that we must not draw. ~ Sharon Anderon & Annemarie Murzin |
Why did the white owl
roost in the lavender bush at the curve in sidewalk? I find my answer lies not in the question, why, but in the "whoo." ~ Annemarie Murzin & Sharon Anderson |
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I'm afraid Mommy
It's so dark. Where are you? I'm scared too, my love, but simply open your eyes. I'm here, and so is the sun. ~ Laura Lefebure Godler & Mike Croghan |
What will be revealed as
each of us delves into the deep well of solitude? A healing of wounded memory Gulping the oxygen of time ~ Mike Croghan & Laura Lefebure Godler |
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Since I know that some
day I will die, then how should I live my life until then? Fearlessly I stride. With my chest out and head high, I take on the world. ~ Sarah Ritter & John Dutton |
Virtual teaching,
sign of the apocalypse or a passing phase? It's a phase proving people who still crave knowledge will find ways to learn. ~ John Dutton & Sarah Ritter |
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For whom waits
The calm of waters The stillness of pines ? I wait, like the bird, who hovers in the spring breeze over its nesting chicks. ~ Anant Dhavale & Lynette G. Esposito |
How many leaves fall
from the weeping willow tree at the start of fall? And how many Make it to the ground Unscathed ~ Lynette Esposito & Anant Dhavale |
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Who will nurture us
when it's man versus nature, the moon a witness? Few shall nurture Man Naught but humankind itself Or their dearest best friend ~ Mary Langer Thompson & Marc Rosen |
What lies at the core
Of the dreaded global threat Known as humankind? Time to make a choice-- a mix of good and evil-- all our hearts the same. ~ Marc Rosen & Mary Langer Thompson |
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Do the starfish cry
Because they do not shimmer Like the stars above? I seem to recall When stars were incandescent And you swore you could eat them ~ Sharon Dockweiler & Larry Jaffe |
A virus seeks to
survive without longevity we ask why why why Paused we survive with levity we try try try ~ Larry Jaffe & Sharon Dockweiler |
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When I discard fears
amongst trees and Earth’s creatures, what becomes of them? They return to dust float gently on winds of grace silenced at long last. ~ Tara Lamberti & Jim Landwehr |
Where does the time fly
with vapor trails of tick-tock waiting for no one? Up to the ether time achieves transmutation, becoming our dreams. ~ Jim Landwehr & Tara Lamberti |
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What, but, the feeling
Of the weight of the grave Released in warm embrace? My heart holds you safe beyond boundaries of this earthly universe. ~ Timothy Evans & J R Turek |
Why do summer stars
only twinkle for those who wish upon them? A gaze of moon Soothes the forehead With pale springs Of light ~ ~ J R Turek & Timothy Evans |
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Why do their eight legs
cause women to flee in chairs while men find comfort with soles? Imagination stirs women’s sensitive souls to arachnid distraction. ~ Stacy Savage & Alex Edwards-Bourdrez |
Why is the moon shy
when crowds of stars swarm the sky with their delightful laughter? The moon is resting awaiting his chance to bathe and spotlight the newborn earth ~ Alex Edwards-Bourdrez & Stacy Savage |
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How long must the Earth
Seek a sacred time of love While its people spin blindly? To love is to heal Like love, the Earth is patient She awaits divine timing ~ Cristina M. R. Norcross & Jeannie E. Roberts |
When water ripples
Does its eternal whisper Reveal an ancient language? Waves of wisdom flow Water speaks in humming trills Unfurling flowers listen ~ Jeannie E. Roberts & Cristina M. R Norcross |
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Alone and waiting,
which made up place do you go dreaming of escape? In this world, the wise know we are never alone and that there is no escape ~ Iris Levin & Joanna S. Lee |
planted years ago,
why do the white irises first bloom in this fearful spring? To remind you that, life's beauty does continue, in spite of it all. ~ Joanna S. Lee & Iris Levin |
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What window closes
as new leaves expand along the dogwood branches? Those called doubts and fears Flowering Tree your mystique glory Offers rebirth and love ~ Mary Goehring & Janet Wade |
Why is my laughter
Mingled and followed by tears Overshadowed by scares Leaf scars are left At the point of attachment Let go for new growth ~ Janet Wade & Mary Goehring |
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a man i am Sam
from sperm & egg, i am, Stan Sam & Stan, what makes a man? A man is not made he forges himself through flame like a social Frankenstein. ~ Robert Fleming & Ushiku Crisafulli |
Why do some souls scream
while others meekly whisper a muted soliloquy? To lure a lost lover a lover’s call is called on all wavelength waves ~ Ushiku Crisafulli & Robert Fleming |
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Where is the sound of hope
when the world is stunned into open-mouthed silence? Within the fire Warming our hearths Kindled by survival ~ Mindy Kronenberg & Megan Cody |
Stars, with all their twinkling brilliance,
create our heavens. Where does theirs reside? They glint from the dark of antiquity, buoyant worlds shadowed in the past. ~ Megan Cody & Mindy Kronenberg |
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What do you see there
Underneath all those layers Of flesh, skin, and bone? Instinct tells me that somehow love still moves, beats, and breathes ~ Jennifer Criss & Mary C. M. Phillips |
Where are the words that
slipped away gasping like ghosts to be heard? They have disappeared lost forever in the mist like her love for me ~ Mary C. M. Phillips & Jennifer Criss |
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I dream of your soul
How could I sneak into there And host my sorrow? Like a scrap of paper with a phone number written in eye liner--and folded over. ~ Chryssa Velissariou & Kevin Rabas |
How many days
Wasted to the screen, hands at The QWERTY keys? "Wasted" the keyword Let's move step by step, go forth! Try UIOP ~ Kevin Rabas & Chryssa Velissariou |