In the early March wind

Today is the 100th Anniversary of International Women’s Day!

He knew that he heard it,
A bird’s cry, at daylight or before,
In the early March wind.
Wallace Stevens (second stanza of the poem Not Ideas about the Thing but the Thing Itself)

We had snow last night…not very much but enough to remind me that it’s still winter. The last few weeks of warm temperatures have made me wish for spring. Now the bones of the garden are only present when covered with a light layer of snow.

This morning sitting by the window the garden is quiet except for the tiny birds that fill the dried chrysanthemums stalks and chatter to the doves on the rooftop. Even the puppy is silent watching his bone get lost in the snow and unearthing it again.

Two prompts for Fat Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras Day as it’s called on my calendar.

1. Start a poem or a story with Stevens line, In the early March wind…

2. Or…even though I don’t publish the spam links I receive I guess the spammers think it’s still worth trying…every day that I check my blog comments I wade through lots of spam. Today in honor of their perseverance I thought I’d use some of their words for a free writing exercise.

The words: casino, allergist, free, hippie, search, bright eyes, door, beloved and seeds.

Set the timer for thirty minutes and try to incorporate all the words into a poem, essay or flash fiction piece. If you get stuck keep writing until the timer rings; the goal is to work through the uncomfortable writing block bits and keep going. You might be surprised where free writing leads you. Now get back to work! And feel free to share your free writing or Stevens prompt here.

Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

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