A Poet's Secret. Comical poem 879 by Angela Lansbury.

Angela Lansbury selfie.

 I used to have trouble

To find a picture to fit my words

The same picture would double

Then , again, now that's a third

Now I reverse the system

By starting with the picture

The poem must describe it

That method is a fixture.

Painters like to tell you that

A picture's worth a thousand words

It depends on the picture

And which words you've heard

Sometimes a picture is a slum or litter

I will only fit a picture

Or somebody who's bitter

Of that I am quite sure

I think I'd rather show a portrait

My best picture of me

Because most poems are about me

As anyone can see.

-ends-

At Harrow WRrters' Circle we used to have evenings called write on the night. Sometimes we would all be given a sentence and have to write a short story or poem. O r we would pick three items for a short story or poem, a person  a place, and an object. A random collection.

A third system was for the meeting convenor to bring a series of postcards, some of scenery, others of famous paintings. We would all have a different one, and have to write a poem inspired by the scene. You could write about the season, the place, the people, or a drama.

Please share links to your favourite posts and poems.