Saturday, March 3, 2012

Prompt #93 – Blessings & Luck


Luck is defined as a “force that brings good or bad.” In ancient times, the Greeks and Romans worshiped luck through the goddesses Tyche (Greek) and Fortuna (Roman); and in Norse folklore, both the acorn and the oak tree were good luck symbols.

The Consolation of Philosophy, a 6th century work by Boethius, was one of the most extensively studied texts of the Middle Ages. Both King Alfred and Queen Elizabeth I presided over translations of it, and it would be hard to overvalue its significance in medieval thought. The best-known symbol associated with Fortune, the central figure of the Consolation, is the wheel. During the Victorian Era, Pre-Raphaelite painter Edward Burne-Jones created his interpretation in “The Wheel of Fortune” seen above (click on image for larger view); in this painting, a giant wheel turned by Fortune features three figures – a king, a poet, and a slave.

Most cultures have signs and symbols for good luck; for example, “Fu” is the Chinese symbol for luck and is often worn or displayed (Fu Symbol). The elephant god Ganesha is the Hindu god of luck, and Feng Shui practitioners believe that elephant figurines with their trunks up in a home will bring good fortune and strength. Other traditional good luck symbols include such “charms” as rabbits’ feet (not so lucky for the rabbits), horseshoes, and four-leaf clovers. In addition, some days are considered lucky while Friday the Thirteenth is feared as a day of possible misfortune.

Interestingly, there is good luck and there is bad luck, but a blessing is always good. A blessing is a gift, often undeserved or unasked for – something hoped for, associated with love and with God, and not defined by trivial things. You can have good luck in a casino, but a blessing is more than good luck; and, while luck is random, blessings are more personal.
This week’s poem (yes, you guessed it) will be about blessings or luck. You may use an anecdotal format, write a prose poem, or experiment with any form that appeals to you. Your tone may range from seriously theological to insanely silly.
Starter Questions:
1. Has there been a time in your life when you were the recipient of especially good luck? What’s the best “luck” you’ve ever had? What’s the worst?

2. When have you felt especially blessed? Has your prayer for something or for someone been blessed with the outcome for which you prayed?

3. How do you feel about “lucky charms?” Do you have a particular “lucky charm?”

4. Have you ever won big in a casino or in another “game of chance” venue? What’s your wheel of fortune?

5. Have you ever had your fortune told?

6. What does this quote mean to you: “Being deeply learned and skilled, being well trained and using well spoken words; this is good luck” (Hindu Prince Gautama Siddharta, the founder of Buddhism, 563-483 B.C.)?

7. How might you use a “throw of the dice” as a metaphor or extended metaphor in a poem?

8. How might you reflect upon and write about blessings using these words of Charles Dickens for inspiration: “Reflect upon your present blessings of which every man has many – not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.

Example Poems:


13 comments:

  1. Another great prompt - always something profound to think and write about. (I love the Burne-Jones painting - I'm a Pre-Raphaelite fan!)

    Thanks, Adele!

    Jamie

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    1. Thanks, Jamie - I really enjoy writing the prompts and working on the blog.

      I'm a Pre-Raphaelite fan too - one of Rossetti's paintings is on the cover of my newest book! Have you read Gay Daly's PRE-RAPHAELITES IN LOVE - it's a fantastic, comprehensive study based in large measure on primary sources (letters and journals).

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    2. Do you know there is a special papal blessing called "Urbi et Orbi", ( to the City of Rome and to the World),?
      Another beautiful title for a poem or for a book!

      The indulgence and remission of venial sins is not only granted to the people in St. Peter's Square but also to Catholics watching the ceremony on television and listening on radio.
      A lot of info , I think useful also for poems, on
      http://www.freecatholicebooks.com/books/indulgences.pdf
      " The Enchiridion of Indulgence". ( Very odd, indeed)

      I was born close to the Vatican City and myjob is now 200 meters from St. Peters, so...
      Good luck!

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    3. Hi Jago!

      I didn't know about the Papal blessing - yes, you're right, another beautiful title! I looked up "Urbi et Orbi" and found a beautiful video on YouTube that you might enjoy:

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gG00xblHVCw

      Thanks for the link - I'll have a look this evening.

      I LOVE Rome - the Eternal City! I was there several years ago and would go back in a minute. You're blessed to live there and to work so close to St. Peter's.

      Thanks again for your comments!

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  2. Hi Adele,
    Thank you for the wonderful prompt, still thinking it through really. i did decide to go ahead and post this first draft. The beginning became very focused on the painting while the ending drifted off into sentimentality. Yes, I am revising in my head as I type. :-) The first stanza might end up just standing alone; I was stopping there originally and felt it needed more. Anyway, here it is; let me know what you think.

    Trusting the Wheel

    I have decided against the
    policy of casting lots with life,
    a result of maturity I suppose.
    I now prefer a plan rather than
    trust to the wheel of fortune,
    it being an uncaring device --
    its mistress often a fickle bitch,
    uncaring as to whether she crushes
    slave or king beneath her toy,
    only amused by the poet,
    unconcerned as to his fate.

    I shall avoid the fortune tellers,
    charlatans at best, seeking nothing
    more than their own fortune --
    palm readers of worth would only
    turn me away when faced with the
    motley collection of the lines of my life.

    No, I shall not trust to chance,
    throwing the bones or reading cards.
    Rather, I will hug my kids each night,
    kiss my wife every morning and do the
    best I can while giving thanks for these
    incredible blessings.

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    1. Thank you for the input, i like that direction. Love feedback, thanks again.

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  3. Thanks so much for sharing your first draft, Mark! A wonderful start for your poem!

    I agree that the first stanza might stand alone or perhaps in stichic format (one unbroken stanza) with some omissions in the middle and the last stanza included (great thought at the end). I always look for the poem within the poem when it comes to early drafts of my own work. Something like this with whatever revisions you might make:

    Trusting the Wheel

    I have decided against the
    policy of casting lots with life,
    a result of maturity I suppose.
    I now prefer a plan rather than
    trust to the wheel of fortune.
    No, I shall not trust to chance,
    throwing the bones or reading cards.
    Rather, I will hug my kids each night,
    kiss my wife every morning and do the
    best I can while giving thanks for these
    incredible blessings.

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    Replies
    1. Nice, Mark! I agree with Adele about the middle section and the strength of the poem without those lines.

      Thanks for sharing with us!

      Jamie

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  4. A very thoughtful prompt as usual with such valuable examples to guide us. And a wonderful poem from Mark reflecting the blessings that surround us, blessings we too often take for granted until, like little fish in a little pond, the water evaporates.

    In posting some of my poems here, your prompts do make me look at them in different ways, sometimes suggesting changes. Here's an old one about courting luck, trying to will good luck into existence:

    Lotto Life

    I could already be
    A millionaire.

    Somebody’s gotta win.

    Had a funny feelin’
    My ticket was a winner
    When the Pakistani clerk
    Said “Good luck!” and with a jerk
    Slapped the change into my palm,
    The change
    Into my palm,
    Where I have yet to find
    My luck line,
    Where lines are so faint and fractured
    Even gypsies cannot tell.

    What the hell,
    Somebody’s gotta win.

    I could already be
    A millionaire.

    Feel it in my bones.

    Gonna check my lucky numbers,
    Check ‘em real careful.

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    1. Thanks, Russ for sharing another of your poems with us! I think it's great that you post so faithfully each week -- something for us (blog readers) to look forward to!

      Jamie

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  5. Thanks so much, Russ, for your kind words; and, again, I'm so glad the prompts resonate for you and with the poems in your "archives." I can feel the hopeful anticipation in this one.

    Thanks again for posting and sharing with us.

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  6. Another great prompt and sample poems! Thanks, Adele, and thanks Mark & Russ for posting your poems. Keep 'em coming!

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    1. Yes, please keep the poems coming! It's inspiring!

      Jamie

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