Day 28 & Thursday Doors poem

Because it’s Thursday, because my friend asks me what doors mean to me, and because we are to shape up our poem today – the shape can be only one.

Prompt 28: “Write a concrete poem. In brief, a concrete poem is one in which the lines are shaped in a way that mimics the topic of the poem.“

I have a good memory from a concrete poem on a Thursday. Once before I wrote a door poem and it got me featured the next day. Today my poem – which was a pain to format but you know this – is an answer to Lyona’s question which went thus:

query : are doors… a fetish? an obsession? a literal love? a symbolic icon for you? or… all?!

My door love

What are
doors for you,
she asks. She who is
so quick and generous
with her warmth and cheer.
Who is building people up
expecting nothing in return.
Just as doors are building up
buildings giving them sense.

What are doors for me? A
constant, a structure-pro-
viding certainty, a pacifier.
Beats smoking. But also a
point of contact. What a
house wants me to see
first. Okay, windows too

but they are more for
show.

There is also their purely
aesthetic component.
Grand beauty. The wow
factor. Door as a history
marker. As a silent witness.
Observer of this zoo passing.

Then
there
is door
as PRO
TEC
TOR.

Over
my dead
planks.

Thou
shall
not.

Leave
all
hope.

In this way as
I pass, one
street turns
into a gallery
and a doors
concert. They
sing all at once.
Some sing with
their silence.

And I’m a fan.

---

And now the poem as originally envisaged.

The photo above is from Massa Marittima, a lesser known but brilliant town in Tuscany. Below are some more scenes from various door-filled streets of Italy and one from the capital of Slovenia, which made my camera and soul sigh.

The gallery ends with another photo from Massa Marittima taken by Norm Frampton, our previous Thursday Doors host and originator, when he was here with his Honey in 2018. Those were the days. Don’t forget: Doors take you places.

Also don’t forget that on Sunday our current host Dan is starting his second Thursday Doors Writing Challenge. Here you can view all the doors gathered as an inspiration. I already know which I will use.

And tonight I’ll wake up at 4 a.m. to see if Luka and the Dallas Mavericks can eliminate the Utah Jazz. Luka has never won in Salt Lake City in his four seasons. Everything must come first.

Massa Marittima was a big surprise.

Even though my old Ljubljana is not bad either.

But Rome probably wins. The Appian Way is just one road among thousands.

Monticiano from my pre-Thursday Doors days but I already knew what I liked.

Sometimes it feels as if I called it and stated my preference before my arrival. Saline di Tarquinia.

Farnese has two sides: the dark…

…and the sunny side of Farnese.

But what to do since every single street in Italy has interesting doors? This is Caldana.

Sovana is only one street but mighty pretty.

The door queen of Vitorchiano.

Some towns got a single visit, for now. Gavorrano.

Some towns are a must-see. Yes, this is Siena.

One more from Siena. Imagine how many such posters I could make…

Tatti is another door paradise.

Torre Alfina has a castle on top.

Pitigliano is another urgent one.

With the last visitors from far away – Crystal and Pedro from Oregon – in Pitigliano last September.

Happiest among doors. Photo: Norman Frampton in Massa Marittima.

For Thursday Doors challenge hosted by Dan at No Facilities

The last day in my NaPoWriMo history

2018: April 2017 postcards

“Dog! You have abandoned your owner again.” When the street writes poetry and adorns it with yuccas, the only thing left for you to do is turn it into prose.

(Read and see other postcards.)

2019: Dis connect

I was supposed to watch 18 minutes
of four poets  
talking Emily
 
and then write my own
meta poem.  
A poem on a poem.

Meta is my mother’s name.
I learned Meta  
at the source.

Read on.

2020: Green room

...and in the middle of it
little Manja
growing up into a secret,
cleaning her room the only way she can,
by making it interesting,
turning it into a game:
first all the mess is gathered
in the middle of the room,
then it is divided into little heaps
according to drawers and shelves
where it is due to end up,
and finally it is put there.
In alphabetical order. 

Read all.

2021: Real questions

How cold will it be tomorrow
if they say it will be twice as cold
and today it’s the freezing point, 
0 degrees Celsius?

More importantly, 
when I sense a loss is coming
in my card game, 
does this mean that I will lose 
no matter what I do, 
or is it to spur me on 
to do something extravagant 
and still win?

And why does this remind me so 
of the future of humanity? 

Read all.

This day in my blogging history

• 2014: Mammmmma!

• 

  2014: Sono tanto felice.

• 

  2015: Cars for Cee

• 2015: There comes a point in your life when you need to stop reading other people’s books and write your own. —Albert Einstein

• 

  2016: Vatican – abstract feet do not hurt

• 

  2016: Whatever you do, do not jump.