SHARE: Collaborative Poem  (This poem will go unnamed until the end, when I’ll ask contributors and readers to suggest the perfect name.)

The Poem—so far (each stanza written by a different poet.)

In the space between the words
I write are all the words
I couldn’t write.

They are words of inner space,
carrying all its power.

(This poem will grow, hopefully, every day.) If you want to be part of the process, please say so in a comment. Here is The Prompt, from Poets & Writers posted 12.16.14:

As the weather turns colder and the days grow shorter in more northern climes, it may be a nice time to gather some friends and write together. This week, try writing a renga, or “linked poem.”

The first poet (Laura from purpletoothedgrin) begins by writing a stanza that is three lines long and contains seventeen syllables.

The next poet (Judy from grieflessons.wordpress.com) adds the second stanza, a couplet with seven syllables per line.

The third stanza (hopefully, John Flanaghan) repeats the structure of the first,

and the fourth mimics the second,

and so on, until the poem comes to an end.

To make sure the poem has a narrative arc, each poet writes his or her new stanza by referring to the stanza immediately preceding it.

Laura from purpletoothedgrin has consented to be the first person to answer this prompt.  Laura, I’d like to ask you to begin the poem and send it to me as a comment on this blog posting. I will then add the next stanza and print them both below, in the body of the blog. If you send me the blog address or email (if they don’t have a blog) of the person you’d like to invite to write the segment after mine, I’ll send an invitation to them along with instructions asking them to add theirs as a comment as well and to send a link to this page to the next person they would like to invite to contribute. As I receive the new stanzas, I’ll add them to the poem below to simplify the reading for each new person.  If I don’t hear from a new person  within 2 days, I will invite someone else to continue the poem.  Hopefully, it will be obvious when the poem has come to an end.  I hope everyone enjoys this process. A nice way to start the New Year!  Thanks, Judy