October, 2006. The gauntlet had been thrown, and Charla and
I prepared for the mental gymnastics that were soon to follow. Two poets enter.
. . well, two poets leave. As far as I know, no one’s brain has ever exploded
from Charlapalooza. But only one poet will be victorious, their reward the
knowledge that they have mastered the art of pulling a poem out of their ass.
It didn’t matter that my highest level of poetic training was high school AP
English, or that I had never willingly written a poem in my life. What mattered
was the blood-thirsty fans that threw the most ridiculous topics at us, yet not
once did I cry uncle– not even when the topic of BANANA HAMMOCKS was suggested.
What mattered was the mostly foolish but occasionally beautiful poetry that otherwise would have never existed. What mattered was how much fun it was to spar with such a worthy opponent (let’s face it, I was outmatched). I will always remember my Charlapalooza with fondness, a day that my work production came to a grinding halt, but the creative juices flowed like. . . uh. . .well, they flowed.
What mattered was the mostly foolish but occasionally beautiful poetry that otherwise would have never existed. What mattered was how much fun it was to spar with such a worthy opponent (let’s face it, I was outmatched). I will always remember my Charlapalooza with fondness, a day that my work production came to a grinding halt, but the creative juices flowed like. . . uh. . .well, they flowed.
And now, a snippet of my last surviving poem from
Charlapalooza. The topic was: Sunday Drive.
Too strong to resist, despite “No Entrance!”
Especially this night, a full-moon Yule.
Small waves lap the sun-bleached remnants of trees–
Bones of giants aglow in Artemis’ rays.
From the shore, the sea calls me closer still.
Deep into Poseidon’s depths I must dive–
A turmoil of bubbles; I’m in his realm
Flying as sure as any bird in the sky.
Schools of fish perform intricate ballets;
Beyond the shelf’s edge, secrets of the abyss…
Always I seek; let the road never end.
READ MORE ON CHARLAPALOOZA:
Mind Key on Charlapalooza
Charla's blog on Charlapalooza
by Charla Dury
Charla's musings: The origins of Charlapalooza and what it means to me
by Charla Dury
Charlapalooza Memories
by Rebecca Godina
How Charlapalooza Rocked my world
by Danielle Rose
Meet Charla: Charla Dury's Mind Key Introduction
by Danielle Rose
Link to Charlapalooza:
https://fs22.formsite.com/mindkey/form1/index.html
READ MORE ON CHARLAPALOOZA:
Mind Key on Charlapalooza
Charla's blog on Charlapalooza
by Charla Dury
Charla's musings: The origins of Charlapalooza and what it means to me
by Charla Dury
Charlapalooza Memories
by Rebecca Godina
How Charlapalooza Rocked my world
by Danielle Rose
Meet Charla: Charla Dury's Mind Key Introduction
by Danielle Rose
Link to Charlapalooza:
https://fs22.formsite.com/mindkey/form1/index.html
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