Calisthenics, Week 1

Katrina

Gnarled hand black as the waterlogged roots.
Grabs Rooftops with sulfer tinged nails;

and water

lined face revealing a life time of works
grabs roof with one hand deep in the belly;

of water

Gnarled hand constantly screams for attention
tendons clicking away deep in the belly;

is water

Always hungry, screams, "his son!', "a doctor!"

just water


I admire the clarity and concise nature of the writing that came from calisthenics this week. I am a writer of prose generally narrative in nature. My students cringe when it comes time for notes at the end of a rehearsal, and if you read the writing I did on play analysis you will understand my problem. I do not consider myself a poet, although I hope to learn to write and understand poetry in a more profound way. i guess if there is anything I really hope to garner from these exercises it is the power of the single word. My Hero Sandford Meisner, lost his ability to speak in his late life and had to regain it by belching.

"Acting is the Ability to behave truthfully under the given imaginary circumstances."

This is a concise thought. I could lecture for hours on all of the meaning within.
Sandy spent years refining it.

"In all things, be specific", Sandford Meisner. another extreme concise instruction that means so much to the young actor who understands it.

"Acting is meaningful doing, not talking about" and "An ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words" these are the kinds of concise thoughts I hope writing poetry will help me create for my students.