NaPoWriMo Day 10 Prompt:
It’s called “Junk Drawer Song,” and comes to us from the poet Hoa Nguyen.
- First, find a song with which you are familiar – it could be a favorite song of yours, or one that just evokes memories of your past. Listen to the song and take notes as you do, without overthinking it or worrying about your notes making sense.
- Next, rifle through the objects in your junk drawer – or wherever you keep loose odds and ends that don’t have a place otherwise. (Mine contains picture-hanging wire, stamps, rubber bands, and two unfinished wooden spoons I started whittling four years ago after taking a spoon-making class). On a separate page from your song-notes page, write about the objects in the drawer, for as long as you care to.
- Now, bring your two pages of notes together and write a poem that weaves together your ideas and observations from both pages.
I chose the song “Everything I do, I do for you” by Bryan Adams. I’ve italicised the words that I’ve used from the song.
Poem: My treasure of Love
An old kohl- blue not black
The color I abandoned for some reason
For it reminds me of you
Of days when I look into your eyes
–
A handful of lipsticks I’m forbidden to use
The ones dermatologist said had chemicals high
I wish I could say how my lips miss these
The way I wish to say, what you mean to me
–
A pair of sunglasses, brown in shade
The ones I used, to search your heart
For a trace of me,
For a dash of our love
–
I knew you meant it to be over
When you gave me these keys
And this memoir when you tore,
I knew you’ll search no more,
–
There was nothing there to hide
It was written all over your face
Just sing me one last song
There is nothing I want more
–
©Vandana Bhasin
10.04.2021
One of my fav songs…such a junk drawer pieces
Poignant. I love the song. You brought a sad twist to it.