Saturday, April 09, 2011

Tracie Vaughn Zimmer - Fantasy

Fantasy
by
Tracie Vaughn Zimmer

(Tracie says: Inspired to show my students how playful and fun personification could be, I wrote a collection where each of the genres are personified. In fact, the genres aren’t just people but people at the same picnic! I cannot tell you how much fun I’ve had with this project. There’s romance and even an untimely demise. But here’s a bit of romance....)

Fantasy,
the hip nephew
of Imagination,
breezes into the picnic
in a black sleeveless tank top
(revealing the cut of his biceps nicely,
ifyoumustknow)
eyes trail
his striking good looks-
that tousled hair
first scruff of beard
those lips
intended for
lingering late-night kisses. Sigh.

Fantasy pretends
not to notice—
but when Non-fiction nerds
debate in tedious detail
the merit of various sources,
Fantasy excuses himself
to the buffet.
Simultaneously he devours
an obscene number
of appetizers in single bites
and charms the elusive and lovely
Poetry
who throws back her red hair
and giggles at all his remarks
(even the scandalously lame ones).
Poetry and Fantasy
slip out the side gate of the garden
hand in hand
with jealous whispers
rippling in their wake.

©2011 Tracie Vaughn Zimmer. All rights reserved.

I want you to join with me and prod Tracie Vaughn Zimmer to get this collection out into the world. I must see it! I want to know what Poetry and Fantasy do at the lake. I want to know if Poetry can change forms (and if she always has red hair).  Is Fantasy a meter reader? And does Romance rides a white stallion? It's unfair to be left without answers. Publishers, take note!

One of the fun things about this project for me is that many of the poems that appear here either already are from or end up appearing in upcoming books. Tracie's prior poem here, Cousins of Clouds, was the title poem from a book of elephant poems that just debuted less than two months ago. Yay! Now I look forward to Fantasy following in its path... and I'm once again incredibly happy to have Tracie Vaughn Zimmer here (for real - no fantasy!) as part of 30 Poets/30 Days.

Yesterday, Avis Harley gave us a bunch of Clerihews. Tomorrow... Jaime Adoff with Soul Food! For more information on 30 Poets/30 Days and how to follow along, please click here.


4 comments:

tanita✿davis said...

Was Imagination at the picnic? I imagine she was scandalized at Fantasy's abrupt departure...

Okay, yes, this needs to be published. I must know the ending!

jama said...

Brilliant! Must have more!

April Halprin Wayland said...

Greg says: I want to know if Poetry can change forms...Is Fantasy a meter reader?...

and made me crack up!

Wonderful, Tracie!

Julie said...

Well, Poetry is a terrible flirt, so she might bat her eyes at Fantasy, but I'm convinced her true love is Non-fiction (who has lately begun wearing a few sexy t-shirts of his own.)

Fun, Tracie - thanks!