Pat R. from last month’s challenge picked this month’s theme. I know this challenge was difficult! Congratulations to everyone who took part. You stepped up and met the challenge head-on! Bravo to you all!

This month’s theme prompt:

“…In the world’s broad field of battle, In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle! Be a hero in the strife…”

OR

“…Lives of great men all remind us
   We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
   Footprints on the sands of time…”

From:

A Psalm of Life

By American Poet, HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW

What The Heart Of The Young Man Said To The Psalmist

Here is a link to the full poem:
A Psalm of Life by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow | Poetry Foundation

Here are everyone’s links, courtesy of Mr. Linky:

I know many of you thought this was difficult, but it’s all in interpreting Longfellow’s words. This will mean something different to everyone, I’m sure.

For example, Merril D. Smith said, “I did a bit of riffing on Longfellow. “Great men” and his pompous tone just makes me go there.” I loved her interpretation!

Click the link below to read her poem:

Shifted Sands

Great women often forgotten, and their marks tide-shifted till their footprints are erased– still their ghosts whisper murmuring with knowledge we’ve lost, unseen and swept away…

Some of you said that you had difficulty with Found Poetry. Wikipedia shares:

Found poetry is a type of poetry created by taking words, phrases, and sometimes whole passages from other sources and reframing them (a literary equivalent of a collage^[1]) by making changes in spacing and lines, or by adding or deleting text, thus imparting new meaning. The resulting poem can be defined as either treated: changed in a profound and systematic manner; or untreated: virtually unchanged from the order, syntax and meaning of the poem.

The form was popularised by comedian Dave Gorman, who would include a found poem compiled from Internet comments around a topical theme in every episode of his television show Dave Gorman: Modern Life Is Goodish.

Wikipedia.com

Sue Vincent shows how she created her found poetry. Click the link below:

Choices

her poetry prompt. She asks us to create a ‘found poem’ from the following quotes, taken from Longfellow’s A Psalm of Life, chosen by Pat at Haiku (Found poem) dumb, driven cattle great men sublim…

It was tough, picking only one poem to highlight. I went with Sue’s poem! Click the link above to stop by and leave her a comment.

Congratulations, Sue Vincent, it’s your turn to pick the theme for July’s theme prompt challenge. Please Email me your choice at tankatuesdaypoetry@gmail.com a week before next month’s challenge.

See you tomorrow for a new challenge!