#sixword - Hello Poetry

The Pandemic in Six-Word Memoirs “The world has never felt smaller.” By Larry Smith Mr. Smith is the creator of Six Word Memoirs. Since 2006, I’ve been challenging people to describe their lives in six words, a form I call the six-word memoir — a personal twist on the legendary six-word story attributed to Ernest Hemingway: “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” I’ve found that some of the most memorable six-word stories arise in the extremes — during our toughest and most joyous moments. So over the past several months, I’ve asked adults and children around the country to use the form to make sense of this moment in history: one person, one story, and six words at a time. Not a criminal, but running masked. — Stella Kleinman Every day’s a bad hair day. — Leigh Giza Home ec: rationing butter, bourbon, sanity. — Christine Triano Cinemagraph Can’t smell the campfire on Zoom. — Melanie Abrams Deserted crowded Manhattan, my own island … — Elisa Shevitz Eighth hour of YouTube. Send Help! — Leela Chandra Cinemagraph Messy hair, messy room, messy thoughts. — Lily Herman I regret saying, “I hate school.” — Riana Heffron Read every book in the house. — Francesca Gomez-Novy Cinemagraph Never-ending, but boredom doesn’t faze me. — Lily Gold Required school supplies: screens, screens, screens. — Darshana Chandra Won scrabble; smile breaks through mask. — Abby Ellin Cinemagraph Tuning out parents, under my headphones. — Lukas Smith This is what time looks like. — Sylvia Sichel Bad time for an open marriage. — Rachel Lehmann-Haupt Cinemagraph Sun-kissed lips? Not kissed this year. — Twanna Hines Avoiding death, but certainly not living. — Sydney Reimann Social distancing myself from the fridge. — Maria Leopoldo Cinemagraph Dream of: heat, limbs, crowds, concerts. — Amy Turn Sharp Teacher finding inspiration through uneasy times. — April Goodman Slowly turning into a technological potato. — Jad Ammar Cleaned Lysol container with Lysol wipe. — Alex Wasser Cinemagraph Hallway hike, bathtub swim, Pandora concert. — Susan Evind Numbers rise, but sun does too. — Paloma Lenz Afraid of: snakes, heights, opening schools. — Michelle Wolff The world has never felt smaller. — Maggie Smith Cinemagraph How do you make sense of this moment in history? Share your own six-word memoir in the comments. We’ll feature some of our favorites in a future article.

0

Sep 16, 2020

Sep 16, 2020 at 11:34 AM UTC

poemsbyothers

The Pandemic in Six-Word Memoirs

The Pandemic in Six-Word Memoirs “The world has never felt smaller.” By Larry Smith Mr. Smith is the creator of Six Word Memoirs. Since 2006, I’ve been challenging people to describe their lives in six words, a form I call the six-word memoir — a personal twist on the legendary six-word story attributed to Ernest Hemingway: “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” I’ve found that some of the most memorable six-word stories arise in the extremes — during our toughest and most joyous moments. So over the past several months, I’ve asked adults and children around the country to use the form to make sense of this moment in history: one person, one story, and six words at a time. Not a criminal, but running masked. — Stella Kleinman Every day’s a bad hair day. — Leigh Giza Home ec: rationing butter, bourbon, sanity. — Christine Triano Cinemagraph Can’t smell the campfire on Zoom. — Melanie Abrams Deserted crowded Manhattan, my own island … — Elisa Shevitz Eighth hour of YouTube. Send Help! — Leela Chandra Cinemagraph Messy hair, messy room, messy thoughts. — Lily Herman I regret saying, “I hate school.” — Riana Heffron Read every book in the house. — Francesca Gomez-Novy Cinemagraph Never-ending, but boredom doesn’t faze me. — Lily Gold Required school supplies: screens, screens, screens. — Darshana Chandra Won scrabble; smile breaks through mask. — Abby Ellin Cinemagraph Tuning out parents, under my headphones. — Lukas Smith This is what time looks like. — Sylvia Sichel Bad time for an open marriage. — Rachel Lehmann-Haupt Cinemagraph Sun-kissed lips? Not kissed this year. — Twanna Hines Avoiding death, but certainly not living. — Sydney Reimann Social distancing myself from the fridge. — Maria Leopoldo Cinemagraph Dream of: heat, limbs, crowds, concerts. — Amy Turn Sharp Teacher finding inspiration through uneasy times. — April Goodman Slowly turning into a technological potato. — Jad Ammar Cleaned Lysol container with Lysol wipe. — Alex Wasser Cinemagraph Hallway hike, bathtub swim, Pandora concert. — Susan Evind Numbers rise, but sun does too. — Paloma Lenz Afraid of: snakes, heights, opening schools. — Michelle Wolff The world has never felt smaller. — Maggie Smith Cinemagraph How do you make sense of this moment in history? Share your own six-word memoir in the comments. We’ll feature some of our favorites in a future article.

68

"i was ****** on satin sheets" She was a ******* storm in the bed. The girl who wore nerdy glasses and plaid skirts ****** me rough on the black satin sheets. She was like a dream that night, a dream that I have been thinking about since that exotic lip-wetting chocolaty night. No woman ever had the pleasure of bringing me to my knees, she did, that too from afar. In a world of expensive cars and motor bikes, she was a cycle, preferred by few, like me. She didn’t just grabbed my hair, she grabbed my heart in her little fist. But in the end she managed to do what none could, penetrate the wall separating me and myself.

0

Feb 15, 2018

Feb 15, 2018 at 10:24 AM UTC

anothergirlwithfantasies

******

"i was ****** on satin sheets" She was a ******* storm in the bed. The girl who wore nerdy glasses and plaid skirts ****** me rough on the black satin sheets. She was like a dream that night, a dream that I have been thinking about since that exotic lip-wetting chocolaty night. No woman ever had the pleasure of bringing me to my knees, she did, that too from afar. In a world of expensive cars and motor bikes, she was a cycle, preferred by few, like me. She didn’t just grabbed my hair, she grabbed my heart in her little fist. But in the end she managed to do what none could, penetrate the wall separating me and myself.

32

"there is this mystery about me" I wear two layers of skin to protect myself from the taints of his hand on my curve-less silky skin. The thickness of my skin is not just food it’s a mixture of pain and fear. Fear of being touched forced me to hide the real me and paint myself in dark colours. The fat I wear is not a mistake it’s my choice. When he touched me he told me “don’t tease me by being beautiful” so I decided beautiful isn’t meant for me. I covered myself with a layer of doubt then I wrapped up a layer of dust along with a layer of self doubt and fat. And this all turned me into a chubby undesirable person.

0

Feb 12, 2018

Feb 12, 2018 at 12:38 PM UTC

anothergirlwithfantasies

mystery

"there is this mystery about me" I wear two layers of skin to protect myself from the taints of his hand on my curve-less silky skin. The thickness of my skin is not just food it’s a mixture of pain and fear. Fear of being touched forced me to hide the real me and paint myself in dark colours. The fat I wear is not a mistake it’s my choice. When he touched me he told me “don’t tease me by being beautiful” so I decided beautiful isn’t meant for me. I covered myself with a layer of doubt then I wrapped up a layer of dust along with a layer of self doubt and fat. And this all turned me into a chubby undesirable person.

33

unknown people unknown minds known hearts It was neither the people Nor the small cafe’s In this small town Which made me Feel like Home. One step in this dreamy Place, with hundreds of Trees all around And uncanny spots. The city couldn’t Hold me in her Huge arms, So I stepped back And came here. The regular diners, The same faces everyday, Gossip flowing like wind In autumn, But it felt more and more Like I was meant for it Because the hearts of people In this small town Were still painted red, Not black with a tint of grey, Like city people. It was neither the people Nor the small cafe’s In this small town Which made me Feel like Home.

0

Feb 11, 2018

Feb 11, 2018 at 9:14 AM UTC

anothergirlwithfantasies

small town

unknown people unknown minds known hearts It was neither the people Nor the small cafe’s In this small town Which made me Feel like Home. One step in this dreamy Place, with hundreds of Trees all around And uncanny spots. The city couldn’t Hold me in her Huge arms, So I stepped back And came here. The regular diners, The same faces everyday, Gossip flowing like wind In autumn, But it felt more and more Like I was meant for it Because the hearts of people In this small town Were still painted red, Not black with a tint of grey, Like city people. It was neither the people Nor the small cafe’s In this small town Which made me Feel like Home.

35

Difficult roads; lead to beautiful things.

0

Jun 17, 2015

Jun 17, 2015 at 11:46 PM UTC