Poetry Experiments: "Fractured" Proverbs Poem

Today's session was designed for exploration, and the consensus was that the exercise allowed for fresh thinking, writing in riffs, and a playfulness that may have been absent in our current writing practice or writing trajectory.  Allow yourself to explore proverbs and adages in full or "fractured" forms.

Writing Prompt #1

Can you think of a proverb or adage that is true in your life?  How does each poem treat a proverb?  Try your own approach after reading the two poems. 

Write a poem (or a free write) about a proverb or adage that is true in your life.  Some common proverbs are listed below, but feel free to use any other proverb. (Write for 12 minutes.)

Writing Prompt #2

These poems "fracture" proverbs -- a popular Rita Dove writing exercise -- to new but still truthful effect.  Read them, then try the effect yourself. 

    Proverbs from Purgatory
​    BY LLOYD SCHWARTZ
It was déjà vu all over again.
I know this town like the back of my head.
People who live in glass houses are worth two in the bush.
One hand scratches the other.
A friend in need is worth two in the bush.
A bird in the hand makes waste.
Life isn’t all it’s crapped up to be.
It’s like finding a needle in the eye of the beholder.
It’s like killing one bird with two stones.
My motto in life has always been: Get It Over With.
Two heads are better than none.
A rolling stone deserves another.
All things wait for those who come.
A friend in need deserves another.
I’d trust him as long as I could throw him.
He smokes like a fish.
He’s just a chip off the old tooth.
I’ll have him eating out of my lap.
A friend in need opens a can of worms.
Too many cooks spoil the child.
An ill wind keeps the doctor away.
The wolf at the door keeps the doctor away.
People who live in glass houses keep the doctor away.
A friend in need shouldn’t throw stones.
A friend in need washes the other.
A friend in need keeps the doctor away.
A stitch in time is only skin deep.
A verbal agreement isn’t worth the paper it’s written on.
A cat may look like a king.
Know which side of the bed your butter is on.
Nothing is cut and dried in stone.
You can eat more flies with honey than with vinegar.
Don’t let the cat out of the barn.
Let’s burn that bridge when we get to it.
When you come to a fork in the road, take it.
Don’t cross your chickens before they hatch.
DO NOT READ THIS SIGN.
Throw discretion to the wolves.
After the twig is bent, the barn door is locked.
After the barn door is locked, you can come in out of the rain.
A friend in need locks the barn door.
There’s no fool like a friend in need.
We’ve passed a lot of water since then.
At least we got home in two pieces.
All’s well that ends.
It ain’t over till it’s over.
There’s always one step further down you can go.
It’s a milestone hanging around my neck.
Include me out.
It was déjà vu all over again.
 
    Lloyd Schwartz, "Proverbs from Purgatory" from Cairo Traffic. Copyright © 2000 by Lloyd Schwartz. 
    Source: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/57653/proverbs-from-purgatory

Mix proverbs together or create whole new second halves to these traditional proverbs.  Experiment with repeating the base of the line, or the ending of the line.  Try to make your “fracturing” of the proverbs have an over-arching significance.  Use the proverbs below or any other you remember.  (Write for 10 minutes)