Poetry maven and Writer Extraordinaire Tanita Davis shared the Poetry Peeps’ March challenge here. The mission? Knit together an Ovillejo:
Here’s the scoop: we’re writing tight little bundles of poetry called Ovillejos! That’s exactly what the word means – a bundle of yarn. This Spanish form bundles together ten lines, made up of 3 rhyming couplets interspersed with three verrrry short lines, and a quatrain. The last line is a “redondilla,” a “little round” that collects all three of the short lines and casts off the poem, as it were.
I wrote my ovillejo about a concert we — Atticus, me, Ramona, her boyfriend — went to last weekend. My Christmas gift to Atticus was tickets for Bob Dylan’s Rough and Rowdy Ways tour. We'd never seen him live before, but know this: the man is determined not to be photographed or recorded. (A few years ago he blew up at an audience over their phone use and asked if they wanted him to play or to pose. The subject of phones in public spaces is a big one and I have so many thoughts but that’s a post for another time.) Phones were locked up in Yondr pouches as soon as we entered the venue. Low lighting, a permanent perch behind his keyboard, and a hoodie pulled far down over his head (practically over his face) helped Bob keep his distance from us.
The night before the concert I had the funniest dream: we arrived at the theater and almost no one was there. Bob looked over all the empty seats, sighed, sat down a couple of rows ahead of us, and pouted. I woke up wondering what had prompted that, but maybe it was a premonition? Because, while in real life the theater was full, Bob did seem a tad pouty. Microphone malfunctions didn’t help. Dylan kept picking the mic up and plopping it down in different positions, prompting reverberative booms every time. (Is the mic person still employed? I have my doubts.) Despite Bob’s aloof performance, we had a good time, and I think Ramona and her boyfriend did too. As we talked about him the next day, I said, “Dylan’s such a … character? Distinct ... personality?” and Ramona said, “Weirdo?” He is, indeed, all the things, daughter.
Yes, it’s all true. I have a love/hate relationship with that weirdo-genius-pouty-bratty-talented-rebellious-creative-Nobel-prize-winner who likes his hoodies more than he likes us.
But hey, now that I ponder it, I think the best Dylan concert I’ve ever been to was a couple of years ago in our living room. Ramona taught herself three songs (“It Ain’t Me, Babe,” “The Times They Are a-Changing,” and “Don’t Think Twice”) on the guitar she inherited from my father, then she played and sang them for Atticus on his birthday. And she didn’t even wear a hoodie or turn off the lights! What an un-aloof performer!
And that, ladies and gentlemen, leads us to my Ovillejo, which actually came to me surprisingly quickly.
Ovillejo for a Temperamental Legend
Who is a legend named Dylan?
Bob. Thrillin’!
Who saw him sing on Saturday?
Us. Yay!
He is known for a stunning show?
(Well, um, no.)
He doesn’t like his face to show.
Sloppy hoodie hides his features.
(Fans are such annoying creatures.)
Bob! Thrillin’ us? (Well, um, both “yea" and no.)
35 comments:
Karen, that's great! The poem really captures your experience and the performer's, er, reticence. I laughed at the line about the mic guy, though I'm sure it was frustrating for Mr. D.
Thanks, Susan! I’m sure the mic situation was awful for everyone! I know we, the audience, jumped every time it screeched at us. :)
Karen, I have been trying to figure out the new poem format without luck. You made your poem fit the format with questions in the beginning. Going to a Bob Dylan concert would be a great way to bring back Dylan's musical past. Thanks for sharing your creativity.
Karen, so fun! Love the title of your ovillejo. I guess I didn't even know he was a temperamental musician. I've learned some things here. Glad you all enjoyed the show.
My husband and I saw Dylan years ago when he was just changing his style, at least that's what his reviews said, and panned! He was actually similar to what you've described with such aplomb, Karen. I love your opening and description, and considering what he was possibly paid, he does seem a bit haughty. That dream, hilarious, goes with the mic sighs. I love your own Ramona's concert. What fun! I tried the Ovillejo and enjoyed yours, just perfect! It was a challenge!
Karen, fascinating story about Bob Dylan’s performance. Thank you for sharing! I love that your best Bob Dylan concert was performed by Ramona in your living room! Thanks for sharing a great example of this form. I hadn’t seen it before, so I appreciate your explanation as well.
Carol, when I first read Tanita's explanation of an ovillejo, my head spun, lol! I reread the workings of it a few times before it sunk in (and I still never know if I'm really pulling off a new form!) :) I wish Dylan would include his musical past more in his concerts — he only did one of my favorite oldies ("Don't Think Twice") and it barely sounded like the original song, but as my daughter and I said, "At least he played it." :)
Denise, thanks! I bet if you googled "Bob Dylan" and "temperamental" you'd get a lot of hits, lol!
Thanks so much, Linda! I'm not surprised to hear that you had the same experience. I hadn't thought much about it when I bought the tickets — I was thinking only that Atticus has been a fan for a long time and that (since Dylan's almost 85 years old) this was probably our last chance. But after the concert I read that some fans even walk out of his shows, especially since he started openly hiding, so to speak. :) I'm off to read your ovillejo!
Tracey, thank you! I found the form intimidating when I first read about it at Tanita's blog last month, but our Dylan weekend helped me "knit it together." :D
What a great story and poem that followed! I love the movie about Dylan that came out recently, A COMPLETE UNKNOWN with Timothy Chalemet. Excellent movie. You nailed it on the form it was the perfect expression for your story. Helpful to see a good example of this form.
Enjoyed your take on the Dylan concert and the clever poem that summed up the experience. Yes, he can be very temperamental. In recent years he seems addicted to his hoodie (chalk it up to age). BUT. I've seen him perform live 3 times; each time was different. First time, he wore a wonderful black polka dot shirt (I love dots!), and didn't acknowledge the audience at all. Second time, he was too far away for me to take note of his mood. But the third time (in NYC), I was seated in the 3rd row and in direct line with his organ. Get this: he even SMILED at one point. Granted, it looked like a Herculean effort, but it was a smile nevertheless. Could be because he was enamored of his band uniform attire (complete with hat). And, miracle of miracles, we could actually understand the words he was singing. A good night for him all around.
Oh, this is SO good! I love that your poem flowed right out of your experience! I kind of have a love/hate relationship with performing, too - so I feel both empathy and amusement at the mumbling, hoodie-pulled forward grumpiness... though since I'm not famous - and my mother might literally mount the stage and ask in That Certain Tone, "Why did we pay for voice lessons???" - I know better than to try and get away with that!!
Karen, I finally Unravelled my Ovillejo. If you have time, I hope you can read it and tell me what you think. Thanks.
*Jama, I LOVE those stories! That's so fun. What a wonderful variety of experiences with this living legend. I was mostly being cheeky, but I can appreciate how the strains of fame would affect anyone, and artists are often (and sometimes even entitled to be) temperamental. I love the smile (and word-understanding) story. :) Thanks for sharing all that!!
* Tanita, yes, underneath my snarky blog post, I can also sympathize with an artist's feelings (And his thoughts about cell phones. I didn't miss my phone one bit.) And, hey, the man is 85 and grumpiness probably increases with each passing year. ;) I love the picture of your mother mounting the stage to castigate you, lol!
* Carol, I will head over there now!
"Well, um, no" -- LOL. I saw Bob Dylan years ago and yes, it was a similar vibe. I decided to stick with the genius of his songwriting in the end. (Tangentially, did you see A Complete Unknown? I LOVED how concretely it tried to depict the invisible process...) Your poem is just right -- thanks so much for playing along with this one. It was tricky!
Cathy, thanks so much and yes, I loved the movie too!
Liz, a huge yes to the genius of his songwriting. He considers himself a poet first and foremost, and it’s so true. :) Yes, I loved A Complete Unknown in that way (and in so many ways.) Not only did Chalamet pull off Dylan, but Edward Norton was so quintessentially Pete Seeger. So good.
What a character! You captured the memory perfectly in your poem.
How fun that your poem flowed right out of your recent experience! I love that you didn't let the rules hold you back...and therefore you got a better poem out of it!!!
Thanks, Marcie!
Mary Lee, uh-oh, did I break the rules? I thought I was actually following them this time, lol!
Sheesh -- you just gotta wonder why he bothers performing... Nice job on your ode to Mr. Temperamental though ;)
I love the sense of humor in your poem. I’m not a huge Dylan fan, but my husband is. I can imagine this post clearly. Thanks.
What a great poem that sums up your experience beautifully, Karen! Thanks for sharing all the goodness.
Ha! You are such a breath of fresh air, Karen - loved this post and poem about an enigmatic icon. Your family knows how to bring the party anyway.
* Patricia, one does wonder if he isn’t finally close to retirement? :D
* Thanks, Margaret! If your husband goes to a concert, you can be sure he won’t come with any pictures of Bob on his phone. :)
* Thanks so much, Rose!
* Robyn, that’ so sweet, thanks!
Karen, I love everything about this... I thinks it's fab that Bob is so... um... aloof... and difficult... and un-bending to the ways of this modern world (I have issues with phone usage!). Thanks for sharing your world and your wonderful poetry.
How fun! You captured a personal experience and wrote a fun poem from it! Great job! As I said a few weeks ago, you are on a roll. I never listened to much Dylan. Maybe I should - I'm well familiar with hoodies, though, as my son is always wearing his! lol
Alice, thank you! He is certainly his own person and has always asserted his personality and beliefs. :) Over dinner with our daughters and their significant others that night, we had interesting conversations about phone usage in our society. They're such a distraction/sometimes a liability (though I do love the fact that if someone is stranded somewhere, they have a way to get in touch. The safety factor is my favorite thing about a cell!) We also talked about the “What if…?” factors. What if one had a babysitter and an emergency arose at home — how would the sitter get in touch with the parents, whose cell is locked in a pouch? Then I remembered (🙂) that there are old-fashioned ways, like calling the theater. (I remember the days of making sure a sitter had the FULL INFORMATION about where we’d be, how they could reach us at a restaurant, etc., instead of just sharing a cell phone number, lol.) I knew you’d land on Bob’s side with all of that! :) xo Thanks for coming by!
Thank you, Carol! I’m working on that 2026 word of mine … Engage! :D ❤️
Thanks for introducing me to the form of the Ovillejo. I think it is a form that students would have fun with. Your post about Bob Dylan took me back to the late 70s early 80s when my husband who was on the faculty at CFNI met Bob and over the next couple years they shared times together. Those were the years when Bob released three distinctly Christian albums: "Slow Train Coming" (1979), "Saved"(1980), and "Shot of Love" (1981) Then we moved to Oregon and they have not kept in touch.
Enjoyed your poem, Karen!
“Don’t think twice” is probably my favorite Dylan song, and now I’m curious about what it sounded like!
I think it would be nice if he gave himself permission not to tour if he doesn’t like it. Maybe he does like it in some kind of not-apparent way?
Love that your poem came out of your concert experience (and that the best Dylan concert you've been to was in your living room!) You've certain captured Dylan's "character" in your poem.
Great back story and yay you got a poem from it too, I like your, "(Well, um, no.)"
Sounds like a good week-end all in all, thanks Karen!
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