Golden Hinge
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Inspiration: In her article ‘On Not Writing, and Letting Wildness Be Your Guide’, Leila Chatti discusses the different ways of writing poetry. She says, “Forms born from wildness, like dreams, create a space that is both totally free and totally limited. The disorder required greater and greater order. When the brace of the Golden Shovel left too much flexibility, I added another, creating the golden hinge: a form in which a borrowed line can be read horizontally as the first line as well as vertically down the left spine" (the first words of each line).
Process: 1. Find a line from another poet that you want to base your poem on (this is the Golden Shovel line). 2. Use that line as the first line of the poem and ALSO as the first word for each following line.
The Call Like the screech of a rusty hinge, the grackle calls from its hidden bower— scrrreeeeeeeeeech—it is the sound of long ago, and summer, and childhood, a sound I never knew I loved, ‘til now: rusty screen door at Grandma’s, opening on its hinge-Fran “Like the screech of a rusty hinge” is from “Nine Little Goblins” by James Whitcomb Riley.
Sadness has moved in. Might I evict it, like a bad mood, I would. Be-lieve me, I would. Sadness slows the soul. Many days, Joy sidles in, but there is not enough room to remain.. Things may coax a smile, but sadness hides behind it. Sadness is quiet. It knows that Sorrow is lurking around the corner, ready to jump in. Rarely is Sadness wrong, for life is full of sorrow. It would be stupid to pretend it is not. But oh, how I wish I could…-Gayle Sadness might be many things, but it is rarely stupid.”― Allen Levi Theo of Golden
Water, water every where nor any drop to drink Water sloshed out of the deep well Every which way and every which Where, and though I’m not an ancient mariner Nor did I shoot, maim, or otherwise kill Any albatrosses, I’ve seemed to Drop below sea level as my sump pump has chosen To quit and flood my finished basement with the Drink. -Scott
Forgive Me, e.e. you open always petal by petal myself as Spring opens (touching skilfully,mysteriously)her first rose you and I came to be when we were open to new ideaspeopleexperiences, always together like a petal and sepal, by that I mean two parts of a whole- a petal needs a sepal (I didn’t yet know myself, but I bloomed as we bloomed) in Spring Summer Fall Winter, a heart opens (touching another skillfully,mysteriously) deliciously her heart becomes his, his becomes hers first love is a thornless rose of happiness-Mo Daley
Put a silencing finger to the lips– a demand from those around you who are silencing your voice. Instead you give them the finger–one gesture to another, a necessary act. The finger does the talking when lips are silenced. -Jennifer Guyor Jowett *”put a silencing finger to the lips” is from Shane Koyczan’s A Letter to Remind Myself Who I Am.
Golden Hinge
jjowett
Created on April 20, 2026
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Transcript
Golden Hinge
Start
Inspiration: In her article ‘On Not Writing, and Letting Wildness Be Your Guide’, Leila Chatti discusses the different ways of writing poetry. She says, “Forms born from wildness, like dreams, create a space that is both totally free and totally limited. The disorder required greater and greater order. When the brace of the Golden Shovel left too much flexibility, I added another, creating the golden hinge: a form in which a borrowed line can be read horizontally as the first line as well as vertically down the left spine" (the first words of each line).
Process: 1. Find a line from another poet that you want to base your poem on (this is the Golden Shovel line). 2. Use that line as the first line of the poem and ALSO as the first word for each following line.
The Call Like the screech of a rusty hinge, the grackle calls from its hidden bower— scrrreeeeeeeeeech—it is the sound of long ago, and summer, and childhood, a sound I never knew I loved, ‘til now: rusty screen door at Grandma’s, opening on its hinge-Fran “Like the screech of a rusty hinge” is from “Nine Little Goblins” by James Whitcomb Riley.
Sadness has moved in. Might I evict it, like a bad mood, I would. Be-lieve me, I would. Sadness slows the soul. Many days, Joy sidles in, but there is not enough room to remain.. Things may coax a smile, but sadness hides behind it. Sadness is quiet. It knows that Sorrow is lurking around the corner, ready to jump in. Rarely is Sadness wrong, for life is full of sorrow. It would be stupid to pretend it is not. But oh, how I wish I could…-Gayle Sadness might be many things, but it is rarely stupid.”― Allen Levi Theo of Golden
Water, water every where nor any drop to drink Water sloshed out of the deep well Every which way and every which Where, and though I’m not an ancient mariner Nor did I shoot, maim, or otherwise kill Any albatrosses, I’ve seemed to Drop below sea level as my sump pump has chosen To quit and flood my finished basement with the Drink. -Scott
Forgive Me, e.e. you open always petal by petal myself as Spring opens (touching skilfully,mysteriously)her first rose you and I came to be when we were open to new ideaspeopleexperiences, always together like a petal and sepal, by that I mean two parts of a whole- a petal needs a sepal (I didn’t yet know myself, but I bloomed as we bloomed) in Spring Summer Fall Winter, a heart opens (touching another skillfully,mysteriously) deliciously her heart becomes his, his becomes hers first love is a thornless rose of happiness-Mo Daley
Put a silencing finger to the lips– a demand from those around you who are silencing your voice. Instead you give them the finger–one gesture to another, a necessary act. The finger does the talking when lips are silenced. -Jennifer Guyor Jowett *”put a silencing finger to the lips” is from Shane Koyczan’s A Letter to Remind Myself Who I Am.