Thursday, December 16, 2010

What is a Poesy Book?



po·e·sy

  
–noun,plural-sies.
1.
the work or the art of poetic composition.
2.
Archaic.
a.
poetry in general.
b.
verse or poetry in metrical form.
3.
Obsolete.
a.
a poem or verse used as a motto. Compare posy (def. 2).
b.
a poem.


po·sy

  
–noun,plural-sies.
1.
a flower, nosegay, or bouquet.
2.
Archaica brief motto or the like, as one inscribed within a ring.



When I was a young child growing up in Germany, all us girls had a Erinnerungs Album (I think that's what it was called) or Remembrance Journal. I call it a Poesy Book or a Memory Journal. I forgot the actual name of it, but my German blogging friends probably know what I'm talking about. It was a square journal with a nice, thick, cushy cover (some with locks) and good quality (heavy stock) white (blank) paper pages for drawing and writing poetry, rymes or mottos dedicated to the owner of the journal. The idea was to write an expression, idea or motto, usually in the form of a poem or rhyme, that represents the relationship of the two people (writer and writee) or some sort of morsel of wisdom for life's journeys. Each person is alloted one or two pages, but if two pages were used, they had to be facing each other and most of the space would be occupied by drawings and stickers. Each entry is always embellished with drawings or stickers - lots and lots of stickers! Especially for the girls, the more the better! Stickers were usually of the Victorian era, generally flowers, children, kitties or bouquets (posies) of flowers, especially violets, roses, forget-me-nots,  pansies and lily of the valley. I recall wanting to write into my friends journals, specifically for using my stickers. Buying stickers was a big deal and a popular after school activity - that, and buying candy.
The goal was to have as many people as possible write in our Poesy Books, not only to proof how popular we were, but moreover to commemorate ones relationships for future years. The idea was to re-read the entries  and feel some sort of connection with that person - and be transported back to the time of our youth. I wonder how many of my school friends still have their Posy Journals. Boys did not have them, but it was acceptable to ask one or two special (boy) friends to write into our journals. Adult males, such as teachers and relatives were always asked to write in our books. It was permitted to keep the book for a few days (up to a week if you're a busy adult person) to allow time for some meaningful and poignant entry and then return it to the owner who was anxiously awaiting its return; however, it was a disappointment to receive a two-liner after having the journal gone for a week. The entries were expected to be some significant message in the form of a poem or a philosophical saying that expressed the writer's sentiments in a unique and personal way.
(...and there had better be stickers!)

I had long entries and short ones in my book. They were anything from "roses are red, violets are blue..." like my mother wrote, to more elaborate, eloquently stated entries that I can't even  recall since sadly, I lost track of  my "Poesy" decades ago. I never did forget my uncle Franz' entry that simply stated: "Mit dem Hut in der Hand kommt man durch das ganze Land." (with your hat in your hand, one can get through all the land) ....meaning that being polite opens doors to possibilities. Short, sweet and to the point! (and a drawing of a guy tipping his hat, to boot!)

Seeing that our world has changed so much since I was eight years old, and many people live far away from one another, shipping a book back and forth may not be a feasible way to getting this new "old" custom (dare I say meme) off the ground; therefore, I will attempt to make this blog my Poesy Journal and from time to time grant access to some willing participants in order for them to write something in my journal - for me.

Again, the person who writes in a Poesy Book should always address something pertaining to the owner of the book and the better the two people know one another, the more effective the entry should be. For example, if you have shared something together, try to find a poem or saying that represents that certain situation as a means of commemorating your relationship. If you know the person briefly, consider their age, situation, hobbies, etc. to make an entry as appropriately and poetic as possible, or write a motto or philosophy (or famous quote) by which to live by to encourage the reader or offer guidance for a life well lived.

Here is an example of  Poesy Journal from a fellow blogger in Europe. Take a look:

The Beauty of 'Me"

I will share an example in my next post, since I am dying to use my stickers LOL - the ones I "stole" from Google Image search! I will try to post my future entries in the form of poetry, quotes, or philosophies embellished with artwork to make the presentation (posts) as attractive and posy-like as possible.

For the most part, I will explore poetry, nursery rhymes, fairy tales, fables, and present the occasional anecdote from my childhood in Germany.  Along with a little philosophizing, I basically want to use this blog for day dreaming and pondering - for finding my muse, if you will!


11 comments:

  1. I'm really looking forward to this new blog, Doris...You are just so industrious! And I...I love you soooo much! :) Gizz too of course...sorry you have to be cooped up today!
    I just got home from running around and now I'm going to eat a bite of lunch and watch a movie...I'm pooped already, lol!
    Be well My Dear Sister!
    Big Hugs!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is going to be a lovely blog, Doris. Not only for you to reflect your dreams and thoughts and memories. But, I'm sure it will touch all of us who have become friends with you. Your writings will be just what we needed to hear (or read) that day.
    I like your recollections of your journal/sticker/poetry/poem book. I have similar recollections of myself as a little girl, but we called ours a diary. It had a lock and key and was kept locked and hidden at all times. I remember writing about school stuff, boys, homelife.
    I can't wait to read more of your posts.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Doris, how beautiful this is already. I cannot wait to see and read the wonders that you will place here. I will visit often for sure. Thank you for sharing such beauty.

    ReplyDelete
  4. we did it too when we where little and i made a blog article about it earlier. 'm thinking of starting a new one, but the people in my envioroment aren't that keen...
    Here you can see some drawings from my old one ( must be 35 years old or something ... ) : http://mooisvanme.blogspot.com/2010/10/nostalgie-in-de-boekenkast-mijn-poezie.html

    ReplyDelete
  5. Such a wonderful tradition you are telling us about here Doris. I think it is lovely that you are reviving it in a sense to the new and modern world. I hope I will be able to take part in this little endeavor of yours.

    ReplyDelete
  6. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Yes!!! I LOVE fairy tales, legends, poems, and nursery rhymes!! I have tons of poetry and used to wite poems. And I buy books of fairy tales from other countries, I am thinking also of E.T.A. Hoffman. The posy book story is real interesting, I didn't know about that! So this will be a sort of virtual posey with computerized stickers, a modern posey book, love it!! In grade school, all the girls here had autograph books, that was the American version of the posey. But we just wrote, no stickers. They were small thin books, maybe 7 inches by 4 inches. Oh, how I wish I had mine still! Each schoolmate or friend had one page to write on. I even got a locally famous baseball player's autograph. I'm signing on to follow, see you later!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Doris, I still have all of my old Poesie albums, and reading this makes me want to get them out and look at them. Our girls also have some of those "stickers" you were talking about. I'm not sure if they ever used any of them.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hellooooo Doris my friend, Just stopping by to say hello and join your blog. It looks lovely and it will be a great way to share your life with us. Sandie

    ReplyDelete
  10. Dear Doris, I am here now, visiting your new blog and also become a follower. I love your lovely post, thank you for sharing such a wonderful thing to us!
    Hope you enjoy your weekend!
    LoL, xxx

    ReplyDelete
  11. Doris in my time they where called Poesie albums.. and yes the fond memories they have. I have 2 of them one full the other not quite, I can still take it out today and see what someone wrote about me or a little poem that they wrote.
    2 Tauebchen die sich kuessen und nichts von falschheit wissen so edel und so rein soll unsere freundschaft sein....
    this was one of my favorites.....lol
    love the idea of this new blog, thank you and gizzy for sharing and wishing you a lovely 4th of Advent
    hugs from South Texas...Birgit

    ReplyDelete