Showing posts with label April Poem-A-Day Challenge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label April Poem-A-Day Challenge. Show all posts

Thursday, April 27, 2017

Poetry


Poetry

I have faith in poetry.
When I read it, I am sure
to connect with others of
a like mind or to find
someone who enables me
to see from a different view.
I write it in the hope that
it may do the same for you.

The prompt for this poem is faith.

Today is Poem in Your Pocket Day. Share poetry.

Links






Follow me on Twitter or click the blue Follow Button to follow this blog.

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

The Squirrel and The Hawk


The Squirrel and The Hawk

The squirrel was out hunting acorns.
He spied a beautiful oak tree with
many acorns scattered within
a few feet of its trunk.
As the squirrel approached,
he noticed a hawk sitting
on one of the branches.
Since the bird was facing
in the opposite direction,
the squirrel decided he
could proceed with caution.
He became more bold as
he glanced up and still saw
the bird's back.
Suddenly, the hawk swooped
down and carried off the squirrel.
The little rodent didn't notice the
bird's head turning toward him while
it's body remained stationary.
The moral of the story is--you
never no when a situation may
take a turn for the worse.

You may have guessed that the prompt was to write a fable.

April 27 is Poem in Your Pocket Day. Share poetry!

Links






Follow me on Twitter or click the blue Follow Button to follow this blog.

Thursday, April 20, 2017

Sonnets


Sonnets

I have trouble writing sonnets.
Why?  Can't quite put my finger on it.
Maybe writing in the shadow of The Bard
is what makes the form so hard.
The lines are a bit long for my taste.
The effort I have to put into them seems a waste.

When I try to write iambic verse,
my mind spouts trochaic, just the reverse.
I'm supposed to write 14 lines,
but I wind up long with 15 or short with nine.
I can't seem to meet all the requirements.
I may put writing sonnets into retirement.

The one feature on which I can depend
is the rhyming couplet at the end.

This was written for one of the Two-for-Tuesday prompts in the Poem-A-Day Challenge. Do you like working with forms? Why or why not?

Links






Follow me on Twitter or click the blue Follow Button to follow this blog.




Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Dance Haiku


Trees dance in the storm.
With the wind as bandleader,
the rhythm comes in gusts.

In recognition of International Haiku Poetry Day yesterday, I wrote a haiku for the prompt--dance.

Links






Follow me on Twitter or click the blue Follow Button to follow this blog.

Thursday, April 13, 2017

Staying Home



Staying Home

From up in space,
the beings look
at earth.
See the waste,
the destruction
taking place.
They put off
the invasion.
No landing
spot seems safe.

This is another poem written for the Poetic Asides Poem-A-Day Challenge.

Links






Follow me on Twitter or click the blue Follow Button to follow this blog.

Tuesday, April 11, 2017

So Gray


So Gray

The days have been so gray.
I think we've lost the sun.
Has it gone away to stay?
The days have been so gray.
I have no energy to weigh
the consequences for everyone.
The days have been so gray.
I think we've lost the sun.

This poem was written for the Poetic Asides Poem-A-Day Challenge. The form is the triolet.

Links






Follow me on Twitter or click the blue Follow Button to follow this blog.

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Catching Up for Wordsmith Studio's 3rd Anniversary


As part of Wordsmith Studio's 3rd Anniversary, the group is hosting a blog hop. The blog hop is in the capable hands of Wordsmith Studio Advisory Group member Elissa Field and re-starts every Wednesday this month. She is sharing prompts for blog posts or you can use a favorite post from within the last month.

The first prompt is a Q&A to let people know about your writing. Here goes!

Are you a WSSer (a member of Wordsmith)?

Yes, I have been a member from the beginning. After participating regularly in the Tuesday #wschats on Twitter for about two years, I started helping with the hosting about this time last year. I am primarily a host for the Night Owl chat, which begins at 9 p.m. Eastern time, but I fill in on the Early Bird chat when needed. I also write or take a picture based on the creative prompts posted on the Wordsmith Studio website. 

What medium do you work in?

I write poetry. I began writing poetry out of a grief experience and have published a chapbook called I Keep You with Me. I also write jazz poetry and Ekphrastic poetry, which is poetry inspired by visual art.

What’s the name of your current project?

My current project is participating in Robert Lee Brewer's Poem-A-Day Challenge as part of National Poetry Month. As of this writing, I am 13-for-13. This is definitely the best start I have had in the challenge.

What is your favorite detail, sentence or other bit you’ve written lately?

In response to the Wordsmith Studio Creative Prompt-Trapped, I wrote a poem entitled Books. I have always love to read. Since I like to read mysteries, I have a hard time putting a book down until I know the outcome.

Any obstacles or I-hate-this-chapter moments?

Procrastination and my head. In other words, not sitting down and writing, and letting my inner editor get in the way.

What’s the biggest thing you’ve learned lately from your writing?

WSS did some word sprints as part of it's New Year's celebration. After participating in those, I set a goal of writing for a minimum of 15 minutes each day. I learned I could accomplish quite a bit in that amount of time. I also was more focused than if I just "sat down to write". I realized it was OK to write gobbledygook to get started.

In what ways do you hope to grow in the next 6 months/year?

Create better images and use stronger words in my poetry.

In what ways do writing friends and communities help you do that?

They help by offering feedback and support. The  #wschat is a great place to get encouragement if you're discouraged or congratulations if something good has happened. People also leave comments on blogs or Facebook posts. I also go to an in-person critique group that is very helpful with feedback. 

What else should we have asked you, or what would you ask other writers?

Some of my Ekphrastic poems are inspired by my own photographs. I combine the two into visual art pieces and have had a few shows in the past couple of years.

Links




Follow me on Twitter or click the Join this Site link to follow this blog.

Thursday, April 9, 2015

Hide and Seek


Hide and Seek

1,2,3,4,5
Settled in my hiding place
6,7,8,9,10
Been there for years
11,12,13,14,15
Haven’t let anyone find me
16,17,18,19,20
Time to seek myself

Links






Follow me on Twitter or click the Join this Site link to follow this blog.

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Celebrating Poetry

It's here! April is National Poetry Month and The Academy of American Poets has put together a list of ways to celebrate.
 
I have picked out five items to discuss. I think they are both a little different and fairly easy to do.
 
1. Revisit a poem-Whether you consume poetry on a regular basis or not, you have probably been touched by it at sometime. Even if you couldn't wait for the poetry unit in English class to be over with, you still may have had strong feelings about something you read. Go back and read that poem again. Do you still feel the same way about it? What memories does it bring back?
 
2. Put poetry in an unexpected place-Take your favorite poem and leave a copy in a waiting area at a hair salon, doctor's office or auto repair shop. Maybe you could leave it on a table in a restaurant or put it up on a community bulletin board. You never know who may read it and how it may affect them.
 
3. Play Exquisite Corpse-This is a collaborative game in which a group creates a poem. Each person contributes to the piece without knowing what the others have written. I played this game at a workshop. It only takes a few minutes, and  it is surprising how the piece comes together.
 
4. Listen on your commute-I'm going to expand this one to say simply listen to poetry. You may find audio or video of poets reading/performing their works. You get a different feel for a piece when you hear it rather than read it, especially if it is delivered by the author.
 
5. Integrate poetry and technology-Whether it is an all out blog post, a status update or a tweet, share poetry on social media. How about adding a quote from a favorite poem to your email signature or sending the whole poem to friends or family members. Search youtube and you can hear poets reading their works or talking about writing poetry.
 
How are you celebrating National Poetry Month?  Is there an item on the list that you would like to try?
 
Related Links
 
 
 
Follow me on Twitter or click the Join this Site link to follow this blog


Friday, May 25, 2012

Elementary, My Dear Poet

I am a lifelong Sherlock Holmes fan, but I don't consider myself a purist. I love to re-read Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's works, but I am not opposed to newer Holmes stories. I like to look through the shelves in libraries and bookstores and see the predicaments in which other authors have placed Sherlock and Watson. I have even enjoyed Holmes on Broadway, the big screen and the little screen.

So, it was no wonder when Robert Lee Brewer posted a prompt to write about something that happened "before your time" during the April Poem-a-Day Challenge, my thoughts immediately turned to 221B Baker Street...

Interlude

Hansom cabs
clatter through
the foggy street.
The plaintive notes
of a violin fill

an apartment above.
The player wishes
he were making
different notes.
Ones that would
help recreate
the actions of others
as only he can.
For now,
he does not turn
to the needle
instead of the bow.
While the detective
battles boredom,
the good doctor
puts past glories
down on paper. 


********

Connect with me on Twitter or subscribe to this blog by clicking the link in the upper right.