A shadorma that I feel better about. Earlier this week, a woman named Deborah Danner was killed by New York police responding to a 911 call from her neighbors. Ms. Danner had schizophrenia; it seems likely she was having some sort of episode related to her illness. Yesterday, the New York Times ran an editorial about her, in [...]
Tag: perspective
National Poetry Writing Month, Day #24
Today’s napowrimo.net prompt is to write a ‘mix-and-match’ poem, mixing ‘fancy’ and ‘non-fancy’ words. Not as big a stretch as some of the previous prompts, but… Who am I today? The identity to which I have awakened disappoints me I’m unaccustomed as of late to seeing myself the way other people view me I don’t like being affixed to [...]
The first one to go (A poem)
Intrigued today by the idea that some folks will always be with us… You could be my closest friend or I may not know you well at all I may not have seen you for years— too many to recall But you are immortal—you will never die From this day on I will never know [...]
From this side of the wall (A poem)
An odd way to start the day. Oh, well… I’m tamping down my expectations It’s safer that way Not exciting but safer Nobody wants to lose but that’s the way it goes until defeat becomes the expectation It’s hard to look the other way when that’s where the bullets are coming from and wounds never [...]
Twenty-five years ago doesn’t seem that long (a poem)
Last night, I was watching The Big Chill and Rockula… I remember being there when everything was happening for the first time Now all the lines are familiar I know exactly what comes next because I’ve seen it over and over and committed it to memory as though it happened yesterday (8 September 2015—posted September 9)
Pop will eat itself (a poem)
Nothing to do with the band, although I am listening to The Pop Will Eat Itself Cure for Sanity right now… Pop will eat itself if we let it just like that one monster in Yellow Submarine that sucks the entire world out of existence (except, of course, for The Beatles) I can think of worse [...]
Interpretation (a poem)
An unexpected haiku emerged from a day of very little writing… Interpretation a matter of perspective Breathe slowly, breathe deep (25 June 2015—posted June 26)
Opposite Day (a poem)
Today’s prompt in The Daily Poet, by Kelli Russell Agodon and Martha Silano is to write a poem about opposites—specifically, to make two lists of characteristics, with one list being the opposite of the other, then writing a poem in two voices, going back and forth between the lists. I took a different approach to the theme… Contrary [...]
A brief rumination on the meaning of a flag (a poem)
Today’s prompt in The Daily Poet, by Kelli Russell Agodon and Martha Silano is to write a poem for Flag Day. Although the prompt suggests writing specifically about the American flag—and I did keep that in mind—I concerned myself more with the meaning of flags in general, because the meaning of a flag can shift for any number [...]
A mid-May morning (a poem)
I had not particularly intended to follow today’s prompt in The Daily Poet, by Kelli Russell Agodon and Martha Silano, which is to listen to jazz or classical music, make notes of what comes to mind while you listen, then write a poem about something you thought of while listening. As it turned out, I started this poem while [...]
