Today’s napowrimo.net prompt is to write a poem ‘that incorporates “the sound of home.” Think back to your childhood, and the figures of speech and particular ways of talking that the people around you used, and which you may not hear anymore.’ This prompt did not particularly call to mind much, so my poem ends up taking a different turn, into a random recollection.
Continue reading
prompt
National Poetry Writing Month, Day #17
Today’s napowrimo.net prompt is to write a poem using at least ten words from a specialized dictionary. I used International Paper’s Pocket Pal, a pocket-sized paperback of print and graphic arts terms and concepts. (The terms I used are listed in the tags.) I wrote it in the form of a double viator, a six-stanza variation of the viator in which the last line of the first stanza travels up as the first line travels down throughout the poem; by the final stanza, they have switched places.
Continue reading
National Poetry Writing Month, Day #16
Today’s napowrimo.net prompt is to answer a questionnaire about a place (real or imagined), then write a poem based on one or more of the answers. I ended up writing about my immediate surroundings—more specifically, in the context of my decision to make this what I call a ‘quiet day’. That means no unnecessary conversation, and no devices whose purpose includes producing sound (e.g., telephone, stereo, TV).
Continue reading
National Poetry Writing Month, Day #15
Today’s napowrimo.net prompt is to write a poem that incorporates the idea of doubles, whether that involves writing the poem in couplets, or actually making doubles in some way the theme of the poem.
Continue reading
National Poetry Writing Month, Day #14 (revised)
I followed today’s napowrimo.net prompt, which was to write a san san, which the site said consists of seven lines, with an a-b-c-a-b-c-d rhyme scheme, and repeats three words or images three times.
As it turns out, it is actually eight lines, and the rhyme scheme appears to be a-b-c-a-b-d-c-d.
Since my poem was originally written using the errant description, I have made a slight change so that it reflects the correct form.
Continue reading
National Poetry Writing Month, Day #14
Today’s napowrimo.net prompt is to write a san san, which consists of seven lines, with an a-b-c-a-b-c-d rhyme scheme, and repeats three words or images three times. My poem was influenced by the news of an earthquake in Japan a few hours ago, but uses the idea of earthquakes in more of a metaphorical (allegorical?) sense.
Continue reading
National Poetry Writing Month, Day #13
Today’s napowrimo.net prompt is to write a poem inspired by fortune cookies. After my defeat at the hands of the Day #12 prompt, I needed this one. It’s basically a found poem, with each line taken from actual fortune-cookie fortunes that came up in an image search on Google.
Continue reading
National Poetry Writing Month, Day #12
Tuesday’s napowrimo.net prompt was to write an index poem.
I drew a total blank. Skip to day #13…
(13 April 2016)
National Poetry Writing Month, Day #11
Today’s napowrimo.net prompt is to write a poem ‘in which you closely describe an object or place, and then end with a much more abstract line that doesn’t seemingly [sic] have anything to do with that object or place, but which, of course, really does.’ I approached this from a slightly different angle, describing parts of the dreams I had last night/this morning. (Note: Dick’s is the name of a popular chain of drive-in burger restaurants in the Seattle area.)
Continue reading
National Poetry Writing Month, Day #10
Today’s napowrimo.net prompt is to write a ‘book spine’ poem. This involves writing a poem using the titles of books on your bookshelf. My poem neatly divided itself into sections, based on where my books are shelved. Instead of numbering these sections, I have labelled them according to their approximate (relative) compass points. The book titles I used are listed in the tags.
Continue reading
Ordinary Average Thoughts 