October is Poetry Writing Month. I shared some of my OctPoWriMo poems a couple weeks ago. Here are some more.

Day 19’s prompt was fox or foxy:

Encounter with the Fox

On a walk down our dirt road I spied a fox
I felt so honored to meet her
She swished her fluffy red tail
And pranced on her tiny little feet
I stepped toward her and she danced away for a measure
Then turned around to check on me
I stood still and held my breath, no threat to her
She ignored me and went about her business
Hiking off toward the trees

Day 21’s prompt was nothing remains the same; suggested form: abecedarian.

Rantings of a Geezer, in Alphabetical Order

Aging is for the birds.
Balance isn’t what it used to be. I’m afraid to climb a ladder.
Contemporary church service makes me long for the old traditional ones.
Doctor sees me more often than my children do.
Eyes see better than ever after my cataract surgery. Ha! Score one for old age.
Friends are dying one by one.
Graying, thinning hair.
House is falling apart faster than we can put it back together again.
I need ibuprofen to get through the day.
Jogging hurts my poor bones. Can’t do it anymore.
Knees hurt.
Laughing makes me pee.
Memory plays tricks on me. What day is it? What did I come in here for?
No one cares about my aches and pains.
Old, older, oldest.
Prunes keep me going.
Quick, answer the phone—you’re closer.
Retirement is a mixed blessing: I like my little pension, but I miss my colleagues.
Senior discounts! Now, that’s a good thing.
Television is a waste of time. These days there’s nothing to watch but junk.
Useless. I can’t do what I used to.
VPAP helps me breathe while I’m sleeping.
Who is that old woman who stares back at me from the mirror?
X-rays show arthritis.
Yearning for the good old days.
Zero—that’s how good I feel on a scale of one to ten.

Day 25’s prompt was taste of satisfaction:

A Writer’s Progression

Ideation
Inspiration
Preparation
Perspiration
Gestation
Creation
Incubation
Completion
Presentation

Submission
Anticipation

Rejection

Dejection

Revision
Augmentation
Amplification

Resubmission
Anticipation

Rejection

Deflation

Recalibration
Elaboration
Perspiration

Resubmission
Anticipation

Rejection

Frustration

Reevaluation
Permutation
Innovation

Resubmission
Anticipation

Rejection

Exasperation
Self-flagellation
Procrastination
Stagnation
Starvation

Abbreviation
Perspiration
Transformation

Resubmission
Anticipation

Communication
Affirmation

Publication

Elation
Celebration

Admiration
Appreciation
Quotation

Vindication

Repetition

If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that I’m obsessed with the Unicorn Tapestries at the Cloisters, the medieval branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. I’ve visited them there a few times, and they always take my breath away.

When I saw that the prompt for Day 29 was breathtaking, I knew my poem had to involve a unicorn somehow. The form is a villanelle.

The Quest

For one objective was I born,
One purpose is my earthly goal:
To find the elusive unicorn.

I search for his majestic horn;
His horn is my magnetic pole;
For one objective was I born.

True to the oath that I have sworn,
Toward this I pour my heart and soul:
To find the elusive unicorn.

My search is futile, wise men warn,
While I perform my sacred role:
For one objective was I born.

And, so, I blow the hunter’s horn
To fill my destiny’s gaping hole:
To find the elusive unicorn.

My journey stirs up naysayers’ scorn,
Yet still, I search the hidden knoll.
For one objective was I born:
To find the elusive unicorn.

Poems © by ARHuelsenbeck

Did you write any poems in October? Feel free to share in the comments below.