I’m combining two challenges today, using the OctPoWriMo prompt from Day 14, if I were me. The suggested form was a shape poem, which, due to my lack of coding knowledge, is hard for me to format on WordPress, so I chose to hand-write it.
Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart. ~William Wordsworth
I didn’t care for today’s official prompt, so I chose an exercise from The Crafty Poet by Diane Lockward and wrote a catalog poem.
Cocktail Sauce to Die For
These are your strong points:
You’re loyal.
(You could have replaced me by now;
you certainly had opportunities.)
You still have a nice head of hair.
You know how to fix things.
You can name every major battle and
how many men died on either side.
You can reach things on top shelves.
You make me laugh.
You can cook.
You make the best shrimp cocktail sauce I’ve ever tasted, deliciously sour and
with just enough horseradish to make the top of my brain ache.
A dozen articles to inspire you to new heights of creativity:
The inspiration for today’s poem is Day 2‘s prompt: poems and notes to you. The form is tanka, five lines with a 5-7-5-7-7 syllable rhythm scheme. My last line would fit the rules perfectly if I left the third word of the last line as men, but I wouldn’t want anyone to think they shouldn’t vote for a woman of good character.
Note to Self
Study the issues
Election Day approaches
Do due diligence
Scrutinize the candidates
Vote for (wo)men of character
I’m participating in OctPoWriMo (October: Poetry Writing Month), though I’ve missed seven days so far. . .
Today I’m using the prompt from Day 8, Moments of Madness, and the suggested form, the Blitz Poem, which is new to me, and challenged me out of my comfort zone, and maybe caused a little bit of panic. . . but it’s good to try new things, right?
Panic to Mania
Deadline pressure
Deadline panic
Panic drives activity
Panic spawns frenzy
Frenzy wears me out
Frenzy makes me crazy
Crazy eyes
Crazy hair
Hair turns gray
Hair pulled out
Out of sight
Out of mind
Mind is terrible
Mind is waste
Waste land
Waste water
Water the lawn
Water the flowers
Flowers powers
Flowers on my grave
Grave consequences
Grave stone
Stone drunk
Stone cold
Cold soup
Cold as ice
Ice cream
Ice coffee
Coffee grounds
Coffee rush
Rush hour
Rush to finish
Finish working
Finishing touches
Touches of grace
Touches my heart
Heart ache
Heart burn
Burn books
Burn bridges
Bridges of Madison County
Bridges too far
Far away
Far far away
Away from here
Away from Mania
Mania ending
Mania inevitable
Inevitable
Ending
Today’s poetry prompt is love.
Married Forty-five Years
It’s silly to think I’d feel the same about you as I did then.
You don’t feel the same about me, do you?
Of course not.
Then, love was so hot it scalded.
Now, when I see you, I’m warm, warmed by your sight,
warm with contentment.
We’re together; all is right with the world, at least in our little house.
I don’t want to dwell on our memories—
They remind me of what we’ve lost…
But what’s left is more than what most people ever experience.
If I have to grow old,
I’m thankful I’m growing old with you,
my very best friend.
P.S. Actually, it was so late when I looked up the prompt, I didn’t notice love is actually tomorrow’s prompt. <sigh>
