Tag Archives: NaPoWriMo

National Poetry Writing Month

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by yeongkyeong lee

April is both National Poetry Month and National Poetry Writing Month (NaPoWriMo). Also Global Poetry Writing Month (GloPoWriMo), if you live somewhere other than the United States.

For the last few years, I’ve been on the poetry writing bandwagon, writing a poem a day (well, I try to, anyway) during April and October (OctPoWriMo). I invite you to join me this year.

There’s a number of ways you can participate. Check out the official website for the NaPoWriMo challenge. Or, join Writer’s Digest’s Robert Lee Brewer for his Poem-A-Day challenge. You may find other poetry writing challenges online. You can use the suggested prompts if you wish, or not—they’re meant to be a starting point to get the juices flowing, but you can take off in any direction. You can post them online if you want, on a blog, in website comments, on social media. Or you can write them in your notebook and share them or not. You have incredible latitude.

I only became serious about writing poetry a few years ago. I’ve always loved poetry, but my early attempts at writing were so bad that I gave up. A book titled poemcrazy gave me some direction, and I love writing poems now. I mean to write a poem every other day year-round, but life interferes. Poem-a-day challenges help me be more intentional, although some days I can’t write a poem to save my life.

You can also celebrate National Poetry Month by reading poetry. Go to the library and check out a couple of anthologies. Or visit the two websites linked above (and ARHtistic License!) to read the daily offerings. Dissonance also posts daily poems. Poets.org has a poem-a-day page (you can sign up to have them email you a daily poem). You can also sign up for a morning poem email from The Paris Review. Or read poetry on Instagram.

Whether you read poems or write them, don’t let April go by without celebrating them.

NaPoWriMo Day 30: Go Away

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This is the last day of National Poetry Month–and National Poetry-Writing Month. This is my 24th poem for this year’s challenge.

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Go Away
by ARHuelsenbeck

he’s back
like a bad penny
this time he was gone
for almost two years
he has the sour smell
of someone who’s been
drinking for days

I don’t let him in
go away

don’t be like that
I’m sorry
just let me crash here
I’ll leave in the morning

I close the door
and lock it

he pounds on it
Mary Ann Mary Ann
you’re my last hope

I call 9-1-1
there’s a bum on my doorstep
and he won’t go away

they can’t arrest him
if he hasn’t broken any laws
but I don’t want to wait for that
when the cop car pulls up
he runs away

he’ll be back
maybe tomorrow
maybe next year
he always comes back
lucky menapo2020button1-1

NaPoWriMo Day Twenty-Nine: Tell Me Your History

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Selfie with Ralph

Tell Me Your History
by ARHuelsenbeck

What happened to you in
your past life, Ralph?
Why is it that you cringe and
run away when I stoop to
pet you? Why do you refuse
to take a treat from my
hand, but grab it when I
put it on the floor and step back?
Why do you growl at Daddy,
who’s never ever hurt you?

The neighbors laugh when
they see me walking west
with you. They say, “Doesn’t
it defeat the purpose if you
carry your dog on your
walk?” I have to explain
you only walk toward the
house, never away.

You’re so damaged. You
never come when I call you.
I can only touch you when
you are in your safe places,
your little beds throughout the
house. We’ll never know what
happened before you came to
the shelter, a stray. But don’t
worry; you’re safe now.

napo2020button1-1

NaPoWriMo Day Twenty-Seven: Noisy

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Noisy
by ARHuelsenbeck

applauding the brilliant performance
burping the ABCs
chortling like a baby
drumming your fingers on the table
ear-splitting screams of terror
foghorns warning of danger
giggling at the silliest faces
hiccupping despite holding your breathe
ick! get that away from me
joking with each other
krunching through the snow
laughing all the way ha ha ha
mumbling an apology
noise inescapable
ouch! that hurts
popping balloons
quarreling like an old married couple
rumbling like an empty stomach
shots fired in the night
tooting horns
ululating uvulas
volume turned all the way up
whistling in the graveyard
x-clamations of joy
yelling at your children
zapping the alien with your ray gunnapo2020button1-1

NaPoWriMo: Day Twenty-Six: Meanwhile, somewhere in Arizona

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Meanwhile, somewhere in Arizona
by ARHuelsenbeck

seen from a red tile roof:
cactus and palm trees and wildflowers and weeds
discarded furniture and yard debris
rattlesnakes and scorpions
and a unicorn
t-shirt-, shorts-, and flip-flop-wearing walkers
strolling past the inverted pyramid
speaking in Spanish
protected from burning rays by baseball caps, zinc cream, and sunglasses
Trump’s anti-scientific musings have been dangerous
scary droplets
Love You Forevernapo2020button1-1

NaPoWriMo Day Twenty-Five: Pandemic Prayer

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Woman praying

Pandemic Prayer
by ARHuelsenbeck

Lord, I pray for an end to this pandemic
and yet, as the words leave my heart
I wonder if it’s even good to ask for
an end to the dying
an end to the pain
an end to economic chaos
an end to inconvenience
an end to isolation

what if this is Your way
of welcoming people to eternity
with You, an exodus from pain to paradise
or of reconnecting parents with children
and workers with their neighborhoods
what if this disease is accomplishing Your purpose

I still want to hang on to the way things were
when I could go to rehearsals
or out to dinner and a movie
when I could hug my friends
or even be in the same room with them

Your will be done
please strengthen me for what’s to comenapo2020button1-1

NaPoWriMo Day Twenty-Four: Watermelon

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watermelon

Watermelon
by ARHuelsenbeck

it takes both arms to carry you
my green-striped beauty
I can’t wait to plunge my long knife
into your bright red flesh

but first I clear an entire shelf
in the fridge
because you are best when icy cold

while waiting I remember
my childhood end-of-summer ritual
celebrating with green-white-red smiles
juice running down our chins
soaking our t-shirts
and bombarding each other with
seeds fired from our deadly lipsnapo2020button1-1

Creative Juice #187

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Creative Juice #187

Don’t spend one more day not knowing about these things:

NaPoWriMo Day Twenty-Three: Nameless A

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ANameless A
by ARHuelsenbeck

my name is Andrea
which is just forgettable enough
that I’ve learned to answer to Angela
and Adrienne and Audrey

how I wish my name were
something ordinary
like Mary
there were lots of Marys in my class
also a Marianne a Mary Beth
a Mary Clare and a Mary Lou
there’s a good chance that if you called someone Mary
you’d be right

instead I must endure
Allison and Addison
Adalaide and Adalynn
Annabelle and Amethyst
Annalyse and Analyst

too bad my name’s not Patty
or Maddy or Hattie
or Stephanie or Gaga
or something equally memorablenapo2020button1-1

NaPoWriMo Day Twenty-two: Riskfully Yours

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broken heart

Riskfully Yours
by ARHuelsenbeck

I’m dancing on the edge of a cliff
skating on thin ice
poking the sleeping tiger
holding the lit firecracker
jaywalking on a busy street
counting my chickens before they’re hatched
cutting the 2 x 4 without measuring twice
walking the high wire
going canoeing without a paddle

do you admire my fearlessness
recognize my vulnerability
I’m taking a chance
sticking my neck out
offering you my heart
hoping you won’t stomp on itnapo2020button1-1