Saturday, April 17, 2010

Poetry Challenge - Day 17

For today's prompt, write a science poem. Science encompasses a lot, so your poem doesn't have to be scientific to still be a science poem. For instance, you could have a poem titled something like "The Science of Love," and then examine a relationship. Voila! A science poem! Of course, it'll be interesting to see how many poets talk about volcanoes and single cell organisms, not to mention finding out how many "mad scientists" are out there.

Corrosion


For a close relationship to become a rusted relationship, three things are required: friends, lovers and ego. Here's what happens when the three get together:

When a drop of lovers hits a friends object, two things begin to happen almost immediately. First, the lovers, good catalysts, combine with social pressure in the gossip to form a weak suspicion, an even better catalyst for acidic entertainment. As the acid is formed and the friends dissolved, some of the lovers will begin to break down into their component pieces -- ego and pride. The free ego and dissolved friends bond into a friends oxide, in the process freeing gossip. The stories liberated from the caring portion of the friends flow to the overall sense of well-being, which may be a piece of a personal space less electrically reactive than friends, or another point on the piece of the friendship itself.

The chemical compounds found in liquids like actual passion or possible love, caring souls and the salt-loaded spray from snow-belt roads make them more active agents than pure lovers, allowing their presence to speed the process of rusting on friends and other forms of corrosion on other personal spaces.

Friday, April 16, 2010

Poetry Challenge - Day 13 late

Write a love poem. Write an anti-love poem.


I can't stop thinking about him.
I don't think about him.

I go over everything, every look.
Out of sight, out of mind.

His thoughts are elsewhere; hard to accept.
He thinks of me. He can't stop thinking about me.

She can't stop thinking about him.
She is nothing to him.

She carries his photos.
He turns his head after when another looks away.

He can't stop thinking about her.
She pulls back from his touch.

Someone is waiting for a call.
Someone can no longer care.

Poetry Challenge - Day 16

Maybe it's a little too close to tax day, but today's prompt is to write a death poem. You can write about a specific death or consider death as an idea. In the tradition of Emily Dickinson (and other poets), you could even address Death as an entity. Or you can surprise us with a different spin on the subject.



Fifth Avenue


Who could ever understand the vacuum cleaner hanging
from the elevator?
The naked figure, tiny, is it young
or old? - bent over, looking
- observed by the surveillance camera
- digging
kind-of
for something essential
lost

The door untried taken for locked.
The boiler room taken for the Lower East Side.
Film makers in the alley
steal shots through the grates.

A maze navigated back to a different feeding
Door opens, stays open
Raw egg in the drawer
and on the lacy, satin, sexy clothes.

Grey skin on grey linoleum.
Eyes, dilated, for the underworld.

This one more day alive.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Poetry Challenge - Day 15

For today's prompt, write a deadline poem. You can interpret what a deadline poem is however you wish. Maybe it's a poem that laments the idea of deadlines. Maybe it's a poem about someone intentionally missing them or who never has problems with them (I wish I were that person). Regardless of how you take it, remember that you have until tomorrow before another prompt will be posted. Consider that your poetic deadline.



I'm so far behind.
on this - throwing words into an empty well.
No sound at the end.
Shooting thoughts into a space
that is not even a space.

What need is this?

Lonesome catalogue
all but invisible.
Even so, I'm late.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Poetry Challenge - Day 14

falling behind a bit... didn't feel like/was too busy livin' to right the Two for Tuesday Love Poem/Anti Love poem - though I might have something to say on the subject.

Anyway. here is today's. For today's prompt, take the phrase "(blank) Island," replace the blank with a word or phrase, make the new phrase the title of your poem, and then, write the poem. You could do a well-known island, such as "Treasure Island," "Ellis Island," or "Total Drama Island." Or you could make up the name of an island. Or you could even have a long drawn out title, such as "You'll never get me on an island" or "If I were on a deserted island."

Solitude Island


It's okay.
Take your boat and row
past the crests past
the swells
get so small
i can barely see you

i will miss you,
probably,
as long as I can see you

little thing out there

but when you're gone
long gone and not coming back

i will notice
how my pulse beats
with the waves
how i lay back and become the full size of my island

not an island really, but behind a door that has closed,
i become the full size of my island

become the waves the sand the waving trees.
solitude is peace.
I swim naked in it all day and at night
I curl
contented
a warm and wordless creature
warm
and calm without a word

Monday, April 12, 2010

Poetry Challenge - Day 12

For today's prompt, pick a city, make that the title of your poem, and write a poem. Your poem can praise or belittle the city. Your poem could be about the city or about the people of the city. Your poem could even have seemingly nothing to do with the city. But the simple act of picking a city will set the mood (to a certain degree), so choose wisely.

Cassis


Between the horizontal edge of the sea
and the horizontal edge of the sky
words would have written themselves
or, if I could not have made them out,
they would have come, slant down,
in the fresh Mediterranean light,
and I would have caught them (some)
like a trained warrior might catch a spear
and with that spear
stab back into bodiless side of the day
and find and accept what viscera
makes up time

i'd have cut squares of blue from the ever-blue sky
squares of dust lavender from the dusty path
that led to the fjords
that led from
my childhood (jumping out off the cliffs and down
into clearest, eye-open blue)
to now and now would have been good
- not too late to jump

color, sticky with oils
sheer down thoughts
near-thoughts
breath, considered,
hold in my color
and speak
in whatever language
comes to you first.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Poetry Challenge - Day 11

For today's prompt, take the phrase "The Last (blank)," replace the blank with a word or phrase, make that the title of your poem, and then, write the poem. Some examples: "The Last Train," "The Last Kiss," "The Last Time I'll Give Directions to a Complete Stranger," "The Last Dance," etc.

The Last Corner

God, how beautiful.
C'est domage.
Turn the corner
not too fast

Or any.
At least, be well.