Poetry Challenge - Day 9

For today's prompt, write a time of day poem. In fact, make the title of your poem the time of day. For instance, "5:54 a.m.," 2:23 p.m.," "Midnight," etc. Then, write your poem. Of course, different things happen at different times of day. So have fun with it.

11:11

She was the first to notice it:
every time you looked at the radio alarm clock
with its flipping numbers, way back then, it was
11:11. Kind-of amazing. Pre-digital. Seemed to be true!
11:11: in the bright of day.
11:11 with the parties just starting.

And much later - perhaps it was her first, or most lasting, sobriety birthday,
I don't know - but it was lucky for her
so I was glad when I looked up at the
Penn Station clock and it flipped, with my gaze,
to 11:11 as I came into the station, happy, coming to her world
or left it, happy, going to mine,
- life rich and on time and rolling forward, full.
Lucky 11:11!

Now it is the year 11
and 1, 1, 11 could not have been harder
perhaps because I was braced for all the luck the number would bring
after ten brutal years, half without her truly,
all without her in some ways. I was ready for luck
for the auspicious day dawning.
I won't say what happened,
wouldn't even whisper it to her very own ghost
who maybe knows

and surely knows already
that auspiciousness, and innocence and meaning and luck
and the hope for luck
that a loved life infuses into the patterns of its symbols
into the children of its love
can vanish forever in the tick of a minute
and the touch
in the dark
of the strange hand

of time.

Poetry Challenge - Day 8

For today's prompt, write a ready to celebrate poem. You could chronicle the actual celebration or even write about the anticipation of one. As many of you know, I am in Austin, Texas this weekend celebrating poetry myself, but I'm also checking in regularly here to enjoy the celebration on Poetic Asides.

Simply Happy

Ask me to dance
Or hold hands

the women wearing dropsy skirts
will run laughing up the hill, with its wet grass
slippery and funny

Sometimes I think I was born at the right time
but not when I want to hold hands and dance
with everyone, in a circle actually,
or when I want
to decorate a man's hair with dandelions

so long is the afternoon
so lazy and full
of delight

chase me
catch me
we'll slip on the grass

Poetry Challenge - Day 7

For today's prompt, write a "what if" poem. It could be a "what if" from the past, present or future. For instance, what if no one discovered electricity? (How would we do this challenge?)

What if the moon
fell in love with Mars
and we could feel her
slowly drifting from us

Her light would lay matte
on our lakes and dull oceans
and our white fluttering curtains
at night would not glow with the miraculous present
as she put her love into looking instead
like a perfect pearl in deep space, waiting

so that Mars
whose moons were ugly and difficult
would find her
lovely, luminescent, remote
and unable to pull her close
could only see the Earth and the Moon

forever together
forever
beautiful, taken
unattainable moon

Poetry Challenge - Day 6

For today's prompt, take the phrase "Don't (blank), (blank);" replace the blanks with a word or phrase; use the new phrase as the title of your poem; and then, write your poem. Some possible titles might include: "Don't walk, run," "Don't fight, dance," "Don't turn around, they're right behind you," or whatever else you can think to create.

Don't Speak, Breathe

Whatever you have to say
the world doesn't need to hear it.

Your opinion is clatter
Mine: clatter.

You are an animal. And I.
Have that dignity at least.
Curl up, without a sound
and be grateful today
that you've been fed.

Poetry Challenge - Day 5

Today is our first "Two for Tuesday" prompt of the month. For those who are new to the challenge, I provide two prompts instead of one--usually polar opposites of each other--and poets can choose which one to use. Of course, quite a few poets write a poem for both prompts.

For today's prompt, do one of the following:

1. Write a goofy poem.
2. Write a serious poem.


This poem has a big red nose and an ass the size of Texas.
This poem wants you to sit down, just sit.

Ah ha ha
This poem has put moldy fruit in your locker.
It stole your bicycle, scratched your records.
It pretended to be you, got the scholarship,
got the girl. It lives in your house,
the one on the hill with lots of room and light.

When you come to visit, things haven't changed.
You turn to look at the view to think about
all the things that have and haven't happened.
This poem sticks a note on your back that says:
"I don't get it" and tells you
to come and sit at the table.
Just sit.

Poetry Challenge - Day 4

For today's prompt, pick a type of person and write a poem about him or her. To help set the scene, you may want to title your poem as who the type of person is. For instance, you could write a poem titled "Firefighter," "Cynic," "Optimist," "Teacher," "2-year-old," etc. The list is endless.


The Insomniac

listen to that heartbeat
or is it the ear pulsing
the eyelash flickering
magnifying its own sound
a thousand fold - absurd
against the crisp pillow

the clock ticks like the eyelash
loud, 2am
heartbeat pulsed against the sheet

a dog barks
guess one and a half blocks away
guess the chain pulling against the throat
the grass wet, lit bright
the howl, choked
eyes wild and unseen

the clock ticks like the eyelash
loud,
heartbeat pulsed against the sheet

now
3:41

beat yourself with a brick to the head
too tired to really do it
hit yourself again and again
until the brick hits
and lands softly

white night
whites behind the eyes
no blood
no bleeding
just this relentless living




(wow. that was DARK)

Poetry Challenge - Day 3

Today's prompt is to write a poem in which you imagine the world without you. Since my favorite movie (It's a Wonderful Life) plays with this idea, I'm surprised I've never used this prompt before. The world could be a much worse place without you, could be pretty much the same, or I guess, it could even be better. Anyway, it's interesting to contemplate our individual contributions to this planet in ways small and large.

The World Without Me

The world without me, for those who loved me, will be full
of speaking things: a soft golden lining of the window sill, stretching, will say, brightening, "Stand up. You're alive. It is today."
and the window itself will say, "Look right through me.
Look right through. Open me. You. Breath."

The street, waking, will imply, without saying, "Love thy neighbor"
and the wisteria climbing and dripping sweet
purples into shared sky, will whisper,
"Lucky, lucky, lucky. Don't miss this."