Friday, April 12, 2013

Poem A Day - Day 10

For today’s prompt, write a suffering poem. A person or animal in the poem could be suffering. The poem itself could be suffering.

... Really?  aw geez. hmmletmethinkwhatcomestomind..


It is not that the walls are malevolent
but they will not stay still
they peel away, peel towards,
their boards pull lose and
would slice through
the dumb body if the dumb body
weren't liquid and rocked tossed
on the high seas
the blankets, hands
molesting
the waves now just self pity
in the form of

light now traversing a ceiling
and the sound of the relentless traffic
that for a moment is like gasping

or calling out

and the walls fold and the seas settle
and become the floor
of a place that was once a structure
that was once upright
loved

illuminated, clean

alive

sober

cared for

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Poem a Day - Day 9

Today is a Two-for-Tuesday prompt. Write one of the following (or both):
  • Write a hunter poem.
  • Write a hunted poem.

In the dream, I have followed her
to where she is staying.

She has gone up the elevator
so I go up the elevator.

She has gotten out, so I do to
and see that between the elevator

and where she is heading is a field
a field full of the mentally ill

the extremely, deeply disturbed
waving their hands in front of their faces

pulling out their hair
clustering together and crying out.

She walks past them, so I do too
but where she rests

is open and out of the open space
out of nowhere comes the dog

wild, he goes straight for me
there is nowhere to hide

his teeth sink straight in
I wake, pulling back the wet, ferocious muzzle

It is strange to hear myself, crying
strange that even in sleep

I can form the word
Help.


Monday, April 8, 2013

Day 7

For today’s prompt, write a sevenling poem. Never heard of a sevenling poem? Well, it’s a 7-line poem (chosen because today is the 7th day of the challenge) that features two tercets and a one-liner in the final (third) stanza. My poem below illustrates the form. The first two stanzas should have an element of three in them that can either play off each directly, work as juxtaposition, or have no connection whatsoever. The final line should work as either a punchline, weird twist, or punctuation mark.

lt is afternoon
I nap some
I nap until 3:00

Or I awoke after 2:00
Sometime, for awhile
Assembling myself out of air, bits and odd dreaming

Stitching the self's story to time again sometimes takes time

Day 6


For today’s prompt, write a post poem. Post could be short for post office–or traditional mail. Post could be a wood or metal post. Or post could mean relate to words like postpone, post-punk, or whatever.

Post Post 911

We move around the memorials,
The footprints of the towers.

Each, like each of our lives,
has a black square chasm in its center.
Elegant and terrifying.
Into this everything,
from all sides
all shimmering banks of falling.
Falls.
This is Death
And this is clear.
The absolute condition
Of No, of falling,
Ongoing, even when we turn away.
Or look up
To imagine what was.
This is loss, never-ending.
One cannot see the bottom.
From any side,
Or know if there is one.

And yet it is finished.
We are here.  Even though I push her in a wheelchair.
We do not cry.
I look for one particular name but do not find it.
I look around every side of the memorial but do not find it.

I find 'Angel'
And that will do.

We are hungry and we will eat.





Day 5


For today’s prompt, write a plus poem. Plus can mean a lot of things, and even the act of addition could equate to subtraction.

(It's not good when I get behind on these things… But this one kind of stumped me.)

One plus one plus green
Green plus yesterday equals wind
Leaves plus river plus divorce plus bills,
loss, records, weight
Add up to me
Wanting to be alone
Wanting me plus green plus
One flame
Minus words
Equals
one flame
flickering
so blurring
into two