Tea

Tea
For me
You See

Coffee
That's frothy
And tastes of toffee

No for me
It must be
Tea

The Slug - NaPoWriMo Day 11

The slug

There is something out there

Deep in the garden

It eats my plants

Destroys my lettuce

The Coriander a goner

Silver trails the only clue

What can be done?

I know not

What it is or

Where it hides

looked under rocks

Searched in the grass

Then I found it

Snuggled in the damp

Mud below a log

What can be done?

Poisoned pellets, too dangerous

Might get the dog

Traps safe. Maybe

But a waste of beer

Copper tape on pots

Or Live and let live

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The Bop. The invention of poet Afaa Michael Weaver, the Bop is a kind of combination sonnet + song. Like a Shakespearean sonnet, it introduces, discusses, and then solves (or fails to solve) a problem. Like a song, it relies on refrains and repetition. In the basic Bop poem, a six-line stanza introduces the problem, and is followed by a one-line refrain. The next, eight-line stanza discusses and develops the problem, and is again followed by the one-line refrain. Then, another six-line stanza resolves or concludes the problem, and is again followed by the refrain.

He - NaPoWriMo Day 10

He

Well what can I say

He’s clever and smart

He struggles at times

He’s a chap

A gentleman indeed

Doffs his hat

Opens doors

Gives up seats

And much more

He likes lego

And books

Often called a geek

Or a nerd

Sometimes worse

But he doesn’t care

He’s bigger than that

Rises above their words

He is my son

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Write a poem that is a portrait of someone important to you. It doesn’t need to focus so much on what a person looks (or looked) like, as what they are or were. If you need inspiration, here’s one of my favorite portrait poems.

Nine Lives - NaPoWriMo Day 9

Nine Lives

Nine lives they say

A cat may seem

To have many more

They fall from trees

Run in front of cars

Fight on fences

Curiosity kills

Yet live on they do

For another day

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Write a nine-line poem. Although the fourteen-line sonnet is often considered the “baseline” form of verse in English, Sir Edmund Spenser wrote The Faerie Queene using a nine-line form of his own devising, and poetry in other languages (French, most particularly) has always taken advantage of nine-line forms. You can find information of various ways of organizing rhyme schemes, meters, etcetera for nine-line works here. And of course, you can always eschew such conventions entirely, and opt to be a free-verse nine-line poet.

All on the Summer's Day - NaPoWriMo Day 8

All on the Summer’s day

They walked under the sun

The bright sun beat down

All on the summer's day

They climbed the hill

No clouds in the sky

All on the summer's day

Their Legs ached

And Lungs bursting

All on the summer's day

Coats off, jumpers off

Suncream and hats on

All on the summer's day

Fun and laughter

Picnics and games

All on the summer's day

At the top, the wind blows

The sun's gone

All on the summer's day

The rains come

Coats back on

All on the summer's day

Clouds dropped

Visibility gone

All on the summer's day

Lost, confused

Cold and wet

All on the summer's day

No fun now, it’s gone

Just fear and danger

All on the summer's day

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Write a poem that relies on repetition. It can be repetition of a phrase, or just a word. Need a couple of examples? Try “The Bells” by Edgar Allan Poe, or Joy Harjo’s “She Had Some Horses”. Poe’s poem creates a relentless, clanging effect through the repetition of the word “bells,” while Harjo’s repeated use of the phrase “she had some horses” and variations thereof gives her poem poem its incantatory effect, while also deepening its central philosophical conceit of what things are the same and what things are different.

Lost - NaPoWriMo Day 7

Lost

Where is it

Where can it be

I’ve searched

And I've looked

But it's nowhere

You see.

I’ve lost it

I have

Can find it

No more

I’ve looked

In and out

Above and below

It’s gone

Vanished

Disappeared

I’ve lost it

I have

Can find it

No more

My keys

They were

Here

Just there

In my bag

Now where

I’ve lost it

I have

Can find it

No more

Cat came in

With a mouse

In her mouth

Let it go

It ran

Loose in the house

I’ve lost it

I have

Can find it

No more

Followed it quickly

Under the sofa

Midst the fluff

And tissues

My keys

Mouse forgotten

I’ve lost it

I have

Can find it

No more

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The seventh day of NaPoWriMo/GloPoWriMo, Elizabeth and I challenge you to write a poem about luck and fortuitousness. For inspiration, take a look at Charles Simic’s “The Betrothal” and Stephen Dunn’s “The Arm”. Need something more? Perhaps these instructions from Elizabeth will get you going!

Create the following lists:

1. List 1 – 3 random objects. (Smaller tends to be better.)

2. List 1 – 3 random but specific locations. (Think in the cookie jar, or under my seat…)

3. List 1 – 2 objects you’ve lost and a few notes on their back-story.

4. List 1- 2 objects you’ve found and few notes on their back-story.

Now, choosing an object from List 1, a location from List 2, and connect them in a poem with ideas from Lists 3 & 4 and Voilà! A fortuitous poem! As an example of a finished “fortuitous” poem, here is Elizabeth’s own “State of Grace”.

My Cat - NaPoWriMo Day 6

My Cat

Sleek black, killer

Stealth, unseen

Cute, cuddly

Snuggled by fire

Teeth gleaming

Claws sharp

Chasing reflections

Bugs and more

Independent and brave

Till bath time

Jumps at cucumbers

Won’t cross salt circles

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Write a poem that looks at the same thing from various points of view. The most famous poem of this type is probably Wallace Stevens’ “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird”. You don’t need to have thirteen ways of looking at something – just a few will do!