April PAD 29: Ode to the Crown (of the head)

Its weight might simply be
the frayed tail of a braid,
held high with dignity
held low when afraid.

Its pomp may be of circumstance,
piled with tailored curls,
tilted in awe of romance,
of the daydreams of little girls.

Mine was not made
to balance a tiara
nor as a feature to bow
low before another,

nor was it fashioned
to harbor prejudice
and condemn me
as merely a follower.

Its cabinet beneath
is a labyrinth unbounded
housing thoughts to bequeath,
whether true or unfounded.

It's the glory of a human being
in his or her own right.
Its glamor often unseen
though it sparkles through darkest night.

____________________________________________________

Prompt: Write an ode

Today's Writing Setting: In front of the laptop.

April PAD 28: The World Without Slime

Two days to go!

A streaky sidewalk

shines in the high morning
as my lead laden feet
trudge forward, disturbing
a perched bird,
a twitching squirrel,
a dead leaf.
Had they left something
behind, I would
have dodged it,
avoiding those stains,
but the silvery ooze
glistening in the heat
captures my eye
and I think
of its unseen owner.
I smile at this
evidence, recovering
from my own sluggishness,
and with confidence
scribble away with slippery
words that mark
my journey.
Someone will know I was here.

____________________________________________________

Prompt: Write a poem with the idea "the would without ____"

Today's Writing Setting: In front of the laptop.

April PAD 27: In the Fruit of the Tree

A tribute to the Otaheiti (Jamaican) Apple

now am found,

lost in the flesh

of your produce.

you knew not 

how i did weep

for that sweet kiss

to burst from your skin, 

slip past my lips

and carelessly displace 

my heart.

taste tied forever

to memories

now fall loose

in tendrils on my tongue

and as I swallow

and digest, I tiptoe 

through my childhood

to your tree

and shake free 

my appetite 

for remembering,

for you,

for me.

____________________________________________________

Prompt: Write a poem entitled "In the_____ of the ______"

Today's Writing Setting: At the last minute...in bed.

April PAD 26: Pied Piper

Classically trained corruption
plays its tune,
echoing off walls,
treating you to the gloom

of indebtedness and wanting
things you don't need
of guilty regret
and fashionable greed.

Lyrical ads that jingle
your holey pockets,
that curdle behind new trends,
that empty your wallets

lull you into disbelief
into believing you can control it.
They're filling the win column.
Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

Story A Day May On Its Way

With only five days remaining in the springtime poetry writing marathon NaPoWriMo/April PAD, I announce my official enlisting into the fiction writing portion of literary challenges: Story A Day May. The badge below proves it!

It is self explanatory but I bind myslef to the guidelines made here in this post as follows:

1. Write (finish) a story every day*
2. End the month with (at least) 31 stories
3. Write only ONE twitter length story a week

*Fridays and Saturdays are my "weekends" so I may not exactly find time to write/type up on the day, nevertheless, there will be 31 new stories at the end of the month.


That's it! If you would like to participate too, that would be awesome! The community is very friendly at http://storyaday.org/ and you could even do it offline on your own, although I do encourage involving other writing buddies to keep you motivated and accountable.

Request for Readers: I need story prompts from you. Please leave a comment with a story idea, whether it be a subject, line of dialogue, a place, situation, a word...anything to get the juices flowing. I am looking forward to your suggestions, and to May!

April PAD 25: Bedtime

From: http://photo.jacko.com/d/10110-2/sleeping-dog

eyelids begin the march
and we pray our thoughts follow
our lashes dim the sunset of the day
and turn on the hope for tomorrow

____________________________________________________

Prompt: Write a "falling" poem

Today's Writing Setting: In my "office" (sitting upright in my room, facing away from the window).

April PAD 24: Gratitude

dear Jesus,

its me (again).
i forgot today
was, you know...
of course you know.
just wanted to say,
um...thanks (again).

amen.

____________________________________________________

Prompt: Write a "prayer" poem

Today's Writing Setting: In bed.

April PAD 23: Drop Everything and Read

Dear Maggie,

I'd race you to bedtime
even if it was afternoon
just to sneak another hour
of reading into your room.

It pained me when you asked
if time was already up
though you'd skimmed barely past
last night's page where you'd stopped.

I'drun a victoy lap
each night I called for time,
when dutifully I dimmed the lamp
only then did you resign.

Still I say stop growing up,
savor the time to read
for as you enter our fearsome reality
time itself seems to recede.

____________________________________________________

Prompt: Write a "quit doing what you're doing" poem

Today's Writing Setting: In bed, a day late...

April PAD 22: Fingerprint

it is not recycled
like the sequence that builds it,
neither is it duplicated
anywhere else.
this delicate rugae
marking sweat, dirt and ink
identifies you as nothing
else but yourself.

____________________________________________________

Prompt: Write an "only one in the world" poem

Today's Writing Setting: In bed, days late...

April PAD 21: Against the Tide

A beautiful wide winged
bird led a squalling
flock of regular, unremarkable
black birds; an exodus
from the west. Their calls
were frantic, hysterical
and caused the big bird
to take a rest on the sidewalk,
dropping his floundering prey
on the morning-warmed
concrete. Perhaps the strength
of their community would dissuade
him or their calls implant second
thoughts, but then he flew
up to the rooftop where
the blackbirds had congregated
and they scattered,
like blown ash.

____________________________________________________

Prompt: Write a "second thoughts" poem

Today's Writing Setting: On the couch, still.

April PAD 20: Uncork

You'd love it here...
for a two day visit, maybe.
The novelty wanes
if you remain,
so stay wherever you are.

____________________________________________________

Prompt: Write a "message in a bottle" poem

Today's Writing Setting: On the couch, I haven't learned.

April PAD 19: Cloud 9

They call it falling
in love
because
it is a state of groundlessness
that chips away
the tiles beneath your feet
and cools
the still-growing grass,
melts the harsh concrete
and fastens traction
to the air
so when we begin
walking side by side,
we won't notice
the curb curbing to collide
and as we trip,
like dominoes
(me first, then you
cursing at your toes),
we realize if we don't
fall together
we fall apart.

____________________________________________________

Prompt: Two for Tuesday

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

Today's Writing Setting: On the patio overlooking the lake.

April PAD 18: Like Pencils

I'm thin, but my weight can tire you
I was once long, but now sharpened,
I'm suitable for a finger's grip.
I'm pointed, hardly weaponry,
but sharp enough and potentially
lethal.
I'm a portal, temporary, yes,
whose produce is lasting, if you so chose.
I, a poem, can be easily erased but my
residue tells of mistakes
gone before me.

____________________________________________________

Prompt: Write a poem entitled "Like ________ "

Today's Writing Setting: Sitting on the bed, by the computer, scribbling in the notebook after the webpage I was typing on refreshed randomly (and lost the poem).

April PAD 17: Easter

"There are but two essential requirements: 

First: has anyone cheated death and proved it? 

Second: Is it available to me?"

-G.B. Hardy

Yea, He died

because they wanted Him dead

because He was nothing like them

because His foresight was eternal

because He could overcome the wages' inferno

because He loves me - 

but I can't explain that

or the fact that he is alive.

____________________________________________________

Prompt: Write a big picture poem

Today's Writing Setting: Sitting by the computer.

April PAD 16: Options

I pro[pose] a toasted bagel
with a slathering of cream cheese
because as you [click] together
your thoughts, I've already bought
out meals for the week, [shot] the
bus boy down and claimed you
as my man, my excuse, [zoom]ed
through the entire menu
and [focus]ed my point of [view] on you,
[picture]d us together in the same
 frame of mind, as you take your time
to order, I take mine to imagine us
in long aged [photo]s, us [shoot]ing the breeze,
then I [snap] out of my daydream
and sup[pose] you wont eat the whole bagel
so I may inherit the bottom half. [DELETE]

____________________________________________________

Prompt: Write a snapshot poem

Today's Writing Setting: Sprawled half on, half off my bed.

April PAD 15: About Me Section

There's a crinkle in my hair
that took me a year
to regain;
not that you will know this
from my photo, or notice
I'm a little insane
follower with tweets that lie
about how I'm occupied -
never playing games -
but aspiring to create
poetry and stories
people wont hate.

____________________________________________________

Prompt: Write a "profile" poem

Today's Writing Setting: In the other room, watching the Amazing Race. Two days late.

____________________________________________________

Half way through! I've been enjoying this poem a day challenge better than November's largely because I am not trying to speed to 50K words for the first time in my life. Although I have been a little late (especially with the last two days) I have cranked out 16 poem drafts. What I post here are definitely not the final products but this might be as close to published as they get...for now anyway. 

Thanks for reading and keeping me accountable. I appreciate all the comments so keep them coming!

April PAD 14: Greedy

I walked past too many
of your arguments,
hungry or needing relief,
after waiting and waiting
for you, one of you,
to notice I was holding
my breath for hour-long
seconds in my head.
I walked in on your dispute,
exiting my dreams,
picking up words you threw
at each other, and
painting them on my memory's
palate, spitting them
back out when people weren't
looking. Those words were delicious,
tart, and tasted like secrets.
I swallowed them, like
slimy okra till there
weren't any left.
Still, they scorch
my throat with the reminder
that they ain't none
of my business.

____________________________________________________

Prompt: Write an "ain't none of my business" poem

Today's Writing Setting: Sitting by the computer.

April PAD 13: Your Bridesmaids

We all lived together at some point:
Miss Tattle-Tale and I,
you and Lady Prankster.
We grew out from under
one another's shadow
and now we ought to give
you away in high fashion.
At least this time
it will be official,
with formal invitations.




____________________________________________________

Prompt: Write a poem that remembers an old relationship

Today's Writing Setting: In bed, around 11:00 a.m.

April PAD 12: The Line*

The line of demarcation could be terse as a menarche
or as vague as a recognition of confidence before anarchy

Though firmly in older territory, I am noticeably behind
enemy lines, misplacing my foe, granting myself this anarchy

Of boredom, of wild abandon till substantially occupied
by an active culture rather than dormant malarkey

I doubt my place as permanent as I trench through
opposing camps, from intelligence to malarkey

The common journey has no worn paths though
we pass one another in the quest of self-autarchy

All conflict breeds heroes and villains, victors
and the forgotten, and slaves unfit for dyarchy

As for Maxie, steer toward an eternal definition
where even wombs take allegiance to the triarchy


*Ghazal and find a spoonerism!

____________________________________________________

Prompt: Two for Tuesday

1. Write a form poem
2. Write an anti-form poem

Today's Writing Setting: In bed, around 11:00 a.m.