Maximum Exposure

2012 Fearless Poetry Exploration Challenge - Accepted!

2012-01-09T23:10:00.000-05:00

Last week I posted a laundry list of Literary Challenges (and posted a separate page for it as well) for the new year but I made no promises to complete any of them. Today, I am standing firm on one declaration:

I intend to read 4 books of poetry this year

Serena from Savvy Verse & Wit hosts this challenge as a way to build community around the fun of reading poetry. The rules* are quite simple - Complete one of the following:

Read and review 2 books of poetry
Participate in 3 Virtual Poetry Circles (online poem discussion)
Sign up for the National Poetry Month blog tour in April

*More details here

This challenge is an organized way to gather all my poetry goals for the year together. The first task has to do with immersing myself in poetry, both for enjoyment and analysis. The second involves poetry discussion, which I love, and the third involves writing poems in April - something I am already planning to do (for the 2nd time!).

Two poetry books will be from my shelves. Both are anthologies, one collected in the UK and the other showcases Caribbean poets. This is where you come in! I am seeking recommendations for (at least) two more poetry books. Please leave a comment with the title and poet's name and a reason why I should read the volume.

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Interested in this challenge? Let me know your exploration strategy!

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2012 Literary Challenge Calendar

2012-01-06T01:45:00.001-05:00

For 2012, my writing goals are to produce more work, submit pieces, and develop better quality material. A great way to motivate yourself in accomplishing writing goals is to commit to a challenge. Here is a list of literary challenges you may be interested try:

Take on the challenge!

Monthly Challenges

March - NaNoEdMo - National Novel Editing Month "is a free service intended to encourage writers to edit unfinished novels." Writers commit to spending at least 50 hours of the month solely on editing a project.

April - NaPoWriMo - "National Poetry Writing Month is an annual project in which participating poets attempt to write a poem a day for the month of April" source.
The April Poem-A-Day Challenge hosted by Robert Lee Brewer involves the added challenge of submitting 5 poems for placement in the top 50 and announcement of Poetic Asides Poet Laureate for the year.

May - Story A Day May "StoryADay.org is home to an annual Extreme Writing Challenge:

Write a story every day in May." Hosted by Julie Duffy.

July - JulNoWriMo - "Your goal, should you choose to accept it, is to write 50,000+ words during the month of July. Do you have the courage and the drive to attempt such a feat?" Hosted by Robert Watson.

November - November Poem-A-Day Chapbook Challenge - Participants are prompted each day to write a poem. At the end of the month, poets can compile a 10-20 poem chapbook and enter it for an opportunity at publication. Hosted by Robert Lee Brewer.

NaNoWriMo - National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing on November 1. The goal is to write a 50,000 word, (approximately 175 page) novel by 11:59:59, November 30.

Seasonal Challenges

Winter - 24-hour Short Story Contest - WritersWeekly.com hosts this contest for $5. There's space for 500 participants who write stories with good endings. No word count limit stated. The topic is published on January 21st and they host one every quarter.

Summer - 100 Drabbles of Summer - Write 100 Drabbles (stories with exactly 100 words) between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Hosted by Charloft on LiveJournal.

Year Long Challenges

2012 Fearless Poetry Exploration Challenge - Read and review at least two books of poetry for the year. Hosted by Serena.

Write1Sub1 - "Write and submit a short story or poem every week (or month), starting the first week of January and ending the last week of December." Hosted by Ray Bradbury.

****I will be adding this information as a standing page on my blog. If you know of any other writing challenges (especially in the months that are not listed here) please leave a comment with as many details as you can share.

****Which creative challenge would you challenge yourself to this year?

Chapbook Challenge Manuscript - Completed!

2012-01-02T14:00:00.000-05:00

Chapbook Title Page

I had no idea what I was doing.

Putting the manuscript together was an emotional struggle because I was unsure of my editing skills, unsure of what order the poems should appear, unsure of the poems themselves. I came across a poet's confession a few weeks back:

~ Book of Kells: Confession Tuesday - Looking Back: "I confess I'm just not sure my current poems are "good enough." And what does "good enough" actually mean? I'm not sure. But I just want to think they are incredible, but I don't."

I share her exact sentiment. In any case, doubts and insecurities aside, I strung a few poems together into a collection and I emailed it off to Robert Lee Brewer for judging. On Groundhog Day (Feb 2) I will know if it stood out in the crowd.

'via Blog this'

Wednesday Prompt: While You Were Gone

2011-12-07T23:22:00.001-05:00

FONDER

Absence does something to the heart,
and while you were gone,
I balanced its workings
against my forgetfulness,
lest the soft drumming memories
in my burdened chest be drilled
away as angry metal to concrete,
replete with the chiseling
of your exit.

Absence does something to the heart,
and while you were gone,
its hold would conjure the best
days against the soft rays
of sparkling hindsight,
melting away the stony corridor
lining the path between
yesterday’s reminiscent smile
and today’s familiar hurt.

Absence fondled my aching heart
while you were gone,
making a home in its chambers,
settling, cleaning, applying time
to bandage the tissue
needing healing,
and the something it did for me,
made me fonder of the freedom
you threw at my feet
once you were gone.

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This poem was inspired by today's Poetic Asides Prompt. I guess I had more poems in me! The manuscript is coming along. Thanks for all your suggestions and encouragement!

Craning for Understanding: The Newspaper

2011-12-07T12:30:00.000-05:00

Today's WORD on Journalism: Craning for Understanding:

"The Newspaper

“A newspaper is a collection of half-injustices
Which, bawled by boys from mile to mile,
Where every one is kindly and unfairly tried
By a squalor of honest men.
A newspaper is a market
Where wisdom sells its freedom
And melons are crowned by the crowd.
A newspaper is a game
Where his error scores the player victory
While another’s skill wins death.
A newspaper is a symbol;
It is feckless life’s chronicle,
A collection of loud tales
Concentrating eternal stupidities,
That in remote ages lived unhaltered,
Roaming through a fenceless world.”

—Stephen Crane (1871-1900), novelist, poet and journalist,
from War is Kind and Other Lines (1988)"

'via Blog this'

If you allow "newspaper" to represent "modern media" this poem really stands the test of time.

Bad Sex In Fiction Award 2011

2011-12-07T07:15:00.001-05:00

Any reference to graphic incest would automatically win this prize. Thanks Sophocles...ew!

BBC News - Bad Sex In Fiction: David Guterson's Ed King wins award:

'via Blog this'

Post-Challenge Thoughts and Actions

2011-12-02T00:30:00.001-05:00

Deadlines are motivators for me. I work best with a clock ticking. With these facts in mind, I look at the selection process of choosing (at least ten, at most twenty) poems for the chapbook manuscript in a time frame. I have about a week.

This means I'm going to need your help. Below is a list of titles and prompts (with links!) from November's poetry challenge. Let me know which ones were most significant, enjoyable, or memorable to you by commenting or replying with three title(s) you liked. I didn't include all the drafts here, but if you liked one not found on the list, mention it as well.

Let the sifting begin!

Poems and Prompts

Pink Collar - Procrastination/proactive
Wasted Solidarity - Epigraph poem
Sort of Silly - "Sort of ________"
Discovery - Something unexpected
Rising Anew - Broken poem
Dead or Alive - "______ or ______"
Overcast - Different perspective poem
Cliche To Do List - Math or numbers poem
Enough - Excess poem
The Lioness - Kind poem
Location, Location - Love/anti-love
Once Upon a Train - "Once upon a _______"
Revelations - Something revealing
Best Ever Farewell - Best ever poem
Whenever I Remember - "Whenever _______"
Beet - Fruit/vegetable poem
Alive - Travel poem
Right to Assemble - Gathering poem
To My Mistakes - Tribute poem
Let There Be - Evening/day-time poem

November PAD 30: Leaping

2011-11-30T08:31:00.000-05:00

Today's Prompt: Write an "against all odds" poem

Today's Poem:

BEFORE YOU LEAP

You size them up,
these giants of doubt,
cowardice, and unbelief
and most times,
they are nothing more than
bites
when you open your mouth
to scream as you free-
fall into arms of hope, faith,
and love.

Today's Ponderings: Yay! We made it to the end of another November Poem-A-Day Challenge. I appreciate all the lovely comments and encouragement from everyone because without your feedback, I would not have completed 37 poems in 30 days. Thank you!

So, now what? What am I going to do with all these drafts? I have to get them manuscript ready by December 31, 2011:

Select 20 poems from the month
Edit the poems
Compile the poems into a manuscript

More details on the way...

November PAD 29: Being

2011-11-29T09:09:00.000-05:00

Today's Prompt: Two for Tuesday!

Write an evening poem.
Write a day-time poem.

Today's Poem:

LET THERE BE

C an words come alive and
R econstruct a dull void into the
E vening and the morning of the first six days,
A ttend to a vat of nothing and dust
T o make this sphere a home for us,
I ntone to make known a love
O f creative and unlimited proportions?
N ot if you doubt the power of his words.

Today's Ponderings: Another acrostic poem on catch up for the last week.

November PAD 28: Redeeming

2011-11-28T09:03:00.000-05:00

Today's Prompt: Write a poem entitled "_________ Story"

Today's Poem:

REDEMPTION STORY

How to craft a redemption story:

1. Be saved from something, someone, or somewhere
2. Be changed someway, somehow.

3. Begin with need of emancipation,
4. Meet the middle at rock bottom
(or a point on the way down).

5. End with a timely rescue,
6. Plotting towards a bright a future
with the one who is the savior.

7. Write it.
8. Speak it.

9. Live it.
10. Believe it.

Today's Ponderings: Another catch up poem revised for this viewing audience. I'll probably post a picture of what this looked like on paper, because this came out of a jumbled mess!

November PAD 27: Mistaking

2011-11-27T22:29:00.000-05:00

Today's Prompt: Write a tribute poem

Today's Poem:

TO MY MISTAKES

May your sharp edges
be sheathed in victory.

May your poison froth
far away from my mouth.

May your flame-licking
allure be fully extinguished.

May you live forever in my past.

Today's Ponderings: Another catch-up poem. Loose interpretation on the prompt.

November PAD 25: Kindling

2011-11-25T09:21:00.000-05:00

Today's Prompt: Write a consumption poem

Today's Poem:

KINDLING

You stoke desire like a magic wand
brushing at the air, commanding
obedience and getting it, every time.

But in the aftermath, flames
of sapped Kleenex litters the
floor and once more

its you against me
with a pane of mirrored glass
standing between us.

This sparkle in your eye
is the torch laden on my heart,
the person I vow to undress

and re-clothe in righteousness.
See, therein lies the issue
of fire vs tissue:

All at once—both will be consumed
because a blood-red love
cascades from above

to unearth the dirt and stain,
pause to remain and resume
this life in greater light.

Today's Ponderings: Still playing catch up!

Free Admission Thursday: Thanksgiving Edition

2011-11-24T08:35:00.000-05:00

There's no cover charge here: this is a place of honesty and full disclosure.

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HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

I admit that Thanksgiving is my favorite American holiday because it involves a large feast, but it is reminiscent of Sabbath afternoon lunches back home in Jamaica that I miss. This Thursday celebrates events that happen one day a year that for me happened once a week.

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I admit that the November Poem-A-Day Challenge has been a struggle for me as it applies to discipline and networking. I have had my major problems over the weekends but writing every day is hard! I like reading everyone esle's poems each day but I don't have the time to read them all, much less to comment. I wanted to do better at that this year but I guess there's always next time!

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I admit that the performers on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade looked ridiculous lip-syncing their songs. Lauren Alaina sang the National Anthem for the Packers vs. Lions and there was some kind of glitch or she forgot to keep singing... tsk tsk.

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November PAD 24: Gathering

2011-11-24T08:03:00.001-05:00

Today's Prompt: Write a gathering poem.

Today's Poem:

RIGHT TO ASSEMBLE

Some privileges we left
behind are not worth fighting
for, and ideals worthy of
raised fists trails the list.
The collectivity bargained
for lacked peace of mind
in the noble gathering
of bodies. In a gallery
of men we’d stand in anger
(most times), hurling demands
across lines we are
(sometimes) conscious
not to cross, but without
cause—we’d charge the lost
with the sins of the living
and leave the accountable
off the hook, for when we
look outside ourselves we
see things to fix, and blame
the mirror for being distorted
when we’re the ones who
aborted the choice to be
right because sometimes
we come together
for the wrong reasons.

Today's Ponderings: This poem has a political flavor but I didn't want to write another ~~cheesy~~ Thanksgiving poem. Maybe I will later on...

November PAD 23: Living

2011-11-23T23:02:00.001-05:00

Today's Prompt: Write a travel poem

Today's Poem:

ALIVE

“To travel is to live.”
― Hans Christian Andersen

Goose-bumped gravel speckles the road,
trips the too smooth ride, and we pass
ports and piers, sturdy against sea-tossed air,
lines of anchored stability daring us to cruise,
ship, toss our cares aside
and launch into the water
to ensure we packed our lives.

Today's Ponderings: Love the prompt! How appropriate for this holiday.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!!!!!!!

November PAD 22: Beeting

2011-11-22T22:33:00.001-05:00

Today's Prompt: Two for Tuesday!

Pick a fruit, make it the title of your poem, and write the poem.
Pick a vegetable, make it the title of your poem, and write the poem.

Today's Poem:

BEET

If you grew misshapen,

and could still fit in my fist,
if your flesh was more fleshy
this simile would fit:

you, beet, (like my heart),
are as veined and scarred
as a war-beaten soldier
recently discharged.

you, beet, (like my heart),
are as dirty and covered
as an old kept secret
waiting for its final hour.

you, beet, (like my heart),
are as vibrant and bold
as a new born wound
freshly cut in the cold.

you, beet, (like my heart),
are as red as desire,
exposed and pierced
bleeding droplets of fire.

If you remained underground
unafraid of being uprooted,
you, beet, (like my heart),
would be naive and unsuited.

Today's Ponderings: Well, I think this poem deserves a redo. The collection I have in mind (if it will still be about items on a to-do-list) will have to change to fit this piece as it is. I wont force it though. December will be interesting as I work on compiling these.

November PAD 21: Consuming

2011-11-21T23:22:00.001-05:00

Today's Prompt: Write a poem entitled “Whenever __________”

Today's Poem:

WHENEVER I REMEMBER...

...the rum tinged flavor of December’s
sorrel, how it charred my throat
with ginger, and filled my nose with
memories—I think of you,

not because your face gets tangled
in remembrance (I met you after
my last real sip), but because I’d
nearly choke on the dark red drink,

and then hurry to swallow it down
as a cure, scathing me, addicting me,
knowing each time won’t taste anything
like the last.

Today's Ponderings: This poem needs some work but I have to leave it till later. The challenge really comes in this week with Thanksgiving plans. I will do my best to stay on track.

November PAD 20: Leaving

2011-11-20T21:06:00.001-05:00

Today's Prompt: Write a "best ever" poem.

Today's Poem:

BEST EVER FAREWELL

We stand here

on the edge of our

sweet
goodbye,

yet ours has the bitterness
of a winter-morning
blast, rushing up
against our faces,
pushing the calm
warmth from our
fast pumping blood.

While we look forward
to pushing this appointment
to the back of our minds,
we crane our eyes ahead
to the day we say farewell
to our goodbyes.

Today's Ponderings: Ten days to go? Yup.

November PAD 19: Staying

2011-11-19T20:46:00.000-05:00

Today's Prompt: Write a "suspicious minds" poem

Today's Poem:

NEXT DOOR

The neighborhood heard
(or maybe just the houses
three doors down),
that you weren’t coming back
or that you were told not to return.

They surmise that a stranger
slept here, that our finances
met chaos, that we met one
another at a crossroads
and went our separate ways.

The neighborhood was not
stunned when you walked
back in, but they were suspicious
of your length of stay.

Today's Ponderings: A little behind, but loving the experience. Writing something creative everyday is harder this month than any other, I think. There are a lot of family activities and school obligations converging on each other but keeping my mind on the goal (at least 30 poems by Dec 1, possibly a manuscript) is the motivating force.

November PAD 18: Timing

2011-11-18T08:04:00.001-05:00

Today's Prompt: Write an "its too late" poem.

Today's Poem:

BAD TIMING

Time on the clock:
the eleventh hour
and fourteen minutes
past that.

Time in my mind:
frozen in a moment
of reality I cannot
refund.

Time in my heart:
tardy,
lazy,
juvenile. Daylight
savings cannot
fall back or spring
forward the breaking.
Its too late for rescue,
the day’s damage is done.

Today's Ponderings: I wrote a poem for the writing group's monthly assignment which was "Your greatest disappointment" but it felt like cheating a bit, even though it fit this prompt perfectly, so I wrote this draft instead.

November PAD 17: Revealing

2011-11-17T16:00:00.001-05:00

Today's Prompt: Write a poem that reveals something

Today's Poem:

REVELATIONS

The morning fog hides nothing,
yet we search through it

to find our way.

It clouds everything
and we wait for it to lift,

but yet it is there for us to see.
The thick gray tones of a morning,

reveals the silence,
the eerie, the same world

in its subdued, cottony way.

Today's Ponderings: I am gearing up to conquer this weekend. I have enlisted my Moleskine notebook to ride in my back pocket (so to speak) so that whenever the moment strikes, I can retain some of my ideas. I did that last year and it helped me so much, I don't know why I did not keep the routine going. Enjoy "Revelations" by Audioslave:

November PAD 16: Training

2011-11-16T23:30:00.000-05:00

Today's Prompt: Write a poem entitled "Once Upon a __________"

Today's Poem:

Once Upon A Train

we sat in silent conversation
talking to our own strangers,
but though my words were
requested responses, they
were meant for you to hear,
to show you I meant never
to share a breath with you,
to show you that I stopped
caring where you went
what you did, who you saw,
where you lived, but yes,
ignoring you took efforts you
didn’t deserve and I am itching
to serve you remorse when
the doors open and I leave
you with the remnants of
your last chance.

Today's Ponderings: I've fallen behind with my posts and though I am frustrated with myself for that, I feel energized in the same way I was at the beginning of this challenge. The weekends are difficult but I'll catch up soon. I have written about 17 poems, songs technically, I am still on track but writing daily is yet to be mastered. Too much going on in my life...

November PAD 15: Loving

2011-11-15T00:19:00.000-05:00

Today's Prompt: Two-for-Tuesday!

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

Today's Poem:

LOCATION, LOCATION

Where there is love,
there’s also you.

Where there dwells
a certain longing,
where a moment
houses only two,
there’s me,
and there’s you.

Where there is emptiness
there is your absence.

Where there is happiness
there is your smile.

Where there is love,
there you are
with your open heart.

Today's Ponderings: Every poem a day challenge Robert Lee Brewer gives this prompt at some time in the month and though it is somewhat predictable, I look forward to it. I can't write an "anti-love" poem, at least not on the day. I guess I'm more of an optimist than I recognize. This poem is dedicated to my God, and it made me think of this song: "I Just Want to Be With You" by Don Moen.

November PAD 14: Daring

2011-11-14T13:30:00.000-05:00

Today's Prompt: Write a deadly and dangerous poem.

Today's Poem:

THE DARE

This is the product of unmanned
children in a church-side cemetery,
in an age where boring rectangular
headstones were not yet in fashion:

We rationed ourselves to the outskirts,
moving slowly and pointing, sucking
the salt from our thumbs and forefinger
as we ate our banana chip snacks.

We knew all about Obeah* and Duppy
stories**, what not to do near a grave,
but soon we investigated the hovering
statues, the smooth tiles, the names.

We began with the simple things:
a hand on a carved angel for five ticks,
singing “Woman in a Churchyard Sat,”
then, proving I was unfazed and unafraid,

I scoffed at the challenge. But
ten seconds is a long time
as fearful, awed faces cringed
above me, begging me to climb

off the cold slab stone grave,
as if I would fall in, as if it was not
just like a step on which one could lie
supine, as I was, like a breathing corpse.

When I closed my eyes to let the
potential nightmare stay inside my head
they screamed and fled and assumed
I had laid too long with the dead.

*Obeah - Jamaican black magic

**Duppy - Jamaican word for "ghost"

Today's Ponderings: I wrote about a silly event in my childhood because I was inspired by some of the poems on Poetic Asides today. With this, I have discovered the theme of my chapbook: history and lists. More on that soon too come.

November PAD 13: Hunting

2011-11-13T19:07:00.003-05:00

Today's Prompt: Write a kind poem.

Today's Poem:

THE LIONESS

There’s much more to say
about the lioness’ graceful
stalk, the matriarchal way
she wears her close-grown
mane and the fierce stance
she takes in her pride than
to mention her role
as the hunter.

Today's Ponderings: Catch up mode. This poem comes 5 days late, but I am glad it arrived!

November PAD 12: Measuring

2011-11-12T19:07:00.000-05:00

Today's Prompt: Write an excess poem

Today's Poem:

ENOUGH

There’s no world standard for small:
a petite or pequeno may translate to
medium or extra tiny.

There’s no world standard for large:
a grande or largo may translate to
medium or extra huge.

There’s no world standard for enough
or too much
or too little
or too butch
or too brittle
or too fat
or too thin
or too course
or too smooth
everything translates subject to interpretation.

There’s no world standard for overflow,
but we know what is greed
and need
and desperate
and clean
and disparity
and dirt
and pain
and hurt.

What is most excessive
is inconsistency
but I guess we can
blame Congress
for that too.

Today's Ponderings: Catch up mode! This poem is a bit out of context and I'm definitely marking it as a draft (although it has had a couple makeovers that took me some time). It's six days late, but I am glad to be all caught up!

November PAD 11: Listing

2011-11-11T19:06:00.000-05:00

Today's Prompt: Write a poem involving math and/or numbers

Today's Poem:

(CLICHЀ) TO DO LIST

☑ Breathe, count to ten
☐ Reside on cloud nine
☐ Try to lose some w(eight)
☐ Find luck in number seven
☑ Book a table for six
☐ Work a nine to five
☐ Book a table for four
☐ Be in a crowd of three
☐ Enjoy the company of two
☑ Find one love, one heart
☑ Get together and feel alright

Today's Ponderings: Catch up mode! This poem is a week late and though it just hatched, this poem follows the listing theme of my idea for the chapbook manuscript.

November PAD 10: Casting

2011-11-10T08:48:00.001-05:00

Today's Prompt: Write a poem from a different perspective.

Today's Poem:

OVERCAST

I am tired of morphing into what you want
to see.
You—laying there on the prickly lawn,
pointing at me, calling me cotton candy—
you all look the same from up here!

I will be myself: fluffy or cumulus
or sparse or thick or foreboding.
Just stop making me out to be
a puppy.

Today's Ponderings: I was the third poet to post a comment on Poetic Asides and I thought I was fast! I will definitely write more with this prompt.

November PAD 9: Wanting

2011-11-09T21:47:00.004-05:00

Today's Prompt: Write a poem with the title "_______or _______"

Today's Poem:

Dead or Alive

I sympathize with the
fugitive. The nervous
battle of suppressing
sweat, calming thuds
inside one’s chest,
making a nest of faces
and aching to blend
into their thatch must
be worth the reward
of knowing one is so
desperately
wanted.
Dead or alive.

Today's Ponderings: I wrote two poems today; actually, this one had a second stanza but they were too unrelated to fit together so I broke them apart and tried staying true to the theme. They require some serious editing. Enjoy "Wanted: Dead or Alive" by Bon Jovi.

November PAD 8: Fleeting

2011-11-08T10:07:00.002-05:00

Today's Prompt: Write a paranormal poem and/or
Write a normal poem

Today's Poem:

FLEETING

i cannot
support
paranoia
about
the future

i do not
believe
in ghosts
of the
past

suspended
in a state of
meliorism,
for now,
i realize
this feeling
wont last

Today's Ponderings: I wanted to at least stay on track with writing a poem a day. Today I wrote two and I am probably going to try some more, as the prompts appear to be quite open-ended.

The State of Commas

2011-11-08T08:34:00.001-05:00

Down to the business of taking a breath

The state of commas is in decline, at least. Commas are becoming less frequently used, and more commonly misused. Their purpose is mainly to signal a pause, set apart adverbial clauses, distinguish components of a list, and piss proofreaders off.

Too often, they are either sprinkled in wild abandon or absent in a breathless sentence.

Be intentional with your commas. Pause, at times, for effect.

Mentioned here: In a Com(m)a - Ted Pease
Expounded here: Farewell, Comma, He said - Robert J. Samuelson

November PAD 7: Changing

2011-11-07T23:30:00.000-05:00

Today's Prompt: Write a "what won't wait" poem.

Today's Poem:

CHANGE

no bold arguments or affronts
halt this master of upheaval

nothing moves without hinting
at its inevitability nearby

like helpless leaves cavorting
to the passing speed of a wheel

we float to the tune of the
changing tide.

Today's Ponderings: I did not like the prompt today, and I hereby make that my excuse for posting late. My theme for the chapbook submission is not coming along, but it's only been a week. Here's a song to accompany the sentiment:

November PAD 6: Addicting

2011-11-06T22:55:00.001-05:00

Today's Prompt: Write an addict poem.

Today's Poem:

SELF-NEGOTIATION

I’ll have some....
to sample
to retry
for fun
for snack time
to socialize
for the game
to dull the senses
when I feel lame
when I’m at home
when I’m alone
to comfort
to console
because I want
because I can
because I need it
...now.

Today's Ponderings: I had a hard time coming up with something for this prompt but I will keep trying my hand at it when I have a spare moment. "Rehab" by Amy Winehouse:

November PAD 5: Breaking

2011-11-05T23:46:00.000-04:00

Today's Prompt: Write a broken poem

Today's Poem:

RISING ANEW

The rivalry in my bones
creaks against the memory
of yesterday’s unjust guilt,
against the unturned stones
of worry—but here,
in between lines of sleep,
the dawn does nothing
but break.

The cracks in the ceiling
are veined in exactly
the same way they were
before, but while this new
fissure in my backbone
keeps me feigning rest,
the day does nothing
but break.

The world too fractured,
the burden too great,
as I wake to face
a side of you I regret
to have known.
My swollen eye
and silenced tongue
accompany my exit.

The mirror on the wall
with its new film of dust
reveals the fear bruising
my will, and still, the sun
rises. Tiptoe to the door,
morning has broken,
and my resolve
is breaking, breaking.

Today's Ponderings: Fueled by this song: "Broken" by Seether ft. Amy Lee

November PAD 4: Discovering

2011-11-04T23:30:00.000-04:00

Today's Prompt: Write a poem about finding something unexpected

Today's Poem:

DISCOVERY

There is a precipice
between now and the future
in which we lay our plans.

It shortens as the years
whir past, leaving a slither
in which to will and want.

There is a crevice
between now and tomorrow
into which we squeeze, gasping.

It is neither enough,
nor far too much
but it never satisfies.

Then, sometimes,
a slice of time
finds its way into your day.

That discovery is priceless.

Today's Ponderings: Considering that I fell off the wagon for posting poems here, I am in "catch up mode" and trying my best to make good use of the daylight time saved.

November PAD 3: Sorting

2011-11-03T20:18:00.003-04:00

Today's Prompt: Write a poem with the title "Sort of __________"

Today's Poem:
SORT OF SILLY

The way we leave X's on our cheeks
and encircle each other in O's

The way thumbed conversation
keeps us on our toes

The way we share emoticons
when our faces are stiff

The way we love without
allowing our worlds to shift

Today's Ponderings: This is the edited version of what I posted on Poetic Asides after some comments. I like it. This song is also sort of silly but I like it too.

Free Admission Thursday

2011-11-03T16:00:00.000-04:00

There's no cover charge here: this is a place of honesty and full disclosure.

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I admit that I got a little dizzy doing this: Go to Google.com and type in "do a barrel roll" (without quotes)

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So many people are doing the poetry challenge this month. I found that there are three groups of poets participating:

Poets who post poems and comments on the Poetic Asides blog with Robert Lee Brewer.
Poets who post poems on their own blogs (who may or may not comment at Poetic Asides).
Poets who post no poems online.

Hats off to each one of them. I do not have any plans to submit my poetry to fancy journals just yet, but it is wise not to post poems to your blog if you (eventually) want to send them out. Some publishers may consider blogs as "published" material.

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I hope the two guests who came to the writing group today will decide to stay on as regular members. We've had at least five people come in and lift right out.

November PAD 2: Drumming

2011-11-02T23:30:00.000-04:00

Today's Prompt: Use an epigraph to kickstart your poem.

Today's Poem:

WASTED SOLIDARITY

“Everybody’s trusting in the heart, like the heart don’t lie” - Matchbox 20

Synchronized heartbeats
thumped alongside
heaping gulps of air,
but you were not there.

A common lub-dub holding
memories and faith,
futures and hope,
but I missed your scope.

Beating fear and despair
with love and untruth
in the same vein
with the same race
to the same place
with the same tome
in two found souls.

Then, all at once,
it pumped out

of rhythm.

Today's Ponderings: Its the second day and I'm a little behind. Still waiting to fall "in like" with a rough draft.

Epigraph from this song:

Poem's concept from the end of song:

November PAD 1: Running

2011-11-01T22:16:00.000-04:00

Today's Prompt: Two-For-Tuesday!

Write a procrastination poem, or as I like to call it a “I’ll get to it tomorrow” poem. Or…
Write a proactive poem, or the old “I’ll get to it today” poem.

Today's Poem:

PINK COLLAR

She charged into the world,
with pen in hand,
searching for purpose and herself.
The least of these could wait,
as her talents appreciate
in her dusty old self.
She charged into the world
unaware of man’s delay,
carrying a glass bottom boat
on her head.
She should have known
she would be prone
to last minute sprints
and roadblocks instead.

Today's Ponderings:
I am not happy with this attempt but I eeked it out as soon as I could this morning. I started another but the business of school and everything else kept me from finishing the draft. Made me think of this song...

November Poem-A-Day Game Plan

2011-10-28T06:00:00.000-04:00

As I prepare to dive into this month of poetic adventure, I still have to be conscious that regular life continues. That was my main issue last year when I fell off - overestimating my available writing time. This year, I am going to concentrate on quality by investing a proper segment of my day to the poem. I operate much better in the morning.

Here's a list of things I can still to do create some more poetry time before November comes:

~~Inform family members~~
~~Write research paper(s)~~
Write November assignment for Writing Group
Prepare education workshop for Writing Group
~~Create blog template for poem posts~~

That reminds me! I will be posting a poem here each day. Feel free to leave comments because I will really need your recommendations when it comes time to put the chapbook manuscript together. Also, if you recieve these posts by email, and you don't want to get 30+ posts in your inbox next month, let me know so I can modify the list.

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Follow me on twitter @maxiesteer

Follow other participating poets on twitter with hastag #NovPAD

Check out the November Poem-A-Day Challenge Rules

Free Admission Thursday

2011-10-27T22:38:00.004-04:00

There's no cover charge here: this is a place of honesty and full disclosure.

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I was browsing at the library with my boyfriend last month and between whispers and giggles in the love and dating section, we encountered a book titled "I LoVe YOu, LeT's MeEt: Adventures in Online Dating" and out popped this note (transcribed below):

Hi You,

Hi, if you are reading this I guess you found the book. You really know how to use the Dewey Decimal Catalog. I hope you are doing good. It really amazes me how we have kept this friendship going. Its been years since we've seen each other but we still manage to be in touch. It's strange how close we live but how far away we seem. But it is great what we have!!

I hope this little adventure brought a smile to your face. I always loved to see your smile, I miss your laugh.

Anyways have a great whatever when you find this!!

xoxoxox

P.S. If someone else has checked this book out can you please leave this note, thanks.

I admit this was the most romantic thing I had seen in a long time.

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I admit that I am anxious about the anthology for this year. My writing group publishes a collection every year and this year I formatted the whole thing. I looked at the proof this week and made some corrections and concessions but I just want to have it in my hand!

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There are four days till the November Poem-A-Day Challenge. I am so ready. I've been tempted by my online NaNoWriMo buddies from last year but I will not waver. I am inspired by Cara's thematic playlist for her November novel. The songs are all heavy with story and that's what I am aiming for in my poems this year.

Free Admission Thursday

2011-10-20T23:18:00.001-04:00

There's no cover charge here: this is a place of honesty and full disclosure.

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I admit that I am excited for my writing friends who are now attending the Florida Writers Conference in Orlando. A pinch of jealousy, maybe, but I am seriously considering it as an option for next year. I surely hope by then I will be ready...whatever that means.

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I admit to being conscious of my own shortcomings making them shorter. I wrote a haphazard story today for critique and in trying to keep it brief I played into my usual faults: fluffy descriptions over clarity, spotty scenes and shoddy transitions. I know this is classic Maxie, but I am at least motivated to fix it. Thanks for encouraging my madness!

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I dropped my Kindle recently. I am ashamed. Now I have a tiny little blotch in the upper right quadrant of the screen. Most of the time, I don't even see it, but other times...I can't see anything else. I have a case; it wasn't being used during the accident.

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I admit that I am counting down to November. See below!

PS: If you received this message as an email and you want to make a comment, do not hit the REPLY button. I won't get it. Leave a comment on my blog following the link provided below.

Poetry in Unexpected Places

2011-10-17T18:27:00.001-04:00

The Houston Texans' star running back, Arian Foster, is also a poet. This NFL Films video profiles his approach to the game of football, how writing helps him to refocus and how poetry - in words and in his running style - tells the story of his life.

Arian Foster: Poetry in Motion

Photo Credit: TexansChick

Free Admission Thursday

2011-10-14T02:04:00.000-04:00

This is the first edition of a weekly spill session. Based on the "Confession Tuesday" concept I'm borrowing from both Poet Mom and Book of Kells, Free Admission Thursday is a place of honesty and full disclosure - like the chapters of a Tell-All.

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I admit that it has been 28 days since I wrote a poem. Lately it has been a relief to write something other than a research paper. One of my classes is "Business Writing," so I should have expected that this semester.

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I admit that although I live about 15 miles from the beach, last Wednesday was my first trip back since summer 2 years ago. The ocean recharges me. Perhaps because it is so refreshing, powerful, and I don't have to pay to get in.

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I admit that I was nervous about doing the November Poem A Day Challenge this year but I am over the jitters. I'm doing it. It will be a little more difficult than last year because I have a full workload at school, but I feel confident. I need this challenge to erase my NaNoEdMo and Story A Day failures from earlier this year. Now to get my friends (talking to you, Jim) to join in with me! More details on that in another post.

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I admit to cooking while blogging. As I was throwing what I thought was spaghetti into the pot, trying to multitask, I discovered blogger's predictive typing feature. It will take some getting used to. After three hunger driven taste tests I realized I was actually cooking linguine.

There you have it: the first cut of F.A.T. (tee hee!)

PS: If you received this message as an email and you want to make a comment, do not hit the REPLY button. I won't get it. Leave a comment on my blog following the link provided below.

Falling into Autumn

2011-09-01T06:55:00.000-04:00

Turkey in Battery Park, NY - 2009

The first day of Autumn is officially Friday, September 23 but in a state with perennial sunshine, I must forego the coloured leaves signal and use one of two marks to start the new season: the beginning of the school year or the beginning of the football season. This summer has been brutal. The heat was frightening, thunderstorms were even more so (not really complaining here), and I've done little writing.

So, it is time for Fall, or the serious part of hurricane season. School has started for me and I've already drafted my fantasy football league, putting some much needed routine back in my life. Where writing is concerned, I've had a hard time finding time to pen anything because of added responsibilities. I am considering the November Poem A Day challenge but I will pass on NaNoWriMo this year. Busy, busy.

I'll leave you all with 3 (related and unrelated) Poems:

Hurricane Season - History of Hurricanes
Seasonings - Among the Vegetarians
Hurricane Seasonings - Problems with Hurricanes

What is your favorite season? Why?

Dance, Dance

2011-07-21T23:32:00.003-04:00

Wow. It has been over 2 months since I've blogged. Bad Maxie. Blogger has even changed its entire interface while I was gone.

In the time away, however, there has been cause for celebration, so get your party hats on (or straw hats, or beanies, or whatever you're rocking) and let's throw down. W00t!

I successfully completed another semester of school. No only did I survive, I aced my classes. Thank you, Jesus!
I got a new, super fast computer (installed with writer friendly MS Word 2010 and OneNote)...and a new computer bag.
My poem from April 14th "Greedy" was selected as one of the top 50 poems from the pool of submissions from the April Poem A Day (PAD) Challenge. Check out the results and poems - I am absolutely honored to be mentioned with this group of poets. Surreal!
I failed Story A Day May in spectacular fashion - finishing almost exactly where I left off on the blog - with only 11 stories. Why are we celebrating this? Well, that's 11 more stories than I had before May 1st. They are still works in progress.

If those aren't reasons to dance around like a maniac, pshhhh.... Actually, life is too wonderful not to celebrate even the smallest things, like getting a letter in the mail from a person, not a company.

pic from www.zazzle.com - buy fun stuff there!

Story A Day - The Madness

2011-05-11T11:10:00.000-04:00

These are the guidelines I committed to for this month-long challenge:

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

Now, here's a quick update on how the challenge of writing a Story A Day has been going for me:

Guideline #1 - (epic) Fail! I have written stories on 8/11 days so far. One of the stories end mid-word.
Guideline #2 - Even though I am behind, I have all intentions to catch up.
Guideline #3 - Yay! One for the win! I have written only one Twitter-fiction story and I actually like it.

This year has been less productive for me than last, although, it has more to do with poor time management than with life's interruptions. I must regulate my Hulu-Korean-drama-time to the weekends! Below is a sample from week 1:

May 3 Prompt: Pride (@lilscottieme)

Liberation: A Drabble

The dense carpeting underfoot, still falling from the canopy above, crunched with my heavy march. I wiped imaginary frost from my face, knowing if I didn’t there might be tears instead. I dared not turn around. I dared not pause. I held my pride and dignity in my posture because they were watching. The desperate screams and pitter-patter of feet retreated as I pushed forward toward a freedom I was unsure I wanted. The future was thick with impossibilities. Now my footprints burned a bridge to the only trade I knew -- raising someone else’s children and neglecting my own.

Enjoy!

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

2011-04-29T18:23:00.000-04:00

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

2011-04-28T11:57:00.001-04:00

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

2011-04-27T23:32:00.001-04:00

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

2011-04-26T13:14:00.000-04:00

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

2011-04-25T22:16:00.000-04:00

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:

Write (finish) a story every day*
End the month with (at least) 31 stories
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

2011-04-25T21:41:00.000-04:00

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

2011-04-24T23:48:00.001-04:00

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

2011-04-23T23:26:00.006-04:00

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

2011-04-22T23:21:00.008-04:00

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

2011-04-21T22:50:00.002-04:00

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

2011-04-20T22:36:00.003-04:00

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

2011-04-19T13:52:00.000-04:00

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

Write a love poem
Write an anti-love poem

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

April PAD 18: Like Pencils

2011-04-18T23:17:00.012-04:00

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

2011-04-17T23:04:00.000-04:00

"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

2011-04-16T18:42:00.007-04:00

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

2011-04-15T18:40:00.001-04:00

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

2011-04-14T23:28:00.002-04:00

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

2011-04-13T23:39:00.002-04:00

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*

2011-04-12T23:56:00.009-04:00

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

Write a form poem
Write an anti-form poem

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

April PAD 11: Maybe I'm Too Old For This*

2011-04-11T23:50:00.010-04:00

Midnight bedtimes are becoming a hurdle
All nighters sorely out of the question
Youth constantly reminds me of my love for turtles
Bewitched my their painstaking crawl
Ever forward, ever sheltered, ever fertile

I at night mince together the memories of the day
Making sure to scribble down the highlights before they fade away

Taking the time to take care of my body
Ordering my diet, editing my looks for that haughty
Oscillation, always between plain and gaudy

Youth is but a frame of mind
Often chased like a passing wind
Under the guise of a new medical find
Never quite feeling prepared to begin
Grinding forward, upstream against time.

Now comes the realization: there's more ahead
Or enough behind to feel caught in an ebb
That cannot be stilled and demands a steady tread.

Tomorrow knows it will see me on the other side of the moon
Older, wiser, and not giving up my reckless ways any time soon.

*Acrostic Poem
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Prompt: Write a poem entitled "Maybe _____"

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

April PAD 10: Daydreams

2011-04-10T23:47:00.000-04:00

That neverlasting enigma of my childhood days
spent in Ever-Ever-land gazing from the bending bough
of my masochistic guava tree is again before me.
As I itch to pen this poem, my memory extends to that
very spot where I got entangled with the persistence of dreams,

where reality seemed only a plausible distance from which
to hop out of, sweating as much as is required to blink.
I would think myself into oblivion, into worlds where a pinch
couldn't wake me, until an ant crossed onto my unfamiliar skin
for a stinging taste.

The unblemished sky of my twelve year old mind
is disturbed, warped under the dome of perspective
and I hear the chronic crack beneath my gained weight.
I entreat the tree to allow me another minute of irresponsible bliss,
of problems that can be fixed with a heartthrob's love song,
of daydreams unmarred by the stranger I've become;

but I know, it is not so, and nor ever again will it be
for as much fruit as it still bore, I left behind a dwarfed tree

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Prompt: Write a "never again" poem

Today's Writing Setting: In bed, between Scrabble plays.

April PAD 9: Time Zone

2011-04-09T23:24:00.001-04:00

7 a.m.: The soft morning hues pulse
against the shield of my window.
The dawn tickles my dreams,
leaving them unended, dissolved.
I wake to his brightly shining noon,
as my moon parks behind daybreak.

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Prompt: Write a "time of day" poem

Today's Writing Setting: On the couch, in between TV shows (not a good spot).

April PAD 7: Life is a Highway

2011-04-07T23:54:00.007-04:00

http://goodmessengers.org/pic/whatif.png

Coulda-woulda-shoulda scaffolding
holds that hopeful billboard
afloat in the horizon, blocking
the setting sun whose sure
approach we then regard with reproach.
The science of possibility so affirmed
in the way we tie our shoe laces
or position our butts over a chair
without fear of crashing—
only occasionally remembering that splintered legs
contain an entrepreneurial inspiration,
a reset button, a backward glance
of hypothetical analysis that can lead us no where,
or to our future.

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Prompt: Write a "what if?" poem

Today's Writing Setting: In bed

April PAD 6: Don't cry, bawl.

2011-04-06T23:18:00.000-04:00

If there's something
not to be throttled,
don't cork it.
Let it rip
from those viable eyes,
hold on
to an unmoving thing,
don't deny the torrent.

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Prompt: Write a poem with the title "Don't _________ , ________"

Today's Writing Setting: I was technically asleep...

April PAD 5: Bloo

2011-04-05T11:20:00.001-04:00

If you don't know Blooregard Q. Kazoo,

I sigh 'cause I feel bad for you.

The prompter's ode to a giggling sponge

Rob*, you inspired me to take the plunge

and tell you all about the animated friend

who stole my heart, though the show came to an end.

Blooregard Q. Kazoo was born of a thought, like me and you.

He's loud and lazy and likes to concoct schemes.

He steals the limelight on every scene.

Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends is where he resides

with other animate thoughts of now grown children's minds.

They live there with the hope to be adopted someday

by a snarky little brat who loves to play.

They all hope, except for Bloo, who waits each day at three

for his best friend and creator, Mac (who also created Cheese).

If Mac, for some reason, doesn't come after school,

guess who'll be up for adoption, according to the rule?

Because Bloo is like this month long poetic quest,

a daily meeting with our minds, if only in jest,

that consequently if neglected

he's shunned, unprotected.

So share your rhymes! else we'll never know your point of view;

just as before this little verse, you didn't know Bloo.

That's why my little blue obnoxious blob

gains a tribute here on this blog.

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*Prompt: Two for Tuesday! (pick one, or write both)

Write a goofy poem.
Write a serious poem.

Today's Writing Setting: At the kitchen table, after breakfast but before I washed up the dishes.