NaPoWriMo— Poem # 7
Source of Maya Angelou’s Obituary: Newsela
https://newsela.com/articles/angelou-obit/id/4168/
Tag Archives: National Poetry Month
Still Life with Elephant (NaPoWriMo 6)
Still Life with Elephant (Denial)
O.
Because I have no words—
Only images—
Memories—Pain—
I will carry as much as I can.
I.
Mommy?
Daddy?
III.
Look! Duckies!
Skip, run,
Play, hooray,
Hop,
Heavenly
Happiness.
VII.
School
Safety
Study
Serenity
X.
XII.
Achieve
Achieve
Accomplish
Achieve
Do more.
Everything
Is fine.
XVI.
I didn’t mean to be
Rebellious,
Sassy, or
To talk back.
I just thought I
Saw an elephant,
maybe.
Whatever.
XX.
Yep. Definitely
An elephant, maybe several.
I can see the grey
And smell the evidence
Of their presence.
I can’t talk about it
Right now, though.
The stench is too
Raw.
Maybe I just need to
CLEAN
Everything.
XXXII.
I hear rumbling.
Perhaps roaring?
Who is this
That cries and screeches for
Help?
XL.
I was born to be a mahout.
I am becoming whole,
Learning to balance,
And I now recognize this
Behemoth as
A healer And my friend.
The elephant
That was once “in the room”
Is now free.
Together we face
Our journey.
Our pain.
Our story.
Our trumpeting.
Our victory.
NaPoWriMo.net – Day 6 Prompt “And now for our (optional) prompt. Today, I’d like to challenge you to 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!
Happy writing!”
Iris (NaPoWriMo – Day 5)
Sometimes, when home was a battleground
And the rest of the world seemed equally formidable,
I’d escape to the tiny fir fortress
That lined the front of the house.
Armored behind an Arborvitae acropolis,
I would wait out the storm
Of drunken denunciations
and loaded questions. Cradled
Between bricks and bushy branches,
I discovered a fragrant friend.
Iris.
She was late, as the flowers of spring
Had come and gone.
Lily of the valley
Whispers could no longer be heard.
She was diagonal—
Leaning toward the light
That forced its way between the shrubs.
She was evanescent.
As soon as I discovered her each summer,
I knew she would only be around for a few days.
Then, she would wilt, shriveling
As she aged.
Fortunately,
She would return each summer—
Just when I forgot, or thought
She’d forgotten—
She would rise up,
A Champion,
Flaunting her fruity falls,
To remind me—
To make sure that
I see—
Even in the darkest corners,
Even when I had waited longer than
I thought I could bear,
Beauty,
Hope,
always pushes through.
Day 5 Prompt from NaPoWriMo.net “In honor of Mary Oliver’s work, I’d like to challenge you to write a poem that is based in the natural world: it could be about a particular plant, animal, or a particular landscape. But it should be about a slice of the natural world that you have personally experienced and optimally, one that you have experienced often. Try to incorporate specific details while also stating why you find the chosen place or plant/animal meaningful.”
A Day Late and a Dolour Short
Sometimes she tries to give it her all.
Others notice this about her, too. I
Can’t compete with her; don’t want to, really.
So, what is it that I honestly want?
Time to trace my toes in the sand. More
Magical moments – more meaningful than
A number, score, rank, grade or anything
Quantitative could claim. Time to be in
Company of colleagues, comrades, peers – the
People who know me best in all the World.
I want to travel to where there is
Culture, flavor, sunshine and music to
Remind me that I can taste, smell, feel,
See, and hear all that has been valued.
New faces, voices, ideas and
Chances to say that I have lived and loved.
NaPoWriMo – Day 4 Prompt
“One of the most popular British works of classical music is Edward Elgar’s “Enigma Variations.” The “enigma” of the title is widely believed to be a hidden melody that is not actually played, but which is tucked somehow into the composition through counterpoint. Today I’d like you to take some inspiration from Elgar and write a poem with a secret – in other words, a poem with a word or idea or line that it isn’t expressing directly.”
Later (#NaPoWriMo2017 – Day One)
Two pine trees stand next to each other, like best friends who have walked next to each other for a lifetime — buddies, pals, comrades. I can practically visualize their outstretched hands, in the form of a hammock, reaching to each other in perfect backyard bliss. Immediately, I know that I must go shopping. Several stores later, I find the colorful hammock that promises rest and relaxation. The tropical colors sing Caribbean beaches and mango-flavored moments. This is the one. I buy it, bring it home, and put it in the garage. It is getting dark and there are papers to grade, dishes to wash, and laundry to fold. The afternoon of spring warmth and hope sets with the sun, and the hammock will get hung up the next time I have an hour to spare.
Backyard hammock bliss —
Roped between trees and wishes —
To enjoy “someday.”
“The haibun is a combination of prose and haiku. It was originally developed as a sort of travelogue or character sketch , in which the writer would first describe a place in prose, and then pen a haiku appropriate to the place or scene.” – (This was actually the prompt from 3/31, not the one for 4/1, but that’s okay.) http://www.napowrimo.net/
Clean Slate
Arlington Heights (NaPoWriMo – Day 29)
I remember days on bicycles
Riding from edge to edge
Of town.
I remember pool passes
The smell of chlorine on our towels
And in our hair.
I remember legendary rounds of
Capture the flag, with every kid
In the neighborhood.
I remember Banbury Road
The one street allowed to angle and curve
Through Scarsdale.
I remember the Frontier Days
Parade, Carnival, music
Then fireworks at the track.
I remember hide-and-seek
In the stacks of books at the
Public library.
I remember Green River sodas
And onion rings at the best restaurant
Eros.
I remember the friendships
That have continued through decades
Real and timeless.
Jeep (NaPoWriMo Day 28)
JEEP
Buggy
Four-wheel drive
Plowing over fear,
Playfully cruising through,
Handling wild, worldly weather.
“All-purpose motor vehicle”
“The Clarity Pyramid is a poetry form designed and constructed by Jerry P. Quinn.
A Clarity Pyramid is a poem consisting of two triplets and a single line (7 lines in all). Usually, this poem is center aligned when displayed.
The first triplet has 1, 2, and 3 syllables. The title of the poem is the one-syllable word of the first triplet, which is displayed in all capital letters. This line is followed by a two-syllable line, and then a three-syllable line, both of which clarify the definition of the poem, or are synonyms for the title.
The second triplet has 5, 6, and 7 syllables. Its design is based around a life event contained within the triplet which helps give a poetic view or outlook on the first line (title).
The last line is 8 syllables, and is in quotations as this line contains a quote that defines the first word (title).” http://www.shadowpoetry.com/resources/wip/pyramid.html
Reading (NaPoWriMo Day 27)
New book—
Pages to read,
Plot hook!
The words
Splayed on the page—
Songbirds.
Immerse,
Capture my heart—
In verse.
The Musette consists of three verses, three lines each. The syllable pattern is 2/4/2. The rhyme scheme is a/b/a; c/d/c f, and e/f/e.
Bye-Bye Binaries (for Annika)
We are coming up to the crossroads,
But they look like borders.
What should we do when we get to the crossroads?
They can’t separate us if we’re holding hands!
I know your life ain’t been no crystal stair,
And mine has had tacks in it.
What should we do when we get to the crossroads?
They can’t separate us if we’re holding hands!
We came through,
Seeing past
My privileged poverty
and
Your oppressed opulence.
What should we do when we get to the crossroads?
They can’t separate us if we’re holding hands!
The two of us?
We are:
Clover and Anna
Marlee and Liz
T.J. and Andy
Ella and Z
Wren and Darra
Gabby and David
What should we do when we get to the crossroads?
They can’t separate us if we’re holding hands!
They directed you into a police state,
Leaving me devastated, needing to make a statement.
What should we do when we get to the crossroads?
They can’t separate us if we’re holding hands!
We are coming up to the crossroads,
But they look like borders.
What should we do when we get to the crossroads?
They can’t separate us if we’re holding hands!
We will stand up tall
State our case
Hold our heads up high
Lift our voices
Raise our fists
What should we do when we get to the crossroads?
They can’t separate us if we’re holding hands!
Now they understand
Just why our head’s are not bowed.
What should we do when we get to the crossroads?
They can’t separate us if we’re holding hands!
Into a daybreak that is wondrously clear,
We rise!
What should we do when we get to the crossroads?
They can’t separate us if we’re holding hands!
We have come to realize that my destiny is tied up with your destiny.
My freedom is inextricably bound to your freedom.
We cannot walk alone.
What should we do when we get to the crossroads?
They can’t separate us if we’re holding hands!
We are friends, comrades,
Unapologetically.
What should we do when we get to the crossroads?
They can’t separate us if we’re holding hands!
We rise!
NaPoWriMo – Day 26 prompt
“Write a poem that incorporates a call and response. Calls-and-responses are used in many sermons and hymns (and also in sea chanties!), in which the preacher or singer asks a question or makes an exclamation, and the audience responds with a specific, pre-determined response.”
The Read-e-ologist 