NaPoMo – April 15 “Poppies”

Poppies From atop the cliff the sun at a certain angle sets them afire, pulsing light hearts beating theirs, and yours, and then the light moves on, you blink and they are shadowed so don’t stop looking hold your breath, feel the thumpa-thump of that good muscle—and the instant becomes as eternal as you risk [...]

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NaPoMo Haiku Chase – day 5

Three more Haiku Chases have begun! To see the first 9, and find out how to join in, see Day 3 and Day 4. The brief version of how to join the chase: choose the last line of any haiku and use it as the first line of your own haiku. Post your new one [...]

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NaPoMo – April 8, “Grace”

a re-imagining of a poem from last April. Grace for Alexine Not divine, not rare, perhaps unexpected, not unearned—our brightest courage shone back at us. She learned to trust by trusting this horse, hurtling together over fences or walls or any obstacles. When Rosie died, when she found her own knees could not lift her [...]

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NaPoMo April 7 – notes toward a poem

and by “notes toward” I mean the ideas that may underlie a poem someday. I used to write just like this—have a deep-something-to-say, write it in short lines with rich language and be done. But that’s like scribbling some lyrics and claiming to have a song! But poem-a-day is a difficult pace and often means [...]

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NaPoMo April 5th “you don’t believe in god, but”

(Warning to casual blog readers – this is really explicit about violence against girls. Don’t read on if, right now, you just can’t go there) you don’t believe in god, but run down the hall      dart in the room           close the door           block it with your whole body run down the hall      dart in the [...]

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NaPoMo Haiku Chase – day 4

3 new chases going! For the first 6, see this post: Haiku Chase Day 3 The newest chases are below. Choose any one, start a new haiku with the last line of any existing haiku, and post your work in the comments. I’ll add it to the next update! 7. Bluebells and tulips should never [...]

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NaPoMo Haiku Chase – day 3

Yeah! We have 6 different strands going! To join in, choose any strand and write a new haiku using the last line of the last haiku in the strand. Or, for the more creative or stubborn, start a new strand by using the last line of the foundational haiku (that’s the one that’s at the [...]

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NaPoMo April 3rd – “an infinity of outcomes”

an infinity of outcomes Elliott batTzedek such fragility in stone if atoms began to unbond themselves my house would be dust or even mystery for a future Ph.D. dung heap missing walls, stone having become gas and if our planet’s protons, depressed by the state of things, go all negative on us we might find [...]

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NaPoMo Haiku Chase day 2

The founding haiku: Bluebells and tulips should never be both in bloom But still—such beauty A response from Lisa Wujnovich: But still—such beauty the deer jawbone parched in mud, teeth, even, intact My response to hers: teeth, even intact, ache, throb, clenched after reading ice melts, white bears, dead AND we have other first day [...]

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and it begins – National Poetry Month (NaPoMo)!

This year I’m going easy on myself, starting with a haiku chase. I’ll write a haiku today, then tomorrow take the last line of today’s and start another. Y’all are invited to jump in, too! Choose any last line, whether of mine or someone else’s, and write that haiku! Bluebells and tulips should never be [...]

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