Grief is . . .

. . . a Grand Canyon hole in the fabric of life causing all the threads to unravel.

. . . an inability to get enough oxygen into flat lungs.

. . . clouded cataract vision.

. . . a long, dark tunnel with only darkness ahead.

. . . a vinyl LP record stuck in a groove playing the same five syllables
. . . ad infinitum
. . . ad infinitum
. . . ad infinitum
. . . ad infinitum

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PAD 8

Prompt: Write a metaphor poem.

every (miracle) morning

Who can find words
to describe
the dawn —
night
slowly
turning
to day?

It is a flower
opening
from a hard dark bud
gradually
unfolding sepals
to reveal marigold petals.

It is a fire
creeping over the horizon,
steadily
setting the clouds alight
until the entire sky
is ablaze.

It is a symphony
of sight
which begins
with one cello
playing a measured melody
and crescendos
as every instrument
in brilliant harmonies
fortissimos
an astonishing finale.

It is an impossibility
which occurs
every (miracle) morning.

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PAD 6

Prompt: Write a change poem.

Night changes into day. And how beautifully!

The First Stars

Night,
deep and dark,
bore an empty, solemn countenance.

Then,
the angels,
wishing to gaze upon the lonely earth,
pricked the firmament
and God’s glory
shone through their peepholes,
filling the face of nocturnal sky
with billions of bright lights.

…

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PAD 5

Prompt: For today’s prompt, take the phrase “The First (blank),” replace the blank with a word or phrase, make the new phrase the title of your poem, and then, write your poem.

Wind

With great fury, Wind

shakes each autumn tree bare, then

turns to stroke a cheek.

…

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PAD 4

Prompt: Write an active poem.

I chose to write a haiku. While they seem quite simple and easy (with a 5-7-5 syllabic pattern),
they are actually quite difficult. Here is a great essay on writing haiku by Michael Dylan Welch.

Long Overdue Goodbye

It wasn’t the words
you strung together
to make sentences.

It wasn’t the excuses
you made
to exonerate yourself.

It wasn’t the flowers
you gave
to say “sorry.”

It wasn’t the smile
you pasted on your face
to deflect the anger.

It wasn’t the chatter
you fashioned
to bleach the mood.

It was the emptiness in your timbre.
It was the distraction in your eyes.
It was the swagger in your step.
It was the sanctimony in your posture.

It was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

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PAD 3

Prompt: Write a communication poem. There are many different ways people can communicate: text message, letter, signs, speaking.

And there is non-verbal communication. 🙂

Cracking the Future

We (hu/they/us)mans

can

crack

the speed of sound,

genetic code,

each other.

…

Maybe tomorrow

we’ll master

brain-computer interfaces,

teletransportation,

colonizing Mars.

…

But

we still cannot give life

to our own

cracked souls.

…

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PAD 2

Write a “what does the future hold” poem.

All studies point to the fact that mankind will continue to gain knowledge of the universe and the elements which make up what we call life, and use that knowledge to shape the future.

One can only hope that the greed of mankind will not develop at the same pace. Otherwise we can only look forward to Babel.

Introductions

That is Autumnus.

He’s the administrator of the Ingathering Division.

He takes his work quite seriously.

He’ll spend a bit of time

in the office

at the beginning of his shift

flirting with Summer,

but don’t let that fool you;

he’s all business once he starts.

And when he’s finished

he’ll pack up and move

to the northern office.

I tried teasing him once —

saying he migrates with the birds —

and he looked at me

with that huge furrowed brow of his

and replied

“Who do you think sends them?

They are my advanced team.”

He sometimes introduces himself

as “Harvest.”

The northern branches

can be quite cheeky

and have given him nicknames

like “Fall” and “Backend.”

But I wouldn’t do that,

not unless you want an unseasonable flurry of snow

or a sudden hailstorm!

He’s mostly a pretty decent sort of chap,

but he’s been known to give a cold shoulder.

Now that I think about it,

you and he have a lot in common!

Come on,

let me introduce you!

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April 2021 is done and dusted.

But I will miss the challenge of facing daily poetry writing prompts.

So, I thought I’d pretend it’s April Fools Day and start all over again with Writer’s Digest’s April PAD (poem a day) challenge. 😊❤️ Apologies to those who breathed a sigh of relief. 😂

“Today’s” prompt: Write an introduction poem.

Loving this season! 😊

An Evening of Wine Tasting

This wine
has a rich, dark burgundy hue
with purple, opaque tears.
It is polished like a well-waxed oak table.
This wine
has a floral bouquet of roses
with secondary notes of soured cream
followed by the warm fragrance of roasting nuts.
This wine
bursts on the tongue
like a ripe blackberry
dissolving into tones of nutmeg
and finishing with a mouthful of walnuts.

---

This wine
appears to be red, smells sour and tastes nutty.

---

Good wine.

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PAD Challenge:  Day 7
Write a senses poem. That is, write a poem that uses one or more of your senses.

I like reading “wine notes.”  They are so incredibly descriptive, almost poetic in nature.
The above are notes taken over an evening of tasting drinking wine.  😀

Rock the World

Perhaps,
she said,
you should stop
while you’re ahead.
Read
the script,
smile for the camera
and sit down.
Every
time you
whinge and whine
you put millions on the line.

He smiled.
I like to
rock the world!

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PAD Challenge:  Day 3

Write a “stop” poem.

 

 

Jamar

He talks to spiders
and can hear their muffled reply.
He laughs aloud
in the midst of silence
at a joke the dust particles told him.
He often gets lost
in the labyrinth of his own mind
and can be gone for hours.

When I sing
the wind will shake the trees
like maracas
and the birds will dance for joy.

You are the wonder, child.
You are tomorrow’s dreams.

 

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2 April
Today’s prompt at NaPoWriMo:  “Write a poem that plays with voice.”

Today’s prompt at PAD Challenge: “Write a portrait poem.”

I tried to “kill two birds with one stone.”  🙂