April 30: Write a ghazal (15x2 couplets)
Night of love
Look how brightly the moon shines tonight
The milky orb is giving you a sign tonight
To this garden aglow in silver rays
I hope you will come at nine tonight
Rarely do we get a night so perfect
As though the planets chose to align tonight
Fear has kept you from following your heart
You must be brave and cross the line tonight
There is a hint of prayer in the breeze
The stars also look divine tonight
I have counted every minute to see you again
If you don’t come I will sigh and pine tonight
My ears strain to catch the sound of your feet
Until I hear them I will lie supine tonight
The air is filled with the scent of flowers
Juicy grapes hang low on the vine tonight
If you fight the odds and come to me
To our love I will build a shrine tonight
I have missed you so, but now you are here
Suddenly I have no words to define tonight
With your flowing hair and your dress of red
You look sweeter than any wine tonight
A look at your face and my heart is full
On love and fresh air I will dine tonight
We will lie together on the soft grass
Your limbs and mine will entwine tonight
Fate deserves no thanks for our union
Everything has happened by design tonight
The world has tried to keep us apart
Now my heart rejoices for you are mine tonight
April 29: Write a poem that starts at the end, moving backwards.
Picking Up The Pieces
Fragments glitter
in a stray ray of light
penetrating the dark
Remains of a relationship
scattered on the floor
A dismantled jigsaw
I was always good at those
I start with the bits
that have smooth edges
isn’t that the best way to begin
So many pieces
each revives a memory –
you walking away without a word
me wondering what went wrong
kids shattered
at mum and dad breaking up
friends shocked –
we were the perfect family
More pieces fit together –
holidays filled with
fun and laughter
kids’ first day at schools –
joy and tears
Remembering the time
they were born
How happy we were
Go further back –
I love the ones
of our wedding
A glorious sunny day
you looked so handsome
I never felt more beautiful
Before that, the time you proposed
Roses, candlelight, music –
you didn’t miss a single cliché
I loved you all the more for it
Almost done -
just a couple more pieces
of us in college
Finally, the last one
of when we first met
If I slot this in
the jigsaw will be complete
taking me back
to where it all started
April 28: Dialogue poem
CODE SPEAK
Hi, darling…
Hello, who is this?
Sweetheart, is that a joke?
Yes, this is Cheryl
I miss you so much, darling
I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name
Why are you being a stranger?
Yes, I had ordered a couple of books on poetry
I wrote a poem on you. Do you want to hear it?
Charles, is it? Yes, that would be lovely
Your eyes sparkle with love
Are you sure?
It spills like tears and caresses your cheeks
That’s very nice.
I see my face in a drop. Are you crying for me?
Can you hold for a minute?
Forever, if that’s you want
(It’s the bookstore, honey.. the books I ordered have arrived.)
Aah, he’s home, is he?
So when should I come?
Right now would be great
Oh, I can’t right now.. my husband’s leaving for a trip.
That’s wonderful. I can’t wait to see you.
Yes, tomorrow will be fine.
I’ll count the hours, my love
Good-bye.
April 27: Poem based on a painting
Colours Of Life
Passion leeches out of my soul
in the red spurts of a rose in full bloom
Grief squirts from my heart purple as the dusk
My skin sheds the angry yellow of the setting sun
My nails give up the orange warmth of fire
Pink blush of innocence recedes from my cheeks
My eyes lose the blue of a melancholic sky
Green of the meadow fades from bruises marking my face
I comb the blessed black of night out of my hair
I gather myriad shades of my existence
to create the life I dreamt of
on a canvas as pure
as the white of an untouched dawn
April 26: Happy Baptismal Day William Shakespeare. To celebrate write a poem in which both the first and last lines contain a title of a Shakespeare play.
The tempest rages
on a dark day
Violent swirls
stirred up by steel
Leaves whipped
into a frenzied
boiling whirlpool
An unsweetened storm
tinged with white
You are never happy
unless you see
steaming hot clouds
rise from the depths
Careful to not
let it spill over
I hand it to you
Your cup of tea
Just as you like it
April 25: Write a sestina
Falling In Love
Indeed, this really is love
for I could have taken my pick
but my heart chose you. The pieces
fit together to reveal your face
to me. I spread my wings to fly up
to the sky, soaring to a world fresh and new
I’m still unsure, my feelings are still new
But I can no longer deny this is love
What else has the power to lift me up?
That acknowledged, I have a bone to pick
with you. Why did you keep your face
hidden from me until I almost went to pieces,
my life squandered like wanton pieces
of silver scattered to appease fate. But now, a new
chapter can begin. Together we can face
any test life throws at us, our love
a beacon that guides us, helps us pick
our way through the dark, till the sun is up
My emotions have been bouncing up
and down, uncertainty shredding them to pieces.
Until now, I had not the strength to pick
myself up and trudge on. I now have new
resolve with you by my side, and love
to give me the strength to face
any misfortune, laugh in the face
of disaster, keep my spirits up.
I feel the amazing force of love
smashing all obstacles to pieces.
From the rubble, it creates a new
path lined with flowers we pick
to colour our days, as we cherry pick
experiences we can use to help us face
the unknown. For who knows what new
danger lies ahead? Each challenge raises us up
and makes us the sum of our pieces
secure in the comfort of our love.
We savour it every day, a pick-me-up
to give us courage, and not fall to pieces.
New and eternal, indeed, this really is love.
April 24: Magnetic Poetry: go to the following website and use it to write a poem. [http://play.magneticpoetry.com/poem/Poet/kit/]
Repulsive Beat
how her bloodshot dress
soars above a purple sky
the wind dreams
a luscious symphony
elaborated by beauty
the mist moans
music please
April 23: Write a poem related (somehow) to the 23 enigma.
I thought I bought two dozen eggs
Turns out there were only twenty three
I wonder if in a park somewhere
There's a chicken that is roaming free
Now I could use up all of them
Or make a twelve-egg omelette
That would leave eleven
For a feast of eggs benedict
I don't think it's a coincidence
This challenge is set for the twenty third
But I have learned something new
For I didn't know this enigma existed
It's true I don't walk under ladders
And I'm wary of the number thirteen
As far as strange beliefs go
23 enigma is stretching it thin
April 22: Spoken word
https://soundcloud.com/uvr2002/rhythm-of-us
April 21: Write a poem of at least 3 stanzas. Each one must use the word "lap" differently.
No silver spoon for her
Plastic is all she has known
since she was born
Never lived
in the lap of luxury
even two meals a day
often beyond her reach
Now she dances in a club
wearing little but a broad smile
looking for all the world
as though she's lapping up the
seedy attention showered on her
Each night she swirls
twirls and shimmies
Silently suffering
greedy glances
and hungry hands
Then she counts her money
puts on her tattered dignity
goes home to bury her face
in her mama's lap
and cry her heart out
all over again
April 20: Write a poem about three objects you touched (people are not objects)
Sunday Treat
Only yesterday
or so it seems
my little girl wore
a sunny smile and pigtails
letting me dress her hair
in pretty ribbons and butterfly clips
Now almost a young woman
usually granting me access to neither
wearing thunderclouds on her face
and unkempt tresses hiding from a hairbrush
A rare Sunday treat then
when she puts the hairbrush
in my hand
and her tangled tresses
at my disposal
I smooth out unruly locks
with a gentle touch
brushing them into a smooth swathe
pouring down her back
The clouds on her face
part to allow that familiar grin
to shine through
Is that rain on my face?
I feel tears escaping
from loving eyes
April 19: Write a villanelle
April 17: Write a poem about poetry
Healing with words
Sucked dry of energy
days fall flaccidly
into a tired pile of
seconds minutes hours
or is it
days weeks months
Where is the line
dividing them up into
neatly ordered chunks
to show me
that my universe is
spinning turning tilting
even if it seems
at a standstill
The wheels
in my mind rotate
sluggishly listlessly slothfully
I fear they will stop
driving me to insanity
Where is the oil to
lubricate grease smooth
the rusty cogs
The setting sun
paints the sky black
to blend into the void
into which
my world is
hurtling tumbling plunging
I cannot find any
aim purpose meaning
in going on
Letting go
seems so inviting
Just as I begin
to wonder
how to do it
a silver lining
emerges from the
dim recesses
I discover the
uplifting elevating inspiring
power of words
spilling from my soul
The darkness lifts
I step back from the edge
ready to live again
April 16: Write at least a six line poem. It has to rhyme, and you can only use the following words for the rhymes:
behalf, laugh, photograph, enough;
seized, glazed, amazed, unappeased;
belief, if, grief;
rage, engage, age;
sphere, disappear;
until, distill.
(Internal or external, these are the only rhymes you can use.)
Night of love
Look how brightly the moon shines tonight
The milky orb is giving you a sign tonight
To this garden aglow in silver rays
I hope you will come at nine tonight
Rarely do we get a night so perfect
As though the planets chose to align tonight
Fear has kept you from following your heart
You must be brave and cross the line tonight
There is a hint of prayer in the breeze
The stars also look divine tonight
I have counted every minute to see you again
If you don’t come I will sigh and pine tonight
My ears strain to catch the sound of your feet
Until I hear them I will lie supine tonight
The air is filled with the scent of flowers
Juicy grapes hang low on the vine tonight
If you fight the odds and come to me
To our love I will build a shrine tonight
I have missed you so, but now you are here
Suddenly I have no words to define tonight
With your flowing hair and your dress of red
You look sweeter than any wine tonight
A look at your face and my heart is full
On love and fresh air I will dine tonight
We will lie together on the soft grass
Your limbs and mine will entwine tonight
Fate deserves no thanks for our union
Everything has happened by design tonight
The world has tried to keep us apart
Now my heart rejoices for you are mine tonight
April 29: Write a poem that starts at the end, moving backwards.
Picking Up The Pieces
Fragments glitter
in a stray ray of light
penetrating the dark
Remains of a relationship
scattered on the floor
A dismantled jigsaw
I was always good at those
I start with the bits
that have smooth edges
isn’t that the best way to begin
So many pieces
each revives a memory –
you walking away without a word
me wondering what went wrong
kids shattered
at mum and dad breaking up
friends shocked –
we were the perfect family
More pieces fit together –
holidays filled with
fun and laughter
kids’ first day at schools –
joy and tears
Remembering the time
they were born
How happy we were
Go further back –
I love the ones
of our wedding
A glorious sunny day
you looked so handsome
I never felt more beautiful
Before that, the time you proposed
Roses, candlelight, music –
you didn’t miss a single cliché
I loved you all the more for it
Almost done -
just a couple more pieces
of us in college
Finally, the last one
of when we first met
If I slot this in
the jigsaw will be complete
taking me back
to where it all started
April 28: Dialogue poem
CODE SPEAK
Hi, darling…
Hello, who is this?
Sweetheart, is that a joke?
Yes, this is Cheryl
I miss you so much, darling
I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name
Why are you being a stranger?
Yes, I had ordered a couple of books on poetry
I wrote a poem on you. Do you want to hear it?
Charles, is it? Yes, that would be lovely
Your eyes sparkle with love
Are you sure?
It spills like tears and caresses your cheeks
That’s very nice.
I see my face in a drop. Are you crying for me?
Can you hold for a minute?
Forever, if that’s you want
(It’s the bookstore, honey.. the books I ordered have arrived.)
Aah, he’s home, is he?
So when should I come?
Right now would be great
Oh, I can’t right now.. my husband’s leaving for a trip.
That’s wonderful. I can’t wait to see you.
Yes, tomorrow will be fine.
I’ll count the hours, my love
Good-bye.
April 27: Poem based on a painting
Colours Of Life
Passion leeches out of my soul
in the red spurts of a rose in full bloom
Grief squirts from my heart purple as the dusk
My skin sheds the angry yellow of the setting sun
My nails give up the orange warmth of fire
Pink blush of innocence recedes from my cheeks
My eyes lose the blue of a melancholic sky
Green of the meadow fades from bruises marking my face
I comb the blessed black of night out of my hair
I gather myriad shades of my existence
to create the life I dreamt of
on a canvas as pure
as the white of an untouched dawn
April 26: Happy Baptismal Day William Shakespeare. To celebrate write a poem in which both the first and last lines contain a title of a Shakespeare play.
The tempest rages
on a dark day
Violent swirls
stirred up by steel
Leaves whipped
into a frenzied
boiling whirlpool
An unsweetened storm
tinged with white
You are never happy
unless you see
steaming hot clouds
rise from the depths
Careful to not
let it spill over
I hand it to you
Your cup of tea
Just as you like it
April 25: Write a sestina
Falling In Love
Indeed, this really is love
for I could have taken my pick
but my heart chose you. The pieces
fit together to reveal your face
to me. I spread my wings to fly up
to the sky, soaring to a world fresh and new
I’m still unsure, my feelings are still new
But I can no longer deny this is love
What else has the power to lift me up?
That acknowledged, I have a bone to pick
with you. Why did you keep your face
hidden from me until I almost went to pieces,
my life squandered like wanton pieces
of silver scattered to appease fate. But now, a new
chapter can begin. Together we can face
any test life throws at us, our love
a beacon that guides us, helps us pick
our way through the dark, till the sun is up
My emotions have been bouncing up
and down, uncertainty shredding them to pieces.
Until now, I had not the strength to pick
myself up and trudge on. I now have new
resolve with you by my side, and love
to give me the strength to face
any misfortune, laugh in the face
of disaster, keep my spirits up.
I feel the amazing force of love
smashing all obstacles to pieces.
From the rubble, it creates a new
path lined with flowers we pick
to colour our days, as we cherry pick
experiences we can use to help us face
the unknown. For who knows what new
danger lies ahead? Each challenge raises us up
and makes us the sum of our pieces
secure in the comfort of our love.
We savour it every day, a pick-me-up
to give us courage, and not fall to pieces.
New and eternal, indeed, this really is love.
April 24: Magnetic Poetry: go to the following website and use it to write a poem. [http://play.magneticpoetry.com/poem/Poet/kit/]
Repulsive Beat
how her bloodshot dress
soars above a purple sky
the wind dreams
a luscious symphony
elaborated by beauty
the mist moans
music please
April 23: Write a poem related (somehow) to the 23 enigma.
I thought I bought two dozen eggs
Turns out there were only twenty three
I wonder if in a park somewhere
There's a chicken that is roaming free
Now I could use up all of them
Or make a twelve-egg omelette
That would leave eleven
For a feast of eggs benedict
I don't think it's a coincidence
This challenge is set for the twenty third
But I have learned something new
For I didn't know this enigma existed
It's true I don't walk under ladders
And I'm wary of the number thirteen
As far as strange beliefs go
23 enigma is stretching it thin
April 22: Spoken word
https://soundcloud.com/uvr2002/rhythm-of-us
April 21: Write a poem of at least 3 stanzas. Each one must use the word "lap" differently.
No silver spoon for her
Plastic is all she has known
since she was born
Never lived
in the lap of luxury
even two meals a day
often beyond her reach
Now she dances in a club
wearing little but a broad smile
looking for all the world
as though she's lapping up the
seedy attention showered on her
Each night she swirls
twirls and shimmies
Silently suffering
greedy glances
and hungry hands
Then she counts her money
puts on her tattered dignity
goes home to bury her face
in her mama's lap
and cry her heart out
all over again
April 20: Write a poem about three objects you touched (people are not objects)
Sunday Treat
Only yesterday
or so it seems
my little girl wore
a sunny smile and pigtails
letting me dress her hair
in pretty ribbons and butterfly clips
Now almost a young woman
usually granting me access to neither
wearing thunderclouds on her face
and unkempt tresses hiding from a hairbrush
A rare Sunday treat then
when she puts the hairbrush
in my hand
and her tangled tresses
at my disposal
I smooth out unruly locks
with a gentle touch
brushing them into a smooth swathe
pouring down her back
The clouds on her face
part to allow that familiar grin
to shine through
Is that rain on my face?
I feel tears escaping
from loving eyes
April 19: Write a villanelle
Insanity Awaits
Oh this maddening villanelle
Is an exercise in pain
It will soon drive me to hell
I will be reduced to a shell
Trying to get it right in vain
Oh this maddening villanelle
A pesky thought I cannot quell
is that I will buckle under the strain
It will soon drive me to hell
I can hear the death knell
Of failing to master the refrain
Oh this maddening villanelle
The effort makes my brain swell
And spill its guts to leave a stain
It will soon drive me to hell
Get ready to lock me up in a cell
For I will surely become insane
Oh this maddening villanelle
It will soon drive me to hell
Oh this maddening villanelle
Is an exercise in pain
It will soon drive me to hell
I will be reduced to a shell
Trying to get it right in vain
Oh this maddening villanelle
A pesky thought I cannot quell
is that I will buckle under the strain
It will soon drive me to hell
I can hear the death knell
Of failing to master the refrain
Oh this maddening villanelle
The effort makes my brain swell
And spill its guts to leave a stain
It will soon drive me to hell
Get ready to lock me up in a cell
For I will surely become insane
Oh this maddening villanelle
It will soon drive me to hell
April 18: Write a poem in which nothing is true
Untruthfully Yours
When we meet
I know the words
that will trip off your tongue
You will say, I didn't mean to hurt you
I will say, it's okay
You will say, I did love you
but not any more, not the way
you should be loved
I will say, yes I know
You will ask, will you be okay
I will reply, of course I will
You will say, you'll find your Mr Right
I will smile and say, yes, I will
You will say, let's still be friends
I will say, sure
You will lie
So will I
When we meet
I know the words
that will trip off your tongue
You will say, I didn't mean to hurt you
I will say, it's okay
You will say, I did love you
but not any more, not the way
you should be loved
I will say, yes I know
You will ask, will you be okay
I will reply, of course I will
You will say, you'll find your Mr Right
I will smile and say, yes, I will
You will say, let's still be friends
I will say, sure
You will lie
So will I
April 17: Write a poem about poetry
Healing with words
Sucked dry of energy
days fall flaccidly
into a tired pile of
seconds minutes hours
or is it
days weeks months
Where is the line
dividing them up into
neatly ordered chunks
to show me
that my universe is
spinning turning tilting
even if it seems
at a standstill
The wheels
in my mind rotate
sluggishly listlessly slothfully
I fear they will stop
driving me to insanity
Where is the oil to
lubricate grease smooth
the rusty cogs
The setting sun
paints the sky black
to blend into the void
into which
my world is
hurtling tumbling plunging
I cannot find any
aim purpose meaning
in going on
Letting go
seems so inviting
Just as I begin
to wonder
how to do it
a silver lining
emerges from the
dim recesses
I discover the
uplifting elevating inspiring
power of words
spilling from my soul
The darkness lifts
I step back from the edge
ready to live again
April 16: Write at least a six line poem. It has to rhyme, and you can only use the following words for the rhymes:
behalf, laugh, photograph, enough;
seized, glazed, amazed, unappeased;
belief, if, grief;
rage, engage, age;
sphere, disappear;
until, distill.
(Internal or external, these are the only rhymes you can use.)
Getting Over Him
Please do me a favour
And laugh on my behalf
It has been an age
Since I felt anything but rage
I don't know when, or if
I will move past my grief
Tell me, will it be enough
to tear up his photograph
I want to curl up into a sphere
Until I distill my thoughts
And his memories disappear
April 15: Write a poem by mixing two senses that don't usually go together.
Smorgasbord
Your laugh is the
icing on a chocolate cake
that tastes just as fine
Your tears are the
crisp croutons in a caeser's salad
on which I love to dine
Your smile is the
golden crust of a cheese quiche
with an aroma that is divine
Your anger is the
paprika in my stew
that goes well with wine
Your indifference is the
bland porridge
that most certainly is not mine
April 14: Found poem: Write a sonnet
All sonnets MUST be in iambic pentameter, and MUST use one of the following rhyme schemes:
1a. ABAB / CDCD / EFEF / GG
1b. ABBA / CDDC / EFFE / GG
1c. Any Mixture of 1a. and 1b. For example: ABBA / CDCD / EFFE / GG
2. ABA / BBC / BCC / DCD / EE
3. AAB / AAB / CDDC / CDDC
4a. ABBA / ABBA / CDE / CDE
4b. ABBA / ABBA/ CDC / CDC
4c. ABBA / ABBA / CDC / DCD
Sonnet #1
A brilliant sun lights up the summer sky
Shining on the crimson carpet below
Pretty birds form an arrow as they fly
Nature has created a splendid show
Grassy meadows sway gently in the breeze
A bubbly brook trips and twirls merrily
New-born calves try to walk on knobbly knees
Snow-white rabbits nibble shoots daintily
Though the air is scented with happy thoughts
A stray cloud casts its shadow on my heart
Anxiety ties my stomach into knots
The dreaded time has come for us to part
Spring will not linger if you went away
So won't you stay with me for one more day
April 13: Descend into the grotesque by watching this video and then write a poem in reaction to it. Be prepared, it's a little creepy.
[http://vimeo.com/84241262]
Into The Abyss
I dreamt of the roses and
champagne kind of love
all sweet dreams and golden days
but all I got was a surreal saga
All my hopes dissolved
into a grotesque nightmare
where I was the only one who loved
Even in my dreams
you always walked away
leaving me unfulfilled
my desire turning into an acid fog
that drifted away on my breath
Now I live out my days
afraid to sleep
for fear of the monster
opening its eyes
and dragging me back
into the abyss
April 12: In a poem, react to this quote without referring to it:
"It is not enough to be busy. So are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about?"
~Henry David Thoreau
So Many Smiles
He is in the coffee shop all day
I see him on my way to work
slurping a bowl of noodles
He's still there when I go home
mesmerised by the steam
curling up from his coffee
Sometimes he watches
people rushing by
Mothers dragging children
to school
Fathers hurrying to get
to the office on time
Everyone scurrying
to be somewhere
He has a smile for each one
It keeps him busy all day
April 11: Turn it up to 11 while listening to this piece of music. Then, write a poem based on it or reacting to it in some way.
http://youtu.be/0HNZzjCj6Ac [" Moanin' " by Charles Mingus]
Wrapped in the luxurious
cocoon of wealth
women in bright
swishing silks
and sparkling baubles
men in suave suits
and gleaming shoes
wearing the sparkle
of the rich
A party in full swing
The music plays on
in the gaps
between the clinking
of cutlery
Bodies sway to the
rhythm of wine
sloshing into glasses
Tinkling laughter
punctuates
the gentle murmur
of witty conversation
late into the evening
And the music plays on
faint strains carrying
beyond the front door
where they wait
attired in the colours
of the night
Silently they watch
for the lights to go off
Stealthily they creep closer
hunter stalking its prey
Then they pounce
in the dark
to snuff out life
Exulting in
red-drenched success
they leave death behind
And the music plays on…
April 10: Mad for Mad Libs! Your poem today will be four lines and have these parts of speech in this order.
1. Adjective, Noun, Verb, Adjective, Noun.
2. Adjective, Noun, Verb, Adjective, Noun.
3. Adjective, Noun, Verb, Adjective, Noun.
4. Adjective, Noun, Verb, Adjective, Noun.
Exercise Sucks
Gentle jog tires unfit Uma
Trembling legs take slow steps
Glazed eyes spot sparkling pool
Cool waters soothe weary limbs
April 9: Have a look at all the words via the two links. Use one of the untranslatable words from a different language in your poem today.
[http://9gag.com/gag/ajrVP9p]
[http://sobadsogood.com/2012/10/16/18-fantastic-yet-untranslatable-words-from-around-the-globe/]
And laugh on my behalf
It has been an age
Since I felt anything but rage
I don't know when, or if
I will move past my grief
Tell me, will it be enough
to tear up his photograph
I want to curl up into a sphere
Until I distill my thoughts
And his memories disappear
April 15: Write a poem by mixing two senses that don't usually go together.
Smorgasbord
Your laugh is the
icing on a chocolate cake
that tastes just as fine
Your tears are the
crisp croutons in a caeser's salad
on which I love to dine
Your smile is the
golden crust of a cheese quiche
with an aroma that is divine
Your anger is the
paprika in my stew
that goes well with wine
Your indifference is the
bland porridge
that most certainly is not mine
April 14: Found poem: Write a sonnet
All sonnets MUST be in iambic pentameter, and MUST use one of the following rhyme schemes:
1a. ABAB / CDCD / EFEF / GG
1b. ABBA / CDDC / EFFE / GG
1c. Any Mixture of 1a. and 1b. For example: ABBA / CDCD / EFFE / GG
2. ABA / BBC / BCC / DCD / EE
3. AAB / AAB / CDDC / CDDC
4a. ABBA / ABBA / CDE / CDE
4b. ABBA / ABBA/ CDC / CDC
4c. ABBA / ABBA / CDC / DCD
Sonnet #1
A brilliant sun lights up the summer sky
Shining on the crimson carpet below
Pretty birds form an arrow as they fly
Nature has created a splendid show
Grassy meadows sway gently in the breeze
A bubbly brook trips and twirls merrily
New-born calves try to walk on knobbly knees
Snow-white rabbits nibble shoots daintily
Though the air is scented with happy thoughts
A stray cloud casts its shadow on my heart
Anxiety ties my stomach into knots
The dreaded time has come for us to part
Spring will not linger if you went away
So won't you stay with me for one more day
April 13: Descend into the grotesque by watching this video and then write a poem in reaction to it. Be prepared, it's a little creepy.
[http://vimeo.com/84241262]
Into The Abyss
I dreamt of the roses and
champagne kind of love
all sweet dreams and golden days
but all I got was a surreal saga
All my hopes dissolved
into a grotesque nightmare
where I was the only one who loved
Even in my dreams
you always walked away
leaving me unfulfilled
my desire turning into an acid fog
that drifted away on my breath
Now I live out my days
afraid to sleep
for fear of the monster
opening its eyes
and dragging me back
into the abyss
April 12: In a poem, react to this quote without referring to it:
"It is not enough to be busy. So are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about?"
~Henry David Thoreau
So Many Smiles
He is in the coffee shop all day
I see him on my way to work
slurping a bowl of noodles
He's still there when I go home
mesmerised by the steam
curling up from his coffee
Sometimes he watches
people rushing by
Mothers dragging children
to school
Fathers hurrying to get
to the office on time
Everyone scurrying
to be somewhere
He has a smile for each one
It keeps him busy all day
April 11: Turn it up to 11 while listening to this piece of music. Then, write a poem based on it or reacting to it in some way.
http://youtu.be/0HNZzjCj6Ac [" Moanin' " by Charles Mingus]
And The Music Plays On...
Wrapped in the luxurious
cocoon of wealth
women in bright
swishing silks
and sparkling baubles
men in suave suits
and gleaming shoes
wearing the sparkle
of the rich
A party in full swing
The music plays on
in the gaps
between the clinking
of cutlery
Bodies sway to the
rhythm of wine
sloshing into glasses
Tinkling laughter
punctuates
the gentle murmur
of witty conversation
late into the evening
And the music plays on
faint strains carrying
beyond the front door
where they wait
attired in the colours
of the night
Silently they watch
for the lights to go off
Stealthily they creep closer
hunter stalking its prey
Then they pounce
in the dark
to snuff out life
Exulting in
red-drenched success
they leave death behind
And the music plays on…
April 10: Mad for Mad Libs! Your poem today will be four lines and have these parts of speech in this order.
1. Adjective, Noun, Verb, Adjective, Noun.
2. Adjective, Noun, Verb, Adjective, Noun.
3. Adjective, Noun, Verb, Adjective, Noun.
4. Adjective, Noun, Verb, Adjective, Noun.
Exercise Sucks
Gentle jog tires unfit Uma
Trembling legs take slow steps
Glazed eyes spot sparkling pool
Cool waters soothe weary limbs
April 9: Have a look at all the words via the two links. Use one of the untranslatable words from a different language in your poem today.
[http://9gag.com/gag/ajrVP9p]
[http://sobadsogood.com/2012/10/16/18-fantastic-yet-untranslatable-words-from-around-the-globe/]
Between Us
I wait
like the stars seeking the night sky
And the sun looking for dawn
I wait for the right time to shine on you
You wait
equally uncertain
hesitant to cross uncharted terrain
without a map to reach me
I sense your glance sear me
You avert your gaze
when I look your way
Between us a
gulf of emotions seethes silently
A volcano
waiting for an unspoken sign
to bury us in an avalanche of desire
the air sizzles with a million messages
We know what exists between us
yet I don't make the first move
you don't take the first step
We share a Mamihlapinatapei
and then, we wait
*Mamihlapinatapei (Yagan
indigenous language of Tierra del Fuego) - The wordless, yet meaningful look shared by two people who both desire to initiate something but are both reluctant to start.
April 8: Found poem
Found from this article. Link: http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/dec/06/selfies-status-updates-digital-bragging-web
April 7: Write a Diamante
Raise a toast
Rum
Cloudy, Mellow
Intoxicate, Benumb, Stupefy
Pick-me-up, Shot-in-the-arm, Elixir, Tonic
Slake, Quench, Refresh
Sparkling, Still
Water
April 6: Write 4 linked haiku all featuring Spring/April images.
Cornflower blue her dress
the colour of summer sky -
my world so grey
Clouds of doubt furrow
my brow - green leaves crinkled
by gentle winds
Tears gather in eyes
gazing upwards - washed clean
by April rain
Worry lines caressed
by golden fingers - sunshine
on a spring morning
April 5: Write a cinquain
Your smile
is the sun that
chases the clouds away
and paints a rainbow on my days,
my child
April 4: Write an acrostic for A.P.R.I.L
Azure sky spills its ink
Painting the pansies purple
Red roses bloom on fair cheeks
Inviting Summer's kiss on the
Luscious lips of Spring
April 3: Three is the magic number. Write a poem with three stanzas. Each stanza should have 3 lines. And, the number three must appear in the poem.
Two Much Of A Good Thing
The first was the best
All wonder and magic
I couldn't get enough
The second still awed me
I knew just enough
To look forward to more
By the third time I just wanted
it to end. Three movies about
one ring is one too many
April 2: Write a poem that contains the following words (not necessarily together): national, poetry, month.
Holiday
I'll see you next month,
you said
Prosaic words, but
to my ears - poetry
In my world, the day
you arrived would be
a national holiday
April 1: Write a poem on the topic of “April Fool(s)”
The Only Fool
All that I wanted
to say to you
Now is the perfect time
You are, after all,
12 hours behind me
not yet in fool’s territory
My feelings
soullessly transmitted
across the world to you
I imagine your face turning ashen
when my words rise to your eyes
seeking a way into your heart
Perhaps you already know
but it is easier to feign ignorance
when you can’t accept
what I have to offer
I imagine your desire
to cut the tenuous ties
that hold us loosely in a bond
without a name —
a little more than friendship
a little less than love
I imagine your relief, then,
when another note
wings its way to you
“Fooled you, didn't I?
It’s April Fools’ Day”
though the only fool here is me
© 2014 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved
I wait
like the stars seeking the night sky
And the sun looking for dawn
I wait for the right time to shine on you
You wait
equally uncertain
hesitant to cross uncharted terrain
without a map to reach me
I sense your glance sear me
You avert your gaze
when I look your way
Between us a
gulf of emotions seethes silently
A volcano
waiting for an unspoken sign
to bury us in an avalanche of desire
the air sizzles with a million messages
We know what exists between us
yet I don't make the first move
you don't take the first step
We share a Mamihlapinatapei
and then, we wait
*Mamihlapinatapei (Yagan
indigenous language of Tierra del Fuego) - The wordless, yet meaningful look shared by two people who both desire to initiate something but are both reluctant to start.
April 8: Found poem
Found from this article. Link: http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/dec/06/selfies-status-updates-digital-bragging-web
They Have More Money Than You
On-trend narcissists
Smuggest
in existence
Living opulent lifestyles —
Pools
Yachts
Private jets
Bar tab receipts
Sea of Chanel and Hermès
Reptile shoes
Look away now
They have more money
than you
An exercise in
impoverished masochism
likely to have you
clamouring for revolution
Wealth whispers — this is
high-pitched shouting
Nauseating canvas
of mock humility
"This is how pimps roll"
On-trend narcissists
Smuggest
in existence
Living opulent lifestyles —
Pools
Yachts
Private jets
Bar tab receipts
Sea of Chanel and Hermès
Reptile shoes
Look away now
They have more money
than you
An exercise in
impoverished masochism
likely to have you
clamouring for revolution
Wealth whispers — this is
high-pitched shouting
Nauseating canvas
of mock humility
"This is how pimps roll"
April 7: Write a Diamante
Raise a toast
Rum
Cloudy, Mellow
Intoxicate, Benumb, Stupefy
Pick-me-up, Shot-in-the-arm, Elixir, Tonic
Slake, Quench, Refresh
Sparkling, Still
Water
April 6: Write 4 linked haiku all featuring Spring/April images.
Cornflower blue her dress
the colour of summer sky -
my world so grey
Clouds of doubt furrow
my brow - green leaves crinkled
by gentle winds
Tears gather in eyes
gazing upwards - washed clean
by April rain
Worry lines caressed
by golden fingers - sunshine
on a spring morning
April 5: Write a cinquain
Your smile
is the sun that
chases the clouds away
and paints a rainbow on my days,
my child
April 4: Write an acrostic for A.P.R.I.L
Azure sky spills its ink
Painting the pansies purple
Red roses bloom on fair cheeks
Inviting Summer's kiss on the
Luscious lips of Spring
April 3: Three is the magic number. Write a poem with three stanzas. Each stanza should have 3 lines. And, the number three must appear in the poem.
Two Much Of A Good Thing
The first was the best
All wonder and magic
I couldn't get enough
The second still awed me
I knew just enough
To look forward to more
By the third time I just wanted
it to end. Three movies about
one ring is one too many
April 2: Write a poem that contains the following words (not necessarily together): national, poetry, month.
Holiday
I'll see you next month,
you said
Prosaic words, but
to my ears - poetry
In my world, the day
you arrived would be
a national holiday
April 1: Write a poem on the topic of “April Fool(s)”
The Only Fool
All that I wanted
to say to you
Now is the perfect time
You are, after all,
12 hours behind me
not yet in fool’s territory
My feelings
soullessly transmitted
across the world to you
I imagine your face turning ashen
when my words rise to your eyes
seeking a way into your heart
Perhaps you already know
but it is easier to feign ignorance
when you can’t accept
what I have to offer
I imagine your desire
to cut the tenuous ties
that hold us loosely in a bond
without a name —
a little more than friendship
a little less than love
I imagine your relief, then,
when another note
wings its way to you
“Fooled you, didn't I?
It’s April Fools’ Day”
though the only fool here is me
© 2014 Uma Venkatraman ~ All Rights Reserved
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