Sunday, April 15, 2012

Day 15 ... NaPoWriMo / Poem-a-Day


Friends, today marks the halfway point of National Poetry Month. Hope you're continuing to read a poem a day or write a poem a day. And, most important, having fun!

At NaPoWriMo.net, Maureen Thorson suggests we “pen a parody,” reminding us “a parody doesn’t have to be mean to be good — sometimes a gentle ribbing is sufficient.” At Poetic Asides, Robert Lee Brewer tells us: “use the following five words in your poem: slash, button, mask, strap, and balloon.” At Circle the Block, Andrea Boltwood says the magic word “limerick”!

Okay, I'm mashing all three up again! More silliness today.

Prompts: Write a Parody, a Limerick, and Use
The Words Slash, Button, Trap, Mask, Balloon

For Maureen Thorson,
Andrea Boltwood, and
Robert Lee Brewer
There once was a poet named Brewer
Who said, use these words and no fewer:
Slash, button, and trap,
Mask, balloon, and — oh, crap,
I've run out of wo-ords, for su-ure.

—Draft by Vince Gotera     [do not copy or quote ... thanks]

Once again, a memory poem from Catherine, off prompt. And, as we’ve seen all month, marvelous stuff, friends.

Performance
“All I really need to know I learned in Kindergarten.”
— Robert Fulghum
This morning’s sunrise like cotton candy
singes dew coated lilac and sweet pea,
leaving a bee’s nectar breakfast
and a memory of old Elk Park School,
Mary Margaret Julian, who held me
on her perfumed lap after lunch,
before afternoon cookies and juice.

In kindergarten, I wore a grass skirt,
sang about going to a hukilau,
a huki huki huki huki hukilau,
cast my net into the crepe paper sea,
then let the sweet coconut milk of success
fill my belly, while parents clapped
genuine as the plastic lei around my neck,

tipped my top hat to the crowd,
delighted to present the next act,
Jimmy Bailey, tamer of tigers and lions.
My glory cut short by a whisper in my ear
that changed my line, roared into a mirror
for weeks, to a meek, “Ladies and Gentleman,
Jimmy Bailey is not here.”

I sunk behind the stage, wore another mask
the ringmaster’s mistake quickly forgiven.
As the tightrope walker, I stole the show
a skill, a lesson, I learn again each day,
so I swallow the morning
as the last gray-sky square sleeps,
lilacs blushing in the sun.

—Draft by Catherine Pritchard Childress     [do not copy or quote ... thanks]

Our featured poem-a-day site today is Chromapoesy by Anna Montgomery. Like yesterday's featured blog — in fact yesterday's blogger, Aprille, told me about Anna's site — today's NaPoWriMo blog incorporates various media and approaches: poetry (of course), photography, audio, video, art, music, voice, and so on. On Day 12, Anna posted a lovely videopoem, "Thresholds." My favorite post is from Day 2, a beautiful poem titled "Blush of Dawn," accompanied by Anna's lovely photo of Petra. Brava, Anna!


Well, so much for the Ides of April. Fifteen poems down, fifteen to go. Hope that Tax Day goes well for you tomorrow. If you’re not in the US, bless you for not having Tax Day tomorrow. And please leave us a comment below, Tax Day or no Tax Day. Many thanks. Ingat.


POEM-A-DAY 2012 • Pick a day in April: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

32 comments:

De Jackson said...

Oh, my word. Your prompt mashup about Robert made me spit out coffee, I laughed so hard. SO great! We can all use a little levity right around Day 15, yes?

Also wanted to say I just got back in and got your comment over at my blog about possibly being featured on yours. Would be honored. Thank you so much. What a generous, slightly crazy thing for you to be doing in April, in addition to all the writing. I myself am having trouble living in the 3-dimensional world...just want to be writing ALL the time right now. My poor family. ;)

I had popped over to check you out when you featured my friend Buddah Mosk. Cool blog, and I enjoy your style. Stalking you, starting now. ;)

Thanks again. Just let me know what day Whimsy will be featured, so I can pop over and say thank you.

Vince Gotera said...

De, wonderful. It will be tomorrow! So keep stalking to see the feature. It'll be later on in the day, maybe a lot later on, when Catherine and I both finish our poems.

I don't know if Robert has seen it yet. I should send him a link on facebook. I did post it on Poetic Asides, but I don't even think it's been released from moderation!

Thanks.

Vince Gotera said...

De, are you on fb?

Anonymous said...

What a fun limerick with its extended syllable ending and blend of prompts! Performance caught me up at the end, it is sad the tightrope walk continues. I am deeply appreciative that you took the time to read my poetry and link my blog here. I’ve sent notifications out on several social network sites. Ingat.

De Jackson said...

Yes, Sir. Heading over to hunt you down. Have already "liked" your blog over there. :)

De Jackson said...

And THANK YOU! :)

Anonymous said...

I was struck by the irony that sometimes you only need a few words to really say something and that adding more is a waste, while other times that extra little bit helps so much. Thanks for the insight.

Manicddaily said...

Very fun limerick, and also love Anna's video poems--thoughtful use of images/text. K.

Suresh SEO said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Ravenblack said...

The limerick was great :), sometimes feel that way about prompts. Nice that you featured Anna's blog -- those multimedia works of hers cannot be missed!

Shall bookmark this website for further exploration in the next few days. :)

mrs mediocrity said...

Your limerick made me smile...

Anna's work amazes me daily, her mastery of language leaves me in awe.

Anonymous said...

Fun limerick!!

Poem-a-day: I've subscribed to Anna's blog for about a year and her talents never cease to amaze me! I love this piece so much and found it to be relaxing and centering.

So glad to see her site as part of your poem-a-day series!!

Unknown said...

Definitely a fun limerick indeed. Anna experiments with Poetry in so many ways, love the different filters she chooses for any given piece. Truly works of art. Thanks

Vince Gotera said...

Anna, sorry for the delay in reply. Thank you. And thanks for the post on your blog.

Vince Gotera said...

I'm not sure you're referring to me (Vince) or to Catherine. More? Thanks.

Vince Gotera said...

Hi, K. Thanks so much for your comment. Come back and read more, please.

Vince Gotera said...

Ravenblack, thanks. Do come back, please. We try!

Vince Gotera said...

Glad you smiled. Won't you come back and read more? Thanks.

Vince Gotera said...

Eva, thanks a lot. Do come back and read more ... and comment!

Vince Gotera said...

Many thanks, Fred. Do come back and check out more of our stuff here.

Anonymous said...

Vince, I wanted to let you know there’s a fun place on the internet to meet poets and get traffic for your site called dVerse Poets Pub. Some 150+ poets from all over the world show up at the weekly Open Link Night on Tuesdays to show off their best work. I usually get about 100-150 hits each time I connect and 20-30 comments. It’s a supportive, friendly environment hosted by some wonderful people. They also have form challenges, prompts, and other useful information. Here’s the link http://dversepoets.com if you’d like to connect your NaPoWriMo celebration today, they open at 3 EDT. Thanks again! Anna

De Jackson said...

Yes! And another good one is Poets United. Great prompts weekly, and their "Poetry Pantry" is open right now, today. You can post up to three poems, any poems, which link back to your blog.
Here's the link:
http://poetryblogroll.blogspot.com/2012/04/poetry-pantry-is-now-open-97.html

Anonymous said...

Thank you for linking Anna's poem. I find Thresholds a unique interplay with the senses, reflecting and resonating such inner depth. Blush Of Dawn has a wonderful way of recapturing the mythical richness of the sacred.

Christopher Jacob said...

Thank you for featuring Anna’s site! Her poem “Thresholds” is particularly intriguing to me in the way it explores how the captured image affects our consciousness. Anna deftly portrays this theme with the interplay of clarity and obscurity in her words, photography and music. I think she’s exploring how these fixed images hint at deeper mysteries by pulling us, ironically, out of myopia. The language of “Blush of Dawn” is strong, reminiscent of the ancient poets and seems like something we might find carved on a stele!

Baby Balloons said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Vince Gotera said...

De and Anna ... thanks so much. I'll need to check those out. I need to be very careful as the poetry editor of the North American Review. Do either of you think people would be upset about someone like me coming around? That is, someone who's tied to such literary circles, I mean? Obviously I'm not stuffy at all, but just don't know how it would be taken.

De Jackson said...

I have no idea how any of that works, Vince, so I wouldn't know. ?? My philosophy is always, the more the merrier, and everybody's in it for great poetry. You wouldn't have to "announce" you edit a poetry review.

Vince Gotera said...

Anon and Christopher ... thanks for your comments. Obviously you are both great fans of Anna's and she totally deserves it!

Vince Gotera said...

De, some people would know. And if they go to my blog, they can figure it out. The NAR is way up there in terms of clout factor or q-rating ... oldest lit mag in the US, originally established 1815.

De Jackson said...

I understand, just not quite sure why it would matter. That may be my rampant novice talking, though. ;)

Vince Gotera said...

Anna, I was going through the PAD posts, cleaning things up ('cause I'm an inveterate perfectionist!) and I noticed to my great chagrin that I neglected to put up an image for your blog. So, in case someone else ever reads this post, I've edited it to include an image. Take a look, won't you?

adhi das said...

laughing limericks...a fabulous piece of writing...keep writings for ur readers to smile and enjoy..GOD LOVE U




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