National Poetry Month ... Poem-a-Day, People!

Hey, everyone, April is the cruelest month . . . National Poetry Month! This NPM, for once I'm going to write (at least) one poem during each day in April, taking up Writer's Digest Robert Lee Brewer's "PAD challenge" (PAD for "poem a day"). Every morning in April, Robert will issue a prompt in his Writer's Digest Poetic Asides blog . . . today, April 1, it's to write a "communication poem." So, Robert and everybody, here's mine. As you know, the weather and climate run up to this April has been not at all cruel and I'm going right to the man to find out what's up! Dear Mr. Frost, or may I call you Jack . . . Where’ve you been hanging these past few months? I only had to fire up the snow blower once. It coughed miserably, neglected and forlorn, before turning over and throwing some slush onto the brown lawn. Where was your wind, keen as new razor blades? Where were your white-out blizzards? Black ice? Your snow banks shouldering up to the eaves? Your crystal clear sleeves on twigs and branches? Were you maybe tending glaciers, making sure they didn’t calve icebergs into the shipping lanes. Or traffic-cop shepherding migratory birds, addled by strangely warm winds, the slipping magnetic field. That weird cold snap in the Azores in February, temps dropping down into the 60s, was that you? Catching rays on a sandy beach, trading white sand for white snow, your magenta Aloha shirt freezing to your frigid back and sternum. Listen up, Jack. Come your 4 billionth birthday, 23 December 2012, you better be back on the job. Ringing the moon with ice. Scissoring each and every snowflake into glittery lace. —Draft by Vince Gotera     [do not copy or quote ... thanks] I'm really jonesing to complete the PAD challenge this year. After all, this will be my last chance if we're reading the Mayan calendar right. Previous years I've let writer's block flummox me into only 3 or 4 poems in April. Not this time, friends. This year, Catherine Pritchard Childress, whose work you've seen before in the blog, is going to be my poem-a-day pen pal. She and I are going to make sure the other one gets the daily poem written. So, Catherine, one down and 29 to go, as you told me via facebook two hours ago. Got mine done just before midnight! Also, to keep myself humming I've registered as a participant in NaPoWriMo, where so far almost 500 bloggers and website-wielders have signed up to pledge poem-a-day online activities. Friends, would you comment below, please? Are you doing the PAD challenge? Join me and Catherine! And also Maureen Thorson, founder of NaPoWriMo, and all the good folks there. Go write a poem. Ingat. Added 2 April 2012:   Here's my poem-a-day buddy Catherine's day-one poem from yesterday. === ======== == ====== === ======= ==== === ========== ======= == ==== ========= ========= ====== === ===== ===== == === ==== === ====== ====== ==== === ====== === ===== == ====== == ====== == == == ====== ==== ===== === ======== == === ==== == ==== === ======== == === ===== ======== ==== == === ==== ==== ========== == ===== ===== ==== ======== === ==== ======= ====== ===== ======== === ==== ====== ====== ====== == === ===== ==== == === ====== ======= ===== === == ==== ===== == ===== ======= === ============== ====== ===== == ======= == ======= == ======= = ====== = ======= === ==== ===== ====== ====== ===== === == ======== ==== = === == === ===== === ==== ====== == === ======== ======= === ==== ======= === == ========                         Poem removed for publication purposes. Sorry. It may return at some point. Thanks. —Draft by Catherine Pritchard Childress     [do not copy or quote ... thanks] Wow, that's tremendous, Catherine. Friends, comment below, if you like; Catherine will be keeping an eye on the comments. You can also find her on twitter as @MamaMoxie. 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