Day 27 ... NaPoWriMo / Poem-a-Day 2020

Maureen Thorson’s NaPoWriMo prompt: “write a poem in the form of a review. But not a review of a book or a movie of a restaurant. Instead, I challenge you to write a poetic review of something that isn’t normally reviewed. For example, your mother-in-law, the moon, or the year 2020 (I think many of us have some thoughts on that one!)” Robert Lee Brewer’s Poem-a-Day prompt: “write a massive poem. The poem itself could be massive in size and length. Or it could take on a massive problem, describe a supermassive black hole, or praise a massive bowl of ice cream covered in chocolate syrup and whipped cream. Whatever you write, I hope it’s a massive success.” My poem today only cursorily arises from the two prompts. The words review and massive just appear in the poem momentarily. This installment in the aswang novella project fills in an earlier gap: how Clara’s villagers begin to think she might be an aswang. Also, a “sari-sari store” in the Philippines is a Mom-and-Pop sundry shop in a rural area; sari-sari is a Filipino phrase that means “variety.” In terms of the story, it’s important that the two men in the poem are at a sari-sari store, which would be a community hangout, so their conversation could fire up the local gossip mill. Two Men Talk in the Sari-Sari Store Okay, let’s review the facts, Nestor. You got lost in the woods last night, and then you came upon a massive meadow you’d never seen before.                       That’s right! The moon was shining through the mist,                       and in the meadow a huge black dog was running,                       no, prancing. Above, a dark winged shape soared                       like an eagle wheeling. No, more like a bat. That would be a manananggal, an aswang.                       Well, Jojo, I saw her face! It was so clear. Who was it?                       That cute girl in the market. You mean, Clara? —Draft by Vince Gotera    [Do not copy or quote . . . thanks.] Form-wise, this is a curtal sonnet in rhyme and meter but takes the shape of a (seemingly) free-verse conversation with two speakers. The tricky section is line 10 (“Who was it? That cute . . .”), where a dropped line indicates a change of speaker in the middle of the line. Alan’s poem today takes the idea of review in an entertaining direction. The Sentences I Write When the Person Demanding a Letter of Recommendation Will Not Take “No” for an Answer When I consider what ______________ has accomplished in the time of our                 acquaintance, I find myself shaking my head in wonder. I honestly cannot imagine that ______________ could do a better job than he does. It amazes me, when I give ______________ training, data, and protocols, what I get                 back. I have often wondered why ______________ has not moved to another position                 already. I cannot say enough good things about ______________. I absolutely can imagine ______________ in a high administrative position. “Pleasant” does not describe having ______________ as a co-worker. ______________ has made an unforgettable impact on our entire department. I am confident that the upper administration is aware of ______________’s                 contributions to our university. Some often ask me, “Just what can we do with                 him?” I know that students have reconsidered their career paths after their meetings with                 ______________. Should ______________ get a position elsewhere, there will be a major gap to be                 filled. —Draft by Thomas Alan Holmes    [Do not copy or quote . . . thanks.] We appreciate your coming by to read our work. Stay safe and be well. Friends, won’t you comment, please? Love to know what you’re thinking. To comment, look for a red line below that starts Posted by, then click once on the word comments in that line. If you don’t find the word “comments” in that line, then look for a blue link below that says Post a comment and click it once. Thanks! Ingat, everyone.  ヅ

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