Day 29 ... NaPoWriMo / Poem-a-Day 2024

Fun stuff for Day 29 in the blog intro for 29 April 2015: Day Twenty-Nine. Looking online for something to say about the number 29, I found these interesting facts: According to USA Today, 29% of married couples share a toothbrush. It would take 29 million years for a car traveling 100 miles per hour to reach the nearest star. And April 29 — today — is International Dance Day! I like that second factoid. That's a lot of gas stations or charging stations! Oh, also, my poem that day was pretty funny . . . click here. Okay, on to today's prompts. Robert Lee Brewer’s Poem-a-Day suggestion: “For today's prompt, take the phrase ‘Until (blank),’ replace the blank with a new word or phrase, make the new phrase the title of your poem, and then, write your poem. Possible titles might include: ‘Until the End of Time,’ ‘Until the Cows Come Home,’ ‘Until I Finish This Poem,’ and/or ‘Until You Get Your Chores Done.’” Maureen Thorson’s NaPoWriMo prompt: “If you’ve been paying attention to pop-music news over the past couple of weeks, you may know that Taylor Swift has released a new double album titled “The Tortured Poets Department.” In recognition of this occasion, Merriam-Webster put together a list of ten words from Taylor Swift songs. We hope you don’t find this too torturous yourself, but we’d like to challenge you to select one these words, and write a poem that uses the word as its title.” Okay, I cheated. I used all 10 words with “until ____,” but not as a title. Sorry if I'm sending you to the dictionary or google. Also, I suppose if there's a poetic form here, well, maybe a poetic device, it's anaphora (see Day 14). Until Taylor until albatross until antithetical until altruism until cardigan until clandestine until elegy until incandescent until Macchiavellian until mercurial until self-effacing all become just banal bromides mainstream chestnuts humdrum commonplaces we'll just listen harken lend an ear to tortured poets —Draft by Vince Gotera    [Do not copy or quote . . . thanks.] To end, here's a fun(ny) article: "Man Named Taylor Swift ..." Friends, won’t you comment, please? Love to know what you’re thinking. Thanks! Ingat, everyone.  ヅ

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Day 28 ... NaPoWriMo / Poem-a-Day 2024

Let's get right to the poetry prompts today. Day 28 means 3 days to go, counting this one. Maureen Thorson’s NaPoWriMo suggestion: “[O]ur optional prompt for the day asks you to try your hand at writing a sijo. This is a traditional Korean verse form. A sijo has three lines of 14-16 syllables. The first line introduces the poem’s theme, the second discusses it, and the third line, which is divided into two sentences or clauses, ends the poem – usually with some kind of twist or surprise.” Robert Lee Brewer’s Poem-a-Day prompt: “[W]rite a dead poem. Back on day 13, we wrote living poems. Now, we're going to inspect the other side of that coin. A dead poem could take place at a funeral, or involve a wilting flower that's already been picked. Or it could involve the undead (like zombies and vampires). Or maybe a dead language, a dead culture, or as some people like to say, they're just ‘dead inside.’” Today I'm merging the prompts by writing a sijo on the TV show The Walking Dead. Note: there may be spoilers for you in the poem if you haven't watched the spinoff The Ones Who Live. The Future of The Walking Dead CW: spoilers from The Ones Who Live Well, Rick and Michonne finally got together again. Then, Daryl and Carol, their reunion is in the wings. So, will Walking Dead ever end? No, looks like forever. —Draft by Vince Gotera    [Do not copy or quote . . . thanks.] Rick and Michonne in The Walking Dead (Gene Page/AMC) TV Insider Friends, won’t you comment, please? Love to know what you’re thinking. Thanks! Ingat, everyone.  ヅ

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Day 27 ... NaPoWriMo / Poem-a-Day 2024

As faithful readers may know, this month I've been quoting blog intros from 2013. Well, here's one from 2015: Day Twenty-Seven. As a child, I found 27 enchanting, as I said about 24 recently. The number 27 is equal to 9 x 3, and the digits 2 and 7 in 27 add up to the 9 that's a factor of 27. I'm sure there's something about the number 9 and base 10 that makes 9 so interesting: 9 x 2 = 18 and the digits 1 and 8 add up to 9; 9 x 4 = 36 and the digits 3 and 6 add up to 9; 9 x 859,472 = 7,735,248 and the digits 7, 7, 3, 5, 2, 4, and 8 add up to 36, and then the digits 3 and 6 add up to 9. So 27 is not alone in that adding-up-to-9 thing. I'm sure a mathematician could explain those cool 9-effects clearly. To me it's all glorious mathematical magic. Maureen Thorson’s NaPoWriMo prompt: “Today we’d like to challenge you to write an 'American sonnet.' What’s that? Well, it’s like a regular sonnet but . . . fewer rules? Like a traditional Spencerian or Shakespearean sonnet, an American sonnet is shortish (generally 14 lines, but not necessarily!), discursive, and tends to end with a bang, but there’s no need to have a rhyme scheme or even a specific meter.” Maureen provides three examples and also an instructional link. Robert Lee Brewer’s Poem-a-Day prompt: “[W]rite a remix poem. Just remix one of your poems. It could be from earlier in this month or even from before this challenge. But take one of your already existing poems and remix it. If it's a sonnet, make it free verse. If it's free verse, try turning it into a triolet or villanelle.” I decided to remix my poem from Day 10, which was on seeing the recent total solar eclipse. That poem was a curtal sonnet and I remixed it into an American sonnet, though I gotta say, I'm not a big believer in the American sonnet, since it's unrhymed . . . to me, rhyming is the heart of the sonnet. However, my curtal sonnet on Day 10 had not been enough space to fit in everything I wanted to say. So, anyway, here we go. Seeing the Total Solar Eclipse For weeks, Renee and I had been talking about driving eight hours to the zone of totality that came closest to us in southeast Missouri. She kept saying we would be able to see a partial eclipse here in Cedar Falls (almost 90%). I insisted though, so off we went the day before, sleeping over in St. Louis. We left early the next day, four hours before the total eclipse. The timing was fortunate, because it took over three hours to get through the last 100 miles. Bumper to bumper on the freeway. I thought we wouldn’t make it to the zone in time. We ended up viewing the eclipse in a cemetery in Cape Girardeau. There were cars everywhere. The eclipse was incredibly beautiful. Just a fantabulous ring of light around the dark moon. Truly magical, glorious. Now we’re talking about trekking to Iceland for the 2026 eclipse! —Draft by Vince Gotera    [Do not copy or quote . . . thanks.] Friends, won’t you comment, please? Love to know what you’re thinking. Thanks! Ingat, everyone.  ヅ

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Day 26 ... NaPoWriMo / Poem-a-Day 2024

One more time . . . a blog intro from 2013: Day 26. Two baker's dozens. 26 is also half a deck of cards, meaning there are 26 red cards and 26 black cards. Finally, as I'm sure we all know, 26 is the "number of spacetime dimensions in bosonic string theory" (Wikipedia). Maureen Thorson’s NaPoWriMo prompt: “And now for our (optional) prompt. Today, we’d like to challenge you to write a poem that involves alliteration, consonance, and assonance. Alliteration is the repetition of a particular consonant sound at the beginning of multiple words. Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds elsewhere in multiple words, and assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds. Traci Brimhall’s poem 'A Group of Moths' provides a great example of these poetic devices at work, with each line playing with different sounds that seem to move the poem along on a sonorous wave.” Robert Lee Brewer’s Poem-a-Day suggestion: “For today's prompt, write a persona poem. A persona poem is just a poem narrated in the voice of a persona who is not yourself.” Robert's demo poem today is titled "An Abandoned Payphone Beside an Abandoned Gas Station" and I imagined my cellphone talking to that abandoned payphone. (Read his demo poem here, lower on the page.) Once again, today's poem is a curtal sonnet (rhymed abcabc dbcdc) in ten-syllable lines, ending with the required half-line. My Cellphone Speaks with the Abandoned Payphone Beside an Abandoned Gas Station I see you, brother phone, in your old booth on this rubbled street, so undignified. You’ve seen better days, full of silver coins in your slot, on this posh strip of your youth, where stylish skaters and bikers would ride all night. Scruffy panhandlers used to join the glittery parade, “Spare change? Spare change?” Now, your nights are just dark, no glitz, no glide, no folks pushing your numbers. I enjoin you, old timer, free yourself. Go long range!                                   Fly off to cloud nine! —Draft by Vince Gotera    [Do not copy or quote . . . thanks.] I use the sound devices Maureen suggests. Alliteration: glitz / glide. Assonance: brother / rubbled (short u and schwa). Consonance: brother / booth (b and th). There's more. See what you can find and tell me in a comment below? Friends, won’t you comment, please? Love to know what you’re thinking. Thanks! Ingat, everyone.  ヅ

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Day 25 ... NaPoWriMo / Poem-a-Day 2024

Today another intro from the blog in April 2013. Day 25. 5/6 of the way through National Poetry Month. 5 squared. 5 times 5. 25 is the first number mentioned in the title of one of my favorite Chicago songs: "25 or 6 to 4." I was 18 when that song came out in 1970 and I learned Terry Kath's bravura guitar solo in it by listening to the record over and over, working out the solo note by note. Even now, 43 years later, Kath's influence on my lead guitar playing continues to be substantial. It's now 54 years later, and that last sentence is still true. And now today's poetry prompts. Maureen Thorson’s NaPoWriMo prompt: “Today, we’d like to challenge you to write a poem based on the “Proust Questionnaire,” a set of questions drawn from Victorian-era parlor games, and adapted by modern interviewers. You could choose to answer the whole questionnaire, and then write a poem based on your answers, answer just a few, or just write a poem that’s based on the questions. You could even write a poem in the form of an entirely new Proust Questionnaire. We have a fairly standard, 35-question version of the questionnaire laid out for you below.” You can see Maureen's questionnaire here. Robert Lee Brewer’s Poem-a-Day suggestion: “For today's prompt, write a homonym poem. A homonym is either (or both) a homograph (word spelled the same with different meanings and possibly different pronunciations) or a homophone (word that is pronounced the same but has different spellings).” Robert gives a couple links of homophone and homograph examples: homophones / homographs. One of the questions in Maureen's Proust questionnaire is "Who are your favorite writers?" I'm answering that but changing it to "Who are your favorite bass players?" since I'm a bass player myself. I'm also including one homophone and one homograph. Can you see those homonym pairs (which overlap) in the poem? This poem is a senryu, with a traditional haiku shape (5-7-5 syllables). Victor Wooten At base, Vic’s the best bass player in the world. But he can’t fish for bass. —Draft by Vince Gotera    [Do not copy or quote . . . thanks.] Yes, it's kind of a silly little ditty, but it gets the job done today. The homophones are base / base, and the homographs are bass (musical instrument) / bass (fish). Apologies to Victor if he actually is a bass fisherman. Victor Wooten photo from No Treble Friends, won’t you comment, please? Love to know what you’re thinking. Thanks! Ingat, everyone.  ヅ

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Day 24 ... NaPoWriMo / Poem-a-Day 2024

Another blog intro from Day 24 of 2013 . . . that was a fun year! Day Two-Four. Let's see, 24 hours in a day, 24-carat gold. Of course, 24, the TV action series starring Kiefer Sutherland in which each episode comprised the 24 hours of a single day. And from our childhoods, the 24 blackbirds in the nursery-rhyme pie. I remember being freaked out by that as a child. I didn't have trouble with the blackbirds being cooked, but then they would sing. So they were still alive after being baked. Horrifying! Maureen Thorson’s NaPoWriMo suggestion: “[O]ur (optional) prompt for the day is another one pulled from our 2016 archives. Today, we’d like to challenge you to write a poem that begins with a line from another poem (not necessarily the first one), but then goes elsewhere with it. This will work best if you just start with a line of poetry you remember, but without looking up the whole original poem. Or you could find a poem that you haven’t read before and then use a line that interests you. The idea is for the original to furnish the backdrop for your work, but without influencing you so much that you feel as if you are just rewriting the original! ” Robert Lee Brewer’s Poem-a-Day suggestion: “For today's prompt, write a maximum poem. Some people may recall that we wrote a minimum poem back on day 6; this takes that concept and brings it back the other way. In fact, one possible way into today's poem would be to see what you did on day 6 and turn it on its head. Or go somewhere completely new. Whatever you do, take it to the max.” My poem for Day 6 had to do with something my father used to tell me all the time when I was growing up. I've taken the opening lines of that poem and taken them "back the other way," as Robert said above. Today we have, again, a curtal sonnet (rhymed abcabc dbcdc), with ten-syllable lines. Maximum Love Papa's mantra: “You have to be better than them.” But what does better mean? I know he meant well. To him, better meant book smart, more accomplished, more clever, whatever it takes to be best, be top dynamo. All my life, I’ve done that. Stand tall, apart. But as I got older, I’ve found it’s not enough. Competing doesn’t help you grow. What does? A warm, crackling fire in the hearth, sitting next to the one you love. Sweet thoughts                                               overflowing your heart. —Draft by Vince Gotera    [Do not copy or quote . . . thanks.] Friends, won’t you comment, please? Love to know what you’re thinking. Thanks! Ingat, everyone.  ヅ

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Day 23 ... NaPoWriMo / Poem-a-Day 2024

Looks like 2013 was a good year for April blog intros. Here's Day 23's intro from 2013: Day 23. Today is Shakespeare's birthday, born 1564. Had he been an Old Testament patriarch, he would be turning 449 today. Or maybe if he was Methuselah's lesser-known sibling, then four and a half centuries would be a walk in the park. Happy Shakespeare's birthday, everyone! And now, today's prompts. Maureen Thorson’s NaPoWriMo prompt: “[W]rite a poem about, or involving, a superhero, taking your inspiration from these four poems in which Lucille Clifton addresses Clark Kent/Superman.” Robert Lee Brewer’s Poem-a-Day suggestion: “For today's Two-for-Tuesday prompt: 1) Write a "(blank) of the Heart" poem, and/or . . . 2) Write a "Heart of the (blank)" poem.” Today, in honor of Shakespeare's birthday, here is a slapstick-humorous Shakesperean sonnet, merging all three prompts: Shakespeare as a superhero, with a reference to his heart, even! Shakespeare of the Heart; or Heart of the Shakespeare So, it turns out that Shakespeare never died. Today is his birthday, and he’s four hundred sixty years old. Or “young,” as they say. Why’d anyone think Bill had passed? Unnumbered visitors to his grave have seen his headstone at Holy Trinity, his parish church in Stratford, where it says, to move Bill’s bones would bring upon said mover a dread curse. Folks, that’s a clue he isn’t there! Shakespeare grew wings, flew to Avalon, where he dwells, waiting for calls, along with King Arthur, from ones who need aid in verse. “SuperBill, help me!” you should say when needing a rhyme. And Bill will come, cross his heart, every time! —Draft by Vince Gotera    [Do not copy or quote . . . thanks.] Super Shakespeare by Mathew McFarren Friends, won’t you comment, please? Love to know what you’re thinking. Thanks! Ingat, everyone.  ヅ

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Day 22 ... NaPoWriMo / Poem-a-Day 2024

Seems like 2013 was a good year for April blog intros. Here's the one for 22 April 2013: Day 22. What comes to mind immediately is the novel Catch-22 by Joseph Heller; in our everyday language we use the slang "catch-22" to describe a problem that can't be solved because the problem itself prohibits a resolution. A no-win. Kobayashi Maru. And there's also the .22 caliber rifle so often mentioned in literature because it's a well-known weapon. Lots more 22-related trivia, but let's get to the poetry. Maureen Thorson’s NaPoWriMo prompt: “[W]rite a poem in which two things have a fight. Two very unlikely things, if you can manage it. Like, maybe a comb and a spatula. Or a daffodil and a bag of potato chips. Or perhaps your two things could be linked somehow – like a rock and a hard place – and be utterly sick of being so joined. The possibilities are endless!” Robert Lee Brewer’s Poem-a-Day prompt: “[W]rite an earth poem. The poem can be about nature or the planet. But it can also be about anything or anyone on the planet. Or dirt (aka, earth); feel encouraged to write a poem about dirt. Or earthlings!” Today, I give you a tanka — a poetic form from Japan that, traditionally, has 5 lines of 5, 7, 5, 7, and 7 syllables. Working with both prompts, as usual. I just wondered how dirt, if it could talk, would feel about the earthworm. Happy Earth Day, everyone! Dirt Speaks of the Earthworm So tired of always passing through this fleshy tube: in at the mouth, then out . . . well, you know. Given time, this worm would eat the whole earth! —Draft by Vince Gotera    [Do not copy or quote . . . thanks.] On another note, non-earthy, I just wanted to tell you about the second annual Poetry Palooza festival in Des Moines this weekend (Friday and Saturday). It was such a wonderful event, with a poetry slam; workshops; a panel of expert poets discussing eco-poetry; a release reading for "The Cities in the Plains" (an anthology of Iowa poems and art); and poetry readings by Traci Brimwall, Paul Brooke, Camille T. Dungy, Jennifer L. Knox, Debra Marquart, and Caleb Rainey. I read some of my poems too (pics below). It was my first official event as Poet Laureate of Iowa. Looking forward to next April when I will be a featured poet at this event. See you next year! Friends, won’t you comment, please? Love to know what you’re thinking. Thanks! Ingat, everyone.  ヅ

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Day 21 ... NaPoWriMo / Poem-a-Day 2024

Once again, a quoted intro from this day in 2013: Day 21. The card game Blackjack is sometimes called "21" because that's the score that trumps all others. There's the 21-gun salute in military honors for heads of state. 21 is the title of a recent album by Adele. If we put our minds together we could probably come up with 21 21s, but I bet you'd like to get to the poetry. Robert Lee Brewer’s Poem-a-Day prompt: “[W]rite a trope poem. For most people, tropes are common plot devices used in certain genres. In romance, for example, the 'different worlds' trope brings together two characters from different walks of life and/or cultures. Meanwhile, a popular trope in horror fiction is to split up, which usually doesn't end well for many of the characters. Mysteries frequently feature the 'unassuming suspect' trope. Pick a trope or mix a few in your poem today.” Maureen Thorson’s NaPoWriMo prompt: “[W]rite a poem that repeats or focuses on a single color.” I was tempted to choose blue as the "single color," but then thought maybe I should try something opposed to my favorite color. How about black? In today's curtal sonnet, I focus on an old standby, Frankenstein, and stuff in as many movie tropes as I could fit in from horror, science-fiction, and fantasy movies. The curtal sonnet, one of my favorite poetic forms to write, is rhymed abcabc dbcdc, using (as usual) 10-syllable lines. Enjoy! Trope-icana in Black Here I am again, Frankenstein's fiend, stuck in a black cave, lumbering from one side to the other. Why must I, a monster, always lumber and stagger? Just bad luck. In an alternate universe, I ride a white horse, wield a golden sword, and swear allegiance to my brother, the good king. But here it's all black, black darkness inside darkness. A mad scientist, my father, made me one black night, a black magic thing.                 What do monsters say? Grrr. —Draft by Vince Gotera    [Do not copy or quote . . . thanks.] Friends, won’t you comment, please? Love to know what you’re thinking. Thanks! Ingat, everyone.  ヅ

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Day 20 ... NaPoWriMo / Poem-a-Day 2024

Fun little intro from Day 20 in 2013: Day 20. What's our 20? Here's where we are: exactly two-thirds into National Poetry Month. Using all our fingers and toes. And now, today's prompts. Maureen Thorson’s NaPoWriMo suggestion: “[W]rite a poem that recounts a historical event.” Robert Lee Brewer’s Poem-a-Day suggestion: “[W]rite a poem using at least three of the following six words:”   • bear • collar • flair   • hear • praise • ramble Or for extra credit, use all six words.  Also, as an alternate prompt: Write a six-word poem (doesn't have to use any of the above words). Today, I offer a hay(na)ku about the recent eclipse I witnessed in totality. The poem is exactly six words (as suggested), and I (almost) used three of the words: "ramble," "collar," and "flair" . . . I cheated with the last one by changing it into "flare." For what it's worth, I did use "flair" in its original suggested spelling as part of the title. The hay(na)ku is a three-line form that uses one word in the first line, two words in the second line, and three in the third line (along with other variations), invented by the poet Eileen R. Tabios. Anyway, I was successful in combining three prompts today: recount a historical event, use three of the six words suggested, and write a poem that's only six words! Eclipse Flair Sun's collar flares around moon's ramble. —Draft by Vince Gotera    [Do not copy or quote . . . thanks.] Eclipse with lens flares (USA Today) Friends, won’t you comment, please? Love to know what you’re thinking. Thanks! Ingat, everyone.  ヅ

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Day 19 ... NaPoWriMo / Poem-a-Day 2024

Day 19. If you've been following me this month, you'll know that I've been quoting old blog intros for each day. There was a cool Day 19 intro from 2013 that I won't quote here now, but do go to that actual day and take a look . . . here. It's pretty fun: 19 is a centered triangular number and a centered hexagonal number! Okay, on to today's prompts. Maureen Thorson’s NaPoWriMo suggestion: “Finally, here’s our prompt – optional, as always! This one comes to us from Moist Poetry Journal, which posted this prompt by K-Ming Chang a while back: What are you haunted by, or what haunts you? Write a poem responding to this question. Then change the word haunt to hunt.” Robert Lee Brewer’s Poem-a-Day suggestion: “For today's prompt, pick an emotion, make it the title of your poem, and write your poem. Possible emotions might include happy, sad, grumpy, angry, scared, and more.” As usual, I'm combining the two prompts. That haunting/hunting bit in the Thorson prompt is amazingly tricky, but I think I solved it by only doing it once. The Brewer prompt is actually trickier, I found. I knew that the emotion I wanted was something like unease or disquiet, but those didn't make for a good title. So I forged ahead with the poem and, at one point, I was considering the word whistle as a rhyme for invisible, and in a moment the title exerted itself. Today's poem is another curtal sonnet, rhymed abcabc dbcdc in strict 10-syllable lines. Whistling in the Dark Over in the far corner of the room, where it’s dim and cold, a slight, pale something is vibrating, almost invisible. If I look away, I can glimpse a fume like faint smoke wafting but then there’s nothing there when I look right at it. A little floater in my eye, maybe? Or is it some malignant spectral monster haunting — no, hunting me? A gigantic maw full of teeth. Nah, it’s just a trick of the light.                             Something puny, small. —Draft by Vince Gotera    [Do not copy or quote . . . thanks.] Source Friends, won’t you comment, please? Love to know what you’re thinking. Thanks! Ingat, everyone.  ヅ

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