Here are two weeks' worth of poems in The Stafford Challenge. The last poem (Day 74) is not only a Stafford Challenge poem; it's also a response to an early-bird prompt from NaPoWriMo.net.
On Day 61, 18 March 2025, another dream poem, a real one, from last night. Doing a monotetra again: quatrains in monorhyme, 8 syllables per line, last line a twice repeated 4-syllable phrase.
Not Quite a Nightmare
—a monotetra
In last night’s dream I was on tour
with some famous country rockstar,
and I found in the stands, my poor
broken guitar, broken guitar.
We were doing an afternoon
sound check. Then someone shouted, “Vin,
come see!” That axe wouldn’t play then
ever again, ever again.
I’d had that guitar since high school.
I knew that it was just a tool,
but that Gibson was super cool.
I’m just a fool. I’m just a fool.
Broken into many pieces:
firewood and bent metal traces.
Gathered up the whole sorry mess,
back in its case, back in its case.
Schlepped that axe the rest of the tour.
The pieces inside the case were
rattling, rattling. So weird and rare:
a ghost guitar, a ghost guitar.
—Draft by Vince Gotera [Do not copy or quote . . . thanks.]
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Photo Photo by Eva Rinaldi from Wikimedia
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On Day 62, 19 March 2025, I was hoping to write another dream poem again today, but alas, no dream last night, or rather no dream remembered. Instead how about a haiku on today's weather here.
Hail: little ice balls
bouncing off the car. Nature’s
BBs . . . ping! tink! Argh.
—Draft by Vince Gotera [Do not copy or quote . . . thanks.]
On Day 63, 20 March 2025, back to ekphrastic poems today. Responding this time to a photo of Grant Wood's living room in 1940. A titled tanka sequence.
Nan Wood and Grant Wood at Home
In pride of place, Nan’s
portrait is the centerpiece
of Grant’s living room.
Brother and sister reading
the news . . . domestic
life in the heartland.
After his death, Nan always
defended against
people saying Grant was gay.
Protesting too much?
—Draft by Vince Gotera [Do not copy or quote . . . thanks.]
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Photo in an article from Sothebys(dot)com:
"The Heartfelt Story Behind Grant Wood's
Portrait of his Sister" (2018)
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On Day 64, 21 March 2025, started this one as a haiku yesterday, during the spring equinox, finished today as a tanka.
vernal equinox:
days supposedly warming . . .
still pretty damn cold,
but yellow is busting through,
soft sunlight out of the ground
—Draft by Vince Gotera [Do not copy or quote . . . thanks.]
On Day 65, 22 March 2025, Saw a Facebook ad for a Dragon Mug, and voila — a tanka. Fun getting the 5s and 7s with good line breaks. That's why I still stick to the 5s and 7s ... great lineation puzzle game.
Drink out of the top
of a dragon’s head. That’s how
the trouble begins:
first, throat burns; second, skin scales;
third, eyes glow; fourth, mouth smokes. Yikes.
—Draft by Vince Gotera [Do not copy or quote . . . thanks.]
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Photo from a dragon mug advert.
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I'm really tempted to get this mug. But how do you drink out of it!?
On Day 66, 23 March 2025, trying out a cherita today, thanks to Karen Johnson McCaskey's example yesterday in the Stafford Challenge community facebook. The cherita is a poetic form invented by the poet ai li . . . three stanzas with one line, two lines, three lines, respectively.
World Poetry Day was
two days ago . . . I missed it
the globe spinning with words
poems constructed of fire and ice,
sweltering summer and snow blizzards,
the storms of human entropy right now
—Draft by Vince Gotera [Do not copy or quote . . . thanks.]
On Day 67, 24 March 2025, check out today's Google doodle ... an animation in anticipation of cherry blossom festivals. Here's a haiku, 5-7-5.
sakura — cherry
blossoms — trees blooming bright pink
here and in Japan
—Draft by Vince Gotera [Do not copy or quote . . . thanks.]
On Day 68, 25 March 2025, a light tanka today. Hope you're havingh a wonderful day, everyone!
Got a doctor’s “app”
today . . . the rest of the word
is “-ointment” — salve, cream,
unguent, medicinal, balm,
herbal, anointment.
—Draft by Vince Gotera [Do not copy or quote . . . thanks.]
On Day 69, 26 March 2025, a little late getting to the epulaerya form, related to food: 7/5/7/5/5/3/1 syllable lines, ending with an exclamation. (When I say "a little late," I'm referring to the Stafford Challenge community facebook, where there were a lot of epulaeryas showing up for a few days a couple weeks ago. Hmm . . . epulaeryae?)
All-You-Can-Eat Lunch at
Izumi Sushi, Des Moines
edamame start, sushi
(crab, avocado,
spicy salmon), beef udon,
crisp shrimp tempura,
clam nigiri bites,
amazing
tastes!
—Draft by Vince Gotera [Do not copy or quote . . . thanks.]
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Here's a photo of my lunch from 7 March 2025.
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On Day 70, 27 March 2025,
driving across Iowa today. A contrast in my mind with my hometown, San Francisco.
road trip: light blue clouds
arc over brown fallow land . . .
upside-down ocean
—Draft by Vince Gotera [Do not copy or quote . . . thanks.]
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Here's a photo of the landscape/skyscape.
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On Day 71, 28 March 2025, still on the road. Picked these up at an Aldi's in Omaha. Eating them now in the car. And writing this haiku.
dried mango slices:
sweet bites from the Philippines,
mouthfuls of sunshine
—Draft by Vince Gotera [Do not copy or quote . . . thanks.]
On Day 72, 29 March 2025, got back from visiting my partner's folks last night. A 5/7/5 haiku again.
home from the road trip:
our own blankets and pillows,
welcome oasis
—Draft by Vince Gotera [Do not copy or quote . . . thanks.]
On Day 73, 30 March 2025, a childhood memory ... a 5/7/5/7/7 tanka sequence.
Car washing today
made me think of my dad’s Ford
Falcon Futura
in 1964, long
time ago, when I was 12.
I still love that car’s
intense bright blue-green color:
cyan, turquoise, teal,
aquamarine, electric
blue nudibranch sea dragon.
—Draft by Vince Gotera [Do not copy or quote . . . thanks.]
On the left is a photo of me at 12 with my dad's 1964 Ford Falcon Futura.
Since that pic is faded, on the right is a photo that shows the color better.
On Day 74, 31 March 2025, a 5/7/5/7/7 tanka based on NaPoWriMo.net's early-bird prompt on the eve of April poems: "try penning a portrait poem ... inspired by an actual painted portrait." Here's an ekphrastic poem on Grant Wood's portrait of his mother.
After Woman with Plants
by Grant Wood (1929)
Madonna with plant,
not a plump baby savior . . .
stiff spine ramrod straight
like the upright stems she holds,
strict, unswerving, heaven-bound.
—Draft by Vince Gotera [Do not copy or quote . . . thanks.]
Grant Wood, Woman with Plant (1929)
Friends, won’t you comment, please? Love to know what you’re thinking.
Ingat, everyone. ヅ
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