Day 15 ... NaPoWriMo / Poem-a-Day 2021

Robert Lee Brewer’s Poem-a-Day prompt: “[T]ake the phrase "(blank) Story," replace the blank with a word or phrase, make the new phrase the title of your poem, and then, write your poem. Possible titles include: "Toy Story," "Super Long Unusually Strange Story," and/or "Same Old Story." Poem your story, so we can get at the second half of this challenge.” Maureen Thorson’s NaPoWriMo prompt “comes to us from Juan Martinez. It asks you to think about a small habit you picked up from one of your parents, and then to write a piece that explores an early memory of your parent engaged in that habit, before shifting into writing about yourself engaging in the same habit.” Alan worked with both prompts today, producing this fun limerick. Pat-Down Story Running hands from his thighs to his knees, My dad checked both front pockets for keys, Brushed his wrist on his rear ‘Cause his billfold was there, And avoided loss anxieties. —Draft by Thomas Alan Holmes    [Do not copy or quote . . . thanks.] I also worked with both prompts, and came up with a curtal sonnet. Same Old Story: Dad’s and My Jams My dad used to wear his pajamas all day like a down-home Hugh Hefner in flannel, but no silk or velvet for Papa, in slippers of broken-in leather. In the pandemic today, I find I’m doing something similar: not flannel but cotton T-shirts and sweats, old sliders from Birkenstock. Like my father, I just kick around the house, no clothes that need zippers, just drawstrings or elastic . . . things you pull on. Sometimes track pants with a fancy turtleneck                                     for a work Zoom call. —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

NaPoWriMo / PAD 2021 • Pick a day: 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

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

Limeritrature!

On Facebook, there is a group titled "Converting the whole canon of English Literature into Limericks" where people contribute limericks that summarize and lampoon great works of literature. For example, one might write a limerick to "replace" Dostoevsky's War and Peace or Mary Shelley's Frankenstein or, for that matter, the Bible.

The first word in the group description is "Limeritrature!" And, I tell ya, limeritrature can be a whole lot of fun. Here's a limerick I wrote for the group on Beowulf . . . or, more specifically, the 2007 performance-capture movie that starred several A-list actors, including Anthony Hopkins and Angelina Jolie.

Beowulf As revised by Neil Gaiman and Robert Zemeckis Hróthgar’s mead háll was all héll-y, So Béowulf ripped árm off Grendélly, Then swéetly did dálly With Jólie (Angélly), And Drágon from ský went pell-méll-y. — Vince Gotera

Okay, it's cheesy. And the accent marks might be cheating, though remember how Gerard Manley Hopkins used accent marks. Evidently, writing humor isn't my strong suit, except for slapstick, maybe, and that would still be a stretch.

In any case, check out the Facebook group. There are many much smarter and funnier limericks there that I couldn't quote without having to go to a lot of trouble securing permission, etc. Sorry. Do browse the group. You'll be amazed at how much wit and amusement can be crammed into five lines of verse. And write a limerick yourself!