Today I completed Day 14’s poem. I’m almost half-way through Robert Lee Brewer’s November 2015 Poem a Day chapbook challenge. Though I’m not ecstatic about my product, I am happy that I’m writing a poem a day. My long-term consulting job and vacation took me out of my writing routine. This challenge seems to be helping me get back to it.
Day 9
Write a work poem. For some folks, writing is work (great, huh?). For others, work is teaching, engineering, or delivering pizzas. Still others, dream of having work to help them pay the bills or go to all ages shows. Some don’t want work, don’t need work, and are glad to be free of the rat race. There are people who work out, work on problems, and well, I’ll let you work out how to handle your poem today.
Three things saved my life
after my son died:
writing, working out,
and working.
No, I don’t consider writing work.
It’s my healing balm,
whether I’m creating a poem
or ranting in my journal,
the more I write the better I feel.
The exact opposite is true
of the day job I returned to
that sometimes kept me occupied
twelve hours a day
seven days a week.
That routine gave me
no time to wallow.
In between, I worked out every day.
Writing keeps me in shape creatively,
working took my mind off the pain,
and working out soothes me emotionally
and physically.
After over sixteen years
I’d say my three saving graces
worked.
Day 14
Write an ekphrastic poem. An ekphrastic poem is a poem inspired by art, usually, though not always, images.This is a painting by Edward Hopper.
They stand on the porch
not looking each other in the eye.
Trim in her shorts outfit,
she bares her midriff.
He so cool in his white bucks,
yet his stance is severe.
I’ll bet he’s ready
to punch her in the face
rather than take her
in his arms.
There’s still time to join the challenge. Here’s the link.
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