I've participated in the Writer's Digest Poem A Day challenge in November and April since 2007. This April I'm having a tough time staying away from the coronavirus pandemic topic and how it's affecting me as I participate in social distancing. As a result many of my poems are about the COVID-19. Here's a small sample from the fourteen I've written so far, and please remember these are just first drafts. Write a new world poem. There are new worlds and there are new worlds. You could write a poem about discovery of an actual planet. Or maybe your new world is actually a state of mind—or a series of books! In a way, I consider each new challenge a bit of a new world. Let’s explore this one together. The outdoors near my home has become a whole new world for me. For years I exercised indoors in a dingy lit gym surrounded by folks I’d see everyday - some saying hi others too intent to break a smile. Now my gym is closed, and those folks are scattered in all … [Read more...]
Boston Marathon poems and more
Two weeks ago the Boston Marathon bombings racked our world. Ever since I've experienced uncontrollable tears and deep sadness whenever I read or hear anything about the dead, the injured, the survivors, the heros, the young men who allegedly did the deed. Times like these bring all the pain of losing my son back. Especially the suddenness of his death. They also remind me how important it is to take care of ourselves in whatever way we can. Writing usually helps me. I've been journaling like crazy lately, and I selected three of Robert Lee Brewer's prompts for the April Poem A Day challenge to write about that unconscionable event in Boston. HUNDREDS OF SNEAKERS FROM FELLOW MARATHONERS HANG ON THE BARRICADES SURROUNDING THE MEMORIAL. PHOTO BY REGINA MOGILEVSKAYA 15. write an infested poem. There are many different infestationsfrom physical infestations to infestations of the heart and soul. Infested with Violence Guns abound used for mass killings at our … [Read more...]
Two more April PAD challenge poems
I submitted these two poems and three others posted here to the April 2012 PAD challenge contest. Robert Lee Brewer promises results in August. I love succulents. Their colors are like a poem. Day 22. The prompt was to write a judging poem From the looks of it Food TV's Chopped judges all seem to disagree about the texture, taste, seasonings, cooking style, and presentation skills of the chefs competing on the show. And yet, when their bickering time is up, they say,yes, nodding their heads up and down. They know for sure who is in and who is out. How do they do that this viewer wants to know. Day 23. The prompt was to write a morning poem I walk in the dark of the morning, just before a bit of moon and the few remaining stars give up their space in the sky to the first light of dawn. … [Read more...]
April poem a day challenge
In honor of National Poetry Month, Robert Lee Brewer, editor at Writer's Digest and creator of Poetic Asides, holds a poem a day challenge. I love to take the challenge because his prompts are always fun. He also provides his examples to help get us started. This month Robert has also created a platform building challenge through his blog: My Name Is Not Bob. I'm doing that one as well. Here are a few of my April PAD poems with Robert's prompts. Day 5.Write a poem about something before your time. Maybe it's a certain time in history. Or a type of music. Or a story that was shared by friends or familybefore your time. Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris brought back a world before my time and people that I would kill to have known: Hemingway, Stein, Fitzgerald Porter, Baker, Picasso, Man Ray, and Dali all in the raucous 1920s. And for a little more romantic and quiet take he took us even further back to the 1980s Belle Epoque and the artistic worlds … [Read more...]
Challenges and writing work update
Yesterday and today's assignments for the April platform challenge were to accomplish things I had already done build a Facebook profile and give myself a Twitter name. I also have a Facebook author page. So I was ahead of the game there. However, Robert Lee Brewer is always very generous with his helpful hints. I'll give you the links to Day 3 and Day 4 here and you can visit both sites if you're interested in learning more. I feel that I know very little about how to use Twitter so I can use all the help I can get. I have, however, heard that Re-Tweets are golden. I had two yesterday that got to thousands of followers. I guess I'm doing something right. I'm also keeping up with my goal of writing 1000 words on my novel a week, and I'm now writing a poem a day for Robert Lee Brewer's other April challenge. The prompts are always interesting. Today's was: take the phrase 100% (blank), replace the blank with a word, make that the title of your poem, and then write a poem. So far … [Read more...]
