Tags

, , ,

I am not going to post the other eight of the nine poems I have written in this first week of National Poetry Month where I write at least one poem a day at Writer’s Digest Poetry Asides blog. I know I have said this before, but I know very little about poetry; I know very little about writing. The one thing I am sure I know is to trust your Muse. When your Muse speaks to you, you are compelled to drop everything and follow her. Failure to do so is failure as a writer. I run a weekly prompt writing group and it is all about chasing our muses. Everybody who shows up writes something that sparkles in the darkness. That is all I am attempting to do this month and whenever I write poetry: find some hidden truth and shine a light on it.

Day 4 exposed some anger in me, and honestly, I am not sure where it comes from. Extreme Republicans are suspects; though Canadian socialists (NDP) rub me the wrong way too. Or perhaps it is a certain case of academic dishonesty that rankles me. It is definitely not about my wife. I don’t know; it just wrote itself on the page:

Day 4 Prompt: Since ___?___

Irreconcilable Differences

Since when does it matter what I think?
You always do it your way.
Since when does it matter if the boat sinks?
You will ride your omnipotent wave.

Since when do you value another?
You live your life as you please.
Since when have you tried to get closer?
You’re nothing but a big tease.

Since when have you noticed me glisten?
You think you are so cool.
Since when have you stopped to listen?
I am nobody’ fool.

Day five was a weird one. I barely remember writing it, so I cannot begin to tell you what my muse said to me. I found myself writing these words. The bookstore bits somehow seems to cling to a vision of “You’ve Got Mail” with Tom Hanks in what’s her name’s bookstore. Was he even in there? Was there sexual tension? My muse thought so:

Day 5 Prompt: Discovery

Serendipity

Life’s little mysteries happen by mistake.
An extra scoop of beans.
Oh, I guess I do like strong coffee,
I posted in my tweet.

I got in a wrong lane yesterday
Did you know there is a cool used book store hiding on that street?
I touched you on the back with my shoulder
And you shivered in the heat.

I feel rather excited about my Day 6 poem. I am not going to pretend it is good, but it feels good to me. Every line makes me think about my life and who I am, what I believe in, what I want. I am even considering somehow using it as a personal mantra. The thing is, the rhyming pattern AAAAAAAAAAAAA is such a poem is difficult to write. I won’t lie; I wrote this in under five minutes. I would have finished faster, but I needed to go to rhymezone.com and harvest a few more words rhyming with the prompt: night.

Day 6 prompt: Night

When people can stay out of a fight
but not run away in fright
When we can make love in the light
and not be afraid of the night
When I am wrong and you are right
and we do not get upset at a sight
When we all know we are bright
and nobody is trite
When we all take a bite
of humanity’s plight
When we trade in our might
for the desire to write
Then everything will be alright.

Write On!