Today’s poem prompt is to write about something that is missing, whether that is a physical object, a feeling, or an idea. Here’s my feeble attempt at this prompt:

Missing Something

There it is in your touch,
a slow burn on my skin
it trails down my neck and across my cheek.
It’s a love I cannot understand.
Slams into my supple cheek,
harsh as the morning light after a long night.
You say you love me,
caress me, press all the right buttons in bed.
But when I have things to do,
places to be, work to take care of,
it’s a different story.
A story that takes a deep, heated turn
like the argument we have over the coffee.
It’s too strong, too bitter, and too burnt.

What did you write today?

For more information about the challenge, go here.

Today’s poem prompt was to write about a landmark, which could mean Mt. Rushmore or the Sphinx or something as mundane as a local water tower.

Ready for a really rough draft? OK, well you better get ready because here it is:

Asa Waters Mansion, Millbury, Mass.

In a small mill town of less than 1,000 people,
a gunsmith built his home with columns and white.
The large mansion stood atop a hill
in the center of town with wrought iron fence.
Beneath the house run tunnels
deep under the dirt and lawn
dank with musty smells.

Dark and huddled beneath the mansion,
waiting for an escape
along the Blackstone River bank
under cover of night.
There are no railroads here,
though the train has moved on the embankment
winding northward under starlit skies.

Today, next to the local post office
atop the river mount, it still stands.
Proud, pristine, and manicured
and the rail zooms on the opposite bank
between Providence and Worcester,
much more efficient than the canal and barge
and the roaming slaves under cover of night.

What did you write today?

For more information about the challenge, go here.

Day 4, I’m on a roll. Here’s the prompt from today. You must choose an animal and write a poem about that animal or something to do with that animal. Another rough draft:

Walrus

Smooth, sharp tusk
makes my lisp more pronounced.
It’s harder to enunciate with a mouthful.
But my family and friends don’t mind
we get along well, travel and see the sights
when we can muster the strength
to drag ourselves across sheets of ice
with flippered feet and rolls of fat.
Don’t feel sad for me
I don’t need Jenny Craig
and I don’t need that thermal suit of yours.
I’ve got my own.
Besides have you seen me dance
below the ice, in the cold ocean, I’ve got
silky samba moves.

What did you write today?

For more information about the challenge, go here.

Day 3 of the PAD Challenge and here’s Yesterday’s Prompt. The challenge is to fill in the blank of this title “The Problem With BLANK” and to make that the title of the poem. Ready to see my rough draft? Here it is:

The Problem With Blogging

To blog or not to blog?
That is a question.
I’ve heard the alarm,
buzzing in my ear all morning.
First a shower,
then get some clothes on
and head out the door for the 9-to-5

Here I sit,
hair sticking up and snarled,
fingers planted on cold keys.
Pjs wrinkled and damp with sweat.
The sun coming up behind me,
a shower forgotten.

Grammar and spelling checked,
images positioned where I want them,
an entry waiting to be published.
Just hit that orange button and
we can get on with the day
of checking comments and replying.

Stay tuned later today for the 4th poem. I’m a day behind. What did you write today?

For more information about the challenge, go here.

OK, here it is. Today’s prompt was to write an outsider poem, whether its the narrator, an inanimate object, or someone else as the outsider. This is my rough draft:

Sisters

Cuddled on the recliner,
two halves of the coin–
Black on black
with white paws barely touching.
What’s it like
to be a feline sister.
Ready to curl up, bookends.
Strike and swipe claws in skin
at a pin drop.
Chunk of fur flies.

What did you write today?

For more information about the challenge, go here.

OK, here it is. Today’s prompt was to write about an origin, whether its the origin of a word, an idea, a place, or anything. This is my rough draft:

Aging

Swirls in the primordial soup
Scooped up by my metal spoon
Wrap around the handle
Climb up my fingers
Bore into my skin
Entwine my joints.

Rigid
Calcified bone
Beneath gathered skin
Weathered like brown leather.

It started lucid
Like a sober man entering the bar after work,
But as the years passed,
Flexibility stretched to capacity
An elastic band that no longer holds,
But folds in on itself.

What did you write today?

For more information about the challenge, go here.

Ok, I’ve already warned you that this is the start of National Poetry Month! So Today is the day to decide whether you are crazy enough to join me in the Poem-A-Day challenge.

For a complete list of rules, go here to Poetic Asides.

Here’s the basics:

It runs from April 1 to April 30.

If you are interested in the eBook portion of the challenge, you must post your poems under the correct prompts at Poetic Asides, though poems can be written on days before or after the prompt day.

If you just want to complete the challenge, you must post a poem in the comments at Poetic Asides on the correct prompt for all 30 days to receive the “certificate and badge” for proud display on your blog, etc.

There is no special registration or fee for this challenge, though I’d love it if a bunch of you left your willingness to participate statement in my comments.

Also if you are interested in writing poems over a 30-day period for the month, you can check out NaPoWriMo.

Need some help with poetry writing, there is a great sale going on at Writer’s Digest for all the poetry writing books they have. 20% off. Check it out, here.

****

On a side note, I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately.

Do any of you bloggers read poetry books and review them?

How often do you review them?

Or do you want to review poetry collections?

I’ve been thinking about making a list and posting it somewhere on this blog to collect the site names and contact information of bloggers interested in reviewing poetry books.

If you want to be on this list, please email me your URL, name, and preferred contact information.