About a month ago, I posted three Golden Shovel prompts for April as a collaborative project for our writing community. In this round-up, I share my golden shovel poem as well as those that were contributed by the community.
What is the Golden Shovel form, you ask? The Golden Shovel form was created by the poet Terrance Hayes, whose poem “Golden Shovel” (from his 2010 collection Lighthead) is based on Gwendolyn Brooks’ “We Real Cool” which references the phrase “Golden Shovel”. Check out the “rules” here.
I want to give a big thanks to each of you that were willing to give this months challenge a try:
Golden Shovel April Prompts
April Prompt No. 1
“The woods are lovely, dark, and deep”
from “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost
April Prompt No. 2
“…feel the wet maples leaves flicker in the rain”
from “The Leaves of a Dream are the Leaves of an Onion” by Arthur Sze
April Prompt No. 3
“Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun or fester like a sore – and then run?”
from “Dream Deferred” (Harlem) by Langston Hughes
Golden Shovel Poems for
“The woods are lovely, dark, and deep”:
Dear Brother
Dear brother, the
Days we spent trekking through the woods
Are
My brightest childhood memories, lovely
Moments of joy and laughter interrupting the dark
And
Instilling a love, to this day, so deep.
by Monty Vern
Starlight reflecting against the
Leaves lush and green in the woods
Dancing shadows among the branches are
Creating moving pictures so lovely
Tapestry of… [read more]
No Love for Fatties (gigglingfattie)
You tricked me into the
Moon lit night and led me into woods
Asking me what my intentions are
Not waiting for an answer saying lovely
Words and… [read more]
by A Different Perspective (murisopsis)
Hunting the Stag
In the
hart’s woods
there are
long lovely
passages, dark-
leaved and
shadow-deep.
In the
leafy woods
hunters are
biding [read more]
by serendippity
Golden Shovel Poems for
“…feel the wet maples leaves flicker in the rain”:
Amber Rain
Feel
The
Sticky wet
syrup harvested from the local maples.
It leaves
A flicker
Of joy on the lips; Tastebuds dance in
Delight with the
Sweet taste of amber rain.
by Monty Vern
The Tables Complaint
No one considers how I feel,
covered with bits of breakfast: the scrambled egg scraps, the
itch Pop-Tart crumbs, the wet
orange juice spill (bad for my complexion), the maple
syrup smear. Everyone… [read more]
by serendippity
Golden Shovel Poems for
“Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun or fester like a sore – and then run?”
Plump Plumb or Puckered Raisin?
Does
It
Feel like this to you? Not wet or dry.
Neither right nor down, Nor left or up.
Not like
A
Plump plumb or puckered raisin?
Neither out nor in,
No warmth of a shining sun
Or
Coolness of a full moon? Do you feel whole? Or, as me, like a hole?
Do you feel dead inside or
Do you feel joy or perhaps pain and fester
Like
A
Sore?
Or, like me, just empty and numb? And,
Deaf and dumb? If not, then
Please teach me how to feel. To love. To dance. To run.
by Monty Vern
Talking to Myself
Yes, it’s a long line and includes the word fester, but does
that mean it’s impossible? I can do it. I want to do it.
I did the other two. My creative juices haven’t run dry
yet; in fact, with all I’ve been posting, I’d say my cup
is overflowing. I just need a sip to start. And it’s not like
I need to write another “Iliad” or “Odyssey,” just a
simple 18-liner. You know, if my brain were a raisin,
I could put it in a bowl and let it soak up the waters of in-
spiration till it was nice and plump. And then squeeze the
poem out drop by drop. Better yet, what if I made the sun
my muse? [read more]
by serendippity
If you missed the original Golden Shovels created by the community in the February challenge, check out all the contributions in the Week 1 Round-Up, Week 2 Round-Up, Week 3 Round-Up, and Week 4 Round-Up. Feel free to give these prompts a try as well. They were great poem line prompts with lots of creative potential.
Thanks again to all of your poetic efforts. Stay tuned for more opportunities to get creative together in the future.
Be well,
Monty

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How creative you all are!
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Once again the diversity of thought is amazing!
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Sorry I didn’t participate more!! This month was full of gym times which zapped all my energy lol
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No worries. Was glad to have you!
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Everyone was so creative! Thanks tons Monty for hosting this wonderful challenge!!
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It was so wonderful to have your participation! Thank you.
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I loved all these, Monty. Your “Dear Brother” poem is especially nice.
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Thanks! It was so wonderful to have your voice as part of this collaboration!
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