Tag Archives: #NaPoWriMo

Epic Words (2022 NaPoWriMo #24)

With a little digging I found another series of poetry prompts being provided by NaPoWriMo – 30 Poems in 30 Days. I’m starting in the middle and I’ll see how it goes as to whether I work to catch-up with the prior prompts or just carry on forward.

Prompt 24

Write a poem that uses similes inspired by “hard-boiled” detective novels.

NaPoWriMo.net

Please forgive my gutter brain on this one.

Epic Words

Suffocate upon these epic words like a fly trapped below a fat ass in a port-a-potty at the county fair.

Their meaning denser than a black hole or even the politician stumping at the fair, kissing fried butter and eating babies.

Contemplate their depth with the passionate attention of a carny dog scratching its anal itch.

Then you will see the bright light at the end of the tunnel like the worm reaching the final inches in that very same dog’s arse.

Yes, these words are THAT epic.

Be well,

Monty

A Tropical Recipe (2022 NaPoWriMo #06)

With a little digging I found another series of poetry prompts being provided by NaPoWriMo – 30 Poems in 30 Days. I started in the middle so these will be coming out of order as I work to catch-up.

Prompt 06

Write a poem where the first word of each line reads out the line of another poem/saying/quote.

NaPoWriMo.net

This seems to me to be asking for a variation on the Golden Shovel where instead of using the words from the line of the source poem/saying/quote as the final word in each line, you use it as the first.

In keeping with my earlier experiment for the Glosa form, I’m going to use the same source poem that I’ve previously used to write a Golden Shovel (and Glosa) — the poem by Claude McKay titled “Tropics in New York”.

Here is the quatrain from the poem that I’ve been pulling from:

“Bananas ripe and green, and ginger-root,

Cocoa in pods and alligator pears,

And tangerines and mangoes and grape fruit,

Fit for the highest prize at parish fairs,”

from Claude McKay’s “Tropics in New York”

My golden shovel pulled from the line “Cocoa in pods and alligator pears”. My Glosa used the entire quatrain. You can find them both here if you want to check them out.

Ok, let’s get this experiment going!

A Tropical Recipe

Inspired by Claude McKay’s “Tropics in New York”

Bananas crushed and mixed into the wet dough;
Ripe, almost too ripe, their sweetness wafts
And teases my nose;
Green pistachios, roughly chopped, go in too;
Ginger-root, a bit odd, I replace with vanilla and
Cocoa bean shavings,
In the mix they go, then all poured into
Pods for a dry sauna treatment at 162 degrees
And I watch as it basks in the heat like an
Alligator in the sun, then off to prepare the garnish of
Pears
And
Tangerines
And
Mangos
And
Grape
Fruit diced into a medley of colors — perfectly
Fit
For
The tropically moist delightful
Prize that once done won’t last long at
The
Parish
Fair.

Neat! Now I’ve written “From Tropics in New York” three ways. All quite different despite the shared DNA. I guess this goes to show the power of nurture over nature.

Be well,

Monty

Mythical Creatures Doing Unusual Things (2022 NaPoWriMo #05)

With a little digging I found another series of poetry prompts being provided by NaPoWriMo – 30 Poems in 30 Days. I started in the middle so these will be coming out of order as I work to catch-up.

Prompt 05

Write a poem about a mythical person or creature doing something unusual

NaPoWriMo.net

Mythical Creatures Doing Unusual Things


An angel donating their wings to science.

A dragon fighting wildfires.

A talking bear passing on a picnic.

A gnome dunking a basketball.

A unicorn wallowing in the mud.

A mermaid taking a walk through Central Park.

A pixie wrestling sumo.

A bigfoot posing for a selfie.

A werewolf sunbathing.

A good politician getting something, anything done.

Be well,

Monty

Sweet Jam (2022 NaPoWriMo #23)

With a little digging I found another series of poetry prompts being provided by NaPoWriMo – 30 Poems in 30 Days. I’m starting in the middle and I’ll see how it goes as to whether I work to catch-up with the prior prompts or just carry on forward.

Prompt 23

Write a poem that is short and snappy — with rhyme/sound play.

NaPoWriMo.net

This prompt kinda feels like “write an amazing poem” and little more. Perhaps I’m having a little bit of performance anxiety and it’s making me a bit snarky. Forgive me, please. Let’s see what happens.

Sweet Jam

I’m short
and
Sweet
and
Coming to you
Beat
by
Beat
to
Pull you off your
Seat
and
Dance, dance, dance
To my sweet jam beat.

Be well,

Monty

Picked-Up Poetry (2022 NaPoWriMo #04)

With a little digging I found another series of poetry prompts being provided by NaPoWriMo – 30 Poems in 30 Days. I started in the middle so these will be coming out of order as I work to catch-up.

Prompt 04

Write a poem that is a poetry prompt

NaPoWriMo.net

“Picked-Up Poetry” Prompt

Write a poem with your feet on the ground and your head in the air. Then turn it upside down, pull it apart from the inside out, and scatter it all about. Pick-up all the pieces in any old fashion and stack them bottom up. Now read them in order from top to bottom and you’ve got a new “picked-up poem” to share with anyone that cares. I’ll go first!

“Picked-Up Poetry” Prompt Poem

head in up all
about order from. I’ll go first
he air. Then turn the pieces in any you’ve
pull it
Write a poem with you apart from the inside stack them bottom up
Prompt on the
Poetry
up poem to share
and scatter. Now read them that care
and you
upside old fashion and got a new picked

Um. Ok 🤷‍♂️

Be well,

Monty

The Refrain (2022 NaPoWriMo #22)

With a little digging I found another series of poetry prompts being provided by NaPoWriMo – 30 Poems in 30 Days. I’m starting in the middle and I’ll see how it goes as to whether I work to catch-up with the prior prompts or just carry on forward.

Prompt 22

Write a poem that uses repetition.

NaPoWriMo.net

I use repetition fairly often in my work and I often find myself appreciating the poems from others that use this technique as well. But I’ve never set out to write something repetitious (unless part of a poetic form) as far as I can remember. I’m tempted to re-post (repeat?) one of my prior efforts here. That approach would address the prompt from multiple angles, which is always satisfying. But no, I’ll take up the challenge to write something original. Then repeat it.

Content Warning: This poem contains references to self-harm/suicide.

The Refrain

His voice high with anger, spit out ‘fuck-you’s’ and ‘I hate you’s’ before I heard the tone of a call terminated.

A text message pings “fuck-you”.

The next, pings “I hate you”.

Then one more ping slams into me “I’m going to kill myself”.

I’ve heard it all before, like a terrifying refrain.

“Fuck-you. I hate you. I’m going to kill myself”

It scares me every time.

“Fuck-you. I hate you. I’m going to kill myself”

I fear the day it stops being scary.

“Fuck-you. I hate you. I’m going to kill myself”

But, I fear most the day it stops altogether.

“Fuck-you. I hate you. I’m going to kill myself”

For with each ping, I know he’s still alive.

“Fuck-you. I hate you. I’m going to kill myself”

Please God, please don’t let him stop.

“Fuck-you. I hate you. I’m going to kill myself”

Thank you God.

“Fuck-you. I hate you. I’m going to kill myself”

Please son, please don’t ever stop.

“Fuck-you. I hate you. I’m going to kill myself”

Your alive. Thank you.

“Fuck-you. I hate you. I’m going to kill myself”

Oof. Life certainly has a way of creeping into our poetry doesn’t it? Of course it does, that’s why we write. Or at least, that is why I write. But, even knowing this, I sometimes get overwhelmed by what comes out.

Be well,

Monty

Zoe (2022 NaPoWriMo #03)

With a little digging I found another series of poetry prompts being provided by NaPoWriMo – 30 Poems in 30 Days. I started in the middle so these will be coming out of order as I work to catch-up.

Prompt 03

Write a glosa poem

NaPoWriMo.net

A glosa poem is a Spanish form that pulls lines from another poem (similar to a Golden Shovel or cento). You can find the full explanation here.

I’ve decided to use a source poem that I’ve previously used in a Golden Shovel to see how differently the outcome is based on form choice. This kinda feels like a scientific experiment, but poetic. I like that!

I’ve chosen a lovely poem by Claude McKay titled “Tropics in New York”. Here is the quatrain I’m sampling:

“Bananas ripe and green, and ginger-root,

Cocoa in pods and alligator pears,

And tangerines and mangoes and grape fruit,

Fit for the highest prize at parish fairs,”

from Claude McKay’s “Tropics in New York”

My golden shovel pulled from the line “Cocoa in pods and alligator pears” and goes as follows:

Sun-Bleached Blond

Golden Shovel inspired by Claude McKay’s “Tropics in New York”

Skin bronzed to a rich cocoa,
Hair sun-bleached blond, tied up in
Long braids hanging down past her ear pods
And
Shoulder straps, to the dancing twin alligator
Tattoos glistening beneath the dribbling juice of ripe pears.

I wrote this as part of a collaboration project with other poets. You may also find it interesting to read their poems based on this line as well — here.

Ok, now it’s time to glosa!

Zoe

Glosa inspired by Claude McKays’s “Tropics in New York”

We met in school, a university in upstate New York;
Her from The City but before that the islands,
I from the countryside, of the Green Mountains;
Her skin a deep dark island brown;
Mine called white, but more of a pale pink hue;
Her beauty a contrast to the snowy landscape,
Came to mind when I read the lovely “Tropics in New York” —
A poem titled as if in dedication to her,
And the time we walked together through a market admiring
Bananas ripe and green, and ginger root.

We both lived in the international living center dorm;
A place to bring together people from the world around;
I, a country-boy from Vermont the odd one out,
But I, untraveled and naive, was welcomed home.
We bonded in the TV lounge watching episodes of Star Trek;
At the time, I didn’t understand why the common appeal,
But thinking more about it, it’s not so odd —
After all, we were ourselves adventuring in space unknown;
Meeting aliens of all kinds — reminding me again of that market’s
Cocoa in pods and alligator pears.

It was our final year in school;
We were preparing for our lives beyond;
I’d secured a job in Japan starting in the fall;
She would be continuing with graduate studies;
We both had a summer ahead with anything to do;
I had an old car with a few miles left to go,
It was no Enterprise starship, but it worked,
So we decided to take off and continue our exploration;
It was on this trip that we discovered the market
And tangerines and mangoes and grape fruit.


We’d left from New York City,
Passed our alma-mater on the way to Niagara Falls,
And arrived in Toronto and it’s international market;
She, excited to see so many things from home;
Me, excited to see so many things unknown;
We mostly window shopped — our eyes bigger than our pockets;
But when she saw the glistening rosy hue on yellow,
We couldn’t resist anymore and we bought one mango to share;
I’ll never forget this adventurous trip, or my very first mango
Fit for the highest prize at parish fairs.

What a trip back memory lane. It was a road-trip of a lifetime — we put over 10,000 miles onto the car as we zig-zagged across the North American continent. After that trip, Zoe and I went our separate ways. I’ve often wondered where she is. Is she still exploring the world? Has she returned to her roots in the Caribbean Islands? I don’t know. I hope she is well. I’ll always be grateful for her companionship along the way and for introducing me to that very first mango. I think it was in that moment that I became a foodie. Until then I’d never known how transformative a food experience could be.

Be well,

Monty

Feetings (2022 NaPoWriMo #02)

With a little digging I found another series of poetry prompts being provided by NaPoWriMo – 30 Poems in 30 Days. I started in the middle so these will be coming out of order as I work to catch-up.

Prompt 02

Write a prose poem based on an obscure and interesting English word (reference Haggard Hawks twitter account, which is an account devoted to such words)

NaPoWriMo.net

I’ve done my research (read some tweets) and settled on “feetings” as the obscure word to inspire my poem. I know its obscure not just because I’ve never heard of it, but because my spellchecker also doesn’t recognize it. Auto-correct consistently want to “correct” it to “feelings”. I was attracted to this word as it has a very specific meaning that I find heartwarming — feetings are the small animal track prints left behind in the snow (such as a bird’s foot prints). I love that it’s specific to the snow.

Feetings

So light on your feet
Gentle tiptoes in the snow
Showing where you go

I decided to use a haiku form as it’s petite which felt appropriate to represent the word.

Be well,

Monty

Small Treasures (2022 NaPoWriMo #21)

With a little digging I found another series of poetry prompts being provided by NaPoWriMo – 30 Poems in 30 Days. I’m starting in the middle and I’ll see how it goes as to whether I work to catch-up with the prior prompts or just carry on forward.

Prompt 21

Write a poem in which you first recall someone you used to know closely but are no longer in touch with, then a job you used to have but no longer do, and then a piece of art that you saw once and that has stuck with you over time. Finally, close the poem with an unanswerable question.

NaPoWriMo.net

What an “interesting” prompt. I’m trying to think how I would tie each of these elements together to make something that feels cohesive. Well, I guess we will find out. Let’s get poetic!

Small Treasures

This is twice today that you come to my mind. We spent 10,000 miles together. Intimate in proximity if not emotionally. I’ve so many treasured memories of our time together. Firsts for me. Firsts for you. Firsts for both of us. What a joyous adventure we shared — then never to meet again.

How funny, this memory is back so soon. I was just writing about you not more than a moon ago. Laughing at the memory of bouncing up and down as I tried to break down the concrete slab below. I should have called the story “the boy and the jack-hammer”. It was a comedy.


I hadn’t thought of you for years until I sat down to contemplate this poem. You were my first creation that I thought was actually kinda cool. I loved your curves as you balanced upon your drift-wood surfboard. I lost you in one of my many moves. You’d already lost an eye and arm by then.

I wonder what other treasures are hiding within my mind?

What do you think? Without the context of the prompt, do you think this poem can stand on it’s own. I tend to think so.

Be well,

Monty

Her Body (2022 NaPoWriMo #01)

With a little digging I found another series of poetry prompts being provided by NaPoWriMo – 30 Poems in 30 Days. I started in the middle so these will be coming out of order as I work to catch-up.

Prompt 01

Write a prose poem that is a story about the body. The poem should contain an encounter between two people, some spoken language, and at least one crisp visual image.

NaPoWriMo.net

Hmm. There are two way’s I’m thinking about taking this. One is more aligned with the prompts intent (I think). The other is a bit of a twist. Perhaps I’ll try to incorporate both. Perhaps not. Perhaps we’ll find out together. Let’s go.

Her Body

Her body swayed like the sea being blown by a steady breeze. Not too strong, but strong enough for her movement to catch my eye as she slowly approached me. Her hips moved in a concert of rising and falling waves. Her hair dancing gently with the seaweed – gold locks entangling with the lush green. Her lips, a sunset pink turning purple dusk, seemed to whisper the answer to my unasked question — “This wasn’t meant to be”.

Be well,

Monty