NaPoWriMo -- 2010

And so we come to the final day of the month! Today's prompt isn't really a prompt, but just a call to write whatever we want! So I came up with something I like to think is clever. Today's poem contains a line from every poem I've written this month, in order from the 1st to yesterday, plus one final line original for today. WEW!

NaPoWriMo -- 2010

I am there
      the pages are coming out.

It's all poetry.
A stunning view at the ^top
relaxed and carefree.
"Hey there world!"

Until the day I found out
I can only eat dirt
it is over ripe.
Don't misunderstand, though.
Melt ten ounces of bittersweet chocolate.

All that remains are the flowers--
I watch, figuratively, as their petals dry and fall.
This is the time of burning         The cold's departing.
I'll just sit in the corner.
Weekends all around the year.

I am always.
Purr meow meow purr
after the explanation.

Up through the sky
the rules I forgot.
The steak is gross
to the ground;
"It keeps happening!"

With a little forethought,
I'll take to those sails,
to be happy together.
When the sun comes out,
when the rest of us

have written so many silly things this month.

Pope Falls Asleep

Today's prompt is rather fun. Me being me, of course, my first choice was to go to reputable news sources ... such as Weekly World News and The Onion. Hahaha. The story I chose is here.

Pope Falls Asleep

The pope fell asleep--
How could he do this?
That fiend!
How dare he fall asleep
when the rest of us
are trying to nap?

Pukuj

I ... couldn't make sense of today's prompt. It seemed to go in half a dozen different directions and I wasn't sure which was which. ...so another off-prompt day! Wew~

Pukuj

Red, green, orange, blue.
Every color of the rainbow...
Every color of the viper.
It lies in wait,
until after the rain.
When the sun comes out,
this giant snake appears
in the sky.

Run my friend,
back to your home,
away from the poison
of the great snake.
Sing to qualm its
great anger, so
that we might all survive.

Together

Wew, cutting this one close. Today's prompt is a simple acrostic poem. Easy!

Together

Love is such an
important thing to me.
A misunderstanding.
Really, nothing happened.

Can't you get past this?
He's only a friend, you know.
Every little thing seems to upset you.
All I want is for us
to be happy together.
Even you can't object to that,
right?

Wonderful! You're so forgiving.
How nice of you to be so caring.
One of your best traits.
Really, now, don't look like that.
Everything will be fine.

The Most Feared Mistress

Today's prompt is ... well not possible for me to accomplish. As I've said plenty of times before, I don't write poetry very often (I am doing NaPoWriMo at the insistence of a friend), so I don't exactly have any scraps of poetic attempts laying around to use. So it's another off-prompt day.

The Most Feared Mistress

"The man was a fool."
I tell everyone, but
I'm only trying to convince myself.
I look out to the sea,
that cruel mistress who
stole my husband. The
salty air fills my lungs
with countless stories
of the blue.

Like many men, my husband
took to the sea for treasure.
He commandeered ships,
he fought the royal navy.
Or at least he did
in the stories he told.

But word came,
from a toothless cabin boy,
that he drowned with his ship
after a terrible storm.

But no more mourning,
no more tears!
I'll take to those sails,
under the black flag.
Then we'll see,
yes the sea,
who then is the most
feared mistress of all.

Lift

Today's prompt says to wait for the first thing we hear (other than the meaningless and mundane) after having read the prompt. It took a short bit for me to hear something appropriate, but it came when I was helping my dad with a job and was moving things on a dolly and doing it in a way that made it more worked than it needed to be. He corrected me in this, and it also sparked the idea for this poem.

Lift

Lift it up, just a bit,
when you're pushing
it around. That way
the weight stays balanced
rather than you
having to lift
all of it.

We can only do
so much in our lives.
But we can't just rush in
and have to do more work
because it's the first thing
we think of.
With a little forethought,
we can balance our lives,
between the good and the bad,
the ease and the difficulty,
and not have to work
so hard.

Stairs

Today's prompt calls for us to write a poem based on a quote. Unfortunatly, I'm in a rush to get this written in time, so I don't have time to search through other quotes, so I took a favorite one from my favorite webcomic.

Stairs

I told you this
would come to pass.
But you did not listen.
You went to the stairs,
I told you, man,
you went to the stairs,
your hands full
and you fell
      fell
         fell.
I'd hate to rub
your nose in it. But
I told you, man.
I told you about stairs!
And all you can say is,
"It keeps happening!"


_{-Lines used from MSPaint Adventures}

So Says I

An off topic day. I feel sick and can't really think of much beyond the simple.

So Says I

If you throw
a flower pot
to the ground;
all you've done
is killed the flower.


_{(this is why I don't write when ill. bluh)}

Pass the Pepper

Today's prompt is pretty simple. Just use one or more of those words in a poem. Easy. I used just one 'cause I'm tired and it's the first thing I thought of when I saw it.

Pass the Pepper

Pass the salt.
Pass the pepper.
The steak is gross,
the potatoes are bland.
The veggies taste
like they came from a can.
Eww, eww, eww.
Pass the salt.
Pass the pepper.

Committing to Failure

I interpreted today's prompt to being about flaws and failure. Not exactly a concept I'm unfamiliar with...

Committing to Failure

I thought I had it,
I thought I knew.
For months now,
I thought I was
in the clear.
But it came
to test my skill
and I failed.
Just as I had failed
so many more before.

The rules I managed
the rules I forgot.
My memory fades,
my confidence too.
In the end, I had
the rules wrong too.

So's more of the same
of my inability.

Power Penguin

Today's prompt has us writing a poem about a hero, present or childhood. My memory sucks, so I just did what I could~

Power Penguin

Up through the sky
he flies.
Here to save the day
from giant squids and
world-dominating jack-o-lanterns.
All he asks for
in return
is a nice fish dinner.
Carpy, his fishy side-kick,
is always there
to help. Even if he
has trouble breathing air.
Power Penguin knows
a hero never rests.
Power Penguin knows
a hero's job is never done.

Shock and Shame

Getting today's prompt done earlier than usual today 'cause I might be going to sleep earlier than usual tonight. But yeah, here goes a lame attempt.

Shock and Shame

Shock
at the forgotten papers.
Shame
at the confession.
Guilt
for the cause.
Fear
of retribution.
Confusion
upon realization.
Embarrassment
after the explanation.

That paper's due next week silly.

Meow :3

Today's prompt is cute. Writing a poem about kitties, I like~~

Meow :3

Meow meow purr meow,
purr purr meow.
Purr mrowr,
meow hiss meow,
purr meow meow purr
meow purr.
:3
Hiss meow meow purr.
Meow meow purr,
purr meow mrowr?
Mrowr meow hiss.
:3
Purr purr purr
purr meow meow
Hiss hiss meow meow,
mrowr hiss hiss.
:3

--Of course, for those of you who don't speak felinian, I offer this rough translation:

The King

The king looks out over his pride,
the sun glinting off his golden fur.
His belly is full.
The beasts are gone.
He is content bathing in
the warm light.

It's been a long day for the king.
But what's a day of chasing,
eating and sleeping?
A full day for this cat, that's what.

He continues to rest
on the verge of sleep until
someone turns on the vacuum
then he hides under the bed.

Pchoo

I really liked today's prompt. It reminded me of a time long gone in my adolescence. I think the element I chose is obvious.

Pchoo

I am omnipresent.
I am always.
I am there in the trees.
I am there in the eaves.
But most importantly,
I am here
at your tennis game
and I'd like to play
with the ball.

At the Movies

Sooo... today we have to smell things. Hehe. It's weird, I have a great sense of smell, but a terrible memory, but I still managed to write something, of course.

At the Movies

I remember long hot days.
Working all through the summer.
Weekends all around the year.

Popcorn and butter.
Popcorn and more butter.

Constant requests of soda and candy.
Cleaning theaters and bathrooms
for all hours.

But I had free movies
and all the popcorn I could eat
...plus a ton more.

Waiting

Today we're given an interesting prompt, along with the request to do something silly. I'm always doing silly things, so this was a non-issue. Haha. Anyway, I took two lines out of a poem I wrote earlier this month; Jubilation! I didn't care much for the original, but I rather like what came out here;

Waiting

I'll just sit in the corner,
listening to my music.
The time will come,
the tide will turn,
when I seek to find
the world and all the
beauty in it.

It lies before me,
but now I wait.
Biding my time,
waiting my turn.
But now I wait
wait
wait.
I'll just sit in the corner.
Listening to my music.

Hearth and Hail

ohmahgod, today's prompt is insane. I think somebody might've taken yesterday's prompt name a bit too seriously wotwot. Ah, I kid. (though today's prompt couldn't have been more aptly named) After some serious trouble understanding this ... thing, I finally managed to produce something. So here you are;

Hearth and Hail

The fire ignites, soft gray ashes Smoke rises, This is the time of burning

Melting snow and ice,       fall gently through the air.       The sky is dark.       The cold is departing.

Poem Starting with a Line from Norman Dubie

Today's prompt is pretty specific. The name of the poem is pre-selected, and rather long for my tastes, but a prompt is a prompt~

Poem Starting with a Line from Norman Dubie

My favorite pastime has become the imaginary destruction of flowers.
I watch, figuratively, as their petals dry and fall.
Each theoretical leaf breaks from the stem,
   no longer feeding the plant light.
The ground becomes barren, possibly, and with no water,
   the roots dry and crack. The stem can no longer
   hold itself up. Or so I should think.
Each flower falls to the supposed bone-dry ground.
   Yes, that's how I see it.
   How delightful. How disturbing.

_{Opening line belongs to Norman Dubie}

Cherry Blossom

I rather like today's prompt, it's about making up a silly phrase and attaching some kind of hidden meaning to it, and then magic-up a poem. So that's what I did. My silly phrase is the first line of the poem; "The cherry blossoms are pickled at midnight."

Cherry Blossom

The cherry blossoms are pickled at midnight.
The pickler has to stay up at all hours.
A day in the orchard,
A night by the barrel,
but it'll all be done by midnight.

He cannot wait,
but he knows he must
until the blossoms are ready
to dive.
The barrel is prepped,
the brine is prepared
and all the seasoning is ready.
All that remains are the flowers--

Turtles

Today's prompt was a bit beyond me. I'm a terrible decision maker, so any decision I make is a big one, and then once I decide I try not to dwell on the unpicked choice lest I change my mind. So today, instead, I take my friend's challenge of writing a poem based on a recipe, as I mentioned in my previous poem, Poemnannigans. Think I bested her?

Turtles

Line baking sheets with parchment paper,
coat lightly with unsalted butter.
Arrange 100 pecan halves
in groups of five in the shape
of a turtle.
Make sure all nuts
touch in the center.

Combine fourteen ounces
sweetened condensed milk
with one cup of
light corn syrup in a
three-quart sauce pan.
Cook over medium heat,
stirring occasionally with
a wooden spoon.
Remove from heat
when the mixture becomes
caramel-colored.

Lightly grease two serving spoons.
Carefully spoon one tablespoon
of hot caramel onto each group
of pecans
to form the body of
the turtle.
Cool thoroughly at room
temperature
for one hour.

Melt ten ounces bittersweet chocolate,
coarsely chopped,
in a double-boiler or in
the microwave. Stir in
one tablespoon of vegetable oil.
Use a spoon to drizzle
the chocolate over
the caramel,
completely covering and forming
the shell of the turtle.
Let rest at room temperature
until firm.

(Makes 20 Pieces)

Jubilation!

And now, today, we're venturing back into questionable territory for me. I'm not a social animal, so I don't exactly ... party hardy. Hoohoo. But! The poem is to be about me at a party, and so it's no excuse for me to avoid.

Jubilation!

It's time to party
or so they say
to me. But they
can keep their party.
I'll just sit in thecorner.
Listening to my music.
Don't misunderstand, though.
I'll still venture out
for some food.

Coinciding Events

Today's prompt is pretty complex, but fun too. I can't explain all of it here, so just check the link if you don't know.

Coinciding Events

The fringe of winter.
Spring is close,
but unreachable.
Come the spring,
the blazing torch
will rise into the sky,
stowing away the spirit
of winter.

The sea is calm;
a dark, aquatic tone.
A limp octopus
massages a reef of coral.
He startles a diver.
Octopus doesn't care.

A pail of apples
surrounded by wattles.
But one is bruised.
It is over ripe.
No longer allowed
to be eaten.

The Caterpillar and the Worm

We're having to write another love poem today, so once again, with my lack of experience in this field, I just have to try my best and put something forward.

The Caterpillar and the Worm

Worm sees Caterpillar,
Caterpillar sees Worm.
Worm asks, "Caterpillar,
why do you eat so?"
Caterpillar responds, "Worm
it is so that I may
become a beautiful butterfly
come the spring."

Caterpillar sees Worm,
Worm sees Caterpillar.
Caterpillar calls, "Worm
why do you eat so?"
Worm responds, "Caterpillar,
I can only eat dirt
and grow larger and larger.
But change I will not."

This is Why I'm Always Single

So for Napowrimo today we need to write a humorous love poem in the form of a Tanka. Well, I have no experience with love to base anything on, so I kinda had to just make something up. Hope it's still enjoyable!

This is Why I'm Always Single

I once loved this girl.
She was the most beautiful
girl in the whole world.
Until the day I found out
that she wasn't quite a girl.

8V

Today's prompt wants us to take inspiration from any photo we like and write from it. Here's the photo I chose: Isn't he cute?

8V

The day is bright,
the water is warm.
An eel springs up,
"Hey there world!"
The fish greet him not,
they think he's weird.
But Eel doesn't care.
He knows the sea loves him
always.

My Poem is my Pet.

And so NaPoWriMo enters Day 5~ Again, it seems we're doing something like yesterday; making the metaphysical become physical ... but backwards-ish. Making the physical poem gain metaphysical qualities ... kinda. I dunno, you'll see.
Not too sure how much I like this one, but so be it!

My Poem is my Pet

My poem is my pet.
I found it at the store,
jumping and playing
with all the others,
but only one was right for me.

My poem is my pet.
I pick it from the bunch.
It's the cutest.
It's the softest.
And it already loves me so.

My poem is my pet.
I watch it drift
in its tank.
Relaxed and carefree.
It doesn't have any worries.

My poem is my pet.
And sometimes it misbehaves;
scratching up the couch.
But I stop it and fix it
and tell it why it's wrong.

My poem is my pet.
But sometimes it hides in its shell.
But I give it a pat,
and speak in a warm voice,
and it comes out to the world.

An Office

If I understand today's prompt correctly, it's to turn the metaphysical into something physical. Y'know, deep stuff like that |Y

An Office

There's a tall building.
It's made of beautiful steel.
    Aesthetic beams b r a n c h
   and curl, breaking into the sky.
There are only windows on the ^top floor.
The rest is creative
        though solid
          --steel.--

The front lobby
is spacious but void
      of clutter.
Florescent lights keep everything
           nice
            and
             clean.
A clown sits at the reception desk.

The    center    floors
between the _ground
and the windowed ^top
are full of offices
and cubicles.
But only one
silent man
rushes to do all the work
among them all.

A stunning view at the ^top
but nobody is there
only an empty desk.           

Poemnannigans

Today's a rushed day, so I, again, wrote this before I could see the prompt. I promise to keep to it for the rest of the month, though!
Thought of this after a conversation about what the defining line is between poetry and a bunch of words.

Poemnannigans

It comes as a lesson
that anything is poetry.

      Give a speech.
      Tell a joke.
      Recant a story.
      Recite a Recipe
      Spew foul language.

It's all poetry.
Everything I say
is poetry.

It's just a matter
    of knowing
where to
            break
a line.

Rip While Printing

Today's Prompt asks to take the acronym of RWP put it through an Acronym-translating thingie and write based off one of the results. The one I chose originally said 'RIP' rather than 'Rip.' However, I changed it to Rip because an acronym in an acronym is just silly.

Rip While Printing

I made a mistake.
    A terrible mistake.
But it is too late
      the pages are coming out.

I cannot edit,
I cannot delete
    two keystrokes
Ctrl+P
      Twenty Copies
          Five Pages

These sheets are wrong
    they should not exist.
Confetti falls to my feet

Shred, tear, demolish, rip
      One Hundred leaves
          turned into millions

Hide & Seek

Hide & Seek

I am there
if somebody is looking.

But if nobody is looking,
where do I go?