Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends called National Poetry Writing Month, or NaPoWriMo for short. Here is my first of 30 attempts, my seventh year in a row. The number 319 in my title, FYI, represents the number of poems I have published on the mighty blog, 180 of which were written in the cruelest month of April over six years. The prompt on the NaPoWriMo website suggested for today a HOW TO poem. So I wrote the following in honor of the month and of this endeavor. I didn’t tap this baby out and it doesn’t rhyme, but it’s a sonnet, by god, nevertheless.
How to Write a Poem Every Day
First, you must be a living person.
Words may work, as tools, to make a poem,
but some say that fire is good, a fork or a spoon,
a pickaxe in a tight spot, or a sponge.
If you sit down with a pen and some paper,
that might be a good start, but if you are warm,
an icepack over the eyes may be just as good,
or, if you are cold, a blanket or a dog.
I recommend that every day this month
you practice balancing a marble on your nose
and watching it fall, over and over again.
There are no incorrect ways to do this.
It’s easier than finding a penny on the sidewalk;
all you really have to do is to open your eyes.
michael jarmer 