Category Archives: Poetry

#204: During Act Two, Capulet Writes A Poem

I know what’s coming. It’s happened before, as if in a loop, in exactly the same way each time and it never ends well. But I’m always surprised: the shouting in the streets, the alarm, the subsequent chaos, my wife charging into the fray screaming bloody murder over the death of nephew Tybalt. And I’mContinue reading “#204: During Act Two, Capulet Writes A Poem”

#203: Capulet Speaks of His Daughter’s Grief

Today’s assignment from napowrimo is to write a thing called a san san (three three in Chinese), a form that incorporates a particular rhyme scheme pattern coupled with the repetition of three images three times throughout the eight line poem. That’s a mouthful. It was difficult. In fact, I failed somewhat with the form. My poemContinue reading “#203: Capulet Speaks of His Daughter’s Grief”

#202: Juliet Eats A Fortune Cookie

Juliet eats a fortune cookie in two bites. While she’s chewing the first half she pulls the paper fortune from the other and reads “The one you love is closer than you think.” Juliet loves fortune cookies, I mean, she likes the way they taste. But she is also fond of the whole fortune tellingContinue reading “#202: Juliet Eats A Fortune Cookie”

#201: ABC Shakespeare

This may be obvious to anyone paying attention, but I have of late had Shakespeare on the brain. It’s a pattern with me, I think. The last time I took on a role in a Shakespeare play the same thing happened: my entire creative output became infused by the bard. Trying to write songs inContinue reading “#201: ABC Shakespeare”

#199: A Poem from Director’s Notes

A Poem from Director’s Notes (for Michael Mendelson) Move the language forward. Move the language, lift the language. To whom are you talking? There are only three possibilities: the earth, the gods, or another human being. If it happens to be a human being, ask yourself: how do I feel about the person I amContinue reading “#199: A Poem from Director’s Notes”

#198: On the Edge (a book spine poem)

For today’s book spine poem, I find these gems in the green room during another 10 hour rehearsal for Romeo and Juliet. I’m feeling particularly inspired. It could be a two poem kind of day. On The Edge The classical monologues and scenes for women, by women telling tales with all the timing in theContinue reading “#198: On the Edge (a book spine poem)”

#197: Lord Capulet Speaks of the Unspeakable

Note: Here’s a persona poem in which the speaker is aware of his author/creator and for which the writer/actor slaved all day to make the damn thing rhyme and then asked one of his fellow actors to take a picture of him as Lord Capulet. Also, this poem responds to the napowrimo optional prompt in a kindContinue reading “#197: Lord Capulet Speaks of the Unspeakable”

#196: The Actor’s Nightmare

He stirs in the middle of the night, suddenly certain there are speeches in the play that he’s missed, didn’t even know were his, and on which he has not yet begun to work–days before dress rehearsal. In his sleep these lines appear with vivid specificity; he can hear the words and see the typeface and they seem every bit as realContinue reading “#196: The Actor’s Nightmare”

#195: Curtains

I hold her body in my arms, dead and not dead, my child and not my child. I am Lord Capulet and Kate is Juliet. In life we are virtual strangers, but on stage, I hold her in my arms and under the hot stage lights I weep for her death, or close to it. IContinue reading “#195: Curtains”