#147: Ode to Ears

Ode to Ears They say you only appreciate something once you’ve lost it. I didn’t lose my ears, literally, but rather, the use of them. Because some glob of wax lodged itself deep inside my ears, I have been dizzy deaf now for several days. A horrible experience, but worth it: the doctor reaches inContinue reading “#147: Ode to Ears”

#144: Love Poem

Today from http://www.napowrimo.net: “I challenge you to write a “loveless” love poem. Don’t use the word love! And avoid the flowers and rainbows.”  So here’s a love poem about my mother and father for which I tried to avoid cliché and all the other various love poem traps. Love Poem I think of my mother massagingContinue reading “#144: Love Poem”

#142: This School Year Has Not Been, Thus Far,

On this second day of National Poetry Writing Month, compliments of the prompt for the first day on the http://www.napowrimo.net website, a poem of negation, a poem that describes a thing in terms of what it is not: This School Year Has Not Been, Thus Far,  soft and cuddly, a baby blanket; warm and inviting,Continue reading “#142: This School Year Has Not Been, Thus Far,”

#141 Teaching Without A Voice

I begin the cruelest month of National Poetry Writing hopefully recovering from a bout of laryngitis and ready to go back to the classroom.  Thus, the inspiration for my first poem of 30, one for every day of the month of April, comes not from a prompt, but from this: Teaching Without A Voice isContinue reading “#141 Teaching Without A Voice”

Embarking Yet Again on Another Forced Creativity Experiment: Year 3 of NAPOWRIMO

Happy National Poetry Month! Beginning on Wednesday, April 1 (this is no April Fool’s joke), I will attempt for the third year in a row to participate in the NaPoWriMo challenge of writing a poem a day for the entire month and publishing each poem here on the blog site. I promise, once again, not to cheat; IContinue reading “Embarking Yet Again on Another Forced Creativity Experiment: Year 3 of NAPOWRIMO”

#113: The Child House

The Child House is so called because the children in this building outnumber the adults about thirty-seven to one. Inside over a thousand big children are busy (or not) at some purpose which often remains mysterious to them, but never- theless is perceived by many to be of some importance. Many of the kids love theContinue reading “#113: The Child House”

#112: Ambiguity Racing

Our next entry in the NaPoWriMo festival of fun is a thing called a “replacement” poem. You wiki-search a common noun for a physical thing, copy and paste some text–and then the real fun begins–replace each occurrence of the physical thing-noun with an abstract noun like love or sorrow or happiness.  I chose my all-timeContinue reading “#112: Ambiguity Racing”

#110: Shameless Self-Promotion (An Advertisement Poem)

The NaPoWriMo website today suggests that we try an advertisement poem. That’s an actual thing, apparently.  As an example, the NaPoWriMo curator provides Exhibit A: Said Farmer Brown Who’s bald on top “Wish I could Rotate the crop” Burma-Shave So rather than create a poem advertising Burma Shave or a made-up product or some thingContinue reading “#110: Shameless Self-Promotion (An Advertisement Poem)”

#109: A Poem from Randomly Generated Song Titles

We wanted something more Pastoral but ended up with the Mother of Violence singing Mr. Blue’s Theme surrounded by the luminous Lights of New York. Nothing But Time, we thought, Great. No longer following the tao, Stuff is Way now, no sign today or any time soon of a True Original, no glowing Blue Moon, only aContinue reading “#109: A Poem from Randomly Generated Song Titles”

#103: Third Time’s The Charm (A Self-Spell for Teacher)

Today, on this third day of National Poetry Month, we are encouraged, if we need encouragement (and tonight at 7:45 after a 12 hour work day I DO need the encouragement), to write a CHARM poem. All right. And just in case you thought me incapable of rhyme: A Self-Spell For Teacher After twenty-five yearsContinue reading “#103: Third Time’s The Charm (A Self-Spell for Teacher)”