End of Poem a Day

Below are 30 poems written to prompts, one for each day of April. To view all the poems in the series go to the archives on the right-hand side and open "April".

Prompt #30 Say Farewell

For today's prompt, I want you to write a farewell poem. After all, we are saying farewell to another wonderful National Poetry Month. Say farewell to this month; say farewell to a vacation spot; say farewell to a bad relationship; say farewell to work; say farewell to school; say farewell to saying farewell even. Hopefully, I won't be saying farewell to you; please stay in touch and let me know of your successes as we keep poeming toward the horizon.

Saying Farewell

Farewell- from the Middle English faren wel (‘fare’)
N. a wish of happiness or welfare at parting.

I resolve to forget the time you yelled,
that face you made.

From the merger of Old English fær (‘journey,’ ‘road’)
and faru (‘journey,’ ‘companions,’ ‘baggage’).

May the road be kind and forgiving
without the slamming of breaks, dirty looks.

Especially a permanent departure:
a good-bye, adieu; leave-taking.

May we be united again one day soon;
with proper maps, reasonable plans.

Etymology; Fare- from the Middle English fearh-
farrow- to birth a litter of pigs.

May we find much pork behind the squeal,
and prosperity in every litter.

5/1/2009 11:01:15 AM #782

Prompt #29 Never...bring donuts to a deposition

For today's prompt, I want you to title your poems "Never (blank)" with you filling in the blank with a word or phrase. Then, write a poem based off your title, which could be "Never look both ways when crossing the street" or "Never blush in public" or "Never ever" or "Never write a poem with the word never in the title." You get the idea, right?

Never bring donuts to a deposition

unless you’re a witness for the opposition
and you don’t agree with their position
and figure you can recondition
the lawyers who are feeling imposition
for a lady with a sullied reputation
after loosing her well earned commission
from the territory that was given her, in contradiction
to the claims of the plaintiff in the petition.
But if you want the inquisition
to become and intervention
to guarantee the rights of independent sales associations
then surly do bring donuts to the deposition.

5/1/2009 1:41:00 AM #728

Prompt #28 Sestina- This thing might earn me a trip to the emergency room

For today's prompt, I want you to write a sestina. (Click here to find out the rules for sestinas.) So start figuring out your 6 end words and get writing.

But wait! Today is Tuesday, so you have one other option. You can write a poem about the sestina (your love, hate, frustration with, etc.).

Whether you decide to write a sestina or write about sestinas, remember to have fun. We're almost done!

This thing might earn me a trip to the emergency room

There will be pain
that’s the first thing
you have to realize
it isn’t easy to change
or it wouldn’t be worth
all the time and trouble

I found trouble
was in the pain
of feeling unworthy
It was a thing
I needed to change
If I would ever realize

just how much is realized
when one sees trouble
and wants to change
I located the pain
in this thing
of little worth

but it was worth
a scar to realize
this hanging tag thing
on my skin was more trouble
than the pain
of trying to change

the way changes
take place in this world
a doctor can’t see pain
he hasn’t realized
he only sees trouble
if it isn’t his thing

to remove this kind of thing
when he hasn’t seen a change
or doesn't understand the trouble
a thing like this is worth
that’s when I realized
I had to bear the pain

and cut this thing
myself because change
will only get me in trouble
if he thinks I’m not worth
the time to realize
I need to end this kind of pain

So in this pain I leave the thing
behind and realize a little change
is always worth a little trouble


4/29/2009 1:19:07 AM #413

Prompt # 27 Longing

For today's prompt, I want you to write a poem of longing. You or someone (or something) else should be pining for someone or something. Maybe a cat is longing to get outside the house. Maybe a teenager is longing to get away from his or her small town. And, of course, there's always the longing poem of love.

Longing for a Homecoming

All houses left alone beseech their owners
to come home. They ache to mend a broken
gutter trail, or see to weeds that flourish
in the quiet yard beside the fallen trellis.
I’ve heard the mocking shouts of crows
that pick the scars of houses lost in yesteryear.

They are fond of scolding lonely homes
whose windows morn their broken shades.
They perch atop such chimneys in the cold
whose prayers to bring back fires go
unanswered. Some empty homes
will crumble in the waiting, they can’t
hang on when dreams are what a household
makes of planks and stone and lace.

4/30/2009 12:00:47 PM #650

Prompt # 26 One Day at the Breast Health Clinic

For today's prompt, I want you to write a poem involving miscommunication. It can be miscommunication between two people or misinterpretation of some sort. I will leave it up to you guys to deal with it however you want.

One Day at the Breast Health Clinic

At the front desk the nurses seemed alarmed
about some patient. I tried not to notice,
HIPAA laws being the bane of conversations
in the medical profession these days.
So I ignored their shaking heads until I heard
in the waiting room outside the voice of a man
say, "Oh yes, I’m back, is it alright then, no problem?"
No problem! I think there is a problem! Like,
why do you need a mammogram, Dude!
So I’m lead to the little undressing rooms they devised
where us ladies go to don our capes, breasts afloat
in folds fabric with airy ventilation at the sides.
But I’m not too keen on exiting.
I don’t want to see a man in this predicament.
I look around the corridors before I leap,
but he’s not in the special sitting room, or down
the hall. I sit alone, contemplate the facts, decide
I’m open minded, tolerant, I’ve never had a solid
notion of normality; it’s fine if he’s a she,
or she’s a he, I’m fine with any sort of body
he might be. So when a tall and lanky lady
saunters in, I see her smile is kind, and her eyes
are deep and friendly. She’s old enough
to be my aunt and very fit. I reply a smile
and we pass the time in silence. Then she’s called
away by name, and as the nurse leads her away
I hear his voice again! Was he her?
I’ll never know. I had to leave soon after,
my tests all done, and all results come out
just fine. Hey, thanks for asking!

4/30/2009 1:31:16 AM #670

Prompt #25 Planning to Attend My High School Reunion

Only 5 more days left to go! For today's prompt I want you to pick an event and make that event the title of your poem. Here is my attempt for the day (which will give you a pretty good idea about what I have planned for the day):

Planning to Attend My High School Reunion

I stand, contemplating a life not quite done.
Though my platform is strong, the legs
are weak. I pose slightly askew,

patched and scared in places where I waged
battles with my family’s demons. I won,
the proof is that I stand at all.

Above the base I’m built from remnants;
a degree in collage, two marriages, an attempt
to start a family. The spikes are unexpected

falls, jobs lost, faith in myself too.
The long beams are what held
me together under pressure.

These were supplied by the heart’s need
to find release. I’m crowned with a garland
because love strings me from above.

4/30/2009 10:55:16 AM #714

Prompt #24 Snow Birds

For today's prompt, I want you to write a travel-related poem. It can be human travel, the migration of swallows, the trafficking of drugs, etc. Some sort of movement from point A to point B.

Snow Birds

The last time we returned
from Florida we passed
a flock of Snow Geese
about a thousand feet below us.
They flew into the setting sun
their black tips like dashes
across a pale white sky.

4/28/2009 3:41:02 PM #701

Prompt #23 Rising Above the Dandelions

For today's prompt, I want you to write a poem of regret. Get creative with this one, but there should be some form of regret either expressed or hinted at (even if ever so slightly). You do NOT have to use the word "regret" in the poem, though it's fine if you do.

Rising Above the Dandelions

I regret cutting the dandelion heads
when they were high and not
the root when I had the chance.

Now they sit lower than the blade
on their nail-like stems and mock me
in the golden yellow robe of the Manipura

Chakra. They remind me that power
is only a perceived notion
gathering its essence from the powerless.

I would rather move beyond the lion
of fear, that knaws upon a stubborn
morsel of meat, to knowing

that my own head will rise higher
when the blades come at me
in an effort to reach beyond the white.

4/28/2009 3:13:43 PM #754

Prompt #22 This house needs me:

For today's prompt, I want you to write a work-related poem. Work doesn't have to be the main feature of the poem, but I want you to "work" it in somehow. And remember: There are different types of work. Of course, there are the activities that gain you fortune and fame (or not), but then, there's also housework, exercise, volunteering, etc. I'm sure you'll "work" it out.

This house needs me:

to open the shades in winter on the west side of the living room
close the windows in summer when it goes above 95
open the windows when the sun goes down
switch the ceiling fans in the day to counterclockwise
switch them back to clockwise to let the night air in
make sure the front door is closed all winter
let down the windows in the door in spring
close the door against the heat in summer

without me this house wouldn’t be fit to live in.

4/28/2009 4:21:52 PM #765

Prompt #21 Haiku- Buds of green blanket

Here are the two prompts for the day (you only need to choose one, unless you're all about pushing yourself to the limit):

1. Write a haiku. The haiku is not just a form but a genre of poetry. (Click here to read more about the haiku.) People sometimes go into writing a haiku and end up with a senryu or a faux-ku, but it's all good (and all poetry).

2. Write about the haiku. I know there are some poets (in this very group even) who are anti-form. So, I'm giving them the option to write their anti-haiku manifestos. Of course, if you pay attention to this 2nd prompt, it doesn't need to be anti-haiku; your poem could be questioning or even praising the haiku. Or something.


Buds of green blanket
tree branches, white light insists
they remain silver.


4/25/2009 2:16:14 PM #973

Prompt #20 Symbiosis

Day 20 For today's prompt, I want you to write a poem of rebirth. There are many different types of rebirth available, including the changing of the seasons, the beginning of the day, religious or spiritual rebirth, a reconfirmation of good in people, re-learning how to love, etc. So think on it a bit, and create a stellar rebirth poem.

Symbiosis

Does the tree in my yard know
the shade comes
just when it’s needed?

4/27/2009 11:34:57 AM #753

Prompt #19 Buzz Kill

Day 19 I apologize for the problem some people were having yesterday with posting their poems. I think it is fixed now, because I was just able to successfully leave a comment on Day 18.

Perhaps appropriately, today's prompt is to write an angry poem. That is, a poem about someone or something that gets angry. Could be a person, animal, or even them there angry clouds. As usual, I'm excited to see which unexpected directions y'all take with this prompt.

Buzz Kill

He picks me up at the airport
we say what we have to say
then he starts telling me
about the show he saw
about how the orcas are disappearing
PCB’s are in the food chain
and chicken shit is in the Chesapeake
I start thinking maybe we are just a cancer
growing across the planet
I’ve been looking down at tumors
spreading out their tentacles
now I want to die
so I don’t have be part of the carnage
what a way to kill the buzz
of a perfectly good holiday

4/25/2009 1:32:19 AM #744

Prompt #18 Interaction

Day 18 For today's prompt, I want you to write a poem with an interaction of some sort. The interaction does NOT have to be between people, though it can. For instance, you could write about the interaction between a bee and a flower; or an owl and a field mouse. Or just write about a traffic cop getting into an argument with a speeder. Just as long as there is some sort of interaction going on.

Push Mower

The push mower
grooms the grass
where it’s heavy
like I shave his neck-
steady strokes
so as not to pull the hairs.
The blades whir
when they spin,
flying shavings
land in a neat path.

4/25/2009 2:24:33 #751

Prompt #17 All I want is the page to load

April PAD Challenge: Day 17

For today's prompt, I want you to write a poem with the following title: "All I want is (blank)," where you fill in the blank with a word or phrase of your choosing. Some example titles, then, could be: "All I want is to eat fried chicken"; "All I want is world peace"; "All I want is for everyone to tell me I'm beautiful"; or "All I want is a handful of quarters."

All I want is this page to load

page to load
page to load
page

to

load

P
a
g
e

to

L
o
a
d

are we moving so fast
the wheels are spinning backwards?

4/25/2009 1:48:49 AM #793

Prompt #16 Aquamarine

April 16 For today's prompt, I want you to pick a color, make that the title of your poem, and write a poem that is inspired by that color.


Aquamarine

On the plane before touchdown
out the window on the right
if the sun is still high
the color of my mothers eye’s flattens
and elongates to the horizon
while I in my comma shape
white sand and blank page
border her like a question.
Are we really the same?
Or is my hazel more my father
than my mother?

4/25/2009 1:51:19 AM #804

Prompt #15 The Elder Brother

For today's prompt, I want you to take the title of a poem you especially like (by another poet) and change it. Then, with this new altered title, I want you to write a poem. An example would be to take William Carlos Williams' "The Red Wheelbarrow" and change it to "The Red Volkswagon." Or take Frank O'Hara's "Why I Am Not a Painter" and change it to "Why I Am Not a Penguin." You get the idea, right? (Note: Your altered poem does NOT have to follow the same style as the original poet, though you can try if you wish.)

The Elder Brother

After The Elder Sister by Sharon Olds

He was born to be impatient
with instructions, puts the bicycle
wheels on backwards, breached
himself, this would be natural.
Being well informed he knows

the thud of an axe in the shin,
the mind numbing pain of a dropped
railroad tie on toes. I envy his reckless
going forth, the must-haves that came
so easily to us, must have been

his albatross. Then there are the musts;
how to fill the shoes of the old man
at the age of twelve after he was gone.
He looks after us like a wild dog
from a distance, chooses his moments

of generosity the way weekend Christians
find their way to church. But when he gives
he gives everything and it shines
like the widow’s mite, worth more
than anything you ever expected.

4/24/2009 1:54:35 PM #796

Prompt #14 Hands in Pockets

Today is Tuesday, which means two prompts.
First prompt: Write a love poem.
Second prompt: Write an anti-love poem.
Simple as that.

Hands in Pockets

I used to put my hand in his pocket
thinking it was our secret
and nothing anyone had ever tried,
but it was all over our faces
when the teacher walked by.
Love is good when you’re young
and reckless.

1:44:03 am #589

Prompt #13 The Art of Napping

For today's prompt, I want you to write a poem that incorporates a hobby (either yours or someone else's). That's right: Now is the perfect opportunity to write about your comic collection or your scrapbooking activities. And for the purposes of this challenge, I also think activities such as fishing, running, bowling, photography, birding, and gardening count as hobbies.

The Art of Napping

There is a world that enters in
with all the nuts and bolts of the day-

it is good to listen, then ignore that world,
in favor of the river that runs like an underskin

of complex elements blending and falling
out of their cups into

the phosphorescent seas that speak
of the connections of all things.

It is possible to tease out a few strands
so that they flow like current-grass and point

in the direction of events farther down
the mouth of the delta

full of things known, like a phone call
that might be heard before it arrives.

But such things are given up only
if you truly let go

until the breath becomes aware
of the breather and a walk through

a veil of warm snow welcomes you back to the world
which has tipped a little farther out

but not so far you can’t find the road
to go forward.


2:07:39 #509
New post:
11:47:31 #254

Prompt #12 So we decided to wire her the money

For today's prompt, I want you to take the phrase "So we decided to (blank)" and fill in the blank. Make that your title and write a poem. Some possibilities include "So we decided to plant a tree" or "So we decided to burn a hole in the sky."

So we decided to wire her the money

to come home on a Greyhound
thinking five days on a bus might
be enough to figure out how far off track
she was but he followed and we found out
they were married and anything good
we wanted to happen wasn’t going to happen
not with him in the picture so we decided
she had to leave until she was clean again
and he was out of the picture and we
changed the locks but after a month
of living on her own we decided to let her
come back home if she promised to keep
her room clean and get herself into a program
but nothing ever changes so we decided
to admit her when the doctors said
they didn’t know what else to do.

4-13-09 10:27:55 #516