30 Poems in 30 Days 2009: Day Twenty-Five
September 25, 2009 by John Hewitt
I am feeling extremely random today. I am filled with brief thoughts but cannot seem to paste them together into a coherent article. Time keeps passing and I know people want their prompts. Anyone who blogs knows that this can only result in a list post. So without further ado:
Six random thoughts about poetry:
- You should buy at least four new books by current poets each year. It isn’t that much money and it helps support poetry. If you ever write a book you will want other people to buy it, so the least you can do is help others. Also, reading new poetry should be a pleasure worth paying for.
- iTunes has a dedicated section for spoken word performers. It is another great place to find poetry and support the poets directly.
- Every poet, and every writer, should keep a journal or some other method or recoding their thoughts with them for the moments when inspiration strikes. My iPod Touch does the job for me in a pinch, but nothing beats the look and feel of a real journal.
- Sometimes it is good to get out of the house when you write poetry. Six places I’ve enjoyed writing poetry at are:
- The beach
- Poolside
- Long car rides
- Sidewalk cafés
- The park
- The mountains
- You should schedule a time, at least once a week, to write poetry. If writing poetry matters to you, make it a priority.
- Everyone who writes poetry has their own reasons. I write poetry because I enjoy it, because I have something to say, because it lets me process my thoughts, and because I like to think of myself as a poet. What are your reasons?
Finally, there are five days left and as you may be able to tell, my topics are running a bit thin. Do you have any questions? I’ll answer them if I can.
Today’s Poetry Prompt
Write a poem as that uses every letter of the alphabet at least once.
Arizona
Give up on that idea of the old west
We have skyscrapers
Speed cameras
Master planned communities
Lighting pollution laws
Major league baseball
Football
Basketball
And hockey
At the moment
We have high tech jobs
Phone centers
Fast food
Chain restaurants
Microbrews
Casinos
Megamalls
Outlet malls
Fashion malls
Night clubs
Strip clubs
Sex shops
Indoor stadiums
Outdoor concert venues
Museums
Amusement parks
Water slides
Ski resorts
Health spas
Day spas
Face lifts
Liposuction
Laser hair removal
Lasik surgery
Every dream
Every vice
Everything under the sun
Our big badass sun
Come take a look
And bring money!
Related links
- 30 Poems in 30 Days (1.000)
- 30 Poems in 30 Days: Why you should write poetry (1.000)
- 30 Poems in 30 Days: Writing About Yourself (1.000)
- 30 Poems in 30 Days: Writing About Issues (1.000)
- 30 Poems in 30 Days: Poetry of Place (1.000)
Contact John Hewitt
Writing Content and Web Consulting
Email: hewitt@poewar.comPhone: (520) 261-6104
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Twitter: @poewar
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Every letter? In a poem? Fine.
I like rhythemic poetry, and with my recent responses about comical verse…
I thought I’d try an anapestic variation on a limmerick….
Just one stanza. My hats off to anyone who can make one shorter…
(my appologies to Rosemary, in case she takes offense, none was intended)
You can sort it all out…
I was married to a beautiful fox,
now her in-laws have heads full of rocks,
I kept wond’ring if it was because
her whole family came here from Oz,
while she claims that I’m just a vain ox.
Funny concept and idea, but i think it removes the creative freedom of a poem
A gesture
An elderly man with his arm around the
Back of an old lady
Crossed the road
Directly in front of me
Engaged in
Familiar conversation among couples with
Great many years under their belts
Holding hands
In front of me and
Just a single gesture
Kept my attention
Long after they were out of sight
Maybe it was the camaraderie
Not that they were
Offensively close in a
Public space
Quite the contrary
Really
Subtle was
The gesture that implied
Understatedly
Very much of closeness
Without the need to be explicit
Unlike many young couples engaged in
X-rated behavior
You should only see in the
Zoo and not in public spaces.
Opps. Error in the last stanza.
“The gesture that implied
Understatedly
Very much of closeness
Without the need to be explicit in
X-rated behavior
You should only see in the
Zoo and not in public spaces.”
Extreme Weather
Coming in from the coast
I thought what a fine morning
the sky clear after last night’s dust,
but approaching Murwillumbah I saw
thick haze along the Border Ranges
the highest peaks almost invisible
ghostly traces behind the white.
As I unpacked the car, while the wind
came in buffeting gusts, I felt it
in the back of my throat, stinging.
Water couldn’t quench that fire,
it wasn’t exactly thirst.
It’s still here, I can feel it now
just as a tickling cough – even though
mid-afternoon I was wracked
by sudden sneezing, explosive,
over and over, and shivers
ran down my back.
I have the central desert
inside my body. I don’t know
if or when or how it will ever leave.
Too much and it might kill me.
So far it is not too much. This time.
By noon we could no longer
see it in the air. The sky was blue,
the sun shone, the day grew warm.
On the television screen tonight we saw
the rapid floodwaters in the Philippines,
rivers through Manila streets
I walked in ’78; counted our blessings.
@James
At first I couldn’t see why you thought I might take offence, then realised it was the reference to Oz.
No, I thought it was funny.
@John
Question: Who are your favourite poets and why? (I’m just curious.)
@sheer
Love your poem so much for what it says and the way it says it, that it took me all this time to even notice it’s an acrostic. What a smart idea for this prompt!