Day 3, aka National Poetry Month

Posted on April 3, 2011 by Mary Beth Frezon

Yesterday’s poem took some doing. Several tries at writing, some re-writing, some gathering up my head again during the process, some thinking about bailing all-together, some angst about publishing it and where. I am going to publish each day’s work here, at least that’s my plan. If it’s really not suitable, which is hard to imagine, you might get a string of haiku instead.

Today’s prompt from Not Without Poetry doesn’t grab me at all although it’s a bizarre photograph with a lot of possibility. I’m going to ponder the NaPoWriMo prompt which offers this poem’s idea as a starting point.

Meanwhile, regular readers, I’m trying to chip away at the deadline-driven quilting. Doesn’t help that it was 49F when I walked in the house last night. Actually I got no quilting done. I ate dinner after kick-starting the furnace and sat bundled up waiting for it to be reasonably warm again.

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National Poetry Month – Day 2

Posted on April 2, 2011 by Mary Beth Frezon

Today’s prompt from Not Without Poetry was: “Write a poem in the form of a letter to a person you desire but have not told, telling him or her what you would like to do to them.”

This might not be exactly what poet Christopher Luna had in mind, but it’s what came out:

To one whose virtual ear I stroked

Dear one,
We met by chance when
I wandered into your virtual world.
My own familiar world was lost.
You were friendly, you teased me.
Having slain evil and dragons
we chatted more.
I dreamt of a bear that came to
snuffle in my ear.
My old brain said – this is not real.
The rest raced ahead with
what if’s and if he’s and would I’s
In real life, friends saw me smile
and wondered.
I wondered how a night
in a universe so digital
could set my heart racing
as I brushed your long ear.
I had forgotten that rush,
that breathlessness of new love,
no matter how unlikely.

I quest no more so far from home
but think of you still.
I am not so empty as then,
before we met.
If I could see you one more time
I would do this —
I would trace out your ear.
And gently thank you.
I will not forget you
or the possibility of love.

Mary Beth Frezon — 2 April 2011

and a nice shout out to Andrea, Wanda, Dianne and Holly who added some haiku’s to facebook and twitter today, just because it was the right and fun thing to do!

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Why you learn the rules

Posted on April 2, 2011 by Mary Beth Frezon

You have to follow the old rule for a while. In fact, once you master the old rule, you are then the master-and masters get to change things. — Peter McWilliams

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National Poetry Month, still day one

Posted on April 1, 2011 by Mary Beth Frezon

did a lot of talking up of National Poetry Month amongst my co-workers and a couple customers today. One even provided a new haiku for the chuck norris collection:

Chuck Norris food joint
It’s called Kung Food. Today’s special
Foot kick to the face.
— Nick Russo

How amazing is that?

I wrote yesterday morning:

Prepare now poets
Poetry month is April.
Read and write – start now.

and in an email to a writer friend about the whole month-long gig tonight I wrote:

I’m going to think
About normal stuff and see
Where it might lead me.

I do know that with the haiku, sometimes having a theme seems to open up the floodgates. The mage haiku came in several sittings. I was afraid the Chuck Norris flow would never stop! For World Poetry Day, the weather-related haiku just kept coming.

This month, I’ve signed up for two different things that encourage “a poem a day” so I might be guilty of double-dipping if I use one poem for both. I’m sure there will be some bonus haiku along the way so I’m good with it.

Both places: NaPoWriMo and Not Without Poetry offer some hints or themes in case you get stuck. The first from NWP was to write something without narrative. That sounded challenging to me and indeed it was. I think I’ll keep trying them, but if they stump me you might be stuck with a lotta lotta haiku. Just a warning!

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Poetry Month – Day One

Posted on April 1, 2011 by Mary Beth Frezon

Night At Home.

Small black cat at the front door
Bigger cat behind
No escape this time
No escape this time
Food in the kitchen
Plate for me
Hot tea, lemon
Too hot. Hot tea smell.

Kitten at the sewing room door
Bigger one behind
Nobody’s coming in
Nobody’s coming in
Needle breaks
Thread broken
Line of stitching
Seam ripping
Stitching
Cold tea
Wandering thoughts.

Small cat crying at the door
Bigger cat nearby
Purring in the hall
Purring in the hall
Not a clear thought in my head
Thinking thinking
What?

Mary Beth Frezon – April 1, 2011

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