2023-04-03 - 10:12 a.m.

National Poetry Month

Folks encouraged to try to write a poem a day.

Go ahead.
It can be bad (by your own standards).

It can be silly

It can be fun

It may be devastating.

You never know what you will create until you allow yourself the play of creation.

The freedom to have fun and space to allow yourself to be creative.

*I am reminding self of this;

AND the discipline to continue to hone skills. That is the challenge for me, to write something other than freestyle (or whatever it is technically called, "stream of conscious" writing.

I have a paper journal. It is here somewhere. But in this ADHD moment of impatience as already did the tiniest bit of work, and enjoyed both making breakfast and at the same time cleaning a spill in the oven which was inspired by the horrendous burnt sugar smell emanating from in
remnats of chocolate chip cookies, or a potato that roasted full until it could not contain itself and burst and spilled on the element in the very back of the oven.

The charred remain was a large chunk, as if it had been there a while, solidified into a tarry block

My brain just was reminded of something I can't unsee and don't want to see again

OK So to focus. That is the challenge for me. So here real time at 10:27 AM I am going to start, and will try to do this every monrning.

Today's exercise, is to try to write a pantoum.

Inspired by the calm of doing the morning dishes.

My teacher today Wickipedia ( HA HA)

Oh and all the past poet's work of pantoum. Maybe my kid? Maybe a teacher of my kid, some brillaint poet I was proud my brilliant kid studied with so I have to mom stalk and read everything I can find ? (Not only of my kid but the teachers I am SO PROUD of my writer kid of having been bleesed to be taught by?) Maybe one I found on Twitter ( I swear to you that is the best primary source today for poetry. Start with this
the poem which is added to every day on twitter

https://twitter.com/apoemcalledlove
and realize YES YOU CAN WRITE POETRY

you can break convention and find your form.

But if you want there are instruction manuals out there as well to use as guides to start ( if you don't know how to).

Here is one:

OK I just got distracted.

One of my beloveds was just highlighted on a major music distribution site ON THEIR MAIN PAGE

OK... just a bit distracting. Not really surprising as there are some out there who are truly brilliant and unique and different from other artists. They march to their own drum and are kinda odd and not understood but they keep at it as they HAVE TO as it brings them joy and eventually others want to understand their world and start to be fascinated and attentive ( I think of Andy Warhole, Patty Smith and Maplethorpe ...Lady GA GA... OK YEAH ... but back to my focus)

Back to the instruction for starting to write poetry if you have no clue. Honestly the thing is just do it.
Don't care if it is good.
BUT here is one good starting point for some:

OMG This is ADHD
Wanted to find the one really fun awesome prompt. COULD NOT FIND IT

so here instead my goal for today. Thought would just crank this out as some lines came to me when doing dishes.

I hope I recall them still after the interruptions. Got a text from friend

OK that is a lie...got text from young lover. Bantered with him.

that went on too long. I am in head space... he wanted help getting turned on. I did not mind helping (HA HA Not the creative writing I intended at all this AM We also have real chats.. but then just that kinda silly fun - today solely for his benefit, but hey it works for him. I don't mind obliging as you know when we do see each other IN PERSON it has quite the return for me. AND I like the pace/timing of his interest in being together in person. It is kinda nice- the once every few weeks but nothing other than occasional banter. Monday are slow days at work so there is a pattern to this... SIGN... Heard from him much EARLIER in the day than typical. Had I been in FLOW of writing a poem already I would not have looked at my phone BUT I could not find the prompt I WANTED To find.

So find your own.

There are alot out there. Heck google poet and your interests and chances are someone will have written about something that takes YOUR breath away
as it resonates with you.

You may see yourself
the reflection of someone capturing the essence of a moment
a feeling
you wanted to but could not quite express.

Of course the dog wants attention. I have to walk her again.

I think I will take the time to find the journal and continue my goal of writing the poem today there.

Just keep at it, the writing.

I BET if we EACH wrote a bad poem a day,

among 30 intial drafts

There will be ONE good thing in there that can be tweaked and finished to be a poem that not only you the writer will find joy in but will actually BE GOOD and touch someone else if brave enough to share it.

Because no one can express like YOU do.
But there are some universal experiences which we all have and some really benefit and appreciate when a poet captures the essence of a moment that help us each live through ours.

�

�