Month: April 2015

Meteorologist (a cinquain)

Poetry

image

His eyes
say so much more
about the coming storm
than maps or radar can forecast.
Take cover.

—–

POETIC FORM:

cinquain – 5 line poem, 2 syllables in the 1st, 4 in the 2nd, 6 in the 3rd, 8 in the 4th, 2 in the 5th. May add or subtract 1 syllable from each line.

—–

FORM DIAGRAM:

2-
4-
6-
8-
2-

—–

POEM A DAY APRIL 2015 – PROMPT:

“For today’s prompt, write an authority poem. Maybe you are an authority on something or know someone who is (or who thinks he or she is). Maybe you respect authority, or maybe not so much. Maybe you are on the run from the authorities, in which case I can only say good luck, but this blog probably isn’t the best hiding place–especially with so many folks poeming away.”

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Chasers (a tanka with a and e)

Poetry

image

He chases weather,
keeps eyes ever sky level.
she feels a fever.
He dances at the edge—and
she chases her weatherman.

—–

POETIC FORM:

If a haiku is usually thought of as a 3-line, 5-7-5 syllable poem, then the tanka would be a 5-line, 5-7-5-7-7 syllable poem. It’s better to think of a tanka as a 5-line poem with 3 short lines (lines 2, 4, 5) and 2 very short lines (lines 1 and 3). While imagery is also important in tanka, the form is a little more conversational than haiku, and allows for the use of poetic devices such as metaphor and personification.

—–

FORM DIAGRAM:

5-
7-
4-
7-
7-

—–

POEM A DAY APRIL 2015 – PROMPT:

“For today’s prompt, pick 2 vowels and write a poem using words that only contain one or both of those vowels. For instance, write a poem with words that only have a “u” and “o.” Also, the letter “y” is wild–so the words “my” and “gypsy” are freebies. And I’ll allow text-speak (or maybe I should say “txt spk”).”

Storm Watch (a terzanelle)

Poetry

gate (2)

My rusty gate hangs on its hinge.
and swings in the warm evening breeze,
while I watch it turn with a twinge.

Under the arms of my pear trees
a stillness lies heavy and dark.
Dread hovers on the evening breeze.

Electric, the air tastes of sparks
like firework nights in July.
The stillness lies heavy and dark.

I hold my breath, watch as the sky
clouds over — a sickly, pea-green.
Like firework nights in July,

A thunderclap bangs — like a screen.
The weatherman warns it will storm,
these clouds are a sickly, pea-green.

I shiver as thunderheads form.
The rusty gate groans on its hinge.
Warns me, soon this weather will storm,
while I watch it turn with a twinge.

—–

POETIC FORM:

Terzanelle combines the lyricism of the terza rima with the repetition of the villanelle to make a powerful one-two punch in only 19 lines. The traditional stance on the terzanelle is that the lines should be written in a consistent iambic meter, but there are plenty of contemporary terzanelles that just aspire to keep the lines a consistent length throughout.

—–

FORM DIAGRAM:

A1-
B-
A2-

b-
C-
B-
c-
D-
C-
d-
E-
D-
e-
F-
E-
f-
A1-
F-
A2-

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POEM A DAY APRIL 2015 – PROMPT:

“For today’s prompt, write a swing poem. Sure, there are park swings and mood swings; there’s swing music and swing dancing; and there are swingers. Some people swing one way; others swing another. In politics, there are swing votes and swing states. And many people have swung a bat, an ax, and/or a hammer in their lifetimes.”

It’s About Science

Poetry

rainsidewalk

It’s not about
meteorology,
forecast models,
tornado watches.

It’s about the way
your skin smells
of rain, moving
in from the east–

the way your whispers
echo between my
shoulders — a low
distant thunder–

the way we soak
the sheets with rain,
every time we touch.

It’s not really about
the doppler radar
or the ability to predict
the path of a storm.

It’s all about
the atmosphere,
the science.
It’s just chemistry.

—–

POEM A DAY APRIL 2015 – PROMPT:

“For today’s prompt, write a science poem. Your poem could be about science in a general sense, but you can also latch onto a specific field or story. Maybe write a poem about the scientific method, or juxtapose science against another idea like love, war, or cuisine. Remember: Science is the springboard; which way you jump is up to you.”

Shoeless (a tanka)

Poetry

puddlefeet

wet toes in puddles
are a must when rain walking
Something about this–
standing barefoot on wet earth,
sets things right in my wide world.

—–

POETIC FORM:

If a haiku is usually thought of as a 3-line, 5-7-5 syllable poem, then the tanka would be a 5-line, 5-7-5-7-7 syllable poem. It’s better to think of a tanka as a 5-line poem with 3 short lines (lines 2, 4, 5) and 2 very short lines (lines 1 and 3). While imagery is also important in tanka, the form is a little more conversational than haiku, and allows for the use of poetic devices such as metaphor and personification.

—–

FORM DIAGRAM:

5-
7-
4-
7-
7-

—–

POEM A DAY APRIL 2015 – PROMPT:

“For today’s prompt, pick an adjective, make it the title of your poem, and then, write your poem. If you’re feeling stuck on this one, go back through your poems earlier this month and find adjectives you used–if any. Or crack open a dictionary. Or scan other poems for ideas.”

(Dis)Honesty (a quatern)

Poetry

image

I’ll share my truth in this quatrain.
Can you find it, in the refrain?
I don’t stand too long in the rain,
don’t think of you, or speak your name.

I don’t wait beneath weather vanes,
(I’ll swear it’s truth in this quatrain!)
or confuse thunder with the trains.
Ask again, I’ll tell you the same.

Just because weather stirs my brain,
doesn’t mean I cannot explain
the truth you’ll find in this quatrain.
This longing won’t make me insane.

I watch the forecasts, don’t complain.
Weathermen I refuse to blame.
I don’t miss you, the fact remains.
There is no truth in these quatrains.

—–

POETIC FORM: QUATERN

16 lines broken up into 4 quatrains (or 4-line stanzas). Each line is comprised of 8 syllables. 1st line is the refrain (R). In the 2nd stanza, the refrain appears in the 2nd line; in the 3rd stanza, the 3rd line; in the 4th stanza, the 4th (and final) line. There are no rules for rhyming or iambics.

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FORM DIAGRAM:

1(R)
2
3
4

1
2(R)
3
4

1
2
3(R)
4

1
2
3
4(R)

—–

POEM A DAY APRIL 2015 – PROMPT:

“Today is our second “Two for Tuesday” prompt(s), and here are your options: Write an honest poem. Or…Write a dishonest poem.”

Wet (a lai poem)

Poetry

lyingintherain

The wet soaks my dress,
feels like your caress.
This rain
melts away my stress.
I don’t sigh–much less
complain,
Though I must confess,
to you, I’ll say yes,
again.

—–
POETIC FORM: LAI

The lai is French form, a 9-line poem or stanza that uses an aabaabaab rhyme scheme. The lines with an “a” rhyme use 5 syllables; the “b” rhyme lines have 2 syllables.

FORM DIAGRAM

a(5)-
a(5)-
b(2)-
a(5)-
a(5)-
b(2)-
a(5)-
a(5)-
b(2)-

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POEM A DAY APRIL 2015 – PROMPT:

“For today’s prompt, write a confession poem. For some poets, this may come naturally–confessing feelings, actions, and/or intentions. For others, it may be hard to get personal. That’s OK; take on another persona and write a “confession” for that person, animal, inanimate object, whatever.”

Detour

Poetry

image

Words quickly uttered
can break things–
like a startled bird,
blown by a storm gust
through your door.
All you can do
is open a window,
grab your broom,
and assess the damage.

—–

POEM A DAY APRIL 2015 – PROMPT:

“For today’s prompt, write a damage poem. Since my baby brother is a storm chaser, my mind usually jumps straight to storm damage. However, there’s more than the physical damage created by things like hurricanes, trains, and war planes. There’s also the emotional and psychological damage we inflict, survive, and conceal. The bright side of any damage is that it can be transformed into a poem.”

Storm Season (a somonka)

Poetry

image

Storm season has come:
I’ve got my head in the clouds.
When the wind changes,
We’ll go out, tornado chase,
and find the thrill of our lives!
—
Spring winds spin vanes, it’s
April in Oklahoma.
Clouds are my bedsheets;
Thunder croons my lullaby–
It’s storm season, after all.

—–

POETIC FORM: Somonka

The somonka is a Japanese form. In fact, it’s basically two tankas written as two love letters to each other (one tanka per love letter). This form usually demands two authors, but it is possible to have a poet take on two personas. Click here for a refresher on the tanka.

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FORM DIAGRAM:

5-
7-
5-
7-
7-
—
5-
7-
5-
7-
7-
—–

POEM A DAY APRIL 2015 – PROMPT:

“For today’s prompt, write a seasonal poem. This should be a snap for haiku poets; after all, inserting seasonal words is a rule for the form. However, you don’t have to write haiku to write a poem that references or happens in one of the four seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. Pick a season or include them all.”

How About a Flash? (a gogyohka)

Poetry

lightning (2)

cold rain particles colliding
build energy in a cloud
below magnetic energy pulls
cloud to ground a flash of heat
explosive lightning strikes

—–

POETIC FORM: GOGYOHKA

Gogyohka a Japanese form, translates literally to “five-line poem.” An off-shoot of the tanka form, the gogyohka has very simple rules: The poem is comprised of five lines with one phrase per line. A compound or complex sentence is probably too long, but phrases may be as short as one word and more than five. The theory behind gogyohka is concise lines (five lines) but free (variable line length with each phrase). No special seasonal or cutting words. No subject matter constraints. Just five lines of poetic phrases.

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POEM A DAY APRIL 2015 – PROMPT:

“For today’s prompt, take the phrase “How (blank),” replace the blank with a word or phrase, make the new phrase the title of your poem, and then, write your poem. Possible titles include: “How to Write a Poem,” “How Mechanical Pencils Work,” and “Howling at the Moon After Midnight in the Middle of a Thunderstorm