Tag Archives: NaPoWriMo2024

NaPoWriMo 2024 Day 24 – simple dreams

simple dreams

I am worn out with dreams
finished with futile endeavors
no more wishing on shooting stars
what will be, will be, it’s all good, whatever…

don’t need to make things happen
I’m learning to go with the flow
it’s quite a ride, just cruising along
no pressure, nothing to prove, no show

my dreams these days are simpler things
the season of striving has come to an end
my focus is now on the joy that life brings and the treasure found in single sweet moments

~kat

NaPoWriMo 2024 Day 24 Challenge: write a poem that begins with a line from another poem (not necessarily the first one), but then goes elsewhere with it. This will work best if you just start with a line of poetry you remember, but without looking up the whole original poem. Or you could find a poem that you haven’t read before and then use a line that interests you. The idea is for the original to furnish the backdrop for your work, but without influencing you so much that you feel as if you are just rewriting the original! For example, you could begin, “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day,” or “I have measured out my life with coffee spoons,” or “I miss them, but it wasn’t a disaster,” or “they persevere in swimming where they like.” Really, any poem will do to provide your starter line – just so long as it gives you the scope to explore.

The line I chose is from the poem, “Men Improve with the Years” by William Butler Yeats: “I am worn out with dreams”.


NaPoWriMo 2024 – Day 23 – ode to unsung heroes


ode to unsung heroes

they’re not obvious,
your superpowers,
but I’ve seen you
light up a room
with a simple smile
I’ve watched you slay
the closet monsters
with a lullaby and
heal wounds with a kiss
I’ve watched you juggle
groceries, several toddlers,
an infant on your hip, and
an over-stuffed handbag
filled with bandaids, bottles,
diapers, wipes, and snacks,
while navigating across a busy
parking lot, arriving safely
at the car where you deftly
pack, strap, and tuck everyone
in for the ride home…
you wake up early,
lay your head down late
sleep lightly, always
at the ready to serve,
and you do all this without
expecting anything in return
you love deeply, so deeply
you are the wind beneath
the wings of your fledglings
you may think nobody notices
but I do…you’re a true superhero
don’t you dare let anyone
tell you that you’re weak

~kat

NaPoWriMo 2024 Day 23 Challenge: write a poem about, or involving, a superhero, taking your inspiration from these four poems in which Lucille Clifton addresses Clark Kent/Superman.


NaPoWriMo 2024 Day 22 – lying eyes

lying eyes

we’re told
not to believe
what we see with our eyes
“trust us,” they say, “we’ll tell you what
is true

it’s impossible
to know the truth; what is truth?
it’s an opinion

~kat

NaPoWriMo 2024 Day 22 Challenge: write a poem in which two things have a fight. Two very unlikely things, if you can manage it. Like, maybe a comb and a spatula. Or a daffodil and a bag of potato chips. Or perhaps your two things could be linked somehow – like a rock and a hard place – and be utterly sick of being so joined. The possibilities are endless!

Poetry Forms: Cinquain and Senryu

A cinquain is a five-line poem consisting of twenty-two syllables: two in the first line, then four, then six, then eight, and then two syllables again in the last line.

Senryū is a Japanese form of short poetry similar to haiku in construction: three lines with 17 morae. Senryū tend to be about human foibles while haiku tend to be about nature, and senryū are often cynical or darkly humorous while haiku are more serious.


NaPoWriMo 2024 Day 20: two sides, one truth

Supporters of President Donald Trump gather in front of the U.S. Capitol Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (CNS/Reuters/Stephanie Keith)
two sides, one truth

“It was the most beautiful day” | we saw democracy in action
“so much love in the air” | as hate and tension mounted on the hill
“the crowd was unbelievable” | with lawmakers under attack
“I’ve never seen anything like it” | it was a violent insurrection
proud patriots marched on | sending leaders blue and red into hiding
to defend democracy | but when the smoke cleared
to restore the rightful winner | they rose up to vote
believing an election was stolen | to counter a big lie
some were accused, tried, imprisoned | democracy almost died that day
now the so-called hostages | but for the brave
by those who stand | who stood their ground
to honor them | to save us from ourselves
as they sing the national anthem | we will never forget that day
let freedom ring | with liberty and justice for all

~kat

NaPoWriMo 2024 Day 20 Challenge: write a poem that recounts a historical event. In writing your poem, you could draw on your memory, encyclopedias, history books, or primary documents.

Been a while since I wrote a cleave poem. Though I’m a day late to the party, this prompt felt like the perfect opportunity given the revisionist history of recent events. My research took me down a few rabbit holes. It’s no wonder people are confused! But there is truth and reality. Sometimes we need to trust what our eyes and ears and common sense tell us!

Poetry form: A cleave poem is a poem in three (or more) pieces: the left side, the right side, and both combined. Read one side…|…then the other … then both sides line by line combined.


NaPoWriMo 2024 Day 17 – thinking out loud

thinking out loud

this
is
totally
absurd
the latest,
have you heard?
like nothing
we have ever
seen
idolatry
to the extreme
feigned religiosity
disgusting evangelicals
who make our lives
a living hell
they flock to him
like birds to seed
he uses them to
feed his greed
they willingly concede
he owns them ‘til
the day they die
mesmerized by
juicy lies
I pray they see
the honest truth
before the devil
demands
his due

~kat

NaPoWriMo 2024 Day 17 Challenge: write a poem that is inspired by a piece of music, and that shares its title with that piece of music.

Finally catching up after a crazy week!!! I was more inspired by the title than the actual lyrics of the song, “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran. This is what I often think to myself in mixed political company. I have to fight myself from screaming what I really think out loud! In this climate things are better left unsaid, that is if one cares at all about seeing another day!