Tag Archives: Poetry

April 7, 2024

NaPoWriMo 2024 – Day 7 – Anniversary

Photo Credit: https://pixabay.com/users/dungthuyvunguyen-5499796/

Anniversary

I thought of you today, thought of us, at that little cafe.
You know the one, near that funky gift shop…has it been a year?
Ordered a tea. Wish you were here. Strange, I think in a way you are.

~kat

NaPoWriMo 2024 – Day 7 Challenge: write a poem titled “Wish You Were Here” that takes its inspiration from the idea of a postcard. Consistent with the abbreviated format of a postcard, your poem should be short, and should play with the idea of travel, distance, or sightseeing.

Poetry Form: The Sijo

Sijo poems follow a structure familiar to fans of Japanese haiku and tanka: There are three lines in total, each with about 14–16 syllables, for a total syllable count of 44–46. Where haiku may encourage the briefest glimpse of feeling or scene, sijo has a touch more room to paint a picture. The first line sets the theme of the poem, say, with a 3-4-4-4 grouping pattern; the second line elaborates with a similar 3-4-4-4 echo, introducing more detail or perspective; the third line presents some kind of conclusion.

5 Comments | tags: Challenge, NaPoWriMo2024, Poem a Day, Poetry, postcards, Sijo | posted in 2024, Challenges and Writing Prompts, Digital Art & Photos, napowrimo, Poetry, Sijo

April 6, 2024

NaPoWriMo 2024 – Day 6 – an empty sink

By Kat Myrman

an empty sink

it was the unspoken rule 
a sure antidote for the insanity
that seeped through the walls
and haunted the dark rooms
of my childhood home
everything in its place and
most of all, no dishes in the sink
it was nightly chore my sister and I hated
but one we knew, if not completed 
each night to our father’s satisfaction 
when he returned from his nightly binges
we could expect to be roused from sleep
by the sound of the cabinets being emptied
of dishes and silverware hitting the floor 
ordered to clean the mess “we caused”
all because there was a fork left in the sink
or a tea cup, it didn’t matter, 
I remember hiding in the clothes closet 
to avoid his manic outbursts of rage
I learned to be perfect on the outside

eventually I realized that a spotless sink somehow provided my troubled father 
with the appearance of order
a way to hide the disfunction 
that hounded him and terrorized
our seemingly happy, little family
we looked good in Polaroid snapshots
we almost looked normal…

it would be years before I was able 
to let dishes air dry in the sink
my sister too suffered this peculiar trait
eventually we both realized that life
can be a bit messy, that unfolded laundry 
on a chair or dishes in the sink are not
grave sins, but simply signs of normal life 
and messy normal is okay
but it’s a character flaw I contend with 
because perfect is an illusion 
so please don’t judge me
by my spotless sink…I’m not trying to hide
some horrible secret or assuage my angst
sometimes I just can’t help myself
but sometimes, I’ll leave a spoon 
in the sink overnight on purpose
because I need to remember 
though I am my fathers’s daughter 
I am not crazy…
at least that’s what my therapist tells me

~kat

NaPoWriMo 2024 – Day 6 Challenge – And now for our (optional) prompt. Today’s we’d like to challenge you to write a poem rooted in “weird wisdom,” by which we mean something objectively odd that someone told you once, and that has stuck with you ever since. Need an example? Check out Naomi Shihab Nye’s poem “Making a Fist.”

11 Comments | tags: Challenge, free verse, NaPoWriMo2024, Poem a Day, Poetry | posted in 2024, Challenges and Writing Prompts, free verse, napowrimo, Poetry

April 5, 2024

NaPpiWriMo 2024 – Day 5 – the hound, the cat, and the old man

By Kat Myrman

the hound, the cat and the old man

“happiness,” declared old hound,
“is a good chew, a bone, a stick, a chair,
it’s a soft bed, a full water bowl and 
plenty of kibble, shelter from the storm, 
belly rubs, a window with a view, and
most of all my very own human to love
who treats me kindly and calls me good boy.”

cat rolled her eyes at hound, “happiness? 
I’ll tell you what happiness is you old fool
happiness is owning a devoted human
one who serves me prime pate. I must
have a water fountain and sun-warmed 
spots to nap, a fresh litter-box, catnip
and limited touching…no belly rubs 

an old man sitting nearby overheard  hound and cat, 
“It’s true. happiness is having enough to eat, 
someone to love, i agree with you two
but it’s also satisfaction from a job 
done well, hope and dreams, it’s learning 
something new, helping others, friendship 
It’s a way of life, a choice, a blessing!”

hound flipped onto his back, “belly rub please, belly rub paleeeeeeeaze!!!!”
cat leapt up on a windowsill, “whatever!“, she hissed, as she curled into a ball.
the man smiled, happiness is this moment

~kat

NaPoWriMo 2024 -Day 5 Challenge: Now, let’s get to our optional prompt! Today we’d like you to start by taking a look at Alicia Ostriker’s poem, “The Blessing of the Old Woman, the Tulip, and the Dog.” Now try your hand at writing your own poem about how a pair or trio very different things would perceive of a blessing or, alternatively, how these very different things would think of something else (luck, grief, happiness, etc).

9 Comments | tags: cat, Challenge, hound, NaPoWriMo2024, old man, Poem a Day, Poetry, Prose Poem | posted in 2024, Challenges and Writing Prompts, free verse, napowrimo, Poetry, Prose Poem

April 4, 2024

NaPoWriMo 2024 – Day 4 – Lemmings

By Kat Myrman

Does this fellow’s face looking disturbingly familiar? ,,, nah! SMH! 🤣

The Suicide Marches of Lemmings

every four years or so, or eight
lemmings emerge and fall in line 
entranced, though certain death awaits 
undeterred, they lose their minds

resistant to all reasoning
when truth is plain, as plain as day
pressing on, it’s frightening 
to watch them sell their souls this way

and as each one succumbs to lies
their numbers dwindle as they go
over the edge, shutting their eyes
and ears to what onlookers know

how tragic is the lemmings’ fate
as if they never had a choice
deceived, thinking things could be great
they drank the koolaid, lost their voice

~kat

NaPoWriMo 2024 – Day 4 Challenge: write a poem in which you take your title or some language/ideas from The Strangest Things in the World. First published in 1958, the book gives shortish descriptions of odd natural phenomena, and is notable for both its author’s turn of phrase and intermittently dubious facts. Perhaps you will be inspired by the “The Self-Perpetuating Sponge” or “The World’s Biggest Sneeze.” Or maybe the quirky descriptions of luminous plants, monstrous bears, or the language of ravens will give you inspiration.

My inspiration:

The Suicide Marches of Lemmings

2 Comments | tags: Challenge, current affairs, digital art., herd mentality, lemmings, NaPoWriMo2024, Poem a Day, Poetry, Rhymed Verse | posted in 2024, Challenges and Writing Prompts, Digital Art & Photos, napowrimo, Poetry, Rhymed Verse

April 3, 2024

NaPoWriMo 2024 Day 3 – Theo

By Kat Myrman

Theo

I am certain that we knew each other 
in a former life, if past lives exist. 
We could even be soulmates, I’m sure of it! 
I remember the day we met, the moment 
our eyes found each other. There was no 
turning back. It was a turning point. 
In fact, I felt it in the deepest part of my soul. 
Admit it, you felt it too. From unknowing 
to knowing in a split second. Without 
hesitating you walked right up to me.
Ileaned down to greet you as you gently 
licked my face. No dog has ever held my 
heart the way you do, Theo. No living being for that matter. Surely we are soulmates. 
What a good boy you are!

~kat