Poetry Challenge #67-Color Your World
Spring is coming to our village…finally! Colorful blossoms are popping up all around. An especially welcome site against the backdrop of winter’s leftover grey.
So, because we can, let’s lean into all that color!
Poetry Challenge #67
Color Your World
If you can, take it outdoors and look around the garden or neighborhood. (Or look around the space you’re in.)
Pick one color that pops out.
List as many things as you can see that are that color. Look again. Find one more.
Pick one or more items on your list and write about it/them. What is it? Where did it come from? Is it useful? Or beautiful? Or…
When you’re finished, try to cut 10 words from your poem. Play with your word choices to add better sounds, rhythm, or rhyme.
Set the timer for 7 minutes.
Start writing!
Don’t think too much, just do it!
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge more than 8 years ago. We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. If you join us in the 7-Minute Poetry Challenge let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments.
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Fin Pal asks Norman "Any Siter or Bruthers?”
Goldfish Fact: Goldfish lay eggs. But they also eat their own eggs, and the babies when they hatch. So out of all those eggs, only about 10 will survive—if they are lucky. Goldfish eggs take 8-10 days to hatch.
Norman was one of the lucky ones, wasn’t he? But what about the other eggs?
Scroll down . . .
Glug
Glug
Glug . . .
Before we say glug-glug, check out the fintastic picture Charlotte sent with her letter!
Do you have a question for Norman the Goldfish- about friends, school, pets, family, life in and outside the fishbowl? Send him a letter!
Don’t forget to order your copy of NOT NORMAN: A GOLDFISH STORY and NORMAN: ONE AMAZING GOLDFISH!!
Poetry Challenge #370-Only Takes Two
Everybody’s doing it these days…
Poeming that is. It is April after all. And April is National Poetry Month. But…
But…even before April flowers reared their perky heads, grandboy Aiden’s 1st grade teacher at Osborn Hill Elementary, Mrs. Selter, has her students reading, sharing, and creating poetry. By the first of the month, each of them had published their own poetry collections.
Aiden with his poetry collection
Aiden’s poetry book includes poems written in many forms—and with illustrations!
BTW: April Poetry Month was inaugurated by the Academy of American Poets in 1996. https://libguides.xavier.edu/poetry poster from 2015 bears re-reading!
Mrs Selter had her students explore one form we hadn’t tried before. Inspired by them, Cindy and I gave it ago and were delighted with how fun it was. With his permission, I’m sharing the prompt and Aiden’s poem with you. Get ready to give it a go.
Poetry Challenge #370
Two Words is All it Takes
Some might argue that all it takes is one word to make a poem. If it’s the right word. “Dulcenea” for instance, practically became a whole song in Man Of Lamancha… So did “Kelly” in the sitcom Cheers. But that’s a stretch. Two words however…
Two-Word Poetry is a real thing.
Begin by choosing a theme.
For instance Aiden chose “Dogs”.
That will be the title.
Since these are two-word poems there are 2 ways to go about creating them:
1. Write a list of 5 or 6 words that come to mind when you think of your theme. These might be all nouns or adjectives or verbs.
Next to each word, write a word that modifies/compliments the first word.
OR
2. Write a list of two-word phrases that come to mind when you think of your theme.
And just like that you’ve created not one, but 5 or 6 poems today!
If you are in the mood for more, play! Rearrange your poems into pleasing patterns, or change the order to suggest a story, or escalate in tension. Or make them rhyme—especially if one of the words is orange.
Set the timer for 7 minutes.
Start writing!
Don’t think about it too much; just do it.
Orange treats for the birds!
*Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge about 8 years ago. We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. If you join us in the 7-Minute Poetry Challenge let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments.
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Poetry Challenge #66-Blank in a Box
Porches all across America are heaped with boxes. Such tempting boxes. (Too tempting for some…) Ever wonder what’s inside those boxes? Let’s find out!
Pawetry Challenge #66
Blank in a Box
Imagine a mysterious box on your doorstep. What’s inside?
For today’s prompt, begin by filling in the blank: I found a ___________ box.
With that as the first line, compose a five-line poem of one syllable words about what’s inside that box.
Challenge yourself by creating a box-shaped concrete poem. For example, 5 lines of 5 three-letter words would look box-like, or vary the length of the words so each line is the same length.
Set the timer for 7 minutes.
Start writing!
Don’t think about it too much; just do it.
*Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge about 8 years ago. We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. If you join us in the 7-Minute Poetry Challenge let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments.
Click on Fishbowl link below and sign up to receive email notifications from Kelly's blog (aka The Fishbowl):
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Spring Fling Writing Contest
Call me an April Fool, but I can’t resist a fun challenge!
So when I learned that agent Kaitlyn Leanne Sanchez and her critique bud Ciara O’Neal were hosting a writing contest I leaped at the opportunity.
The Spring Fling submission window is only open for 3 days. No April Foolin!
Deadline for posting your story is April 3, 2025 at 11:59 pm CT. (That’s 12:59 am April 4th, in NY)
SO GET BUSY…. the challenge they’ve set, should you choose to accept it, is below: Scroll down down first to the gif I chose and then to read my entry.
(If that’s not incentive enough, the link to the writing contest there too.)
I took on the challenge by starting with a search.
I googled “Spring” GIF
Finally one stirred me. Below is the result:
.
No matter what comes of it, the Spring Fling challenge was fun, and inspiring—and made me very, very hungry. I’m off to the bakery!
Still a few hours left. Give it a try. (Or if you’re reading this after, go check out the various, inspiring, fun, silly, amazing, heartful, entries! Here’s the link:
Spring Fling Writing Contest Details
Now that’s inspiring!
Poetry Challenge #65-I Yam What I Yam
Shakespeare wrote 37 plays, 4 poems and 154 sonnets (that we know of). Of these, many of the plays and all 154 sonnets are written in iambic pentameter.
Popeye guzzled spinach from the can and sang one truly memorable song:
What do Shakespeare and Popeye have in common? “I Yam” as in I-Yam-bic Pentameter.
Iambic meaning that two-syllable soft-hard beat: “I-am” or “I-Yam”; Pentameter meaning five metrical feet, thus creating that singsong rhythm—da DA da DA da DA da DA da DA.
That pattern soft-HARD-soft-HARD-soft-HARD (like a horse gallop) is said to “fit the natural rhythms of English fairly well” in that it offers “enough structure to be memorable and enjoyable, without feeling sing-songy.”
Too, in Shakespeare’s case (and maybe Popeye’s creators, too) the words were intended to be memorize-able—as not many could read back then. And the rhythmic“I am/yam” set a jaunty beat that made memorization easier.
Image from Dan Poore’s Nov 11, 2013 post melding these two wordsmiths.
If Shakespeare and Popeye could do it, surely we can to.
Poetry Challenge #65
I Yam! Channeling Shakespeare/Popeye
Can you write a four-line rhyming stanza of iambic pentameter?
Or, in Popeye-ese, a four-lines, each one being five “I-Yam” long?
You can rhyme each pair of lines (AABB) or every other one (ABAB), whichever you choose.
Write on any subject you want or choose one of the prompts below.
I wish I could remember…
I love the smell of…
I’m waiting for…
Once you’ve got the rhythm, ala Shakespeare, try writing a complete 14-line sonnet.
Set the timer for 7 minutes.
Start writing!
Don’t think about it too much; just do it.
*When you’re finished reward yourself with “Brush Up Your Shakespeare” from Kiss Me Kate.
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge about 3200 days ago. We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. If you join us in the 7-Minute Poetry Challenge let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole dang poem. Scroll down and click on the comments!
Want the 7-Minute Poetry Challenge sent to your email? Click on Fishbowl link and sign up to receive email notifications from Kelly's blog (aka The Fishbowl).
Poetry Challenge #64-Just Ducky
Rubber Ducky you’re the one! Rubber Ducky so much fun….
Grandboys splish-splashing back when they could all fit in the same tub.
Beyond rumors of the ducky jeep phenom and our grands winning ducks at swim meets, I didn’t realize just how big the duck craze was until a trip to Croatia last fall when I spotted my first Duck Boutique in Dubrovnik. And another in Split. I wonder how many ducks a day must they sell to keep the lights on?
Stores full of ducks for sale! @duckboutique.croatia
We always have a rubber duck or two bobbing in the bubbles, but this is quackers!
How did this rubber duck craze start? I turned to Reader’s Digest for the answer.
As the story goes, in 2020, by way of thanking a friend for helping her “calm down” after a gas station altercation, Allison Parliament bought a bag of rubber duckies to hide around her friends house.
““Before those ducks were scattered around an unsuspecting friend’s home, however, Parliament put a single yellow duck on a stranger’s Jeep in the store’s parking lot, with a simple, sweet note saying “nice Jeep.”
The owner of that Jeep saw her and laughed then suggested that she post about it on social media. She did, and that was the birth of a movement that now has more than 73,000 fans (and growing) on Facebook.” ”
Turns out there are duck stores all over the world.
Isn’t that ducky? Definitely quackers!
Poetry Challenge #64
Just Ducky!
Write a poem about a Ducky Bubble Party using some or all of the following words:
Bub, Bubbles, Suds, Splash, Scrub, Soap, Splash and Duck
Extra points if it rhymes.
If you need inspiration, here’s Bobbie Darian with Splish-Splash!
Set the timer for 7 minutes.
Start writing!
Don’t think about it too much; just do it.
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge about 3200 days ago. We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. If you join us in the 7-Minute Poetry Challenge let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole dang poem. Scroll down and click on the comments!
Want the 7-Minute Poetry Challenge sent to your email? Click on Fishbowl link and sign up to receive email notifications from Kelly's blog (aka The Fishbowl).
Poetry Challenge #62-Please Pass the Peas!
Remember this joke:
What did the customer respond when the Pub server asked what they wanted?
Answer: Whirled Peas
Get it? (You may not, but it is what we all want—world peace.) Alas, that’s not what this challenge is about, but it could be… You decide!
Say “St. Patrick’s Day” and visions of Corned Beef, Cabbage, green applesauce—and Tums pop into my head.
Say “Thanksgiving” and the menu switches to crispy golden roasted turkey, cranberry, stuffing, creamy gravy and pie, glorious pie, dance though our heads.
Say “Summertime” and it’s all about fruit, fruit cobbler, fruit crisp, fruit swirls, fruit juice dripping from chins…and pie. (Anytime of year is all about pie.)
Peas and pie are what led to this prompt.
Poetry Challenge #62
Please Pass the Peas!
Take a moment to imagine your favorite feast. What foods are on your table?
If you’re like me, that feast is going to include…you guessed it: pie! Several kinds of pie.
Maybe even this four-layer PieCaken sis-in-law Valarie suggested we try, specially created for those of us who can’t decide which kind of pie to choose. It’s One layer of pumpkin, one spice cake, one pecan pie, frosted together with buttercream and topped with apple pie filling. Yum! https://www.oprah.com/food/whats-inside-a-piecaken
However . . .
The characters in Ethan Long’s picture book FANGSGIVING are definitely not traditional. However they kind of are as they served up pie, too—pumpkin pie with maggot meatballs thrown in.”
Now it’s your turn:
In the spirit of whirled peas, imagine you are some alternate reality or you are some other creature. An animal for instance, or an alien . . . or maybe even a monster! What would your favorite feast be?
Take a moment to imagine all the fantastical foods your creature would love. Whip those words into a feast of a poem!
For the title, fill in the blank with whatever creature you are:
Please Pass the _______________
Set the timer for 7 minutes.
Start writing!
Don’t think about it too much; just do it.
YUMMY! (So is this book!)
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge at least 3100 days ago. We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. If you join us in the 7-Minute Poetry Challenge let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole dang poem. Scroll down and click on the comments!