Poetry Challenge #118-Beyond Your Control
It’s that time of year when every day is a little bit longer than the one before.
And then, just when we are used to it, snippet by snippet night will begin stealing back moments. . .
and there is not one thing we can do about it. There are some things that are simply
Beyond Our Control. . .
Poetry Challenge #119
Beyond Your Control
Pretend I’m waving a ticking pocket watch before your eyes.
“You’re getting sleepy…sleepy…your eyes are getting heavy” …TICK-TICK-TICK
Let your eyes drift closed. . . Tick-tick . . .Now image you’ve been hypnotized into doing something that you would not ordinarily do. Something so out of character you’d have to be under some sort of unworldly power to attempt it.
And now, because the clock is ticking, fast as you can write a poem about where you are, what you’re doing, and how you feel doing it.
Keep it short. Four lines maximum. Because the clock is ticking!
Set your timer for 7 minutes
Don’t think about it too much.
just
Start
writing!
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge more than 8 summer 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 #117-Celebrate!
Every day is a special day. If a day dawns in need of an excuse to celebrate I make a quick search. I delight in finding calendars that telling what each day is special for—more than 365 reasons to make a ruckus!
Today, April 15th is according to nationaldaycalendar.com, is Purple Up Day! Rubber Eraser Day! and Take a Wild Guess Day!
And, if that’s not enough to get you blowing those weird paper roll-up horns, it’s the 30th Anniversary of National Poetry Month!
Poetry Challenge #117
A Month of Holidays
As the inimitable fashion of Kool and the Gang:
Celebration time…Come on!
No matter what day it is, find something to celebrate. (If only it’s not having to listen to me singing along…because you know I am.)
Choose something to celebrate. Erasers maybe, or purple, or the neighbor’s irritatingly loud wind chimes. (At least they haven’t blown off into my yard or through a window…YET!)
Write a celebratory poem.
Jazz your poem up with some celebratory words: Clap, cheer, rejoice, glitter, shine, hallelujah!
And if you need some mood music, click and listen to Kool and the Gang singing Celebration!
Set your timer for 7 minutes
Don’t think about it too much; just do it!
Start writing!
And when you’re finished…CELEBRATE!
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge over 3500 days ago. We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. (This one is Cindy’s.) 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 #116-Prompt Time
Contrary to popular believe, there is a sure fire cure for writer’s Brain Freeze.
At first you might baulk. Complain. Resist ala Baby in Dirty Dancing. But it works . . .
Poetry Challenge #116
Prompt Time
Writing from a prompt pushes you to write fast and helps you free your mind. Get your notebook or computer ready and set your timer. Below is a one-line prompt.
No one tells me what to do…
You use the prompt as your first line of a poem, your last line, or a line in the middle. Read it and then write as fast as you can.
Ready . . .
Set your timer for 7 minutes
Don’t think about it too much; just do it!
Start writing!
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge over eight years ago. We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. (This one is Cindy’s.) 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 #115-Knit Wits
Can you name the book?
Think “knitting” and an image of the “quiet old lady whispering ‘hush’” springs to many a mind. But that’s bunk. All sort of folks knit. All ages and stages. And it’s not just about yarn (although yarns are told.)
Knitting is such a useful word. In the same way yarn becomes sweaters, wounds knit back together. Families are closely knit. Brows knit in consternation or contemplation. Thoughts knit together become ideas, just as words knit together can be poetry.
In Merriam-Webster speak, knitting is “a series of connected loops,” so that’s where we’ll begin.
Classic Knit-One, Purl-Two pattern
Poetry Challenge #115
Knit Wits
Close your eyes and write down the first word that pops into your mind. One word. That word will be the title of your poem.
Next, quickly list words that you associate with your word. From that list, choose the best five.
Take a moment to reorder those five words into a sort of pattern that makes sense to you.
Let’s use our wits to knit those words together to create a poem.
For our first effort, we’ll use a simple knit one, purl two pattern. Consider those five words to be your “knit” stitches. The “purl” part of our poem will be modifiers. Let’s get knitting!
Write your first “knit” word. Below it “purl” two modifiers. Below that purl, write your next “knit” word, then “purl” two; continue in this knit one-purl two pattern until you come to the end of your word list. Just like that you’ve knitted a 10-line poem.
Set your timer for 7 minutes
Don’t think about it too much; just do it!
Start writing!
*Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge more than eight 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 #114-User Error
User Error is such a useful term. At one and the same time it blames and forgives:
“Yes, I did it, but it wasn’t my fault.”
Poetry Challenge #114
User Error
Think back on a time when you’ve had a system malfunction? A SNAFU? A mess up? A day, event, moment when you dropped the ball: BONG BONG BONG (If you haven’t ever had one on those times, make one up.)
Take a moment to dreg up all the miserable, embarrassing, nauseating, gut-wrenching details. Allow yourself to wallow in the misery for one more minute.
Write a poem about that time. Try not to rhyme. Not to spell correctly. Not to sound pleasant. Let it be harsh and raw—try breaking the lines in odd places. It other words: write a lousy poem.
End it with those two huge words: USER ERROR!
Set your timer for 7 minutes
Don’t think about it too much; just do it!
Start writing!
*Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge….dang, I forget how long 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 #113-One Must Ask Children and Birds
“I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today . . . “
J. Wellington Whimpy, as any Popeye fan knows, would do just about anything for a hamburger. Parisians rioted over the lack of break, likewise so did Starbuck fans during a recent run on Pumpkin Latte (not really), but, I imagine they would. Cindy’s weakness is lobster. Mine (in case you’re gifting) is salted caramel. What’s your favorite food?
Poetry Challenge #113
One Must Ask Children and Birds
“One must ask children and birds how cherries and strawberries taste”— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
Pick a food that begins with a consonant (not a, e, i, o, or u). Can you think of other foods that begin with the same letter? List 5-10 foods that begin with the same letter. Next, list 3-10 foods that end with that letter. Then, list 3-10 foods that have that letter in the middle. Finally, list 3 verbs and 3 adjectives that have to do with food and contain your letter.
The repetition of a consonant sound is called alliteration. Many times tongue twisters are made from these repeated sounds. Use words from all your lists to write an alliterative list poem. Read it aloud and see if it trips your tongue.
“I will not eat them here or there. I will not eat them anywhere.
I do not eat green eggs and ham. I do not like them, Sam-I-am.”
Set your mind to channel FOOD
Set your timer for 7 minutes
Don’t think about it too much; just do it!
Start writing!
*Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge way too many meals 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 #107-Baby, You Can Name My Car!
According to a car nickname website, if you love your car, it’s normal to give it a name. Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang was named for the sound the car made. The Magic Schoolbus was magic and a schoolbus. Scooby-Doo’s Mystery Machine was just that.
Lightning McQueen from Cars, Kit from Knight Rider, and Bandit from Smokey and the Bandit, are a few infamous ones.
The kids named my old Mom Minivan “Doris.” Doris didn’t mind one bit…in fact, I think our old van liked having a name, it made her feel like part of the family. (At least she never blew a gasket!)
Poetry Challenge #107
Baby, You Can Name Your Car!
Think about a car or other mode of transportation you use—EQUAL RIGHTS FOR BIKES!!!
Jot down some words that describe it. What’s its shape? color? size? Does it run well? Make any strange noises? Where does it like to go best? What might you name your car that makes you think of any/all of these things?
An ode is a poem of praise. Let’s write an ode to your car with these restrictions:
First line: One word—maybe the brand of your car, the model, or just the word “car”.
Second line: Two words—two adjectives describing the car (color, size, # of doors, etc.)
Third line: Three words—What does your car do?
Fourth line: Two words—How does your car make you feel?
Fifth line: Your car’s name!
Set the timer for 7 minutes.
Start writing!
Don’t think about it too much; get writing! VROOOOOOOOM!
Name Your Car Playlist:
Baby You Can Drive My Car by The Beatles
Baby You Can Drive My Car by The Beatles
Baby You Can Drive My Car by The Beatles (You get the idea.)
Extra points if you know this car’s name…
*Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge many moons ago. We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. (This one was Cindy’s.) 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 #102 May Old Resolutions be Forgot
Depending on where and when you’re reading this, it’s either out with the old or in with a new year. Good tidings to you and your kin!
“Good tidings” I love that phrase. I always assumed “tidings” was some ye old sailor’s greeting, referring to the tides, as in, high tide, tide in, tide out…some cheery send off along the lines of “sail on my wayward son/they’ll be …”
I was wrong.
According to my Google AI Overview, tidings “comes from Old English tidung, meaning "an event, an occurrence, or a piece of news". It's linked to Old Norse tíðendi (events, news) and Germanic words for time, like German Zeitung (newspaper).”
Nothing whatsoever to do with the sea. I’ve been wrong about a lot of things. And that’s exactly what this prompt is all about! So read on my wayward friends:
Poetry Challenge #102
May Old Resolutions Be Forgot
At the beginning of the new year, we all make those resolutions—with the best of intentions. The most common resolutions people make are: exercise more, eat less, spend more time with family, get organized, save money, learn a new skill.
Forget whatever you have resolved every other year…wipe the slate clean.
Write a poem of glad tidings for the coming year which includes one resolution.
It can rhyme…or not.
It can be short…or not.
It must contain some positive, hopeful, seaworthy feeling! Onward!
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 over 8 New Years Days ago. We take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. If you join us by writing a poem, let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments.