Poetry Challenge #155-No Rhyme Nor Reason
Today, September 1st is No Rhyme (nor Reason) Day. A day set aside to honor, recognize, pay tribute to “words that do not rhyme with any other words in the English language.” (Why September 1st? no one seems to know.)
Rhymeless words are called refractory rhymes. According to the National Days Calendar, “Poets reason that avoiding these words helps keep their poetry consistent. However, refractory words only interrupt poems where rhyme and reason matter.”
WAH-WAH-WAH! scoff some, fecklessly taking on rhymeless words the way bulls (other than Ferdinand) challenge red sashes by fabricating words ala Lewis Carroll, or using proper names to make the rhyme.
Others get around the pesky rhyme issue by adding a suffix to rhymeless words, such as changing month to month-o, or orange to orangine, orangish, orangey, oranguar, etc. etc. and so forth . . .
Poetry Challenge #155
No Rhyme Nor Reason
Below is a list of rhymeless words, with no reason other than having fun, write a rhyming poem:
Use one or two… or even a few. Long or short, funny or not, we care not a jot—it’s completely up to you!
Set Your Timer for 7 Minutes
Start Writing
Don’t Think Too Much About it; Just do it!
More No Rhyme nor Reason Reading:
National No Rhyme (nor Reason) Day: #NoRhymeNorReasonDay
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge more than 1580ish days ago! (without a miss!!!) We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. If you join us in the Challenge, let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments. And scroll down for my happy news:
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Poetry Challenge #154-That's Puzzling?!
Shirley Ellis was the Queen of rocking song games: The Name Game, The Clapping Game, 3-6-9 Song, and the inspiration for today’s poetry challenge, The Puzzle Song (A Puzzle in Song), 1965. Definitely a tongue twister which posed a lot of questions:
To who do you do the thing to do
When it's time to do it
No matter to who
But there's nobody there to do it but you
And what isn't that has to be done
Is a puzzle in song
Now how do you know
If you know how to do
Whatever it is to be done by you
If there's nobody there to do it to
And what isn't that has to be done
Is a puzzle in song
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers
Can't compare with trying to figure out the puzzle song
Holding your tongue
And saying molasses on the table isn't as hard
As trying to figure out the puzzle song
Supposing you find the answer to
To who do you do the thing to do
The puzzle is still is a puzzle to you
Is what isn't that has to be done
Is a puzzle in song.—”A Puzzle in Song” lyrics, Shirley Ellis
Poetry Challenge #154
That’s Puzzling?!
In the spirit of The Puzzle Song write a stanza poem that does one of two things:
1. Answers the questions posed by Shirley
2. Poses questions for the reader to ponder.
In The Puzzle Song, sneaky Shirley inserted a refrain that begins with this familiar tongue twister: “Peter Piper picked a pepper.” That refrain seemingly has absolutely nothing to do with the anything, thus making it even more puzzling.
See if you can’t follow suit by breaking up your stanza with a nursery rhyme line refrain—which may or may not make sense.
Have fun puzzling us with your poem!
Set Your Timer for 7 Minutes
Start Writing
Don’t Think Too Much About it; Just do it!
Take a listen: A Puzzle in Song sung by Shirley!
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge more than 1570ish prompts ago! (without a miss!!!) We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. If you join us in the Challenge, let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments. And scroll down for my happy news:
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Poetry Challenge #153-Flying High!
Aviation—flying—has fascinated humans forever. Stories are told about Icarus who flew too close to the sun with homemade wings and melted the wax that held the feathers on.
The Wright Brothers are famous for being first in flight. Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart flew long distances. And Neil Armstrong took a walk on the moon.
Poetry Challenge #153
Flying High!
In honor of National Aviation Day (August 19th) Write an acrostic poem using the name of a famous aviator (Lindbergh, Earhart, Armstrong) or of a flying machine (airplane, rocket, Apollo) or of something to do with aviation (Kitty Hawk, airport).
Write the name down your paper, one letter per line and then use that letter to start each line.
Read over your poem and make it soar!
Set Your Timer for 7 Minutes
Start Writing
Don’t Think Too Much About it; Just do it!
Flying High Playlist:
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge more than 1570 prompts ago! (without a miss!!!) We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. If you join us in the Challenge, let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments. And scroll down for my happy news:
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Poetry Challenge #152-Me in the Middle
Malcolm in the Middle
In honor of National Middle Child Day, think about your placement in your family. Are you an oldest or a youngest? An only? A middle child?
It’s thought that middle children have it the hardest (hence Middle Child Syndrome), but research has shown that middle children often have the best peace-keeping skills. They’re very good at finding ways of getting attention. They’re independent and have an easy time making friends.
Poetry Challenge #152
Me In the Middle
Make up a singsong refrain about being a middle child that’s 2 lines long.
Then write a poem about middle children everywhere. You can write about your own experience as a middle child or about a sibling or relative or friend. Or, write about a time you were the friend in the middle.
After every 2 lines of your poem, repeat your refrain.
Set Your Timer for 7 Minutes
Start Writing
Don’t Think Too Much About it; Just do it!
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge more than 1570 prompts ago! (without a miss!!!) We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. If you join us in the Challenge, let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments. And scroll down for my happy news:
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Poetry Challenge #151-Tidy Whities Unite!
Today is a day dedicated to mentioning unmentionables—specifically underwear: bloomers, nickers, pantaloons, briefs, boxers, tidy-whities. . . whatever you call what you wear under your outer clothes.
“Underwear of some kind appear in nearly every culture.”
Back in the Middle Ages (400AD-1400AD) men sported undies more like string bikinis than tidy-whities.
As for the lady of the castle: a bra is a bra is as my grandmother called it, “torture device,” the earliest existing example of which is about 600 years old.
Poetry Challenge #151
Tidy Whities Unite
In honor of National Underwear Day (Aug 5, 2020), write a brief poem about undies.
By brief meaning: A poem using no more than five words per line, and no more than three lines, write a poem about whatever it is you wear under your clothes-- but if you’re one of those who prefers wafting in breezes…call it Commando!
Set Your Timer for 7 Minutes
Start Writing
Don’t Think Too Much About it; Just do it!
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge MORE THAN 1563 days ago! (without a miss!!!) We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. If you join us in the 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 #150-BRRRING-A-DING-DING
Pennsylvania 6-5000, the telephone number, immortalized in a Glenn Miller Orchestra song, will, to this day, connect you to the front desk of The Hotel Pennsylvania in New York. All you have to do is add on the modern area code.
Let’s break it down: Hotel Pennsylvania is located nearest the Pennsylvania telephone exchange, or PE, named for Penn Station in New York City. So, to reach the hotel in the 1930s, people would dial PE6-5000 or 736-5000, swapping in numbers for letters. Tack on the modern 212 area code and you’ve got a modern, 10-digit phone number. Not so different from what it was in the 1930s.
Poetry Challenge #150
BRRING-A-DING DING!
What’s the first phone number you remember learning? How old were you?
Mine is easy: 747-7747. I was in second grade. To make it easier still, we live at 707 Moraga lane. I think the 707 was a coincidence, but who knows? Back in the days of one-per-house attached phones with curly cords, there well may have been a correlation between house numbers and phone numbers.
Imagine you are calling that first number. Or someone who would have back then, is calling you on that number. Write a Conversation Poem between you and that someone else. And…
Make the number of words in each line the same as that phone number. My poem for example will be 7 lines long. First line 7 words, 2nd line 4, 3rd line 7 and so on. Any zeros are Wild! Writer’s choice! And…
Alternate lines of dialogue as you would in a conversation.
BRRRING! “Hello! Is this the party to whom I am speaking?”
Set Your Timer for 7 Minutes
Start Writing
Don’t Think Too Much About it; Just do it!
Pennsylvania 6-5-OH-OH-OH Playlist:
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge MORE THAN 1563 days ago! (without a miss!!!) We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. If you join us in the 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 #149-Tastes Like Sunshine
“Each of us spends an average of fifteen full days a year doing nothing but eating,”—Bill Haduch, Food Rules
According to scientists, the link between food and memory began as a human survival tactic known as conditioned taste aversion. Our bodies are programmed to forever remember foods that made us sick, along with when and where we ate them, so we will be sure to avoid eating them in the future. Along with remembering bad food experiences, we are also programmed to remember delicious food experiences.
Poetry Challenge #149
Tastes Like Sunshine
What is the most delicious thing you ever remember eating? Where were you when you ate it? What were you doing before? (Or what did you do after?) Who were you with?
Write a poem about it.
Extra points for using a simile to compare the taste of that food with some non-food thing. A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two things often using the words "like", "as", or "than.”
The title of your poem will be the place you were when that food memory was created. in that memory. Fill in the blank:
Tastes Like ________________.
“One must ask children and birds how cherries and strawberries taste”— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
Set Your Timer for 7 Minutes
Start Writing
Don’t Think Too Much About it; Just do it!
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge MORE THAN 1550 days ago! (without a miss!!!) We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. If you join us in the 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 #148-Give Something Away.
Today, July 15th, is National Give Something Away Day. What will you give away? Clothes or toys or books that you’ve outgrown? Cookies or a hat that you made?
When it comes to words, the best writers seem to agree:
“The details are the life of it, I insist, say everything on your mind, don’t hold back, don’t analyze or anything as you go along, say it out.” -Jack Kerouac
You could give away some time—either volunteer for something or spend some time with someone.
You could give away a compliment or a smile.
So many choices for Give Something Away Day!
Poetry Challenge #148
Give It Away!
Think of what you might give away and write a poem about it. What is it? Where will it find a new home? What will it mean for that person? How will the receiver feel about it? How will the given away object feel about being given away? Will you miss it?
Write your poem in couplets—two lines that rhyme.
Set your timer for 7 minutes
Start writing!
Don’t think about it too much; just do it!
Don’t forget to give something away today—Maybe this poem!
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge MORE THAN 1525 days ago! (without a miss!!!) We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. If you join us in the Challenge, let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments.