Poetry Challenge #66-Blank in a Box
It’s that time of year! Porches all across America are heaped with boxes. Such tempting boxes. (Too tempting for some; more than one friend has had packages pilfered.) Ever wonder what’s inside those boxes? Let’s find out!
Powetry 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.
Blank in a Box Playlist:
*Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge 975+ 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 poem in the comments.
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Poetry Challenge #65-I Yam! Channeling Shakespeare/Popeye
William 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, “I Yam what I Yam.”
What do Shakespeare and Popeye have in common? I Yam!
“I Yam” as in I-Yam-bic Pentameter. Iambic meaning a two-syllable soft-hard beat foot: “I-am” or “I-Yam”; Pentameter meaning five metrical of these 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 memorized—not read. Mimicking the natural rhythm of the english language I am I yam I am I yam I am made memorization easier.*
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, four-lines each line five I-Yams 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.
BTW: “French and Italian frequently use six-foot lines, which correspond to about the same number of words but with more gender-marked endings,” (Literature Stack
Channeling Shakespeare Playlist:
*Cindy Faughnan nd I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge over 950 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 poem in the comments.
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Poetry Challenge #64-Got Bubbles?
Dec. 5th is a Red Letter Day on my calendar. It’s National Bathtub Party Day!
According to my go-to need a reason to celebrate site, National Calendar Day:
“Bathtub Party Day was created as a way to skip the ordinary, everyday shower and to luxuriate in the pure pleasure of a good soak in the tub.
HOW TO OBSERVE
Gather your favorite bath bomb, a good book and a glass of Moscato and let the worries of the day fade away while you relax in the tub.”
Poetry Prompt #64
Got Bubbles?
Write a poem about a Bathtub Party which incorporates some or all of the following words:
Bub, Bubbles, Suds, Splash, Scrub, Soap, Splash, Rubber Ducky and Ninja (It’s International Ninja Day, too.)
Extra points if your poem rhymes.
Set the timer for 7 minutes.
Start writing!
Don’t think about it too much; just do it.
Got Bubbles? Playlist:
*Cindy Faughnan nd I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge over 950 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 poem in the comments.
Join the 7-Minute Poetry Challenge. Click on Fishbowl link below and sign up to receive email notifications from Kelly's blog (aka The Fishbowl)!
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Poetry Challenge #63-Five Books High
Do you have a pile of books? I always have a stack that I want to read. Sometimes it grows so large I’m afraid it will fall on me and hurt!
Poetry Challenge #63
Five Books High
For this prompt, take a look at a stack of five books or five books on a shelf. Take the first word (not A or THE) and write it down. Use these words in a poem.
Here are the words from the first five books Cindy’s stack:
cool miracle spell tamed bird
And here’s the poem Cindy wrote in 7 minutes:
“Watching the sun go down
was a cool miracle,
a study in pink and orange and red,
a mystical spell
that tamed the world.
And like the evening bird,
we sang one last word.”
No excuses! If you don’t have a stack of books nearby, use mine!
Set the timer for 7 minutes.
Start writing!
Don’t think about it too much; just do it.
*Cindy Faughnan (reader/reviewer extraordinaire) and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge over 950 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 poem in the comments.
Join the 7-Minute Poetry Challenge. Click on Fishbowl link below and sign up to receive email notifications from Kelly's blog (aka The Fishbowl)!
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Poetry Challenge #62-Please Pass The PieCaken!
Thanksgiving! Say the word and visions of food—crispy golden roasted turkey, cranberry, stuffing, creamy gravy and pie, glorious pie, dance though our heads. ERRRRK, but that’s what traditionalist’s feasts include.
A favorite new picture book, brought to my attention as many interesting new titles are, by Ronna at one of my favorite book blogspots Good Reads With Ronna, not only has me rethinking those traditional foods, it’s inspired this 7-Minute Poetry Prompt.
Poetry Challenge #62
Please Pass the PieCaken!
One layer of pumpkin, one spice cake, one pecan pie, frosted together with buttercream and topped with apple pie filling. Yum!
Take a moment to imagine your favorite Thanksgiving Feast. What foods are on your table? If you’re like me, that feast is going to include mashed sweet potatoes topped with melted marshmallows and PIE! Several kinds of pie. Maybe even this four-layer PieCaken my sis-in-law Valarie sent specially created for those of us who can’t decide which kind of pie to choose.
However . . .
The characters in Ethan Long’s new picture book FANGSGIVING are definitely not traditional. The “Garlic mashed potatoes get eyeballs and earwax added, the turkey gets burned to a crisp and the pumpkin pie gets maggot meatballs thrown in.”
Now it’s your turn:
In the spirit of FANGSGIVING, imagine you are some other creature. An animal for instance, or an alien . . . or maybe even a monster! What would your favorite Thanksgiving Feast be then?
For the title, fill in the blank with whatever creature you are:
________________ Thanksgiving Feast
Set the timer for 7 minutes.
Take a moment to imagine fantastical foods your creature would love.
Start Writing!
Whip those words into a Thanksgiving feast of a poem!
Happy Thanksgiving!
*Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge at least 940 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!
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Poetry Challenge #61-Riffing off Queen
If you were of listening age in the seventies go directly to the theatre to see Bohemian Rhapsody, the new biopic about Freddy Mercury and Queen. Not to give anything away (we all know Queen was a success) a high point in the movie comes when the band is plays its first stadium concert. They look out over the crowd and realize everyone in the stadium is playing-singing-performing with them!
Freddy baby totally rocking it!
According to the movie, this prompts Brian Mays to create songs for the audience to perform. And thus, the blockbuster anthem We Will Rock You came to be. Regardless of whether we know (or can/could ever understand) the lyrics, everyone knows the rhythm:
stomp-stomp clap/
stomp-stomp clap/
baam-baam boom!
Poetry Challenge #61
Riffing off Queen
Write a rhythmic poem about something that rocks you. Or, about a rock… or a rolling stone (if you like Dylan or the Stones better).
First, set that classic We Will Rock You rhythm in your head by actually, physically, pounding out the beat: stomp-stomp clap/stomp-stomp clap/baam-baam boom. Continue pounding out the beat as you compose each line of the poem.
Who knows, you may create another Mega-hit! At best, have fun trying. Rock on!
Set the timer for 7 minutes.
Start writing!
Don’t think about it too much; just do it.
*Cindy Faughnan (cookie baker extraordinaire) and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge over 900 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 poem in the comments.
Join the 7-Minute Poetry Challenge. . . If YOU dare. Click on the Fishbowl link and sign up to receive email notifications from Kelly's blog (aka The Fishbowl)!
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Poetry Challenge #60: Aaaaay! I. O. U.
B-A-Bay, B-E-Bee, B-I-Bitty-Bye, B-O-Bow . . . In case you’re wondering, that’s the beginning of the Vowel Song. My mom, a retired teacher, used to teach it to her students. (If you ask in person, I’ll be happy to sing it to you.) But for this post, channel your loooong vowel sounds:
Poetry Challenge #60
Aaaaaaa! I. O. U.
Choose a long vowel sound (sounds like its name). Now write a poem where the last word in every line ends with that sound but none of the lines can end with the same letter. Good luck! I hope you discover new things that are true!
Set the timer for 7 minutes.
Start writing!
Don’t think about it too much; just do it.
*Cindy Faughnan (cookie baker extraordinaire) and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge over 900 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 poem in the comments.
Join the 7-Minute Poetry Challenge. . . If YOU dare. Click on the Fishbowl link and sign up to receive email notifications from Kelly's blog (aka The Fishbowl)!
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Poetry Challenge #59: Terza Rima
Sometimes You Feel Like a Form…
Forms are like puzzles. You need to fit the right number of syllables or a pattern of rhyme or some other word trick into your poem and still come up with a subject. They are fun to play with—and the results can be surprising!
Poetry Challenge #59
Terza Rima
Today’s form is the Terza Rima which means third rhyme. This form creates three line stanzas with lines of any length where the first and third line rhyme. The second line becomes the rhyme for the next stanza. Keep writing stanzas until you’re done with your poem. The last stanza should be two lines that rhyme.
If you’re better at reading rhyme scheme, it goes like this: ABA BCB CDC DED EE
Here’s an example Cindy created :
I have a hole in my left shoe
it’s growing big and wide
and now and then my toe peeks through.
It’s damp and cold when I’m outside
I cannot wear a sock
I need new shoes; these ones have died.
Rain, snow, and cold air are a shock;
they make me dance, you see.
I cannot ever take a walk.
A shopping trip with Mom would be
the best. I need a guarantee.
Your turn!
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 900 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 poem in the comments.