I have been on an absolute kick with regard to love. This is possibly because I've been looking through old notebooks and noticing how much my pen used to be obsessed with the idea. I had filled many pages with the idea, and I kind of like it. Love is one of the driving forces behind the universe it seems; it's everywhere. But sometimes we forget it. Or it gets misplaced. Sometimes it sneaks its way into our other pieces of baggage; you know, the ones which we glean from past relationships or ones that will never really be. Sometimes we forget how powerful this word is and why it should be saved and used only when we truly mean it. These thoughts are what lead into today's prompt.
Write an epistle (poem in letter form) to someone whom you love (or loved).
Granted, this is a difficult topic, so I'm going to open it up a bit and encourage you to write to the very first person who comes to mind. What does love mean where this person is concerned? Is it a feeling of concern for their well-being (like a guardian or parent)? Is it a feeling of platonic, amazing friendship? Is it a difficult to describe, deep seated attraction type love? As you'll notice, these questions revolve around what type of love you're trying to express. Keep this in mind: There are several different types of love. Which do you feel strongest in your life right now? Which felt strongest to you at some point prior to this? How would you describe your thoughts/feelings? As always, be specific, and don't hesitate to put pen to page.
Love is a strong emotion and well worth writing about, so be sure to have fun writing and good luck!
Monday, November 26, 2012
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Thankful
I am thankful for so many things it's difficult to know where to start.
So I suppose I'll begin from the ground up.
I'm thankful for my legs which learned
the value of standing strong, knees bent over
toes turned straight forward. My legs keep me grounded; they
know how to kick like Chuck Norris, and they're balanced
from years of walking, kicking, and standing in the right direction.
I'm thankful for my hips which sway
for the grace of songs. Hips are the centered energy
points of power, and the place from which gravity stems.
They communicate with intimate others, keep my legs aligned,
and keep a contact point between the ground and my stomach.
I'm thankful for my stomach which has kept
digesting even though other parts of my system shut down.
Somewhere along the line, my stomach lets me move because
the sun still shines. I've digested so much light
over the years that clouds hardly have a say anymore.
I'm thankful for my heart who's been giving me a meter for 26 years. Blood
runs 60,000 miles a day, and my heart takes center stage; it's
neither vain nor selfish but beats out of love - the lungs
can be told to slow, but the heart knows its way enough to run forever.
I'm thankful for my hands. They
know when to clench into fists, when to stay open, when to hold -
palms up toward the sky - they know when to catch rain or cover -
they are my connection, and they are never empty, they hold my
story, and they help me tell it.
I'm thankful for my shoulders which are broad,
large enough to bear the world, but
have a tendency to stay tight and unrelaxed,
unsure when I'll call on them again in order to keep
the world centered.
I'm thankful for my mouth which makes shapes and,
aside from my hands, is the only part of me able
to make the sign for love. It's a sign my lips may not
wear often, but the value of something so rare is incalculable
I'm thankful for my head which senses most of the world,
converts nouns into ideas, and connects everything to itself.
This is the place that the pen goes to refill itself; this
is the place that I go in order to say I love you; this
is the place that regulates the heart, and this is the place that knows
most of this poem was found in the pages of someone else, so
I'm thankful for so much - almost too much to count - from everyone
around willing to share their hands, hearts, legs, brains, and space.
Without you, this would be a thought without a mouth, a pen minus
a page, and a poem
falling on deaf ears.
So I suppose I'll begin from the ground up.
I'm thankful for my legs which learned
the value of standing strong, knees bent over
toes turned straight forward. My legs keep me grounded; they
know how to kick like Chuck Norris, and they're balanced
from years of walking, kicking, and standing in the right direction.
I'm thankful for my hips which sway
for the grace of songs. Hips are the centered energy
points of power, and the place from which gravity stems.
They communicate with intimate others, keep my legs aligned,
and keep a contact point between the ground and my stomach.
I'm thankful for my stomach which has kept
digesting even though other parts of my system shut down.
Somewhere along the line, my stomach lets me move because
the sun still shines. I've digested so much light
over the years that clouds hardly have a say anymore.
I'm thankful for my heart who's been giving me a meter for 26 years. Blood
runs 60,000 miles a day, and my heart takes center stage; it's
neither vain nor selfish but beats out of love - the lungs
can be told to slow, but the heart knows its way enough to run forever.
I'm thankful for my hands. They
know when to clench into fists, when to stay open, when to hold -
palms up toward the sky - they know when to catch rain or cover -
they are my connection, and they are never empty, they hold my
story, and they help me tell it.
I'm thankful for my shoulders which are broad,
large enough to bear the world, but
have a tendency to stay tight and unrelaxed,
unsure when I'll call on them again in order to keep
the world centered.
I'm thankful for my mouth which makes shapes and,
aside from my hands, is the only part of me able
to make the sign for love. It's a sign my lips may not
wear often, but the value of something so rare is incalculable
I'm thankful for my head which senses most of the world,
converts nouns into ideas, and connects everything to itself.
This is the place that the pen goes to refill itself; this
is the place that I go in order to say I love you; this
is the place that regulates the heart, and this is the place that knows
most of this poem was found in the pages of someone else, so
I'm thankful for so much - almost too much to count - from everyone
around willing to share their hands, hearts, legs, brains, and space.
Without you, this would be a thought without a mouth, a pen minus
a page, and a poem
falling on deaf ears.
Monday, November 12, 2012
November 12th - Prompt: Thankful
Yesterday was Veterans' Day, and we all have someone to thank on that day. This is certainly not all we have to be thankful for, however. And this energy, the energy that accompanies a "Thank You" is the energy that I want to tap into with today's prompt.
Write an epistle (a poem in the form of a letter) to someone or something for which you are thankful.
This letter does not have to solemn - remember that the energy of a thank you can be one of happiness and joy - someone has given time for you; this is something to be joyous about! Of course, you could also write a thank you poem to your favorite forest, to the city streets whose traffic speaks at all hours of the night, to your friend, mother, brother, sister, father, or other family; you could write a thank you to whomever you would like - set your pen free and see what it fetches from its well of ink!
Good luck, and happy writing!
Write an epistle (a poem in the form of a letter) to someone or something for which you are thankful.
This letter does not have to solemn - remember that the energy of a thank you can be one of happiness and joy - someone has given time for you; this is something to be joyous about! Of course, you could also write a thank you poem to your favorite forest, to the city streets whose traffic speaks at all hours of the night, to your friend, mother, brother, sister, father, or other family; you could write a thank you to whomever you would like - set your pen free and see what it fetches from its well of ink!
Good luck, and happy writing!
Monday, November 5, 2012
November 5th Prompt - It's Your Past
November is considered a time during which we should be thankful. I agree that we ought to be thankful, but I would add on that we ought to also think about where we've been before, take stock, and acknowledge how far we've come. For this reason, I present the prompt for this week:
Write to yourself in the past.
Are there any things you would like to tell yourself in the past? Would you like to thank yourself? Would you like to forgive yourself? Is there something you now understand that, when younger, you simply could not comprehend? Your writing can take the form of advice, of venting, of understanding, of forgiveness, of thankfulness, or anything else that you'd like to present to your former self. As a slight tweak, you may want to think as though you're writing to someone else; often it's easier to talk to others than it is to talk to ourselves, so if imagining that you are writing to someone else who is like you will assist in this endeavor, then certainly feel free to do that.
Whatever the case, don't stop writing!
Have fun, and good luck writing!
Write to yourself in the past.
Are there any things you would like to tell yourself in the past? Would you like to thank yourself? Would you like to forgive yourself? Is there something you now understand that, when younger, you simply could not comprehend? Your writing can take the form of advice, of venting, of understanding, of forgiveness, of thankfulness, or anything else that you'd like to present to your former self. As a slight tweak, you may want to think as though you're writing to someone else; often it's easier to talk to others than it is to talk to ourselves, so if imagining that you are writing to someone else who is like you will assist in this endeavor, then certainly feel free to do that.
Whatever the case, don't stop writing!
Have fun, and good luck writing!
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Zombies: A Halloween Slam Poem
Zombies
Through recent years, Zombies have become about as ubiquitous as the imagined apocalypse seems to suggest. They're everywhere likewe've been bitten by some kind of zombie fever. And I recently realized why.
While talking with an acquaintance, I understood that his responses could be replaced by *zombie noise* with barely any difference.
I asked, "How was your day?"
He responded *zombie noise* which I understood as, "Good, you?"
To which I replied *zombie noise* which he took to mean, "About the same."
And so out zombified conversation went on until it came time to part ways.
We shook hands, said our goodbyes, and each shuffled away.
Yet my revelation did not end with the zombification of conversation.
I traveled home to watch TV and see news stories moan about how our economy is in shambles;
the apocalypse, it seems, is walking far slower these days.
Yet this vision is not what made me think we've got a zombie problem on our cold hands.
A few hours later, I turned on to tune in again only to find a commercial claiming that I'm missing
something.
The television blared a horde of images which transfixed me in place for some moments, and I heard *intense zombie noise* creep its way into my room which I
understood as, "Don't you wish you had a big screen TV?
After all, your stomach may be empty, your heart may be slow,
your brain my be tired, but you'll always know
you've got 60 inches or 5 feet through which you can watch the world just
waste
by."
The jingle was disheartening and it gave me a stroke
of insight as my eyes flooded wide, and I
realized zombies are popular because they're as close as the nearest mirror.
I decided that day to take my reflection back.
First, I'm cutting zombification from my conversation.
Of course, unsolicited life stories are about as grave as "good", so instead, I'm choosing epithets like
magnificent,
disheartening,
dilatory, hectic, epicurean, atrocious, absurd, or abhorrent to describe my day in ways that tax my brain.
Second, I've decided to heave my heart into my mouth because anything that doesn't stain my teeth with the pulse of truth
is barely worth the breath to sigh, so if I say [improvise!],
you can bet that somewhere deep in my chest,
my heart is echoing those same syllables beat for beat!
And lastly, if there's even a meager chance that, after death, my body will be reanimated to roam the streets and mindlessly consume,
then that's sure as hell the last thing I'll do while I'm still alive!
So, I implore you to join me;
join me in walking like a zombie only if it's on purpose,
speak the truth
even if blood stains your teeth, and
light up this night by holding your pen like it's a torch
bright enough to put sunspots into a blind man's eyes!
Join me; join me this night that way we may
move the living
and raise the dead!
Monday, October 29, 2012
October 29th - Prompt: Face Your Fear
Everyone is afraid of something. More often than not, we find ourselves afraid of things like the dark, blind corners, and strangers. This is partially because those things are inherently scary or that we have been warned to stay away from them, but I think it is more likely that we are afraid of these things because they represent the unknown. What, after all, is hiding in the dark? What is around the corner? What is in the heart of a stranger? This last question is one I want to focus on.
In order to take the fear out of something, we need to understand it. In order to understand it, we must experience what it is like to be that thing which we fear. For that reason:
I want you to try writing from the point of view of something you don't understand or something which scares you.
Try writing from the perspective of a spider. What does it see through its manifold eyes? What does it feel from the hair on its eight legs? If spiders scare you not, perhaps the slithering of a snake could give you inspiration to write. If animals do not scare you, try writing from the perspective of someone or something you do not understand. If you're a staunch republican, write from the point of view of a democrat, or vice versa.
I recently tried to write from a perspective I didn't completely understand, and I was able to come out with a poem that meant something and informed me more about what I had been previously missing. With any luck, not only will you discover a new and powerful poem with this prompt, but you'll also be able to find greater understanding where you couldn't before.
Good luck, and happy writing!
In order to take the fear out of something, we need to understand it. In order to understand it, we must experience what it is like to be that thing which we fear. For that reason:
I want you to try writing from the point of view of something you don't understand or something which scares you.
Try writing from the perspective of a spider. What does it see through its manifold eyes? What does it feel from the hair on its eight legs? If spiders scare you not, perhaps the slithering of a snake could give you inspiration to write. If animals do not scare you, try writing from the perspective of someone or something you do not understand. If you're a staunch republican, write from the point of view of a democrat, or vice versa.
I recently tried to write from a perspective I didn't completely understand, and I was able to come out with a poem that meant something and informed me more about what I had been previously missing. With any luck, not only will you discover a new and powerful poem with this prompt, but you'll also be able to find greater understanding where you couldn't before.
Good luck, and happy writing!
Monday, October 22, 2012
Prompt: October 22nd Success
Everyone has dreams or goals or desires. Everyone has something that he or she would absolutely love to achieve. Problematically, we don't always know the "correct" path to walk in order to achieve those goals. This, however, is not necessarily important. When beginning to write a poem, I will generally have an idea of the concept I want to write about, but more often than not, what I end up with is not what I started with. This is okay. It's called the journey, and it leads to discovery. But let's get back to the prompt at hand.
I want you to think about something you really want to achieve. I don't want you to care about the how or the why of getting there or what you want to achieve; I just want you to have a solid picture of a goal in your brain. Do you want to make more money? Do you want to find love? Do you want to make a new friend? Ask a girl out? Ask a guy out? Be asked out? Win a competition? Something, anything so long as it is something you want. Got that image in your head of what you want? Good.
Now, write from the perspective of already having achieved this thing you have in your mind.
How does it feel? What are you doing? Let your mind go, and let your emotions wander with it. Write about how you feel now that you've successfully achieved this thing you want. Be creative, have fun, and write!
Good luck and have fun writing!
I want you to think about something you really want to achieve. I don't want you to care about the how or the why of getting there or what you want to achieve; I just want you to have a solid picture of a goal in your brain. Do you want to make more money? Do you want to find love? Do you want to make a new friend? Ask a girl out? Ask a guy out? Be asked out? Win a competition? Something, anything so long as it is something you want. Got that image in your head of what you want? Good.
Now, write from the perspective of already having achieved this thing you have in your mind.
How does it feel? What are you doing? Let your mind go, and let your emotions wander with it. Write about how you feel now that you've successfully achieved this thing you want. Be creative, have fun, and write!
Good luck and have fun writing!
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