Launching the Poem-a-Day challenging this April 1, we begin with celebrating the twentieth anniversary of Na/GloPoWriMo this April. Today’s prompt from the NaPoWriMo is below:
“And here’s our own prompt (optional, as always) for the first day of Na/GloPoWriMo. They say you can’t judge a book by its cover, but they never said you can’t try to write a poem based on a book cover — and that’s your challenge for today.”
What are the chances that I would be visiting my sister on a south Georgia lake covered with Gallinules and reading a book of poetry to review for The Polish Review titled Yours, Purple Gallinule? Because of this serendipity, I chose for my prompt the cover of this beautiful book of poems by Ewa Chrusciel, Omnidawn Press, 2022.
So here’s my poem today!
Poem removed by Poet Voice to revise and submit for publication elsewhere.
Denise Levertov, has said in “Work and Inspiration: Inviting the Muse,” that “poems come into being in two ways.” She goes on to say, there are those poems that are “inspired” and those much more common, poems created by the poet’s conscious process that eventually leads to “unpredictable inspiration.” I have experienced both, but as she says, we would not write many poems if we only counted on the “given” or inspired poems. Instead, most often, we must mine the gold!
Levertov said to think about poetry everyday, and I try to follow her words. Today, I am revisiting an earlier blog post and thinking not only about poetry, but about PEACE.
Poster compliments of Academy of American Poets (Poets.org)
Hello Poets & Poetry Lovers,
Welcome to my blog/website jacquelynmarkham.com
Let’s talk poetry! It is not too early to prepare for the April Poetry Month Poem-a-day challenge. In fact, it’s only a week away.
Do you know why we celebrate April as Poetry Month? What is the Poem-A-Day Challenge?
Much thanks goes to the Academy of American Poets who in April 1996 launched National Poetry Month. Its website, poets.org, is a wealth of information and inspiration for poets and appreciators of poetry. The Academy of American Poets explains that poetry month was founded as “a special occasion that celebrates poets’ integral role in our culture and that poetry matters.” And this was way before the pandemic when we learned again and again, that “poetry matters!”
The Academy sponsors Poem-A-Day, but that’s an already written poem in your inbox, not in your outbox! Sign up with the Academy to receive a previously unpublished poem by your favorite poets for inspiration and your personal enrichment.
But, what about **WRITING* a poem-a-day? Are you serious? Yes, I am! It’s a challenge!
**START HERE** As far as the Poem-A-Day Challenge, there are many avenues to choose from. I have enjoyed following along with NaPoWriMo, or National Poetry Writing Month, an annual project encouraging poets to attempt to write a poem a day for the month of April. Read more about Maureen Thorson’s project on the links I’ve provided. It’s fun and inspiring! There are other sites that provide prompts or you may use your own, but stay with the spirit and attempt a poem a day!
If you are on Facebook, check out the Poem-A-Day’s new FB cover photo Celebrating 20 Years, Writing 30 Poems in 30 days!
Poet Voice 