04/14/25 - Day 14 of 30
NaPoWriMo.net Article
NaPoWriMo Prompt
And with that silliness out of the way, today’s (optional) prompt is inspired by a poem that’s an old favorite of mine, by Kay Ryan.
Crustacean Island
There could be an island paradise
where crustaceans prevail.
Click, click, go the lobsters
with their china mitts and
articulated tails.
It would not be sad like whales
with their immense and patient sieving
and the sobering modesty
of their general way of living.
It would be an island blessed
with only cold-blooded residents
and no human angle.
It would echo with a thousand castanets
and no flamencos.
Ryan’s poem invites us to imagine the “music” of a place without people in it. So today, try writing a poem that describes a place, particularly in terms of the animals, plants or other natural phenomena there. Sink into the sound of your location, and use a conversational tone. Incorporate slant rhymes (near or off-rhymes, like “angle” and “flamenco”) into your poem. And for an extra challenge – don’t reference birds or birdsong!
My Poem
A Peace of the Beach
Here’s what you hear
On the quiet beach near
The ongoing onslaught
Of pestering uncaught
Flying fish wild thoughts.
Shirring, shushing, wandering waves,
Herons “roh-roh-roh-ing” to domains,
Briskly whisking sand susurrations,
Wind through the palm trees.
Canine calliopes.
Turning off the engine,
The radio, the dread.
The pestering postulates of
Voices in my head.
I stretch and settle and
Finally, truly
Listen to the
Low, soft, humming,
Calming soundscape,
Tropical tempo breathing.
No comments:
Post a Comment