napowrimo 5

The official prompt was a container poem -- you take a poem rip all the words out and use the cadence and first letter of each line. 

I used the Irish airman foresees his fate by Yeats. I couldn't think of a theme, my partner suggested making a dress from bread. As you do.

The Goblin Girl

I dreamt that I must make a dress
Somehow all stitched from old rye bread;
To cover up and then undress
The zombie army of undead.
My fingers nimble like a mouse;
My tailor nose is all a twitch.
Never let fairies in your house,
Or they'll enchant your every stitch.
No potion, wizard, dragon maid;
No earthly source, no rite of way;
All endings of all charms are paid
Drown all your tools at break of day
I called a girl to wear the dress
To test the stitching and the wear
And to the ball she went, I guess.
I saw her at the goblin fair

napowrimo day 4

I used the official napowrimo prompt which was liminal zones and used this photo as a visual prompt

https://twitter.com/SpaceLiminalBot/status/1378068006425788419?s=19

In the late Littoral

Sometimes it's hard to remember : we are part of someone else's story, but not the biggest part.

These old red chairs in the forecourt by the ocean,

The scent of salt air, piss, heated oil and bacon.

Smoke in my breath from the fag end in your fingers,

Brut in the air, slicked back hair and just like your suit

You had seen better days.

Phone pressed up against your ear with hunched up shoulder.

Fingers greedy in your tatty pack of Amber Leaf,

Rolling while you're talking, combing through the dog ends

"I called her up," you said, defeated. "I told her..."

"I told her that. I did."

And the wind whipped up and sent your words to oceans,

A tiddler broiled out at sea. White tipped crests of waves

Raced out and fell to foam on sodden dirty sand,

And the water ran in rivulets in the stream,

Along the broken groin.

"I told her," you said again, but firmer and the

Anguish in your voice ran deep. "I said to her, look,

I speak Italian." And the wind blew up again

And whipped your Rizzlas away, sprawled tobacco

On the wet red tables.

And in that moment you were my uncle, broken

As I saw him last, poised beside the rust bound cars

On Cowley Road. And you were franctic and fighting

Hard for one last hit. One last expensive blow out

In Regis-on-the-Sea

Phone still tucked beneath your chin, still lost in hopeless

Conversation, you moved between salt limned tables.

"Excuse me mate, have you got... can I get a paper."

I passed my tin and you picked through, took more than you

Needed for one fat smoke.

"Keep the packet, mate." You smiled and looked embarrassed.

"I shouldn't, mate. I really shouldn't." The packet slid

Inside your pocket and you coughed. "I shouldn't mate, but

Whats the point in stopping when I've already got it,

Big C. Know what I mean.”

And his phone squawked. "Terry, yeah right. Terry, I'm still

I'm still here. Look. You've got to let her know. I do...

I speak... And the wind blew up across the water

And the sand settled in the cracks on the floor. “I

Do. I speak Italian”

We are all parts of other’s stories

But we never know which part.

napowrimo day 3

This weekend was a little full on. The official napowrimo prompt involved making prompt cards and was more labour and thought intensive than I had mental space or energy for.

I have used the allographic prompt which was to write a poem of diminishing syllables, startimg with 11. The first line has 11,  the next 10 and so on ending at 1.

This poem is a little hackneyed,  but inspired by my current environment 

Monosyllabic 

Not awake nor asleep. You live in twilight

Footsteps are leaden on the plastic floor

And the sound of voices from the other 

Conversation fill your silence

Himmer hmm. Blipper blip. Blip.

Since I've seen you, I am 

...  truncated like

You are trun...

Blipper blip

Blip blip

Bleep

napowrimo day 2

The prompt was "the road not taken"

The road not taken

Looking back, I never had control. 

The choice was his, not mine.

I never had a choice. This was not

A turning point. This was not 

A place where two roads meet.

If I had not.... If I had not... for

Twenty years I wrote that night

Again. Made different choices.

If I had stayed at home... If I had

Left the building sooner... If 

I had joined the laughing group 

Of students just ahead.... If I had said

The cooler thing, the kinder thing,

The firmer thing, the ruder thing, if I had said...

If I had said.... If I was kinder, crueler,

Meaner, better. If I was stronger,

Tougher, softer. If I had not been there.

If I had known what to do. If I could

Change his mind. If I had been a better

Woman... If I had...

This was not 

My choice to make, he told me so. I had 

No choices. This was not my road untaken.

It was his. He could have chosen not to.

He could have found a different route.

He could have found a different route.

He could have chosen not to be there, 

to stay at home that night. He could have

Said the kinder thing, the wiser thing.

He could have been a better person. 

He could have walked away. He could have

Been stronger, softer, firmer. He could have

Been a different man. Two roads diverged

One dark night. This was the one he chose.

day 1 napowrimo 2021

My previous napo best is 7 days. I'm going to aim for 8 this time. Let's see how it goes. 

This was the prompt   https://youtu.be/bX_xh2do3eM  

Nonsense verse is hard to write. This kept trying to go story on me.

Lady are you ready to go worm?

Lady are you ready to go worm? 

As the tropes of the brain go to

Cutters in your head and the

Sandy calls your name and the

Dragon has a core and the apple 

Likes to dance with the shelia

In the gig. Yeah! 

Everybody dance!

There's a bier, there's a peer, there's 

A lion in full mane, there's a bee

On a spree when the mandrake's

Gone insane. Bake in tulle with the

Fool, there's a kingdom left to claim! 

Everybody dance!

Yeah! Everybody dance !

Where's the noise from the boys

In the pearls from the girls 

Slam the drum and come around

Yeah. Right. Left. Right. Forward

Come around come around 

Everybody dance! Yeah!

Everybody dance.

There's a tree with a leaf which

Is guarded by a theif and the theif takes

Part in the beating of your art

Go away! go away

!  But the theif is here to stay. 

Everybody dance !

Yeah! Everybody dance.

And the troops in your head go to

Cutters in your brain and the clock

Is a lake and the lake is time to slow 

Slow it down. Slow it down.

Go to ground.  Go to ground

Lady are you ready to go worm?

Day 2 napowrimo2019

(Using the official prompt)

It's not courtship it's just talking
Except that underneath the chatter
In the air holds meaning and the fat
Brown bird high breasted pulls joyant
In the straw within the garden
His head down sticking up on nest
His tail feathers Bob even filled
With hope. Not wishing to disturb
I leave him to it take the other door
Instead.

The air aware with chatter everything
Is calling out in not quite spring
The neighbours talk in Hindi
Big voiced rounded proud of their
New extension and the garden just
Right waiting for the guests
Who are exploring and admiring
Ready for the party
in the summer when it comes
Not wishing to disturb them
I hide within the shelter of the wall
And breathe

And the mother scolds her child who
Runs ahead too bold glowing in the waiting
To be old enough to cross the road
And the child is ready for orange juice
And biscuit and delighted with the story
Of the friend from school that day
And stomping like a dragon and
Planning swings and sunshine and
Not wishing to disturb them
I step out into the road to let
them pass

Day 1

Lune

A grey cobweb hangs
Broken threads
Within the old home

Invisible light
Until a
Ray is caught within

A Web too fragile
For a fly
Can still hold photons