Everyday Poetry

Day 30:  write a poem in the form of a series of directions describing how a person should get to a particular place. It could be a real place, like your local park, or an imaginary or unreal place.  There's an old joke about someone asking directions,  and being told "I wouldn't start from here." But that's the only place you can start, whether it's a real journey,  or your journey through life.    To get to where you want to be Start from where you are.  Take the first step,  then - most important - Keep going in your chosen direction.  Take along your close companions If you're worried they'll be left behind;  Trust you will meet new friends In unexpected places. You may get lost along the way,  Blundering your way back on track After several false starts Before you find your destination.  You may choose to stop, distracted By the bright lights of interesting diversions. Take time to decide if you need to back track Or if th...

Day 29:  “in the window.” Imagine a window looking into a place or onto a particular scene. It could be your childhood neighbor’s workshop, or a window looking into an alien spaceship. Maybe a window looking into a witch’s gingerbread cottage, or Lord Nelson’s cabin aboard the  H.M.S. Victory . What do you see? What’s going on? My poem draws on the window trope of the BBC programme Playschool. Through the square window  A man is busy creating a home Finding his style in his own space Making his own particular choices.  Through the round window  He is making it ready for his children Preparing a place where they feel safe Making a home as special as their mother's. Through the arched window They are living a new life in this new place As happy, cross, excited, noisy as their old home,  But nowhere near as sad.    © Copyright 2021. Chris Auger. All Rights Reserved  

Day 28:  write a poem that poses a series of questions. You can choose to answer them – or just let the questions keep building up, creating a poem that asks the reader to come up with their own answer(s).  Each day can feel like routine,  but in reality it's a series of choices. Why can't I stay cosy in my bed?  Can I justify reading another chapter?  Must I get up and start the day? Is it a Marmalade or Marmite kind of day?  Milky or black? Large or small?  Inside or on the deck?  Why doesn't the gym get any easier?  My stomach any flatter?  (Could it be the marmalade ? The milky coffee? ) Who is that woman stalking my reflection?  Am I looking good for my age? Should I wear mascara?  Who's looking anyway?  Should I phone a friend, arrange a coffee?  Why haven't they asked me?  Are their lives full enough, without me?  How long will the sunny weather last?  Can I leave the housework for another day?...

 Day 27: for some reason the NaPoWriMo site wasn't updated today - hopefully everything is OK with the organiser.  Anyway,  it gives me free rein to come up with something of my own. I've just come off a book group meeting on zoom - I'm still undecided whether it's a boon or a bane. Whether they lift up your spirits, or cause you great strain,  There's no escape from zoom meetings when they come round again. Whilst we can't meet up in person they're part of our life,  They're the best we can do while corona is rife. Before it starts the room's tidied and cleaned So the pile of dishes is not seen on screen, The battery is charged so this time it'll last For the whole 90 minutes which zoom past so fast.    With my face on display I've taken good care To wear something decent, and blow dried my hair.    I've learnt having light on your face flatters you most The first time I did it I looked like a ghost.    It's lovely to see you while...

Day 26:  write a parody - mimic the form of an existing poem while changing the content. Just find a poem – or a song – that has always annoyed you, and write an altered, silly version of it.   The song which is increasingly annoying me is unfortunately "Happy Birthday" which Boris (Johnson) told us to sing twice to ensure we were washing our hands for long enough to kill the virus.  It's about time it had some new words.  Wash your hands carefully Kill the virus with glee  Use soap and warm water To get both hands clean. Don't forget thumbs and backs Massage into the cracks Between all your fingers Then rinse with the tap.    © Copyright 2021. Chris Auger. All Rights Reserved  

Day 25: write an occasional poem - about  an occasion in the past or the future, one important to you and your family.  Yesterday I finished Matthew Haig's excellent Midnight Library,  which explores how different a life would be if different decisions were taken at certain points in your life.  I've always been amazed at how events come together to spin you off in a different direction;  this poem celebrates one such occasion,  and flows from the coincidence of reading that book and receiving this prompt.  Was it written in the stars Were there beneficial karmas That led to the convergence of our paths?  My life had become a bit humdrum, Signed up for the course as a bit of fun, I didn't intend to meet 'the one'. Was our meeting always meant Was it somehow heaven sent Were the planets in alignment? You were looking for a university course One your bosses could endorse,  You didn't intend to be blown off course.  So, was it luck or pure ...

Day 24: today's  prompt is to find a factual article about an animal – just make sure it repeats the name of the animal a lot. Now, go back through the text and replace the name of the animal with something else – it could be something very abstract, like “sadness” or “my heart,” or something more concrete, like “the streetlight outside my window that won’t stop blinking.” You should wind up with some very funny and even touching combinations, which you can then rearrange and edit into a poem. I chose the hare - an animal with a rich folkloric history - and let it take me back to a time when my life was not so settled and  believed in a fantasy.   Back then,  Mad as a March hare Staring at its reflection in the moon,  I lay in thrall to Aphrodite Pining for a lost love.  Too timid for my own good Unable to face the risk of knowing Too ready to dash away should danger appear I never noticed the tortoise creeping up behind me. Nowadays, I'm grateful...