This week's moderator is me... Stephanie Lynn! I'm a lifelong reader, occasional writer, and sometimes poet. I'm also a fan of percussive bass lines, lightning storms on the horizon, and the Oxford comma.
I've been doing a lot more reading than writing these days - either despite or because of the fact that all the really good poems make me cry. I hope they stir something within and you're able to find inspiration.
Tuesday, September 20th, 2022
"Sometimes I Apologize to My Children" by Emily Franklin
1. Write a poem incorporating or responding to one of the passages below:
"the pomegranate of my chest"
"underground tracks of desires unmet"
"they don't know specifics"
2. Write about a time someone warned you about someone or something but you ignored their advice; or perhaps there was a time you wanted to advise someone but knew they wouldn't listen. Was there anything else you/they could have said or done to make you/they act differently, or was it a life lesson you/they had to experience for your/themself?
3. Is there a dream you've had to let go of, a desire unmet, for yourself or for someone you love? Are you/they better or worse off for not having achieved or attained this thing?
Thursday, September 22nd, 2022
"Bluebird" by Charles Bukowski
1. Write a poem incorporating or responding to one of the passages below:
"I'm not going to let anybody see"
"at night sometimes/when everybody's asleep"
"nice enough to make a [person] weep"
2. Have you ever felt hidden or unseen, either intentionally masking or simply misunderstood by the people around you? Write about a time you felt it necessary to "put up a front" and hide your true feelings. Were you trying to protect someone from the truth, or were you afraid of something for yourself?
3. Is there a secret thing you keep just for yourself - a hobby, a place to visit, a friendship? Do you think others wouldn't understand, or would misinterpret or otherwise sully its specialness? Have you ever dared to share something "secret" with someone because you thought that person was special? How did they react?
Friday, September 23rd, 2022
"I Move Through London Like a Hotep" by Raymond Antrobus
1. Write a poem incorporating or responding to one of the passages below:
"Sometimes it’s hard to get back the smooth sailing"
"giving the advice you need to someone else"
"I would miss the mysticism"
2. Have you ever "went along to get along" rather than inconvenience someone or make them feel uncomfortable? Were you trying to save face? Spare their feelings? Had you experienced the issue so many times in the past, it was just easier to cover it up, smooth it over, let it go?
3. Write about a time you misheard something someone said, a line in a song or movie, to humorous or disastrous effects. What if what you heard was truly what was said; how would that change the situation or your reaction (e.g., an alternate timeline in the multiverse)?
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