Create Art Podcast

National Poetry Writing Month (also known as NaPoWriMo) is a creative writing project held annually in April in which participants attempt to write a poem each day for one month. NaPoWriMo coincides with National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada.

This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month), she started writing a poem a day for the month of April back in 2003, posting the poems on her blog. When other people started writing poems for April and posting them on their own blogs, Maureen linked to them. After a few years, so many people were doing NaPoWriMo that Maureen decided to launch an independent website for the project.

I started writing poetry in 1988 after I had been exposed to T.S. Elliot in my honors English class in high school. In 1992 I started reading my poetry publicly at Espresso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. While living in Rockford Illinois I published my first book of poetry Throwing Yourself at the Ground and Missing in 2007 followed by Postcards From Someone You Don't Know in 2008 Wisdom From the Sack in 2010 and Shaving Crop Circles In My Chest Hair in 2017. You can get copies of all of these books in my merch section. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021.

For 2023 I am not going to be just writing poems in April, I will be writing poems all year round. Also, since I will be writing all year round, I am using a different source for my prompts. There is a blog called Think Written and you can find it here. I will also be performing these works at Katora Coffee House here in Fredericksburg Virginia on their Friday Night Snaps Open Mic Poetry reading. Some of the podcast episodes you will hear will be a live recording of me reading the poem to a live audience, other times I will be reading it in the comfort of my home studio. I do plan on posting my work to the NaPoWriMo site and interacting with the poets there and see if they want to read their work on this podcast.

Today’s prompt challenges you to also write a love poem, one that names at least one flower, contains one parenthetical statement, and in which at least some lines break in unusual places.  

Giving Love Another Try 

25 April 2023 

I wasn’t content  

With being  

Alone 

But I wasn’t interested 

In sharing 

Everything 

I wasn’t content 

With the 

Life 

But I wasn’t interested 

In starting  

Over 

I wasn’t content 

With the 

Past 

But I wasn’t interested 

In rehashing 

Us 

I wasn’t content 

With the 

Situation 

But I wasn’t interested 

In developing  

Feelings 

(I found contentment in your eyes, I found interest in your smile I found tulips where you walked)) 

You didn’t want 

Just another 

Body 

But you did 

Try to 

Love 

You didn’t want 

This to  

Fail 

But you did 

Rely on 

Defenses 

You didn’t want 

Me to  

Escape 

But you did 

Honor my 

Freedom 

(You found where I hid my heart, You found a way to trust me You found daisies to put everywhere) 

We weren’t sure 

About our  

Compatibility 

But we tried 

To make 

It 

We weren’t sure 

About being 

Dependent 

But we tried 

With open 

Minds 

We weren’t sure 

About our  

Lasting 

But we tried 

And are 

Trying 

(We were met with scoffs, We sometimes scoffed at ourselves we planted a family) 

We weren’t sure but we tried 

You didn’t want but you did 

I wasn’t content but I wasn’t interested  

(And so far, it’s the journey  

That we needed to be on 

Together) 

Or Subscribe Here

To reach out to me, email [email protected] I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let's start that conversation.

• Email: [email protected]

If you have found value in this podcast please feel free to share it with a friend as that is the best way to find new podcasts. I want this to be a 5-star podcast in your eyes so let me know what you would like to see. Speaking about sharing with a friend, check out my other podcast Find A Podcast About where I help you outsmart the algorithm and find your next binge-worthy podcast. . You can find that podcast at findapodcastabout.xyz.

National Poetry Writing Month (also known as NaPoWriMo) is a creative writing project held annually in April in which participants attempt to write a poem each day for one month. NaPoWriMo coincides with National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada.

This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month), she started writing a poem a day for the month of April back in 2003, posting the poems on her blog. When other people started writing poems for April and posting them on their own blogs, Maureen linked to them. After a few years, so many people were doing NaPoWriMo that Maureen decided to launch an independent website for the project.

I started writing poetry in 1988 after I had been exposed to T.S. Elliot in my honors English class in high school. In 1992 I started reading my poetry publicly at Espresso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. While living in Rockford Illinois I published my first book of poetry Throwing Yourself at the Ground and Missing in 2007 followed by Postcards From Someone You Don't Know in 2008 Wisdom From the Sack in 2010 and Shaving Crop Circles In My Chest Hair in 2017. You can get copies of all of these books in my merch section. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021.

For 2023 I am not going to be just writing poems in April, I will be writing poems all year round. Also, since I will be writing all year round, I am using a different source for my prompts. There is a blog called Think Written and you can find it here. I will also be performing these works at Katora Coffee House here in Fredericksburg Virginia on their Friday Night Snaps Open Mic Poetry reading. Some of the podcast episodes you will hear will be a live recording of me reading the poem to a live audience, other times I will be reading it in the comfort of my home studio. I do plan on posting my work to the NaPoWriMo site and interacting with the poets there and see if they want to read their work on this podcast.

I’d like to challenge you to write a poem in the form of a review. But not a review of a book or a movie of a restaurant. Instead, I challenge you to write a poetic review of something that isn’t normally reviewed. For example, your mother-in-law, the moon, or the year you were ten years old. 

2 Stars 

24 April 2023 

Not a big fan of 2020 

I rated that year at zero stars 

If I could have, I would have gone into the negative numbers  

but your system doesn’t allow for that 

Someone is upper management needs to know what happened 

I usually like to give years the benefit of the doubt 

And think about them from a different perspective 

But 2020 was worse than 2016 

And that is saying something 

So I decided that maybe I was being a bit harsh 

 And I gave 2020 1 star in 2021 

There were a lot of lessons learned in that year 

Things seemed to be getting better 

I could find toilet paper everywhere I went 

I am talking 2 ply 

And the ads for bidets didn’t interest me anymore 

Kids were back in school  

The talk of mass extinction was quashed 

And except for that one day in January 

Things were okay, not normal but okay 

In 2022 I kept my 1-star rating of 2020 

Because it seems we still haven’t learned the lessons 

We needed to learn to prevent another 2020 from happening 

And we were 2 years out 

I mean come on folks 

I know some of our family trees don’t fork 

But at least lets really look at what happened  

And not do the same shit all over again 

At some points it looked like we were going to go back 

And then I would have had to go back down to zero stars 

So here we are in 2023 

I have to say I am not recommending 2020 under any circumstances 

However, I am raising my rating to 2 stars 

We got through it, and we are here right now 

A bit smarter 

A bit larger 

And all in the comfort of our homes 

If we are lucky enough to be able to have a stay-at-home job 

We praised the essential workers 

Until the next headline came by 

We praised some of our elected officials 

Until they were found making backdoor deals as usual 

Some of us have even found our true calling 

And left the world of bosses behind 

I don’t plan on shopping here for future years 

Nor can I recommend shopping here for the future 

Look what we are leaving the young with 

The four horsemen on red bull and bottom shelf vodka  

I won’t be here for the hangover that’s coming 

Or Subscribe Here

To reach out to me, email [email protected] I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let's start that conversation.

• Email: [email protected]

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If you have found value in this podcast please feel free to share it with a friend as that is the best way to find new podcasts. I want this to be a 5-star podcast in your eyes so let me know what you would like to see. Speaking about sharing with a friend, check out my other podcast Find A Podcast About where I help you outsmart the algorithm and find your next binge-worthy podcast. . You can find that podcast at findapodcastabout.xyz.

National Poetry Writing Month (also known as NaPoWriMo) is a creative writing project held annually in April in which participants attempt to write a poem each day for one month. NaPoWriMo coincides with National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada.

This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month), she started writing a poem a day for the month of April back in 2003, posting the poems on her blog. When other people started writing poems for April and posting them on their own blogs, Maureen linked to them. After a few years, so many people were doing NaPoWriMo that Maureen decided to launch an independent website for the project.

I started writing poetry in 1988 after I had been exposed to T.S. Elliot in my honors English class in high school. In 1992 I started reading my poetry publicly at Espresso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. While living in Rockford Illinois I published my first book of poetry Throwing Yourself at the Ground and Missing in 2007 followed by Postcards From Someone You Don't Know in 2008 Wisdom From the Sack in 2010 and Shaving Crop Circles In My Chest Hair in 2017. You can get copies of all of these books in my merch section. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021.

For 2023 I am not going to be just writing poems in April, I will be writing poems all year round. Also, since I will be writing all year round, I am using a different source for my prompts. There is a blog called Think Written and you can find it here. I will also be performing these works at Katora Coffee House here in Fredericksburg Virginia on their Friday Night Snaps Open Mic Poetry reading. Some of the podcast episodes you will hear will be a live recording of me reading the poem to a live audience, other times I will be reading it in the comfort of my home studio. I do plan on posting my work to the NaPoWriMo site and interacting with the poets there and see if they want to read their work on this podcast.

Now, cast your mind back to your own childhood and write a poem about something that scared you – or was used to scare you – and which still haunts you (if only a little bit) today. 

Summer Nightmare 

19 April 2023 

The heat had settled in for the season 

We were sweltering although the sun had gone down hours ago 

When building the house 

It was decided not to have central air or a basement 

Our neighborhood was rumored to have been built on a gravesite 

For the indigenous population 

It was the type of rumor to keep kids in at night 

But some rumors need to be heeded 

It was another night of sweating 

With the hum of fans that put us to sleep 

I knew I was dreaming 

Only to wake up to the sound of a broken window 

I peered over to my window 

The drapes were opened when they should have been shut 

And a figure was standing outside 

Readying what appeared to be a bow and arrow 

I heard a swoosh and then a thud in the wall  

Right above my stomach 

And then I sprang up 

Breaking the shaft of the arrow 

And ran to my parents' room 

I forgot about the fan in my startled state 

And ran right through the fan 

Slicing up my knee and leg 

Waking my father who took me to the bathroom 

We cleaned off the blood in the tub 

And I frantically told him what happened 

I had awakened everyone in the house 

As we turned on the light in my bedroom 

We found the window intact 

The drapes pulled back 

But no broken shaft 

Just two arrowheads lodged into the wall 

Right above where I slept 

My father thought I had planted the arrowheads 

As one could find them easily in our neighborhood 

And decided to yell at me for breaking his sleep 

Telling me this was all in my wild imagination 

When we moved away years later 

The arrowheads I recovered from that night 

Were lost in the move 

But I still can feel the figure pursuing me 

And I always make sure the drapes are closed  

Or Subscribe Here

To reach out to me, email [email protected] I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let's start that conversation.

• Email: [email protected]

If you have found value in this podcast please feel free to share it with a friend as that is the best way to find new podcasts. I want this to be a 5-star podcast in your eyes so let me know what you would like to see. Speaking about sharing with a friend, check out my other podcast Find A Podcast About where I help you outsmart the algorithm and find your next binge-worthy podcast. . You can find that podcast at findapodcastabout.xyz.

National Poetry Writing Month (also known as NaPoWriMo) is a creative writing project held annually in April in which participants attempt to write a poem each day for one month. NaPoWriMo coincides with National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada.

This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month), she started writing a poem a day for the month of April back in 2003, posting the poems on her blog. When other people started writing poems for April and posting them on their own blogs, Maureen linked to them. After a few years, so many people were doing NaPoWriMo that Maureen decided to launch an independent website for the project.

I started writing poetry in 1988 after I had been exposed to T.S. Elliot in my honors English class in high school. In 1992 I started reading my poetry publicly at Espresso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. While living in Rockford Illinois I published my first book of poetry Throwing Yourself at the Ground and Missing in 2007 followed by Postcards From Someone You Don't Know in 2008 Wisdom From the Sack in 2010 and Shaving Crop Circles In My Chest Hair in 2017. You can get copies of all of these books in my merch section. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021.

For 2023 I am not going to be just writing poems in April, I will be writing poems all year round. Also, since I will be writing all year round, I am using a different source for my prompts. There is a blog called Think Written and you can find it here. I will also be performing these works at Katora Coffee House here in Fredericksburg Virginia on their Friday Night Snaps Open Mic Poetry reading. Some of the podcast episodes you will hear will be a live recording of me reading the poem to a live audience, other times I will be reading it in the comfort of my home studio. I do plan on posting my work to the NaPoWriMo site and interacting with the poets there and see if they want to read their work on this podcast.

Cafeteria: Create a poem inspired by the people who might be eating lunch in a cafeteria at school or at a hospital. 

Chicken Enchilada  

17 April 2023 

I was back in Illinois 

Not my hometown or the city I adopted 

But a small-town dependent on the base 

I had just puddle-jumped from St. Louis 

When in processing was done 

And I had raised my hand when asked  

Who was a musician 

I was whisked away to a special squadron 

A small group of us who raised our hands 

Stood in the day room of the squadron 

We were given rooms  

And a tour of our new temporary home 

We were told to drop off our luggage 

And return later that afternoon 

So, we all silently went to our rooms 

I knew at that time to pack lightly 

To tread lightly on this Earth 

And as I opened the door to my new home 

My new roommate was not there 

Heading back down to the dining facility 

I wanted to have a few moments of solitude   

I’d just spent 6 weeks living with 50 other soon-to-be men 

And my sociability jar had been exhausted 

Working my way through the food line 

Looking over my shoulder 

Waiting for a training instructor to slip in behind me 

And scare the shit out of me 

My head was on a swivel  

I grabbed the bare essentials for lunch 

Not wanting to draw attention to myself 

I crawled into an empty booth 

Breathed deeply and went to work on the food 

I tasted my food 

It had been weeks of rushing to shove groceries down my throat 

But now I had nowhere to be, no one to answer to for a few minutes 

I savored each bite 

It was at that time I was overcome with a feeling of certitude 

I felt that the decision was right 

It had been one of the first times I felt this way 

And the food cemented my feeling 

I am not sure how long I sat alone in that booth 

Others came and went without much fanfare 

My comrades in basic training found me 

And we all sat quietly  

Deep in thought 

Living like the kings we told ourselves we were 

Or Subscribe Here

To reach out to me, email [email protected] I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let's start that conversation.

• Email: [email protected]

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If you have found value in this podcast please feel free to share it with a friend as that is the best way to find new podcasts. I want this to be a 5-star podcast in your eyes so let me know what you would like to see. Speaking about sharing with a friend, check out my other podcast Find A Podcast About where I help you outsmart the algorithm and find your next binge-worthy podcast. Yo

National Poetry Writing Month (also known as NaPoWriMo) is a creative writing project held annually in April in which participants attempt to write a poem each day for one month. NaPoWriMo coincides with National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada.

This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month), she started writing a poem a day for the month of April back in 2003, posting the poems on her blog. When other people started writing poems for April and posting them on their own blogs, Maureen linked to them. After a few years, so many people were doing NaPoWriMo that Maureen decided to launch an independent website for the project.

I started writing poetry in 1988 after I had been exposed to T.S. Elliot in my honors English class in high school. In 1992 I started reading my poetry publicly at Espresso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. While living in Rockford Illinois I published my first book of poetry Throwing Yourself at the Ground and Missing in 2007 followed by Postcards From Someone You Don't Know in 2008 Wisdom From the Sack in 2010 and Shaving Crop Circles In My Chest Hair in 2017. You can get copies of all of these books in my merch section. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021.

For 2023 I am not going to be just writing poems in April, I will be writing poems all year round. Also, since I will be writing all year round, I am using a different source for my prompts. There is a blog called Think Written and you can find it here. I will also be performing these works at Katora Coffee House here in Fredericksburg Virginia on their Friday Night Snaps Open Mic Poetry reading. Some of the podcast episodes you will hear will be a live recording of me reading the poem to a live audience, other times I will be reading it in the comfort of my home studio. I do plan on posting my work to the NaPoWriMo site and interacting with the poets there and see if they want to read their work on this podcast.

Signs of the Times: How has a place you are familiar with changed over the past 10 years? 

Pacifying Uptown 

14 April 2023 

I lived in this neighborhood for a year or so 

Top floor, facing south, seeing Wrigley Field from a distance 

Two blocks from the Green Mill 

And the Red Line El 

Someone in the neighborhood had rescue greyhounds 

They would walk them around 

Stop for coffee and water at the local Starbucks 

The one that had a drive by when I was with my girl at the time 

A great Mexican restaurant that was open late 

Due to all the bars in the area 

Grabbing my first real horchata  

And just steps from Montrose Beach 

But I moved away 

To be with my wife 

To start a new life 

But I can’t let go of the place 

So I signed up for the Uptown Facebook group 

And I get notifications daily 

The Uptown Theater that had been closed for decades 

Being revamped and reopened 

Meaning that the bookstore next door 

Had to clean up its act or move out 

That bookstore stank of cigarettes and cat piss 

 Is no longer there 

Not able to get enough Chantix to quit their habit 

Not able to keep up with the bigger bookstores  

That closed down before I left 

I miss this place 

Even though I wasn’t there that long 

Moving through the crowds 

And having my doc just a few blocks away 

Having my dentist who played the rat Packs greatest hits 

And picked up conversations started months in-between visits 

I didn’t have to drive anywhere 

Even to get groceries 

Jewel, pronounced with an S at the end 

Again, was mere steps away 

But now they have changed the feeling 

They have changed the stores 

The rents have gone through the roof 

Now there is no one there I know 

The shops don’t have the same feel 

Even the thugs that did the drive by have moved away to the burbs 

I’d never move my family back there 

It would be cost prohibitive 

It would be safer than when I lived there 

But it isn’t the same space 

It isn’t as special as it used to be 

Its tame and expensive 

And the reason why I lived there  

Was not for safety, was not for being tame 

I wanted to have excitement 

I wanted to have stories to tell 

I wanted different things than I do now 

Or Subscribe Here

To reach out to me, email [email protected] I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let's start that conversation.

• Email: [email protected]

If you have found value in this podcast please feel free to share it with a friend as that is the best way to find new podcasts. I want this to be a 5-star podcast in your eyes so let me know what you would like to see. Speaking about sharing with a friend, check out my other podcast Find A Podcast About where I help you outsmart the algorithm and find your next binge-worthy podcast. You can find that podcast at findapodcastabout.xyz.

National Poetry Writing Month (also known as NaPoWriMo) is a creative writing project held annually in April in which participants attempt to write a poem each day for one month. NaPoWriMo coincides with National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada.

This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month), she started writing a poem a day for the month of April back in 2003, posting the poems on her blog. When other people started writing poems for April and posting them on their own blogs, Maureen linked to them. After a few years, so many people were doing NaPoWriMo that Maureen decided to launch an independent website for the project.

I started writing poetry in 1988 after I had been exposed to T.S. Elliot in my honors English class in high school. In 1992 I started reading my poetry publicly at Espresso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. While living in Rockford Illinois I published my first book of poetry Throwing Yourself at the Ground and Missing in 2007 followed by Postcards From Someone You Don't Know in 2008 Wisdom From the Sack in 2010 and Shaving Crop Circles In My Chest Hair in 2017. You can get copies of all of these books in my merch section. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021.

For 2023 I am not going to be just writing poems in April, I will be writing poems all year round. Also, since I will be writing all year round, I am using a different source for my prompts. There is a blog called Think Written and you can find it here. I will also be performing these works at Katora Coffee House here in Fredericksburg Virginia on their Friday Night Snaps Open Mic Poetry reading. Some of the podcast episodes you will hear will be a live recording of me reading the poem to a live audience, other times I will be reading it in the comfort of my home studio. I do plan on posting my work to the NaPoWriMo site and interacting with the poets there and see if they want to read their work on this podcast.

First Car: Write an ode to your first car 

Old Baby Blue 

13 April 2023 

You did run like a scolded dawg 

That Marine was right 

To think I could have purchased my mid-life crisis car with busted rings 

For the same price as you 

I wouldn’t have been able to sleep in that car 

Nor could I fall asleep at the wheel 

And safely get through Bloomington Illinois 

Changing highways in the middle of the night 

The stereo system I bought for you  

Cost more than what you were worth 

And you reminded me when it rained 

And the DIY sunroof flooded and collected fish 

I drove you to escape from where I was 

I drove you to Texas to escape where I came from 

I drove you until something flashier caught my eye 

And then I sold you for a motorcycle 

Because I had only crashed 2 other motorcycles in my life 

So that seemed like a fair trade 

You never started up again 

When all the paperwork was done 

And your new owner took possession  

You refused to be traded away 

And as I crashed another motorcycle 

There you stood stoically in the parking lot 

Reminding me that I would still have transportation 

Hoping I would come to my senses and take you back 

But no, I was young back then 

And flashy new things, which was everything 

Took my attention away from you 

And I bought a shiny new red compact car 

It looked like a clown car when I stepped out of it 

And that car drove me away from Texas 

From you 

From the memories we made 

Sometimes I seek out your relatives 

I look at what others have done with your kind 

And I miss our days together 

You were protecting me 

Me fixing another alternator for you 

Changing your oil from inside the cab 

Hearing that 302 engine roar 

Wishing it was in a Mustang 

But was resigned to hauling around my possessions 

You were my first old baby blue 

And I’ll never forget your shag carpet interior,  

your tinted moon windows  

The swiveling captain chairs 

And the fish tank turned sunroof 

Or Subscribe Here

To reach out to me, email [email protected] I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let's start that conversation.

• Email: [email protected]

If you have found value in this podcast please feel free to share it with a friend as that is the best way to find new podcasts. I want this to be a 5-star podcast in your eyes so let me know what you would like to see. Speaking about sharing with a friend, check out my other podcast Find A Podcast About where I help you outsmart the algorithm and find your next binge-worthy podcast. You can find that podcast at findapodcastabout.xyz.

National Poetry Writing Month (also known as NaPoWriMo) is a creative writing project held annually in April in which participants attempt to write a poem each day for one month. NaPoWriMo coincides with National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada.

This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month), she started writing a poem a day for the month of April back in 2003, posting the poems on her blog. When other people started writing poems for April and posting them on their own blogs, Maureen linked to them. After a few years, so many people were doing NaPoWriMo that Maureen decided to launch an independent website for the project.

I started writing poetry in 1988 after I had been exposed to T.S. Elliot in my honors English class in high school. In 1992 I started reading my poetry publicly at Espresso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. While living in Rockford Illinois I published my first book of poetry Throwing Yourself at the Ground and Missing in 2007 followed by Postcards From Someone You Don't Know in 2008 Wisdom From the Sack in 2010 and Shaving Crop Circles In My Chest Hair in 2017. You can get copies of all of these books in my merch section. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021.

For 2023 I am not going to be just writing poems in April, I will be writing poems all year round. Also, since I will be writing all year round, I am using a different source for my prompts. There is a blog called Think Written and you can find it here. I will also be performing these works at Katora Coffee House here in Fredericksburg Virginia on their Friday Night Snaps Open Mic Poetry reading. Some of the podcast episodes you will hear will be a live recording of me reading the poem to a live audience, other times I will be reading it in the comfort of my home studio. I do plan on posting my work to the NaPoWriMo site and interacting with the poets there and see if they want to read their work on this podcast.

Fast Food: Write a poem about fast food restaurants and experiences. 

After The Casino 

11 April 2023 

Driving through the fog of West Virginia 

Taking the backroads because my car can’t do 75 

Before everyone and their brother had cell phone coverage  

We both struggled to keep our eyes open 

We should have probably grabbed some food on the way out of the casino 

We had both won a tidy sum that paid for the trip and the rent for the next two months 

We didn’t notice when we crossed back into Virginia 

Because at night, most states look the same 

With the last cigarette tossed out of the window 

And a few hours until we arrived at home 

We pulled over at a gas station and Waffle House 

Conjoined at the hip  

The sun was still a few hours away 

We entered the gas station and purchased our brand of addiction 

Relived ourselves in the grimy bathroom 

And found a seat in the empty restaurant 

The sounds of the bells and whistles 

From the plethora of machines drowned out the waitress 

And it took longer than it should have to take our order 

All three of us were tired 

But only 1 was being paid to be here 

And it wasn’t my passenger and I 

My passenger stated his order  

as I was downing the first cup of coffee 

Then it was my turn to interact 

Mindlessly I ordered breakfast and some soup 

The waitress appeared to me 

Muttered crackers? 

And thinking she was referring to us 

Two white boys in the middle of the night 

Driving a car in need of serious repair 

Smelling of smoke and speaking loudly 

We both broke out in laughter 

The waitress asked what was so funny 

I replied you called us crackers 

No, crackers for your soup is what I asked 

You boys look a little rough tonight how far have you got to go 

We let her know and talked to her till the sun rose 

We were well fed 

Energized from the copious amount of coffee 

Ready to take on the final leg of the journey 

And to this day, when either of us hears the word crackers 

We are transported to that night 

Somewhere between West Virginia and home 

Or Subscribe Here

To reach out to me, email [email protected] I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let's start that conversation.

• Email: [email protected]

If you have found value in this podcast please feel free to share it with a friend as that is the best way to find new podcasts. I want this to be a 5-star podcast in your eyes so let me know what you would like to see. Speaking about sharing with a friend, check out my other podcast Find A Podcast About where I help you outsmart the algorithm and find your next binge-worthy podcast. You can find that podcast at findapodcastabout.xyz.

National Poetry Writing Month (also known as NaPoWriMo) is a creative writing project held annually in April in which participants attempt to write a poem each day for one month. NaPoWriMo coincides with National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada.

This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month), she started writing a poem a day for the month of April back in 2003, posting the poems on her blog. When other people started writing poems for April and posting them on their own blogs, Maureen linked to them. After a few years, so many people were doing NaPoWriMo that Maureen decided to launch an independent website for the project.

I started writing poetry in 1988 after I had been exposed to T.S. Elliot in my honors English class in high school. In 1992 I started reading my poetry publicly at Espresso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. While living in Rockford Illinois I published my first book of poetry Throwing Yourself at the Ground and Missing in 2007 followed by Postcards From Someone You Don't Know in 2008 Wisdom From the Sack in 2010 and Shaving Crop Circles In My Chest Hair in 2017. You can get copies of all of these books in my merch section. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021.

For 2023 I am not going to be just writing poems in April, I will be writing poems all year round. Also, since I will be writing all year round, I am using a different source for my prompts. There is a blog called Think Written and you can find it here. I will also be performing these works at Katora Coffee House here in Fredericksburg Virginia on their Friday Night Snaps Open Mic Poetry reading. Some of the podcast episodes you will hear will be a live recording of me reading the poem to a live audience, other times I will be reading it in the comfort of my home studio. I do plan on posting my work to the NaPoWriMo site and interacting with the poets there and see if they want to read their work on this podcast.

Weirder Than Fiction: Think of the most unbelievable moment in your life and write a poem about the experience. 

Just Passing Through 

11 April 2023 

I had just got on the last bus headed for home 

It was dark, and cold, and since the windows were tinted  

I felt blind to the outside world 

My carryon was in my lap 

Turning on the overhead light 

I noticed that the passenger next to me was reading 

I pulled out my borrowed copy of a book 

The author isn’t important 

Someone I should have been enjoying 

But this was not a good book to start with 

When my seatmate heard my yawn for the fifth time in 10 minutes 

He asked me what I was reading 

When I showed him, he asked if was it my first time with this author 

Yes it was and I wasn’t enjoying it at all was my response 

I let him know it was a borrowed book from a friend who thought I’d dig it 

But it just wasn’t working for me 

The passenger opened his carryon bag  

Handed me another book by the same author 

Here read this, it moves faster than the one you have 

I tried to politely decline since my stop was in 5 hours 

If you don’t finish take it with you  

You can give it to me the next time you see me 

I thought this was preposterous but accepted is offer 

So, I read with amazement for 5 hours until my stop 

As I got up to leave, I tried to hand the book back to him 

He said nope, give it to me when we see each other again 

I offered to pay for the book 

Again, he declined and said to give it back when we see each other 

Taking the book to the place at that time I called home 

My mother told me she wanted no books 

From Satanists in her house 

She wanted to throw it out or burn it 

But I let her know it was on loan and it was expected to be returned 

She said I had met a devil on the bus 

I said I had met a human 

Causing the trip home to be contentious  

Two years later I found myself on another bus 

Again, the last one out of the station 

I made sure to bring the borrowed book 

And just like that, he was there 

I sat next to him and held out the book 

He smiled and said great you are ready for book two in the series 

He took the book I borrowed and replaced it with the new one 

I asked when he wanted it back 

He just closed his eyes and fell asleep 

I haven’t been on many cross-country busses since then 

But I always keep the copy he gave me in case 

Or Subscribe Here

To reach out to me, email [email protected] I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let's start that conversation.

• Email: [email protected]

If you have found value in this podcast please feel free to share it with a friend as that is the best way to find new podcasts. I want this to be a 5-star podcast in your eyes so let me know what you would like to see. Speaking about sharing with a friend, check out my other podcast Find A Podcast About where I help you outsmart the algorithm and find your next binge-worthy podcast. You can find that podcast at findapodcastabout.xyz.

National Poetry Writing Month (also known as NaPoWriMo) is a creative writing project held annually in April in which participants attempt to write a poem each day for one month. NaPoWriMo coincides with National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada.

This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month), she started writing a poem a day for the month of April back in 2003, posting the poems on her blog. When other people started writing poems for April and posting them on their own blogs, Maureen linked to them. After a few years, so many people were doing NaPoWriMo that Maureen decided to launch an independent website for the project.

I started writing poetry in 1988 after I had been exposed to T.S. Elliot in my honors English class in high school. In 1992 I started reading my poetry publicly at Espresso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. While living in Rockford Illinois I published my first book of poetry Throwing Yourself at the Ground and Missing in 2007 followed by Postcards From Someone You Don't Know in 2008 Wisdom From the Sack in 2010 and Shaving Crop Circles In My Chest Hair in 2017. You can get copies of all of these books in my merch section. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021.

For 2023 I am not going to be just writing poems in April, I will be writing poems all year round. Also, since I will be writing all year round, I am using a different source for my prompts. There is a blog called Think Written and you can find it here. I will also be performing these works at Katora Coffee House here in Fredericksburg Virginia on their Friday Night Snaps Open Mic Poetry reading. Some of the podcast episodes you will hear will be a live recording of me reading the poem to a live audience, other times I will be reading it in the comfort of my home studio. I do plan on posting my work to the NaPoWriMo site and interacting with the poets there and see if they want to read their work on this podcast.

Sound of Silence: Take some inspiration from the classic Simon & Garfunkel song and describe what silence sounds like. 

No Thing

10 April 2023 

Laying down, ready for sleep 

The fan is set for high (even in the winter) 

And the music is set for introspection through jazz 

Drowning out the usual high-pitched squeal that has become my swan song 

I am prepared to enter the ethereal lands 

Being alone with my thoughts 

Is the quickest way to insanity 

The voices that plagued my mother 

Descend with vengeance 

Ready to eliminate any respite shown me 

Nightly I sonically excavate 

The landscapes of my awake and sleeping mind 

Reliving mistakes I have made 

And paying for them dearly 

In ways only my mind can torture me 

One moment would be nice 

To be able to turn off the thoughts and dreams 

To not think, fear, be anxious 

Just that total blankness of a new sheet of paper 

Or an empty canvas 

I do not afford myself such luxuries 

But to have that one moment 

Where nothing comes in or goes out 

Would only fuel the idea 

That my brain is flawed 

That the internal demons  

Who wanted to silence this voice  

Have won the war against me 

There will be no peace in our time 

Or Subscribe Here

To reach out to me, email [email protected] I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let's start that conversation.

• Email: [email protected]

If you have found value in this podcast please feel free to share it with a friend as that is the best way to find new podcasts. I want this to be a 5-star podcast in your eyes so let me know what you would like to see. Speaking about sharing with a friend, check out my other podcast Find A Podcast About where I help you outsmart the algorithm and find your next binge-worthy podcast. You can find that podcast at findapodcastabout.xyz.

National Poetry Writing Month (also known as NaPoWriMo) is a creative writing project held annually in April in which participants attempt to write a poem each day for one month. NaPoWriMo coincides with National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada.

This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month), she started writing a poem a day for the month of April back in 2003, posting the poems on her blog. When other people started writing poems for April and posting them on their own blogs, Maureen linked to them. After a few years, so many people were doing NaPoWriMo that Maureen decided to launch an independent website for the project.

I started writing poetry in 1988 after I had been exposed to T.S. Elliot in my honors English class in high school. In 1992 I started reading my poetry publicly at Espresso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. While living in Rockford Illinois I published my first book of poetry Throwing Yourself at the Ground and Missing in 2007 followed by Postcards From Someone You Don't Know in 2008 Wisdom From the Sack in 2010 and Shaving Crop Circles In My Chest Hair in 2017. You can get copies of all of these books in my merch section. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021.

For 2023 I am not going to be just writing poems in April, I will be writing poems all year round. Also, since I will be writing all year round, I am using a different source for my prompts. There is a blog called Think Written and you can find it here. I will also be performing these works at Katora Coffee House here in Fredericksburg Virginia on their Friday Night Snaps Open Mic Poetry reading. Some of the podcast episodes you will hear will be a live recording of me reading the poem to a live audience, other times I will be reading it in the comfort of my home studio. I do plan on posting my work to the NaPoWriMo site and interacting with the poets there and see if they want to read their work on this podcast.

Weirder Than Fiction: Think of the most unbelievable moment in your life and write a poem about the experience. 

Greyhound Pimpin 

5 April 2023 

The cheapest way to see the country 

With people, you probably will never meet again 

I was on the East Coast heading out west 

To the city of Sun Phoenix to visit a friend 

After pushing off the homeless guys 

Begging for smoke or spare change at the depot 

I got into the bus where all the seats are coach 

Towards the back, near the bathrooms 

The slight smell of antiseptic and piss soaked into the cloth seats 

We pulled out of there 

Just to stop again, and again, and again 

Gaining more and more people  

Dropping off others 

The miles crawled by 

We got to Atlanta that night 

Time to switch busses 

Time to find my bags 

And tote them over to our new driver 

The same bums begging for change followed us 

Like there was an ATM on board 

And naturally, we were all well off 

Seeing the country the cheapest way possible 

There was a couple already occupying the back seats 

And I sat in front of them 

The smell had changed from cleaner and piss 

To sweet sweet rotgut 

With a hint of patolli 

So, I gave them my spare pack of smokes 

And at each stop, we stood off from the others  

And huffed our way to bliss 

The driver came to the back more than once 

Complaining about the smell and noise 

I could play straight easily 

But they were true amateurs 

By the time we got to El Paso 

The cops were waiting for them 

As we left the bus for another round 

They were taken in 

And I puffed on a smoke a stones throw away 

They waved goodbye 

And I said till we meet again 

I got back on that bus 

And changed seats 

Trying to outsmart the driver 

When we were stopped at the border security station 

I thought they were coming for me 

They pulled off a few who looked darker 

Than those in the land of the free 

They didn’t wave at me 

And I didn’t say goodbye 

They were lost in that New Mexico sky 

We pulled into Phoenix 

The heat was still on high  

The city didn’t care if it was the middle of Fall or Summer 

It was hot all the time 

And there was my friend waiting in his Mercedes 

The bums from Richmond and Atlanta followed us 

And started to beg again 

When they tried to wash his windows 

He pulled out his gun 

They scurried off like mice 

And we headed to the nearest strip club 

To reach out to me, email [email protected] I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let's start that conversation.

• Email: [email protected]

If you have found value in this podcast please feel free to share it with a friend as that is the best way to find new podcasts. I want this to be a 5-star podcast in your eyes so let me know what you would like to see. Speaking about sharing with a friend, check out my other podcast Find A Podcast About where I help you outsmart the algorithm and find your next binge-worthy podcast. You can find that podcast at findapodcastabout.xyz.