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.

People You Have Known: Make each line about different people you have met but lost contact with over the years. These could be old friends, passed-on family, etc. 

No Longer In Communication 

4 April 2023 

To Jeff, you were the subject of my first attempt at poetry, four-line stanzas four stanzas long, all these words on paper and electrons floating throughout the universe hold the code that is you 

To Katina, working with you at the movie theater was bliss, kissing you in the back of the shop with the lights off was magical, and hearing how you kept the baby of your rapist still angers me that you had to make that choice 

Mike D, your family invited this stranger in, and for years you were that little brother that became successful, except you, couldn’t put that bottle down, so I put you down, that’s the way I detach and preserve my sanity 

Kelly, the eyes are what I remember the most, the drunken nights and the way you brought other men to bed have been forgotten, but as you changed your ways and became a mother, your life was taken away, and now I can only guess where to send flowers 

Mr. Hoppe, that stoic man, demanding that these rednecks produce a sound that the gods recognized our importance, you left for Arizona, I wanted to go with you, and I made it out there never to find you 

Gordon Odegard Director, GOD for short, your breath stank of dog shit, but you inspired this kid to believe in something greater than religion, greater than science, you made me believe I could make a difference, and ensure that the audience could see the actors eyes 

Albert, you probably wouldn’t have been proud of my stereo setup, but you would be proud of the impact of my music collection on our nephew, you gave me the love of music, good music, and showed me how to sing while driving, I wanted to come to your funeral, but I was working 80 hour weeks and had no reliable transportation 

Tommy, my hippie grade school pal, sneaking off to your house to listen to KISS records and play with your toys was the first time I ran away from home, your spasms and outbursts have a name now, and my daughter has them, I hope you are alive, but I am too afraid to find out 

To she that cannot be named, I was in a bad spot, you took advantage of it without knowing what you were doing, I wasn’t honest with you and to this day I am still not honest with others who wonder why we don’t speak, you will probably never read this and that is fair I wasn’t ready for a one night stand nor was I ready to be the lead singer of your brother's death metal math prog band 

To the Lt Col who took a long stroll off a short pier, what you inspired in me keeps fueling my work, I won’t stop until I can achieve half of what you have 

To Moses, otherwise known as Mr. Heston, we don’t have latrines in the Air Force, we have full-service restrooms and please tip the towel boy on your way out, by the way, guns do kill people and your legacy is tied to the fools you would not suffer when you were alive 

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.

Dear Reader: What audience enjoys reading the type of poetry you like to write? Craft a note to your potential audience that addresses their biggest fears, hopes, and dreams. 

Read with Caution 

8 April 2023 

You who are searching for a familiar voice 

You who want to laugh at me and my mishaps 

You who really like how I keep it real 

You have no idea who I am 

I give you a peek inside 

But I gotta say I cleaned up the back room 

If you suddenly drop in unexpected 

You'd see something completely different 

You think you know my political affiliation 

But guess what kiddos, I am as loyal to them 

As they are to me 

Being an anarchist in libertarian clothes is hard to comprehend 

I used to smoke cigs 

And I talked about them forever 

With a cup of joe and lusting after the dark-haired barista 

The only problem is I was too shy to talk to her  

I used to have a drink or three 

And I just got dizzy and sick  

There was no pontifications 

That rattled the cages  

I used to get high 13 times a day 

I kept count at some point, I don’t remember when  

But now I can’t partake 

Because I love my pension and Retirment more than Mary 

I drove around the country to visit friends 

Now I can’t stand to drive an hour to get to work 

Traffic angers me more 

Than injustice 

If you knew me when I was fearless 

If you knew me when I was invulnerable 

If you knew me way back when 

Then you know I was not any of those things 

I’ve always been a teddy bear 

I was the person who would be up at 3 in the morning 

And you could call me and have me listen 

But now, at 3 AM 

I only get up to scare nightmares away 

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.

Do you remember how great it was to play after school with your friends? Let's discuss how we can incorporate play into our art. My wife gave me a box of cards for the holidays in 2022. I was puzzled because they were creativity cards and I thought, what the heck is this, I don't need them. Well, folks, I was wrong and I will attempt to do a card a week and record an episode about how I am utilizing the card I draw every week if you decide to pick up a deck and do these let me know.

• Kickstart Creativity

Play: the conduct, course, or action of a game a particular act or maneuver in a game

recreational activity especially: the spontaneous activity of children an act, way, or manner of proceeding in the state of being active, operative, or relevant to engage in sport or recreation

• Compose a list of things that inspired wonder when you were a child. Remember and honor what made your childhood self feel most joyful, creative, and playful.

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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 discover 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.

Last Words: Use the last sentence from the nearest book as the inspiration for the first line of your poem.

“And indeed, as he listened to the cries of joy rising from the town, Rieux remembered that such joy is always imperiled” The Plague by Camus

Holding It In 

3 April 2023 

The ideas we don’t share 

The voices running through our heads  

We dare not whisper to those around us 

The weight of the wrongs we have committed in the name of love 

The frustration of believing the inner dictator vs the creator 

The need to spill our guts 

When we know it will make us feel better 

But we are too worried about how those outside our brains will react 

The fear that finding out our truth is not shared by any other soul 

Looking foolish is not the fashion statement we want to employ 

Ridicule awaits when we emotionally expose ourselves 

So, we drop trow and plant our butt cheeks against the window 

My firewall is struggling not to be breached 

But I don’t really give a shit about your insecurities 

Carrying the secrets of decades has improved my musculature 

Also, it has caused microscopic cracks in all my bones 

I pay the monthly garbage disposal fee 

To my therapist  

Hoping that no one is dumpster-diving through his notes 

I have lugged all this baggage, so you don’t have to be exposed 

I kept it in a lead-lined case so the radiation wouldn’t seep into your body 

The glowing from within escaped out of the cracks of the case 

And became my nightlight 

Clutching the pain of all the years 

Was the best coping mechanism as seen on TV 

Being above the fray, refusing to break down 

Or become flexible 

Was the ideal I thought would work 

Only to find it eating me up from the inside 

And leaving me with few salvageable innards 

My fear was that I was nothing without the pain 

And I have found that the pain is what caused more pain 

In this aching frame 

So I release it 

The torrent that has been encapsulated in my mind 

It doesn’t feel better, but it feels better to feel 

And finding out that is what I was craving 

That is what the hole in my soul was missing 

Makes it easier to move on with today 

And let the past die in peace 

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 a

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.

Last Words: Use the last sentence from the nearest book as the inspiration for the first line of your poem.

“And indeed, as he listened to the cries of joy rising from the town, Rieux remembered that such joy is always imperiled” The Plague by Camus

Joy is Always Imperiled

29 March 2023

Don’t live in the warm glow of love 

In the past it has left by the morning 

That was the way I used to be 

And then fatherhood happened 

The smiles and gurgling of two babies 

Changed my heart 

I wanted to be around for more than my ten-year plan  

I was able to overlook the few faults of my lover 

And she was able to overlook mine 

I’ve seen fatherhood calm other men 

Make them look at the long game 

And forget that it’s not about them anymore 

It’s about what they brought into this world 

It’s about bringing a fresh mind into the collective unconsciousness 

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.

Goodbyes: Write about a time in your life you said goodbye to someone – this could be as simple as ending a mundane phone conversation, or harder goodbyes to close friends, family members, or former partners.

Closed Casket 

22 March 2023 

I can hear you from over 20 years of you rotting in the ground 

I idolized you and believed in everything you said 

I was selfish, greedy, self-centered 

I was a mistake; I was lucky to be alive 

If I had been born earlier, I would have died in your womb 

Like another child did 

Or you would have aborted me  

if the voices in your head told you to 

#3 husband wanted to get you in the ground 

So he could move onto his next 2 conquests 

That person couldn’t even remember you said to have the lid closed 

He has no Indigenous blood running through his veins 

There was no medicine man that called me bright light 

And no one dosed your coffee with PCP 

The cologne that sperm donor wore, you weren’t allergic to 

You just knew that he was on the prowl 

And wanted him to know that you knew 

So I wasn’t allowed to wear deodorant 

And my sweaty pits smelled like the pot 

Your oldest children smoked 

When I saw you laying there with all that makeup on 

I thanked the funeral director for their work 

But I told him that it wasn’t you 

I should have told the preacher to revoke the post humorous  

Membership in their church 

But I let sperm donor have his day of celebration 

And just so you know 

Although you probably already knew 

You weren’t cold in the ground for a year 

When he took his next bride 

Who was so rich and smart  

That he couldn’t drain her accounts 

And there I was, a babbling weeping self-centered man child 

Breaking down, fist bumping your casket 

Counting the minutes until my next cigarette 

Climbing in the car to put you 6 feet under 

Sperm donor didn’t have the money for your headstone 

And he never visited your grave with me 

All those times I took the time to head back to the land of my torture 

Replace plastic flowers and put trinkets that you treasured there 

And not once did he come with me 

You chose to end it all, and if you wondered if I missed you 

I did, until the other night 

When my child said she was self-centered, greedy, selfish and a mistake 

I heard my voice in hers 

And I knew then that I needed to smash that away 

She is not you she is mine 

and I no longer need you 

Nor do I need your influence 

Or your picture looking over me and my children 

I won’t think about you on the anniversary of your death 

Nor will I remember you on Mother's Day anymore 

You have finally and completely become dead to me 

Just like the sperm donor 

Just like my heroes 

Just like my love of scrambled memories 

Just like the putrid and deranged love you showed me 

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.

Uncertainty: Think about a time in your life when you couldn’t make a decision and write based on this.

Two of Swords 

3 Feb 2023 

Mancave 

When opening the deck for the first time 

You couldn’t wait to identify me 

So, you tumbled out and landed on the ground first 

Pushing aside all the other cards 

You knew me before I knew me 

I read the future of others 

Gave them advice with your tutelage 

But nothing for me 

No vision of what was to come 

Just the two of swords 

And the reflection of indecision 

Standing outside a hotel room 

The night before we were to be wed 

My soon-to-be betrothed was asleep, snoring 

And me smoking and thinking about what was next 

Do I grab a cab and never darken the commonwealth’s door 

Tell Old Dominion that it will not have my soul again 

Yes, I stayed 

Yes, I was wed to my betrothed 

Yes, I added to the population 

Yes, I voted blue to make us more purple 

And on my weak and battered arm 

I have placed you 

My card of indecision 

My card that holds me back 

That feeds my insecurities 

You are a part of me 

Making me an expert of second-guessing 

But you don’t stop me like you used to 

Or maybe I don’t let you stop me 

Maybe I give you some time  

To dance in my insomnia 

But your influence is short-lived 

And I push forward  

Finally, out of your grasp  

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.

Life Didn’t Go As Planned: Write about a recent or memorable experience when nothing went according to plan. 

The Last Time I Cried 

14 March 2023 

It wasn’t too cold that day 

My car was starting, sporadically 

It was a Friday, and I was forgotten in the waiting room 

The nurse had me type in my information 

She was unable to hold a thought for more than five minutes 

Then back to the waiting room of forgetting 

The resident came in 

Way younger than me 

Way more handsome,  

Probably was having a threesome that night 

He wanted to get out of there 

I wanted to get out of there 

Friday at 4 PM, both of our minds were elsewhere 

He brought in his teacher, the real doctor 

His accent was probably not as thick as I perceived  

Between the nurse, the resident and this doc 

I am surprised any of them hadn’t been sued or assaulted 

And that’s when they told me 

Welcome to the world of MS 

And they ushered me out 

The receptionist had left an hour ago 

So, the head nurse practitioner had to check me out 

He was the only one with an ounce of kindness 

I made it through the hospital in downtown Richmond 

I had been here before 

Had the ticking timebomb removed from my brain 

And I remembered how shitty I was treated back then 

And I wondered why I came back 

Oh yeah, I’m a De Sade fan 

The car didn’t start.  

I lit a cigarette 

The car didn’t start 

I am not sure why I thought it would 

I walked around the car 

Smoking another cigarette 

Underneath the sign that says don’t 

Just as I was about to call home 

The car started 

Driving up I95 on a Friday before Spring Break 

There was a lot to time to contemplate 

Making my way home 

I said no, No, NO 

5 years of frustration 

5 years of MRI’s MRA’s, CT Scans 

Spikes pressed 5 times in my back 

Blood tests galore for every known disease 

Finally understanding why so many things happened 

Finally realizing that I was never lazy 

Finally realizing that what was wrong had a name 

It wasn’t me all along 

Making it through the front door 

The children were asleep 

The wife was on the couch 

I knew we would be there for awhile 

Talked till her yawns couldn’t keep her eyes opened 

And then we slept 

Saturday with the children didn’t cause the waterworks 

It was when my wife got back from errands 

That it all hit me 

And my kids wonder why Papa doesn’t cry 

They’ve never seen it 

And I know it’s bad to think, but they may never 

Even then I couldn’t weep for myself in front of them 

Retiring to our room 

As she followed close by 

I made it in, shut the door 

And heard my dead mothers voice calling me selfish 

And selfishly I cried 

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.

Stranger Conversations: Start the first line of your poem with a word or phrase from a recent passing conversation between you and someone you don’t know.  

The Insufficiency of Your Love 

10 March 2023 

The insufficiency of your love 

Could have kept me alive longer 

Raise your hand as high as you can 

Now raise it higher 

What the hell is that? 

That is the insufficiency of your love 

If you could have taken a moment 

And thought about someone outside of your brain 

Maybe just maybe you would have picked me 

But you chose the most athletic kids to play ball with 

Reminding me that although being last picked by you 

Because no one else would pick me at all 

Was what I should expect 

When you taught me the meaning of trophy family 

Without saying a word, 

I embraced the role of being an embarrassment  

I delved into the depths of De Sade and other of that denizen 

Knowing I was stabbing your heart 

Until I declared you dead to me 

Your love and acceptance  

Is no longer required or desired 

Yes, that is my blood on that knife 

The same one your silent partner chased me around the house with 

Yes, these cuts are in cursive  

So, I can remember them and lie to my children  

Who can read what I wrote 

I hear remnants of your voice in mine 

Sometimes I just want to rip out my throat 

And silence both of us 

Sometimes when I look at this husk 

I see a foggy glimpse of you 

And smash my face against the mirror 

The insufficiency of your love wasn’t what killed me off 

That was all my doing 

I wouldn’t give you the pleasure of thinking 

That what you did caused this decision 

I took myself out of the picture years ago 

Ensuring whatever influenced your existence 

Never saw the light of day again 

It was easy, quick, and not a tear was shed 

And when it was done 

I put on my new skin 

Replaced the diseased innards 

Promptly forgot where I came from 

And set my compass for elsewhere 

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 nex

Sticking to your guns, persevering when every option seems closed to you. Today we will talk about the benefits of perseverance and how you can use it for your artistic practice. My wife gave me a box of cards for the holidays in 2022. I was puzzled because they were creativity cards and I thought, what the heck is this, I don't need them. Well, folks, I was wrong and I will attempt to do a card a week and record an episode about how I am utilizing the card I draw every week if you decide to pick up a deck and do these let me know.

• Kickstart Creativity

Perseverance: continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition: the action or condition or an instance of persevering: STEADFASTNESS

• Reflect on how or why you may have been groomed to regard stubbornness as a negative trait rather than a valuable asset.

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 discover 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.