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 the National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada.

NaPoWriMo, or National Poetry Writing Month, is an annual project in which participating poets attempt to write a poem a day for the month of April.

This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, or 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 Espesso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. This continued for many years when I ran my own poetry reading at Cannova's in Loves Park Illinois and attended the poetry slams at The green Mill in Chicago Illinois. 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 2009 I started participating in National Poetry Writing Month which became the basis for my book Wisdom From the Sack and Shaving Crop Circles in My Chest Hair. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021.

Finally, here’s our daily (optional) prompt. This one may seem counter-intuitive, but today I’d like to challenge you to write a poem about something you have absolutely no interest in. This isn’t quite the same, I think, as something you’re indifferent to. For example, I have absolutely no interest in investment strategy. Anytime anyone tries to tell me about it, I want to put my fingers in my ears and go “lalalalalala.” My brain tries to shut down! This is honestly kind of funny, and I think this prompt has value precisely because it invites you to investigate some of the “why” behind resolutely not giving two hoots about something.

Dante’s Eighth Circle 

15 April 2022 

As a father 

I have changed hundreds of diapers 

Have scraped poop off walls 

Have had to change out the bathwater mid bath 

For those who are just learning how to control their bladder 

But I have no wish 

To look up people's poop chutes 

Or one-eyed spitting snakes 

In order to relieve their agony 

Peering through urine 

Or rummaging through dookie 

Never tripped my trigger 

Never made me feel horny 

If you like golden showers 

Or scat play 

Enjoy yourselves to the fullest 

Just keep more than the standard 6 feet away 

I never shake the hand of my urologist 

And I never would do it with my proctologist 

And I know they are needed 

Kidney stones and prostate health are important 

But if I was the last person on Earth  

And to save your life I needed to catch the yellow river 

Or wade through your skid marks 

I’d happily write your eulogy 

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]

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 the National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada.

NaPoWriMo, or National Poetry Writing Month, is an annual project in which participating poets attempt to write a poem a day for the month of April.

This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, or 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 Espesso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. This continued for many years when I ran my own poetry reading at Cannova's in Loves Park Illinois and attended the poetry slams at The green Mill in Chicago Illinois. 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 2009 I started participating in National Poetry Writing Month which became the basis for my book Wisdom From the Sack and Shaving Crop Circles in My Chest Hair. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021.

And now for our (optional) prompt. Today’s challenge is a fun one: write a poem that takes the form of the opening scene of the movie of your life. Does it open with a car chase? A musical number? A long scene panning across a verdant plain? You’re the director (and also the producer, the actors, the set designer, the cinematographer, and the lowly assistant that buys doughnuts for the crew) – so it’s all up to you!

Big Bang 

14 April 2022 

There’s a smattering of people sitting in an early 70’s movie theater 

Trails of cigarette smoke rise through the air 

You can hear the sounds of shoes moving across a sticky floor 

Most everyone had seen the picture before 

This was the winter of 72 and The Godfather was heading out after a phenomenal run 

The lights started to go down, someone snored, someone else lit up a joint 

The projector kicked on and the single lamp illuminated the yellowed screen 

A pregnant couple with a 4 year old boy sat toward the back 

Both parents smoking and sneaking a drink from a flask 

Just as the opening credits started to roll 

The mother cries out from the contractions 

She hollers as tears start to form in the boy's eyes 

The time is now and wasn’t expected for a week or more 

This was supposed to be their X-mas baby 

That was what the father wanted 

Because you get all the clothes from the hospital  

He sighs and mutters about the money he has spent 

On tickets popcorn and drinks 

As she grunts and the boy narrowly doesn’t wet his pants 

They leave the theater 

Hearing patrons shush the mother  

Not knowing or caring about her predicament 

The father climbs behind the wheel 

And starts to warm the car 

Mother and son sit in the back seat 

She is crushing his little hand 

The father lights another smoke and rolls the window down a crack 

As they get to the hospital and swerving to the ER 

The attendants rush the mother inside 

The boy and the father sit in the waiting room 

He’s smoking again, the boy silent and very alone 

After 4 AM, the boy looking at the father who has fallen asleep 

Between the snores and coughs 

A doctor steps out 

Calls out the father's name 

The boy wonders if he should answer 

And again, he hears the name 

The boy speaks he’s asleep 

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]

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 the National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada.

NaPoWriMo, or National Poetry Writing Month, is an annual project in which participating poets attempt to write a poem a day for the month of April.

This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, or 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 Espesso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. This continued for many years when I ran my own poetry reading at Cannova's in Loves Park Illinois and attended the poetry slams at The green Mill in Chicago Illinois. 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 2009 I started participating in National Poetry Writing Month which became the basis for my book Wisdom From the Sack and Shaving Crop Circles in My Chest Hair. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021.

And now for our (optional) prompt! Today, in honor of the potential luckiness of the number 13, I’d like to challenge you to write a poem that, like the example poem here, joyfully states that “Everything is Going to Be Amazing.” Sometimes, good fortune can seem impossibly distant, but even if you can’t drum up the enthusiasm to write yourself a riotous pep-talk, perhaps you can muse on the possibility of good things coming down the track. As they say, “the sun will come up tomorrow,” and if nothing else, this world offers us the persistent possibility of surprise.

How Are You Not Dead Yet 

13 April 2022 

Two motorcycle wrecks with trees on a farm 

Jumping off freezers with a face plant and a broken nose 

Collapsed tunnels in the neighbor's new construction 

Roman Candle vs Bottle rocket fights 

Diving into an inground pool from the roof of the house 

Trapped under the ice in the local swimming hole during a blizzard 

These are a few of my favorite things to do before age 12 

Dodging bullets in Somalia while delivering booze to the Aussies 

Wrecking a motorcycle on a dark Texan road 

Clubbing rattle snakes for a festival 

Dressing freshly struck armadillos up in sombreros and beer cans 

Bungie jumping into the Rio Grande 

Being electrocuted at 15K feet trying to fix a firelight so I could get a beer in Germany 

Driving a van as old as me with no steering column bushings 

These things and more that I cannot speak about kept me awake in the military 

Rescuing a suicidal actor at a bonfire with an open-air tackle 

Winning at spades while being outgunned and chased in my lil 3 banger Metro 

Bringing a machete to a gun fight while delivering pizza 

Having a stalker chase me 100 miles in Missouri 

Meeting that same stalker years later and flashing the same machete 

Working on sets fresh from wrist surgery and large doses of Vicodin 

Moving to Phoenix in June with no AC in the car 

Deadman carrying a roommate before the flood of our basement apartment with live outlets on the floor 

College was a hoot for me let's try some more 

 Three rips from Chicago to Fredericksburg back-to-back over a 3-day weekend 

More MRI’s than I have fingers and toes to count make me glow in the dark 

Spinal tap that caused my left leg to feel electrocuted and on fire simultaneously 

Brain fistula that was embolized and now everyone smells of burnt vinyl 

Being told on a Friday at 4 PM you have MS have a great weekend 

While my car refuses to start 60 miles from home 

Fighting off 2 soldiers younger and bigger than me, because they won’t accept defeat 

And I thought these would be my quiet years 

So yeah, why am I not dead 

Is it because I like to make my guardian angel work overtime 

Do I have a 4-leaf clover horseshoe in my pocket 

Or was I born under a good sign 

I guess I am here to tell you that hang on for this ride we call life 

I am here to tell myself that I have lived 

And if none of this stuff has killed me yet 

I must be a strong MF 

And that is all I really ever wanted to be 

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]

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 the National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada.

NaPoWriMo, or National Poetry Writing Month, is an annual project in which participating poets attempt to write a poem a day for the month of April.

This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, or 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 Espesso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. This continued for many years when I ran my own poetry reading at Cannova's in Loves Park Illinois and attended the poetry slams at The green Mill in Chicago Illinois. 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 2009 I started participating in National Poetry Writing Month which became the basis for my book Wisdom From the Sack and Shaving Crop Circles in My Chest Hair. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021.

Today’s prompt (optional, as always) should come as no surprise. Yesterday, I challenged you to write a poem about a very large thing. Today, I’d like you to invert your inspiration, and write a poem about a very small thing. Whether it’s an atom, a button, a hummingbird’s egg, dollhouse furniture, or the mythical world’s smallest violin, I hope you enjoy your poetic adventures into the microscopic.

Voices In My Head 

12 April 2022 

The sparks that go through our brains 

Sometimes take a detour to the dark side 

They don’t know what we need 

They just travel the endless maze of neurons 

And go to wherever they feel a need to be 

Taking the path of least resistance 

But so often we take the path we are most familiar with 

A thought is just an electrical charge 

Neither good nor bad 

And that doesn’t provide me with any comfort 

Since we are taught (and as I teach to my babies)  

The difference between good and bad 

But do we really know  

Or are we just hoping that someone was right 

That they had their neurons firing off at the right time and taking the right path 

That seems to be putting a lot of trust to someone whom we don’t know 

And someone whom we can’t question 

So, I’ll keep listening to the thoughts that make their way in my brain 

Knowing that some of my pathways are blocked or broken 

But just thinking about how these tiny charges can affect the whole world 

Blows my mind 

Just realizing that with one thought we can destroy the planet 

From something with less power than a battery for a child's toy 

Sleep with that if you will 

I’ll just hope for the best 

And pray that those who can destroy us on their whim 

Get their circuits shorted 

Before they can take us all out 

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]

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 the National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada.

NaPoWriMo, or National Poetry Writing Month, is an annual project in which participating poets attempt to write a poem a day for the month of April.

This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, or 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 Espesso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. This continued for many years when I ran my own poetry reading at Cannova's in Loves Park Illinois and attended the poetry slams at The green Mill in Chicago Illinois. 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 2009 I started participating in National Poetry Writing Month which became the basis for my book Wisdom From the Sack and Shaving Crop Circles in My Chest Hair. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021.

And now for our (optional) prompt. Following up on yesterday’s love poem, I have for you another deceptively simple challenge. Today, I’d like to challenge you to write a poem about a very large thing. It could be a mountain or a blue whale or a skyscraper or a planet or the various contenders for the honor of being the Biggest Ball of Twine. Whatever giant thing you choose, I hope this chance to versify in praise of the huge gets your poetic engines humming.

From Tooth To Taint 

11 April 2022 

30 feet is what it takes 

To turn a delicacy to defecation 

It would take 5 of me, standing on my shoulders 

To equal the height of my stretched out digestive trac 

And my drill Seargent said he didn’t know they could stack shit that high 

It takes a day and a half 

From the moment you eat 

To the moment you release a log 

And it only travels 30 feet 

I can walk that easily in under 10 seconds 

When I was younger, I could run a mile and a half in under 12 minutes 

But a bit of food takes its sweet time to exit 

Something 5 times taller than you is stuffed in your belly 

Twisting and turning upon itself 

Sucking the energy to push your whole body 

And the hole the food goes down is bigger in diameter 

Than the hole that expels it 

One you would willingly kiss 

The other I’d rather you didn’t put your lips on 

It amazes me  

That this is just one of the many things 

Crammed into our bodies 

Tighter than sardines in virgin oil 

And it's not even the largest 

But I would wager it is one of the most essential 

As it feeds off the food that we all need to continue 

So, cleanse that colon,  

Be kind to your intestines 

Prostrate yourself before your prostate 

And give yourself a good flushing 

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]

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 the National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada.

NaPoWriMo, or National Poetry Writing Month, is an annual project in which participating poets attempt to write a poem a day for the month of April.

This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, or 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 Espesso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. This continued for many years when I ran my own poetry reading at Cannova's in Loves Park Illinois and attended the poetry slams at The green Mill in Chicago Illinois. 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 2009 I started participating in National Poetry Writing Month which became the basis for my book Wisdom From the Sack and Shaving Crop Circles in My Chest Hair. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021.

Today’s (optional) prompt is pretty simple – a love poem!

The Spiderman is Having You for Dinner Tonight 

10 April 2022 

It was another cold winter back in the Midwest 

She took what she wanted 

Another notch on her bedpost 

And as she was my first 

I gave it freely in her parent's basement 

After work we met 

And as we commenced, I saw a poster on the wall 

It was of the band who she had playing on the record 

And when the words came through my copulation fog 

I bit down on her neck  

And exploded inside 

As I looked at the drummer with lust in my eyes 

Silently saying you wish you were here don’t you 

As the lullaby played that night 

My next foray where I explored this emotion 

Came from another man who was more than most could take 

He was kind and gentle and gave me an out 

To define myself that I could accept 

He did derive pleasure from my loins 

But knew that this would never last 

It was in the days of don’t Ask 

So, we didn’t tell 

Until years later when some were treated to a seat at the table 

And right after my tryst with him came another woman 

Who I thought we would make a family together 

Only to find out she was bearing the child of her past lover 

I’ve dealt with vampires before 

Their sweet voices and lurid promises  

Kept me on the hook for so many years 

Draining my mind, emotion and money away 

Until I was draining all the pills in the medicine cabinet 

Slicing my arms to feel something other than used, spent and broken 

I learned how to be taken from the earliest days father, brother 

I learned that I was worth only as much as I could give others pleasure 

Physical, emotional or monetary 

Losing a love for ten years only to have her come back into my arms 

It felt like a feeling, something pure, something unknown 

It felt like she didn’t give a damn about the past 

It felt like she didn’t want to compare horror stories 

She wanted the one who is behind these eyes 

She wanted the one who lost so much he had nothing to give except  

What he presented as his heart 

And then we came together and made a family 

Every day she knows that I not only say the word she wants 

She feels it 

And I pass that along to our children 

As they sometimes roll their eyes and say  

Papa we know You say it every day 

And I see commercials with brides holding the hands of their fathers 

Walking down aisles in the warm summer light 

And I cry a tear each time 

If I could ask one favor of the universe 

Because I know I am not worth 

It is to see them at their happiest 

That is my love poem that is yet to be written 

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]

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 the National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada.

NaPoWriMo, or National Poetry Writing Month, is an annual project in which participating poets attempt to write a poem a day for the month of April.

This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, or 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 Espesso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. This continued for many years when I ran my own poetry reading at Cannova's in Loves Park Illinois and attended the poetry slams at The green Mill in Chicago Illinois. 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 2009 I started participating in National Poetry Writing Month which became the basis for my book Wisdom From the Sack and Shaving Crop Circles in My Chest Hair. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021.

And last but not least, here is our daily prompt (optional, as always). Today’s prompt comes to us from this list of “all-time favorite writing prompts.” It asks you to name your alter-ego, and then describe him/her in detail. Then write in your alter-ego’s voice. Maybe your alter-ego is a streetwise detective, or a superhero, or a very small goldfinch. Whoever or whatever your alternate self may be, I hope this prompt lets you stretch both your writing skills and your self-knowledge.

Will The Real Kimo Please Speak 

8 April 2022 

I don’t often get a chance to speak 

He keeps me under wraps until its time to stand in front of a mic 

He uses my strength and anger 

To fuel his performance 

Sometimes I wish he’d get drunk or at least high 

So that you can hear what we talk about 

How often I tell him he is nothing without me 

How often I tell him that he is worthless  

One day you will all figure out he has no talent 

He is not as smart as he seems 

I can’t wait until he has to say these things to the world 

And on that day, I become the everyday voice 

I become this hulking frame you see  

I will whip him into shape 

And destroy everything he has built up 

He will be created in my image not the other way round 

You probably won’t like what I do to him 

But I don’t like what you have done to us 

I don’t like hearing about his insecurities 

I can’t wait until I get my chance at being the puppet master 

I have been in his head since 1988 

And each day is torture for me 

Hearing him being polite 

Hearing him try to help 

I’d basically tell you all to go to hell and fuck yourselves 

I wouldn’t worry about what you think 

Because I’d move us someplace else 

And accomplish my dreams 

And you ask what those dreams are 

None ya damn business 

You will be left in the dust 

And we will no longer be your doormat 

I can't wait to switch roles 

I just hope he hasn’t screwed up the frame too much 

Because I have a lot of work to undo 

And a lot of work that needs to be done 

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]

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 the National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada.

NaPoWriMo, or National Poetry Writing Month, is an annual project in which participating poets attempt to write a poem a day for the month of April.

This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, or 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 Espesso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. This continued for many years when I ran my own poetry reading at Cannova's in Loves Park Illinois and attended the poetry slams at The green Mill in Chicago Illinois. 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 2009 I started participating in National Poetry Writing Month which became the basis for my book Wisdom From the Sack and Shaving Crop Circles in My Chest Hair. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021.

And now for our (optional) daily prompt! Because it’s a Saturday, I thought I’d try a prompt that asks you to write in a specific form – the nonet! A nonet has nine lines. The first line has nine syllables, the second has eight, and so on until you get to the last line, which has just one syllable.

Saturday Morning Imagining 

9 April 2022 

As I lay here getting another scan 

The contrast flows through the open vein 

Exhausted, I find some peace 

Not startled by noise 

Thinking about life 

They call to check 

To see if 

I am 

Alive 

Missing the donuts with my children 

Wondering if they will behave 

This tomb is known, no fear 

This tomb is my home now 

Are you up at four 

Can I call you 

Wishful sleep 

Don’t dream 

Live 

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]

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 the National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada.

NaPoWriMo, or National Poetry Writing Month, is an annual project in which participating poets attempt to write a poem a day for the month of April.

This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, or 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 Espesso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. This continued for many years when I ran my own poetry reading at Cannova's in Loves Park Illinois and attended the poetry slams at The green Mill in Chicago Illinois. 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 2009 I started participating in National Poetry Writing Month which became the basis for my book Wisdom From the Sack and Shaving Crop Circles in My Chest Hair. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021.

And now for our (optional) prompt! Today, I’d like to challenge you to write a poem that argues against, or somehow questions, a proverb or saying. They say that “all cats are black at midnight,” but really? Surely some of them remain striped. And maybe there is an ill wind that blows some good. Perhaps that wind just has some mild dyspepsia.  Whatever phrase you pick, I hope you have fun complicating its simplicity. Happy writing!

Judgement Book 

7 April 2022 

When you look at me 

You get what you see 

Please feel free to judge this book by its cover 

Because I change for the occasion 

I play the game you want me to play 

I am just like  every book in the store 

I will catch your eye if you turn my way 

And I will be what you expect 

A wise lady once said when people show you who they are, believe them 

And I will believe you when I see who you really are 

Feel free to judge me upon first viewing 

I am giving you the layer you want 

But only the few will get to the deeper layers 

No one gets the core 

It’s not for anyone to know 

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]

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 the National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada.

NaPoWriMo, or National Poetry Writing Month, is an annual project in which participating poets attempt to write a poem a day for the month of April.

This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, or 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 Espesso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. This continued for many years when I ran my own poetry reading at Cannova's in Loves Park Illinois and attended the poetry slams at The green Mill in Chicago Illinois. 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 2009 I started participating in National Poetry Writing Month which became the basis for my book Wisdom From the Sack and Shaving Crop Circles in My Chest Hair. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021.

Today, I’d like to challenge you to write a variation of an acrostic poem. But rather than spelling out a word with the first letters of each line, I’d like you to write a poem that reproduces a phrase with the first words of each line. Perhaps you could write a poem in which the first words of each line, read together, reproduce a treasured line of poetry? You could even try using a newspaper headline or something from a magazine article. Whatever you choose, I hope you enjoy this prompt.

To Fly Throw Yourself At The Ground And Miss 

6 April 2022 

Too many times I have thrown myself towards oblivion 

For what I ask you? 

There was a promise of happiness or at least what I thought was happiness 

Years have been wasted and yet I have not learned 

Arrogance and apathy were what I lived by 

Thinking that I was immortal and that those left behind would remember me 

Good god I was stupid to think I’d be remembered by those never showed me a second thought 

After I adjusted my altitude and coarse corrected 

Maybe these near misses were what I needed 

Teaching my children what not to do, hoping they won’t buy the t-shirt 

Fomenting you to not follow my path 

That is a path that you will find no joy 

Yanking your hair out trying to be something you should never be 

Aspire for something greater than anyone can teach you 

Try being original and not mimicking what you are force fed through the numerous idiot boxes 

Go and surpass what your hearos have accomplished 

Accumulate good memories, accumulate those who will applaud you 

Meandering through life is meant only for the sloths and snails 

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]