2022 April Poetry Challenge

Hey ya’ll, consider writing a poem a day with me this April. I really need to get back on my poetry stick, and I usually have to have “assignments” or expectations to regularly produce any new work.

Here are the details, in case you’re interested: https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/2022-april-pad-challenge-guidelines

In short, this is a Writer’s Digest challenge to write a poem a day for every day in April. The challenge leader posts writing prompts that you can respond to, and encourages you to post your response in the comments for the day’s prompt. Or, you can choose to keep your poems to yourself. In the past, I’ve done this challenge at least 4 times, and I *never* posted in the WD forum, nor did I use their prompts.

One year, I posted all of my poems on Facebook. Another year, I posted them on my blog, http://drmacdsnc.blogspot.com. This year, I’m going to create a page on my website, ljmacdiarmid.com, and invite participation (in much the same way that WD is).  I always post somewhere because that’s part of the accountability I need to actually complete the work.

Here’s a pre-April warm up poem to kick off my personal challenge for 2022:

Poem a Day, Hurray!

This year I'm going to write them
the legions of poems
swirling deep inside my flabby skin
the songs and senses

the legions of poems
inchoate and longing, ghosts and souls
the songs and senses
I sometimes seem to be missing

inchoate, longing, a ghostly soul
traveling an apocalyptic train
I sometimes seem to be missing
even as I'm swept along

traveling that apocalyptic, poetic grain
of thought swirling inside my aging skin
even as I'm swept along
saying: "This year, I swear, I'll write them"

all those poems, and I never do

March 30, 2022

3 thoughts on “2022 April Poetry Challenge

  1. Beginning is the hardest part
    A lined page faces me, bare
    Fear stops me before I start.

    “Write what’s inside you’re heart”
    remember what it was like to care
    Beginning is the hardest part

    There was a time I thought I was smart
    My self confidence always played fair
    Fear stops me before I start

    “You’ve lost you’re edge, upset the cart”
    My momentum is gone, I’m stuck in a chair
    Beginning is the hardest part.

    Can I find the words that sting like a dart
    Stretching muscle I wouldn’t dare?
    Fear stops me before I start.

    Who am I to claim this art?
    Word blind, lost, frozen as a hare.
    Beginning is the hardest part
    Fear stops me before I start.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *