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
