2011 Poem A Day Challenge - Day 30

For today's prompt, write an "after leaving here" poem. This poem could be about leaving an actual place, a relationship, or even this challenge.

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Wow! I cannot believe what has been accomplished in the past 30 days between myself and my fellow writers. This was an incredible time, and it has really done wonders for the soul. I am simply amazed by the works we all have created. This is nothing short of amazing, and I am very proud of all you for doing this! Thank you!!!

And with this in mind, and a prompt I was hoping for, I am dedicating this to the woman I love, and the woman who brought me here. Celeste, I write this for you...

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There is a curse for feeling no pain
If you cut yourself off from the roots
You may not feel anything at all

Inside of my safe little bubble
A beautiful woman from far far away
Tapped on the wall and asked me to play

Simply treading water
Does not count as movement
Simply dreaming some dreams
Does not make you creative
Simply speaking out loud
Does not a conversation make
Simply saying the words
Does not convey true meaning

I thought I knew the man I was
Until I saw you and something inside
Awoke after many years of slumber

I was as slow as you were patient
But you worked through years of inertia
And taught me how to move again

Where I could not move a muscle
You gave me your strength
Where I could not find knowledge
You gave me your wisdom
Where I could not understand
You gave me your counsel
Where I could not see the light
You gave me your heart

I move to the music you created
You danced to the music I made
Now we begin to harmonize

The song and dance we have created
Is causing a timeless sensation
That everyone in the world has noticed

Together we have found the door
Let us never lose our golden key
Together we have opened worlds
Let us explore them all together
Together we will protect the other
Let us always defend with honor
Together we meet challenges
Let us always emerge victorious

We stop today to catch the wind
We have created an amazing legacy
The words the tracks we leave in our wake

I reach out to hold your hand
Let what works we have created here
Be only the beginning of our story

Always keep your heart open
We need to see the world
Always laugh when your fancy is tickled
We need the wind filled with laughter
Always be turning dreams into creation
We need to teach what can be possible
Always know how much I love you
We need that candle to light up the world

J.

2011 Poem A Day Challenge - Day 29

For today's prompt, write an ode. I'm thinking of odes in the more contemporary sense of being a praise poem, though if people want to get all old school with it, then that's fine too.


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Been completely off balance with my sleep cycles lately. Postings have been late. Uninterrupted sleep is impossible. No longer apologizing for it. Simply an explanation.


Ok... I have bandied this word loosely in my lifetime, but since I have a unique lucidity at 3:53 am, what exactly is an "Ode"? The only ode I am even remotely familiar with is "Ode to Billie Joe" by Bobbie Gentry. Which is a pretty amazing song, if you've never heard it before. My all time favorite Ode would have to be Diane Chambers' "Ode To A Cornish Hen". If you know what I am talking about, know two things. It was one of the few things that made me laugh until pop came out of my nose, and for getting the reference, I will pour you a drink and salute you.


Like others of the generation, I turn to WikiPedia...


A lyric poem in the form of an address to a particular subject, often elevated in style or manner and written in varied or irregular meter, a poem meant to be sung.


An ode is typically a lyrical verse written in praise of, or dedicated to someone or something which captures the poet's interest or serves as an inspiration for the ode.

The initial model for English odes was Horace, who used the form to write meditative lyrics on various themes. The earliest odes in the English language, using the word in its strict form, were the Epithalamium and Prothalamium of Edmund Spenser.

In the 17th century the most important original odes in English are those of Abraham Cowley and Andrew Marvell. Marvell, in his Horatian Ode upon Cromwell's Return from Ireland uses a regular form (two four-foot lines followed by two three-foot lines) modelled on Horace, while Cowley wrote "Pindarique" odes which had irregular patterns of line lengths and rhyme schemes, though they were iambic. The principle of Cowley's Pindariques was based on a misunderstanding of Pindar's metrical practice but was widely imitated nonetheless, with notable success by John Dryden.

With Pindar's metre being better understood in the 18th century, the fashion for Pindaric odes faded, though there are notable actual Pindaric odes by Thomas Gray, The Progress of Poesy and The Bard.

The Pindarick of Cowley was revived around 1800 by William Wordsworth for one of his very finest poems, the Intimations of Immortality ode; irregular odes were also written by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, John Keats, and Percy Bysshe Shelley who wrote odes with regular stanza patterns. Shelley's Ode to the West Wind, written in fourteen line terza rima stanzas, is a major poem in the form, but perhaps the greatest odes of the 19th century were Keats's Five Great Odes of 1819 which included Ode to a Nightingale, Ode on Melancholy, Ode on a Grecian Urn, Ode to Psyche, and To Autumn. After Keats, there have been comparatively few major odes in English. One major exception is the fourth verse of the poem For the Fallen by Laurence Binyon which is often known as "The Ode to the Fallen" or more simply as "The Ode".
W.H. Auden also wrote 'Ode', one of his most popular poems from his earlier career when based in London, in opposition to people's ignorance over the reality of war. In interview Auden once stated that he had intended to title the poem My Silver Age in mockery of the supposedly imperial Golden age, however chose 'Ode' as it seemed to provide a more sensitive exploration of warfare.

The English ode's most common rhyme scheme is ABABCDECDE.

I will now finish a song I started many years ago. His story is a sad one, yet scoffed and forgotten by later generations. He was a hero, and I will not let him fade like analog...

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"The Ballad of Moss Man"

Come gather, my children
As I sing you a tale
Of a time called the 80's
Where no colors were pale
In a time filled with heroes
When might would make right
There was a fallen comrade
Let me tell you his plight

He was known as Moss Man
And he was a bit weird
An old Beast Man body
Wearing G.I. Joe's beard
He was painted dark green
But his one true color
Was that of a hero
He was like no other

He would travel the world
Battled many places
On the side of He Man
Sometimes Man-E-Faces
Against foes most vicious
A wizard made of bone
And it seemed every day
He was after the throne

At the end of the day
Both sides would head for home
But one twilight evening
Moss Man was left alone
His eyes wide with surprise
Looking dazed as a fawn
He was missed because
He blended with the lawn

He would be lost to time
As heroes found their box
Parents tried to assure
Not taken by a fox
And later on that week
You'd hear a rotten sound
As your father would curse
The mower on the ground

I like to think Moss Man
Is still alive and fine
His skin growing berries
That he turns into wine
In the night he still roams
The playgrounds and the yards
He gathers the lost toys
And the lost trading cards

In a lost toy kingdom
Now he sits on the throne
As all the toys rejoice
For they are not alone
While time and mem'ry fade
There really is no end
For those who knew that toy
Was a word that meant friend

J.

2011 Poem A Day Challenge - Day 28

For today's prompt, write a "the world without something else" poem. If you remember on Day 3, I had everyone write a "the world without me" poem. This prompt imagines the world without something else, whether a person, place, thing, etc.

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I'm kind of glad I had computer issues last night. I had an amazing dream last night, and it led to a complete and total re-write. I know I'm not the only one who dreams like this, so allow me to get all the details down before they fade into mist with the coming of the sun...

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"A World Without You"

Waking up alone
The details begin to fade
But I remember

We met on moving day
As I was finishing up
You and your best friend
Were struggling with a sofa
And a turn in the stairs
For which neither of you
Were designed
An introduction to fate

Even covered in sweat
And wearing faded old clothes
One look in your eyes
Revealed your true beauty
The moment the eyes locked
Our worlds began to shift
As the days began to pass
We began to grow together

I loved looking in on you
Your Dad loved that I could fix things
Your best friend loved to press you
Because she could see what could be
You simply loved me
The night you first said the words
Was the night I let myself be loved
And the night we knew the truth

You had some amazing quirks
You loved your high fashion magazines
And could strike all the models poses
In fashion shows just meant for two
Romantic comedies in our collection
(Never ever call them chick flicks!)
In each others arms
We'd have the most amazing conversations

You controlled the decorating
I controlled the maintenance
Our new apartment in the city
Was our engagement present for each other
Not that it was a cakewalk
One ex suddenly remembered he loved you
And when "no" wasn't quite the right answer
Fists replaced words and the battle was won

And then we had "the big fight"
Everything we had built together
Soon to be put in boxes
And placed in storage forever
I begged for forgiveness
You pleaded for a second chance
We held each other accountable
We made each other stronger

The wedding day - amazing!
When I saw you walk down the aisle
There was absolutely no doubt
You are the most beautiful woman in the world
The honeymoon on the island
Everything we could have imagined
And when we got back to the states
We came back with an extra souvenir

Friends and family went above and beyond
To give us an incredible baby shower
You worried about getting bigger
I told you it made you more beautiful
And bless your heart when our son was born
10 pounds, 7 ounces
And we both could have sworn
He was already starting to smile

But it was a dream
Now I have to suffer in
A world without you

J.

2011 Poem A Day Challenge - Days 26 and 27

Yeah, yeah. I know I'm behind. Working full time, taking night classes, working weekends on Razor Days, travelling, keeping up with you all... I'm just glad no one has pressed or pestered me on this. I don't like saying bite me unless it is warranted...

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Today is the final "Two for Tuesday" prompt(s) of the month:
Write a leader poem.
Write a follower poem.
I'll leave it up to you to decide what a leader or follower poem might be. You can either lead the way in figuring that out, or follow the lead of another.

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Can't help it, kids... it's where my head is right now...

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Do you long to dominate others?
Or do you live to give pleasure?
There is the one with the iron hand
And one who belongs on their knees
One who spends a lifetime in control
One who longs to let everything go
One who dictates the pace
One who obediently complies

Do you know where you belong?
Are you waiting for someone to tell you?
Perhaps you have learned from experience
Or are waiting to be taught a lesson
Are spending your night planning the next move
Are longing to see what happens next
Are dictating exact steps to enact pleasure
Are obeying the whims of a superior

Have you figured out where you want to be?
Do you know what it takes to get you there?
You need to understand yourself
In order to make it all work out
Assert your control
Surrender your inhibitions
Take command of another's flesh
And let them do what they will

Is this conversation uncomfortable?
Are these the words you've longed to hear?
Open yourself up to experience
Practice what you preach
Control how you will embrace your destiny
Inhibitions are nothing more than mere choices
Flesh is payment in knowing the answer -
Will you lead, or will you follow?

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For today's prompt, take the phrase "In the (blank) of (blank)," replace the blanks with a word or phrase, make the new phrase the title of your poem, and then, write your poem. Some possible titles might include: "In the Heat of the Night," "In the Heat of the Moment," "In the Middle of a Heated Argument," etc.

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In the blank of the blank... I keep waiting for Nipsey Russell and Charles Nelson Reilly to appear with Gene Rayburn. I think for this one, I am going to need to call in an audible. Looking at my clock, the time now is 9:18 pm. I am going to open up the nearest book for some words. Let's see if this works...

Page 9, word 18 - who

Page 18, word 9 - a

Ok, this methodology sucks (sound of a book being thrown across the room)

Wait... let's try again... (sound of me going across the room and retrieving a book)

Page 9, word 9 - Thoughts

Page 18, word 18 - Pirates

Hmmm... now this is a lot better, and is just the spark I needed...

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"In The Thoughts Of The Pirates"

In the thoughts of the pirates
One can see the true hidden treasures
Not of gold doubloons and Spanish silver
But of lives lived in floating oblivion

There are no rules in open water
You make your way as you see fit
Alone or with a crew to stand with
You pick and choose every battle

The rewards for living such a life
Is that adventure and questing
Will forever be a moment away
The downside of such a life?
Never having a land to call home
And thoughts drifting into dangerous waters

When you and your crew have no limits
There is endless possibilities
Nothing is taboo or forbidden
And you can go further than you can imagine

When you and your crew make the rules
There are levels of commitment
You determine not only the letter of the law
But also what happens when it is broken

The law of Civilization means nothing
So in which do you choose to believe?
Decide wisely, my fine young lad
For the same wood that makes the crows nest
Can also be used to make the planks
Be sure you know where it is that you tread

J.

2011 Poem a Day Challenge - Day 25

For today's prompt, write a falling poem. This could be about the physical act of falling (like someone tying your shoelaces together), or it could be symbolic falling (such as falling in love). With only five days left (after today), we're quickly falling out of another poem-a-day challenge. Make these last few days count, or at least, fall forward toward the finish line.

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You want me to write a poem about falling? Really? Weekend chock full of movie shooting and driving around SW Pennsylvania? Nine hour work day? Laundry? Baking bread? Getting groceries and carting them across a parking lot in a metal cart during a lightning storm?!? Do I look like I am not ready to fall over already? Seriously. If I had time with nothing to do, I wouldn't know what to do?

And more to the point, how the heck am I going to top Shlomo?!?

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Sand
Stones
Shadows
The Sun
The Moon
Seasons
Crude mechanics
Digital brilliance
Some of the finest achievements of man
Have been dedicated to the impossible -
The ability to stop the seconds
From falling into chasms of memory
And oceans of regret

J.

2011 Poem A Day Challenge - Days 23 and 24

(due to being out of town for a movie shoot, and not really wanting to have full online access at every single moment of my life, today is a two for one special!)

4/23/11 - For today's prompt, write a quit doing what you're doing poem.  This could be about something you need to quit doing or that someone or something else should quit doing.

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One of the best things ever happened on this Saturday. I got to do a scene with actress Debbie Rochon for the upcoming film "Razor Days". Debbie is an amazing actor, and to be given screen time with her was a privilege to me. She works very hard at her craft, and that inspired me to do the same. I don't want to do giveaways of the scene, but let it be said that in the real world, Debbie and I are good friends who care for each other a great deal. For the scene in the movie, however, we had to bring out emotions that required us to take those feelings we've built and cast them aside. I would like to use that process to fuel this prompt...

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Now, look into my eyes
And you will see a stranger
When I look upon you
Your face will not make me shine

The bridges we have built
Torn apart like spiderwebs
The friendship we shared
Is only in your imagination

Do not try to validate history
All of that means nothing now
Do not expect the man you think I am
All of that means nothing now

The roles we provided the other
All of that means nothing now
That which we have given each other
All of that means nothing now

You do not know me
So quit trying to understand
Just accept that in this moment
Now, look into my eyes

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4/24/11 - For today's prompt, write a prayer poem.  Your prayer poem could be religious, but it doesn't have to be.  People can pray to make it to work on time.  Or to be rich.  Or even for the rain.  It's completely up to you what you're poem is about.

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I praise you
My Triune Gods of Office
May my singing of your praises
So that I may be worthy of your grace

Beloved Copier,
Our Mother Creator,
Provider of all we need to know
We turn to you to create our dreams
Share our message with others
And provide us with true clarity

Strong Sturdy Cabinet,
Hold dear all we cherish
Within your strong steel embrace
There is no need to fear
For no harm will come to those
You call you their protector

Accepting Recycling Bin
There is nothing we cannot give you
No page too full of words
Or complex mathematics
That you will not accept
For you only forgive our trespasses

Oh, Triune Gods of Office
Grant upon me your favor
To create whatever I need or desire
To hold close that which is important
And to cast aside all that
Which is wasteful or sinful
In the name of the Supply Room,
The Office Manager,
And the everlasting Boss,
Amen

J.

2011 Poem A Day Challenge - Day 22

For today's prompt, write an "only one in the world" poem. This only one in the world might be a person, an animal, a place, or an object. Think of someone or something unique and write.

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Our Island

Somewhere
Between a tea spoon of water
In the Mediterranean
And a dream
Of your greatest long lost love
Our Island

Arrive in the Lagoon
It glows at night
Under the larger of the two moons
There are magic rocks to discover
And the water is the purest known
But if you know how,
You will find the rocks
That turn the water into tea

There rests The Seaplane
A white de Havilland Otter
With bright orange stripes
New standards of fuel economy
More storage capacity that you would think
And once appeared in a child's bath tub
Up in Halifax, Nova Scotia

In the Jungle
You will find amazing monkeys
They become more amazing
The more you know them
And grow your friendship

There's a Tree House
That is the envy of both
Families of Robinson's
And tribes of Ewoks
If you know the password,
The ladder will be lowered

Find The Beach
That circles Our Island
As a little girl would
Twirl her finger
Around an auburn lock
The softest breeze
Makes music all it's own
Music that you hear and feel
Not with you your ears
Listen to your heart

On The Mountain
The Golden Palace
A moment out of time
Cherished and long forgotten
Amelia Earhart longs for a dance
Wearing her favorite little black dress
Ambroise Bierce will tell you about
His occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
Mama Cass Elliott leads the band
Sammy Davis, Jr. keeps the joint hopping
And Jim Morrison is serving drinks
So you know they'll blow your mind

This is Our Island
The only home we've ever known
And the only place
I'll ever truly call my heart

J.

2011 Poem A Day Challenge - Day 21

For today's prompt, write a second thoughts poem. You could have second thoughts about something you've done or thought in the past. You could write about someone (or something) else having second thoughts. Or you could even take a poem you wrote earlier in the month and flip it in a new direction.

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You have to understand something with me. Second thoughts are the cancer of your existence, in my book. Second thoughts may be rooted in wisdom, but they often carry with them the seeds of doubts, indecision, insecurity, and fear. I try to think things through before committing to them, which in turn leads to less second thoughts. Second thoughts are dangerous traps, in my eyes.

I think I know where to go with this...

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For every second thought I had
Another thought had won the day
My life is a series of instances
Circumstances and decisions
In my eyes you find nebula
In my heart you find the sea
It is not easy to be open
Without any expectation
And yet remain focused enough
To channel your own will
To chart a course takes guidance
To keep a course takes courage
Utilize your ability to think and reason
Allow all your thoughts to speak at once
Do not shun the will of others
As long as you do not shun your own
Give yourself over to the process
Of seeing everything at one time
The more you can perceive
The more you can understand
The more you can relate with
The more you can adapt to
The more you can find certainty
The more you can find strength
The more you can exercise will
The more you can follow your heart
The more you can let your heart be free
The more you can become complete

J.

2011 Poem A Day Cballenge - Day 20

For today's prompt, write a message in a bottle poem. Imagine that your poem is being rolled up and put in a bottle for someone to read. Or if you want to come at it in a different way, think of it as a poem left in a time capsule or hidden away in your sock drawer.

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I like the concept of a message in a bottle. You don't know where it's going to go, or who's going to find it. On top of that, what will that person or persons do when they get the message...

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I can't believe I found you
It's taken me so long
Just to get to this moment
And now we are finally here

Place me in your pocket
Hold me close, safe and near
Together we will find
What it means to be strong

This message is a continuance
Of a life fully lived
For when the journey is shared
It becomes a living thing

Let your doubts and fears go
And you will gain everything
Leave your heart wide open
And you get even more than you give

Let's discover the world
And find whatever we need
Until the last stone is turned
And the paths have all been tread

Chronicle your amazing journey
And on the day before it ends
Place your story in a bottle
And send it off
Godspeed

J.

2011 Poem A Day Challenge - Day 19

Today is a "Two for Tuesday" prompt. In fact, it's one of my favorite prompts of each challenge. Poets can:

Write a love poem.
Write an anti-love poem.

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(sorry for the last post - yesterday was very draining...)

I think now is a good time to approach both poems with a technique I have picked up from my friends Celeste and Robin. They have used mash up lyrics to tell new tales. And given the challenge this time around, how could I not create a poem using the music of The Monkees and Queensryche?... and for even more fun, let's make it look like a Burroughs cut up! Yay!!!

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I awoke on impact

Under surveillance from the camera eye

I thought love was only true in fairy tales

Searching high and low

The criminal mind found at the scene of the crime

Meant for someone else but not for me

She said she loved me

I guess I never knew

Love was out to get me

But do we ever, ever really know?

She said she'd meet me on the other side

That's the way it seemed

But I knew right then I'd never find her

Disappointment haunted all my dreams

I don't believe in love

Then I saw her face, now I'm a believer

I never have, I never will

Not a trace of doubt in my mind

I don't believe in love

I'm in love, I'm a believer

It's never worth the pain that you feel

I couldn't leave her if I tried

No more nightmares, I've seen them all
From the day I was born, they've haunted my every move

I thought love was more or less a giving thing

Every open hands there to push and shove
No time for love it doesn't matter

Seems the more I gave the less I got

She made a difference
I guess she had a way

What's the use in trying?

Of making every night seem bright as day

All you get is pain

Now I walk in shadows, never see the light

When I needed sunshine I got rain

She must have lied cause she never said goodbye

Then I saw her face

I don't believe in love

Now I'm a believer

Not a trace of doubt in my mind

I never have, I never will

I'm in love

I'll just pretend she never was real

I'm a believer

I don't believe in love

I need to forget her face

I see it still

I don't believe in love

I couldn't leave her if I tried

It's never worth the pain that you feel

Love was out to get me

No chance for contact
There's no raison d'être

Now that's the way it seemed

My only hope is one day I'll forget
The pain of knowing what can never be

Disappointment haunted all my dreams

With or without love it's all the same to me

I don't believe in love

Then I saw her face, now I'm a believer

I never have, I never will

Not a trace of doubt in my mind

I don't believe in love

I'm in love, I'm a believer

It's never worth the pain that you feel

I couldn't leave her if I tried


(with thanks to Chris DeGarmo, Neil Diamond, and Geoff Tate)

2011 Poem A Day Challenge - Day 18

For today's prompt, take the phrase "Like (blank)," replace the blank with a word or phrase, make the new phrase the title to your poem, and write your poem. Some example titles might be: "Like Superman," "Like Criminals," "Like a Poem," "Like Whatever," etc...

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like that...

I have never seen you behave
Don't act
Move
Touch me there
I want it
I didn't think it would be
Can you make it
Just
Let me point this out to you
How can you believe
What makes you dream
Ever really see someone
Who can live
Just say it 

J.

2011 Poem A Day Challenge - Day 17

For today's prompt, write a big picture poem. I know these can be difficult to write, because they cover big ideas or emotions or concepts. However, we're just getting our first drafts out this month, so it's the perfect time to attempt something big--even if your big picture poem fits within a shadorma or fib, which actually might be a great fit for tackling a big picture since the poem expands with each new line.

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Difficult to write? We are warrior poets, Robert. Difficult doesn't scare us. It just makes us try harder...

And for those wondering, a shadorma is a haiku variant that is six lines long, with the syllable count set as 3/5/3/3/7/5.

And a fib, or fibonacci, is another variant of a six line poem, which uses the following syllable count:
1 syllable for the first line
1 syllable for the second line
2 syllables for the third line
3 syllables for the fourth line
5 syllables for the fifth line
8 syllables for the sixth line

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The
truth
you seek
is nothing
more than your attempt
to justify what you have done

Choose morals
a code you live by
Reconcile
decisions
Because the guilt in your heart
Will not let you sleep

The
truth
you seek
is nothing
more than their attempt
to sell you something for money

False healers
dubious psychics
card readers
Industry
Selling peace of mind to those
Who just can't get it

The
truth
you seek
is nothing
more than a social
game grown ups play like "house" or "tag"

Defined norms
allowable deceit
gender roles
All pretend
Accept the way we play here
Or you can't stay here

The
truth
you seek
is nothing
less than cover up
to keep you from admitting fear

The unknown
outside and within
keeps you home
in your bed
with your heart and soul in doubt
never knowing peace

The
truth
you seek
is nothing
but the final gift
we must present to our children

They are us
our daughters and sons
Look like us
act like us
Do you want your reflection
to be all they have?

The
truth
we seek
is something
we've lost the art for
and must learn to explore again

What we made
is no longer strong
Doubts exist
Senseless rules
Our spirits are crying out
Let's start the journey


J.

2011 Poem A Day Challenge - Day 16

For today's prompt, write a snapshot poem. When I think of snapshot, I think of a photograph or painting still life. The poem would bring this particular moment to life. However, if you have another interpretation, I encourage you to follow your muse.

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This is a bit of a poser for me. As far as I know, isn't all poetry and writing a snapshot? A recorded moment or series of moments designed to be read and spark something in the mind and in the heart? For me to use the standard definition as defined is redundant. There is nothing to it that is particularly inspiring.

Is there another interpretation of snapshot?

What have I learned from Burroughs and Kerouac? That words are meant to be cut apart. That spelling and syntax are not as useful as one thinks. Time to clear away my mind, and explore different cuts of words, and different ways to look at them

Snap Shot... perhaps an ode to hockey, which is perfect for his beloved Sabres...

Snaps Hot... the sound that I heard as I was grilling up some cheeseburgers...

Take two...

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Snaps! Hot!
Meat laid upon the grill
Grease popping onto the coals
Flames racing up to meet it

It is a hot Saturday afternoon
His friends gather in the backyard
The radio plays the best kind of music
Motown. Stax.

He stands with a cold drink in his hand
As he wipes the sweat off his brow
But never on the meat
Never ever on the meat

This isn't just food to him
This is an offering
A boon given to his friends
And family he loves

Thick smoke rolls along
Anticipation in the air
The sights and smells
Dancing in the fire

He has become a master
Of time and spices and sauces
He has found his perfect canvas
In the form of mesquite smoked flesh

================================

And since I invoked his spirit, here is the same poem done as a William Burroughs inspired cut up...

==================================

The grill grease, a perfect family
Given to him
Saturday found him with friends
But in his hand, this perfect canvas

Mesquite stands with and is laid upon
Gathering and dancing in time
He had loved and has played
Stax, and has become ever on

Along the backyard, the radio
Music and sights are the food to him
In the cold afternoon, it
Flames in the air like a master

The best kind is in the
Meat, a boon racing up
It isn't just meat - anticipation -
Flesh drinking onto the coals

As he is popping of his brow
It is a hot smoke this
Wipes the sauces offering sweat
Smoked fire smells

Thick meat spices
He rolls in the form of
His friends snap to meet
Never mo' hot town


J.

2011 Poem A Day Challenge - Day 15

For today's prompt, write a profile poem. When I think of a profile poem, I'm thinking of social media profiles. Personally, I have one for Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and other sites like the Writer's Digest Community website. So you could write a poem that is your own profile, or that of another person (like what would Edgar Allan Poe or Emily Dickinson put in their Facebook profiles).

==================================

Mid-way point. Everybody smoke em if you got em! Or drink em. Or Dig Em. The Sugar Smacks frog. Smack, smack, sugar smack. Give me a smack and I'll smack you back!

Alright, this one is a bit of a poser. I've already explored the concepts of dating/relationships and social networking a little bit, so when reading this challenge, I'm not sure how to do this without repeating myself. Or without exploring ground that has been tread upon before. When writing, I do think of the people who read this. I don't like the thought of my friends reading this, going "eh", and then clicking on something else. This has to move with a beat all it's own. So I'm going to need to find the right angle on this one...

Hmmm... beat... drums... 1 2 3 4...

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Have you gone to see my band?
We're the best in all the land!
Click here now!!!
Click here now!!!

See the girl in the short red skirt?
She's from your town and loves to flirt!
Click here now!!!
Click here now!!!

Now go try the latest online game
Click sparkling dots till you go insane
Click here now!!!
Click here now!!!

You like that game, well here's one better -
Try to unknit Grandma's sweater!
Click here now!!!
Click here now!!!

You hear the latest about Obama?
Weezie Jefferson was his mama!
Click here now!!!
Click here now!!!

Are you a tramp or high class whore?
Do you know you're credit score?
Click here now!!!
Click here now!!!

You know that cereal you feed your kid?
It's made from termites, watch this vid!
Click here now!!!
Click here now!!!

Shop online, you clueless dunce
I wore this bikini only once!
Click here now!!!
Click here now!!!

Lose 30 pounds in just two weeks!
(Hope you don't mind anal leaks)
Click here now!!!
Click here now!!!

Get insurance quotes round the clock!
It adds three inches to your cock!
Click here now!!!
Click here now!!!

Shave your legs without the stubble!
Watch banned cartoons with Barney Rubble!
Click here now!!!
Click here now!!!

There is no message or no passion
Just click on me cause I keep flashing
Click here now!!!
Click here now!!!

J.

2011 Poem A Day Challenge - Day 14

For today's prompt, write an "ain't none of my business" poem. This poem could be about something that is none of your business. Or a poem about something with which no one else should be concerned. It could be a poem about someone ignoring something that maybe they shouldn't. It could be a poem that's silly. Or a poem that's serious. It ain't none of my business what you decide to write about, though I admit I'll still be interested to see what develops.

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Sorry this wasn't written last night. While running, I tweaked my left foot, and pull a muscle. It caused pain whenever I put pressure on it. So when I got home, I took some Tylenol PM to help reduce the swelling and allow the muscles to relax. All of the muscles relaxed, and I got a good night's sleep. So I apologize for that.

I know that there are a lot of interpretations of this poem, but to be honest, my first response was being pissed off at Robert. He dares to tell me that ANYTHING is none of my business? I am a voting American with a computer and an Internet provider. As far as I am concerned, my business is pretty much whatever I want it to be. I will speak up and speak up about whatever and whoever I want, whenever I want, because it is my right to do so. That is the mentality that flashed. It is the mentality of the Internet at large. Technology that is supposed to enlighten and unite has not quite hit the mark yet. The majority of what I see out here (and I include myself in this assessment) makes me think that we've merely found the means to look like twice the idiot in half the time. And that nothing up to including facts and common sense will stop from becoming a spectacular high speed series of train wrecks that would make even Charlie Sheen wince.

Trick is, is it enough to make it into a poem?...

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Built for speed and built for endurance
There is no limit to how far I can go
Information rests at my fingers
There isn't anything I shouldn't know

Heed the message that I am sending
Don't have much patience so I'm talking loud
Ready or not I'm bringing opinions
To the heavens from the underground

I am the way of America
I am the light of the world
I am the pinnacle of power
I am the voice that is heard

People may I have your attention?
I have the time and it's on my side
I found the means of sharing my views
Without appointment you try to hide

It doesn't take much and I am done
Another voice just filled with power
I'm in control of this situation
Any place on earth at any hour

I am the way of America
I am the light of the world
I am the pinnacle of power
I am the voice that is heard

Louder than I have to be
Stronger than my enemies
Never sleeping always focused
Another pedal of the nodus
I'll scream loud and pound my chest
Prove to you that I'm the best
Common sense is history
What makes you think you will stop me

I am the way of America
I am the light of the world
I am the pinnacle of power
I am the voice that is heard

J.

2011 Poem A Day Challenge - Day 13

For today's prompt, write a poem that remembers an old relationship. This relationship does not have to be romantic. It could be a departed or estranged family member, old friend, former teacher, or even just someone you briefly encountered. And the relationship may have even been one-sided or seemingly insignificant to the other person. So let's all dig deep into our memory banks and see what we can draw out today.

==================================

Gonna take a moment to sort this out. I am trying to match up the topic to where my head is at today. Today, there are two thoughts that are running through my head:

1) If you are the only person allowed to hold the key, how can you possibly expect anyone to come along and unlock your soul?

2) Learn to live a life without hesitation and without expectation

Neither of those two really go along with the topic, so you need to give me a moment to dig under my skull and find the deep, nubby roots...until I unleash someone who does not remember me in all likelihood, and is quite possibly dead at this point...

===================================

"Cowhand"

When I was a boy
A group of us went out to a ranch
We were going to ride horses
Along open plains and forest paths

I started off on a sure mount
But was moved to a smaller horse
Who was tense and wiry
And seemed to be in distressed

About a half mile on the ride,
I lost control of the horse
It threw me off hard
Against a barbed wire fence

The horse ran the fence line
As I crumpled into tall grass
I was shaken up, and upset,
But nothing broken

I was asked to walk along
And enjoy the journey with friends
But shaken and upset
I opted to walk back to the ranch

As I passed a tall cowhand
A sniffle trickled out of me
Which prompted him to mutter,
"Shut up, you fucking crybaby"

No one else heard him
And I never told a soul
I went back to the ranch in a daze
And was alone that afternoon

I've never cried since then
Not one tear has been shed
No matter how I would hurt
No matter what I would suffer

Fathers and grandparents,
Close friends and true love,
No matter what would occur
Nothing could unearth a single tear

Somewhere in the wilderness
A cowhand walks the fence line
Keeping in his pocket
The tears of a child

J.

2011 Poem A Day Challenge - Day 12

Write a form poem. This could be a sonnet, pantoum, lune, or even something as sinister as a--dare I say it--sestina... -OR- Write an anti-form poem. Just as there are poets who love playing with forms, there are poets who think they are the worst thing ever. That's fine. Express (in either free verse or a prose poem) your feelings on writing in traditional forms.

==================================

I have to put in some extra effort in tonight. To be honest, I was not happy with my day 11 entry. I'll be blunt, you could have called it Verizon... because I phoned it in. I know that part of the drill and the challenge is to be automatic in your writing, but that last one really didn't ring true for me. I'm still not sure which 5 I'm going to submit to Robert for possible publication when all is said and done, but I know for a fact that "Maybe Next Time" will not be one of them. Sorry kid, you're cut!

Ok... let's look at the first one. I am not a trained poet. I may have majored in English in High School (Regents with Honors represent, yo!), but I've never done any serious study in the poetic forms. I just take what's inside and work with it. And since this isn't exactly brain surgery, being self trained and motivated is not necessarily detrimental to the art. Of the ones that are listed, I would like to try a lune. Something about that word makes me very happy. So, let's explore what a lune is. According to our friends at Wikipedia:

Lune is a fixed-form variant haiku created for the English language, and consists of two versions:

The Robert Kelly lune
Robert Kelly, a Professor of Literature at Bard College, invented a new form of English-language haiku using the form 5/3/5 syllables, with the intention of making the form closer to the Japanese haiku than English-language haiku written in a 5/7/5 syllable format.

The Jack Collom lune
It is measured in words rather than syllables, making it easier for children to learn and compose. The form is 3/5/3 words. Jack Collom created this new form of haiku by chance, when he misremembered the original creation of Kelly's as this form, thereby creating a new one.

Both versions are free from all constraints associated with haiku, thus need contain no kigo (season-word), kire (cut), may rhyme and may use all other poetic devices.

Interesting... let's have some fun with form!

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I'm in love with you
My darling
You make me happy

My dearest
You've done the same thing
To my heart

Will you please be mine?
I want you
To be my girlfriend

Yes, of course!
A boyfriend like you?
Can't say no!

Burning my black book!
This is it!
I found everything!

So happy!
Must tell my girlfriends!
He's the one!

My lovely girlfriend
I don't mind
Dinners without meat

My boyfriend
You like pro wrestling
That's ok

Your mother's calling
10 p.m.?
Must be important

Who's Sheila?
She texts you a lot
I suppose...

That side of the bed
It was mine
But if you want it

Dinner out
With your friends, not mine
No big deal

We get along fine
No really
Everything's good, but

I love him
No really, I do
It's just that

Her snoring is loud
And mornings
She hogs the bathroom

Picks his nose
And can't watch TV
Without sports

Her friends hate my guts
Dude, really?
What did I do wrong?

Found strange link
Thought I was girlfriend
Or am I?

Love her, not drama
Can't take it
Tonight, we'll have talk

He wants porn?
Well, after tonight,
Have at it!

I walk in the room
Soulful eyes
Staring into mine

I see him
Has that warm smile
Makes me weak

Did I lose my mind?
Look at her
I can't do better!

I love him
I can still fix him
I'll make time

I'll simply pretend
And focus
Only on the good

My project
To make him into
What I want

I love you, darling
Let's go out
And get some dinner

Oh dearest
That sounds like heaven
Love you, too

==================================

Ok, for round 2, have to go completely against form. To do this, I need to get a little unhinged over here. Hard to spell out what that's like in words. Have you even seen Stanley Kubrick films? You know those scenes where characters start to get mental? Pretty much like that...

==================================

"SQUAWK SQWAUK! SKUWALK!!!"
Your eyeball     in     my     hand
Why won't the r3st of your head come with it?!?!?

If I keep looking up and concentrate as hard as I can, I will have your life

Tomorrow we leave for the sex house
DREAM!
(rise)
FOOL!!
(rise)
MONSTER!!!
(rise)

I discovered you (as you lived with them)
But with your badgorgeous face...

We should get going!@
That brightly swwweeeeeettt storm will never smile
In towns fat with climbing flowers

rescue her here... a new day...

Chocolate money
Passed across the counter
Of a smelly green shoppe
Spend deeply
Celebrate the ache
It's been so loud of late

Catch the moon!
(your hint - it's under one of the trees...
and i don't care how late you play...
but if you should fall off?...]

The sick crisp of happy secrets
Snakes licking beautiful music
In the home of the calm, corrupted film,
Let's skin a plastic god

7 into seven
5 in eight
Times for wise clock counter it spins

His desert songs
Creeping off the tongue
And it's as bad as you wish

The ground is dark as we huddle cheek to cheek
Taste madness
Created alone

J.

2011 Poem A Day Challenge - Day 11

For today's prompt, take the phrase "Maybe (blank);" replace the blank with a word or phrase; make the new phrase the title of your poem; and then, write the poem. Some example titles might be: "Maybe I should've read the instructions first," "Maybe I was wrong," "Maybe the world is flat," or whatever else y'all can muster.

=================================

Are you freakin kidding me? After a day that begins with a 3k run (getting there more and more), and ended with a long work day and walking home in the rain, this is my prompt? I'm not moved. Not interested. Nothing about this prompt is creating any response.

Let's try some musical inspiration. First shuffle song - "Girlfriend In A Coma", The Smiths. Second shuffle song - "Falls On Me", Fuel. Third shuffle song - "The Night Hank Williams Came To Town", Johnny Cash & Waylon Jennings.

Still nothing. Let's try three more. Fourth shuffle song - "The Old Apartment", Barenaked Ladies. Fifth shuffle song - "Top", Live. Sixth shuffle song - "Let Go", Hank Dogs. Ok, now this song is starting to loosen something in me. Maybe it was a combination of the six, but the last one is the one that started the drops of water to start to come out of the ice...

==================================

"Maybe Next Time"

Maybe next time,
You and I won't spend this night alone
I stop and watch you
Walking away from me
Down the long country road
Under an all knowing moon

You do not break stride
You do not look back
I don't even have to bother
Removing your number from my cell
You will not call me,
And I will not call you

Maybe next time,
We will see the same pitfalls
That we saw even before
We knew there was a problem
But in keeping silent
Was it worth the silence we suffer?

I turn around and walk away
My feet kicking away loose stones
I try and find my way in the dark
To a home I've never known
Where I will try to live my life
But without my reason for living

J.

2011 Poem A Day Challenge - Day 10

For today's prompt, write a never again poem.

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I remember the last time I said those words. It was not one of my proudest moments. Without going into details, I was drunk out of my mind, rambunctious, and was not someone who you really wanted to be with. I was wreaking havoc, and I'm sure more than a few people at the party were displeased with me. I know one nameless fellow was. And considering the shit he was doing at the time, and how it was hurting people (and truthfully, he pulled the same shit years later with the same disastrous results), his voice of condemnation was filled with such hollow morality that I laughed in his face. To many, I was the drunk who was out of control. But I knew better. As drunk as I was, I saw the situation building around me with a clarity he will never possess in his lifetime.

The trick is, how do you take that moment in time and put into poetry? Oh yeah... that's why it's called a CHALLENGE... (slapping forehead)... Uh, duuuuhhh...

=================================

No matter how much pain I take
Or how numb I try to make it become
I will never fully lose sight
On the source of all your hurt

This hip little scene
This poor man's Camelot
It really makes me wonder
Whether it's you or me
That is truly the bigger fool
You for building it
Or me for buying it

We are building our home in illusions
And in truth, they are no better than lies
They may sound nicer
But it's still a false sound
All digital without the chance of an echo

I want to tear it all down
I want to take every piece of it
And every person associated with it
And break it down completely
With dust
With damage
With fire
With fury
With tears
With torment
I really think I could do
The one thing that would
Bring me to tears in the process

Because I know that in tearing down
Your brightly colored
Drawn to 1/4 inch scale
And masterfully lit dream world
I would take the legs out from you
And leave you in the only place 
You fear to be

A little room
With no lights
With no windows
And just enough room
For you and the truth

Is destroying the source of our pain
Worth destroying you in the process?

So go ahead
Mock me
Condemn me
Shake your head in indignation
I'll openly laugh at you
And only I will understand why

I'll just take another sip of whiskey
And do all that I can to keep my tongue
From saying what I want to say the most
And this is simply this:

At this moment,
I am the only thing that is
Keeping Camelot from ashes
I can see through all the bullshit
The pretense
The false achievements
And the hollow relationships

With a word
You will know what power I wield
With a word
Nothing will be left to save you

You don't know how far I can go
You don't know how much I can take
You don't know, you don't know,
And you never, ever will

But don't mind me
I'm just another demon
You brought to this little soiree
Uninvited
Unrelenting
Understanding

Now if you will excuse me
I'm going off to the Demon's Bar
Perhaps I'll see you there later
If you truly have the courage
To see yourself in the faded mirror
Behind the wall of bottled screams

Never has there been a night
Where I was fully, truly aware
Of this little situation
And yet...

Again, I will find myself
Drifting off to sleep
And waking up
Knowing nothing ever happened

J.