NaPoWriMo Day 17: An Amusing Family Vacation

The challenge of NaPoWriMo today is to write a poem re-telling a family anecdote that has stuck with you over time. It could be the story of the time your Uncle Louis caught a home run ball, the time your Cousin May accidentally brought home a coyote and gave it a bath, thinking it was … Read more

NaPoWriMo Day 16: The Game of Life

The NaPoWriMo prompt for the day asks us to write a poem that prominently features the idea of play. It could be a poem about a sport or game, a poem about people who play (or are playing a game), or even a poem in the form of the rules for a sport or game … Read more

NaPoWriMo Day 15: My Dear Rapunzel

The prompt of NaPoWriMo for today is to write a poem in which a villain faces an unfortunate situation, and is revealed to be human (but still evil). Perhaps this could mean the witch from Hansel & Gretel has lost her beloved cat, and is going about the neighborhood sticking up heart-wrenching “Lost Cat” signs, … Read more

NaPoWriMo Day 14: My Dream Dictionary

Here’s today’s prompt. Dream dictionaries have been around as long as people have had dreams. Interestingly, if you consult a few of them, they nearly always tend to have totally different things to say about specific objects or symbols. Dreams, unlike words themselves, don’t seem to be nicely definable! At any rate, today’s prompt is … Read more

NaPoWriMo Day 13: How Do I Zip My Lips

The challenge of NaPoWriMo on Friday, the 13th, is to write a poem in which the words or meaning of a familiar phrase get up-ended. For example, if you chose the phrase “A stitch in time saves nine,” you might reverse that into something like: “a broken thread; I’m late, so many lost.” Or “It’s … Read more

NaPoWriMo Day 12: Home Sweet Home

The challenge of NaPoWriMo for today is to specifically write a haibun that takes in the natural landscape of the place you live. It may be the high sierra, dusty plains, lush rainforest, or a suburbia of tiny, identical houses – but wherever you live, here’s your chance to bring it to life through the … Read more

NaPoWriMo Day 11: A Day in My Future

NaPoWriMo challenge for Day 11 is to write a poem that addresses the future, answering the questions “What does y(our) future provide? What is your future state of mind? If you are a citizen of the “union” that is your body, what is your future “state of the union” address?” I actually imagined an idealistic … Read more

NaPoWriMo Day 10: Resplendent Morning

The challenge today is to write a poem of simultaneity – in which multiple things are happing at once. I have penned down my thoughts around multiple things that make up a morning. Here’s my take at it.   A walking trail in wee hours of morning Is rife with moments charming When sun dawns newfangled … Read more

NaPoWriMo Day 9: Someone in Love

The challenge of NaPoWriMo today is to write a poem in which something big and something small come together. Here’s what I came up with. I’ll reveal my metaphors for big and small in the end, while I’m sure you’ll be able to guess by then 🙂                 … Read more

NaPoWriMo Day 8: The Spell of Voodoo Queen

The challenge of NaPoWriMo today is to write poems in which mysterious and magical things occur. Your poem could take the form of a spell, for example, or simply describe an event that can’t be understood literally. Feel free to incorporate crystal balls, fauns, lightning storms, or whatever seems fierce and free and strange.  I … Read more