#22 You’re an animal. If you were an animal what would you be? Write a poem using this animal as a metaphor for yourself or someone else.
Month / April 2018
Celebrating National Poetry Month Contest
Free books of poetry! Hey, you don’t see that often, do you? Here at the blog, I am celebrating poetry, not only by offering the poetry boot camp and providing excerpts of my own poetry from my latest book, Weathered Fragments, Weathered Souls,
I would also like to share the gift of poetry.
So, I am giving away one signed copy of both of my books, plus other poetry books I have enjoyed. Free. What is the catch? This is a contest, so I can’t give books to everyone (would love to, if I could), but I will do a drawing to determine who will get the books. I will have at least 3 prize books, but if there is enough participating, I will add more.
How do I enter, you ask? Easy.
#1 Like any posts from this month (April). This includes the blog, Facebook, and Twitter.
#2 Double entries if you Share, Retweet, or Press This (via WordPress).
Winners chosen around the first of May. Winners will be posted and notified. You have 7 days to claim before I redraw.
Sound good!
Let’s celebrate poetry!
Poetry Boot Camp Prompt #21
#21 One if the most awkward, scary thing that can happen to someone. You are in the elevator with someone who seems like the extreme opposite of you. The power goes and you are stopped. What do you do? What do you say? How do you feel?
Poetry Boot Camp Prompt #20
#20. This prompt is in inspired by Billy Joel’s song Tell Her About It. In it, he sings “when you love someone you’re always insecure.”. Quite a provocative statement.
#20. Write a response to this. What feeling does this statement provoke in you?
Excerpt: Weathered Fragments, Weathered Souls
From “Rocks”
The little pieces you picked up.
The little pieces you carried once
in your hands,
held next to your body,
smeared onto your skin,
tugging at you:
the fragments you hold on to—
the ones you did not want to leave behind.
Poetry Boot Camp Prompt #19
#19 Cup your hands in front of you. Look at the lines on the insides of your fingers and your palm. Write what comes to mind.
Poetry Boot Camp #18
#18 Challenge yourself to the beat! Take an existing poem that is not working, or one you find yourself revising endlessly (almost everyone has one!), and challenge yourself to write 4 line stanzas with the following beats:
Line 1: 10 Line 2: 8 Line 3: 6 Line 4: 4
Repeat until the end of the poem. Want more of a challenge? End the poem with a couplet of 6 beats each.
Poetry Boot Camp Prompt #17
#17 Write about gratitude. Not simply a “thank you,” but of a thankfulness that extends beyond two words.
Poetry Boot Camp Prompt #16
A wee bit behind on this…
#16 Describe a sun shower in a poem without using the words “rain,” “shower,” or “tears.”
Excerpt: Weathered Fragments, Weathered Souls
From “Spring’s Resurrection”
April’s not the cruelest month,
but a warm resurrection.
J.L. Smith 