#NaPoWriMo Almanac Questionnaire

Before April ends
Heat radiates off pavement
Spring bids fond farewell

As days grow hotter
Some begin hibernation
Desert breathes new life

Palo verde blooms
Beautiful yellow flowers
Contrast its green bark

Sizzling summer sun
Beats down on desert creatures
Tortoise digs new home

Chupacabra hunt
Late at night, hungry for blood
Exsanguinate prey

NaPoWriMo Prompt – And now for our prompt (optional, as always). This is one that we’ve used before, but one test of a  good prompt is that you can come back to it! For this prompt, you will need to fill out, in five minutes or less, the following “Almanac Questionnaire.” Then, use your responses as to basis for a poem.

Good morning and welcome to day twenty-six of napowrimo. As April is coming to an end, so is the school year. This is the last week of the spring semester. Both Robin and Gretchen are busy with final papers and exams. Which means of course Noodles got a haircut yesterday, someone is trying to procrastinate. Not to worry I told Noodles she and I can commiserate together. She’s going to have an awkward phase, too. And Robin’s book from Changing Hands Bookstore finally arrived! It appears since both orders were made at the same time, the bookstore thought they shipped them together. They did not and somehow Robin’s order got lost in the shuffle when they thought the two orders were combined. But all was set right and Robin is excited to start reading his new book. Yet another excuse to procrastinate. Someone has a serious case os senioritis.

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#NaPoWriMo Daily Walk

Decorative mailbox by the Front Door

Poem #1

Cheery
Jaunt to mailbox
Past aloe and rosebush
Then down the street past neighbors homes
Letdown

Poem #2

Daily
Trek to mailbox
Key in hand

Hopeful
Before walking home
Empty handed
Crestfallen

NaPoWriMo Prompt – Today, our optional prompt challenges you to write a poem based on a “walking archive.” What’s that? Well, it’s when you go on a walk and gather up interesting thing – a flower, a strange piece of bark, a rock. This then becomes your “walking archive” – the physical instantiation of your walk. If you’re unable to get out of the house (as many of us now are), you can create a “walking archive” by wandering around your own home and gathering knick-knacks, family photos, maybe a strange spice or kitchen gadget you never use. One you’ve finished your gathering, lay all your materials out on  a tray table, like museum specimens. Now, let your group of materials inspire your poem! You can write about just one of the things you’ve gathered, or how all of them are all linked, or even what they say about you, who chose them and brought them together.

Good afternoon and welcome to day nineteen of napowrimo where I describe the daily walk down the street to the mailbox. We have a community mailbox at the end of the street, but years ago my husband bought an old mailbox to decorate the front entry. I had a picture of when we hosted Flat Stanley in my archive so I used it for the photo today. And yes, once again disappointment reigned as Robin’s reading package was not in the mail yesterday. At least he has now emailed Changing Hands, because according to the emails both Gretchen and Robin’s packages shipped on the same day.

#NaPoWriMo Rhymes in a Book

Care Package from Changing Hands Bookstore

Feeling Blue

Why am I blue
Always searching for your letter
Why am I blue
Do you see how well your words woo
Our tete a tete helps unfetter
I no longer feel embitter
Why am I blue

NaPoWriMo Prompt – Today’s prompt (optional, as always) asks you to make use of our resource for the day. First, make a list of ten words. You can generate this list however you’d like – pull a book  off the shelf and find ten words you like, name ten things you can see from where you’re sitting, etc. Now, for each word, use Rhymezone to identify two to four similar-sounding or rhyming words. For example, if my word is “salt,” my similar words might be “belt,” “silt,” “sailed,” and “sell-out.”

Once you’ve assembled your complete list, work on writing a poem using your new “word bank.” You don’t have to use every word, of course, but try to play as much with sound as possible, repeating  sounds and echoing back to others using your rhyming and similar words.

Good morning readers and welcome to day three of NaPoWriMo. Do you recognize the rondelet? This is a little rhyming dribble inspired by the book I am currently reading. One of our local bookstores, Changing Hands, has found a unique way to keep their employees working while we are all on a stay at home order – book care packages. And yes, I ordered one for myself. It arrived on April 1st and I can assure you they did a great job picking out a book I would enjoy – definitely not feeling blue.

In fact I was so thrilled with the book selection they sent me, I helped thing two order one for herself yesterday. And thing one put in an order for themself this morning. The evil twin even told me she ordered from the bookstore as well.  Which, don’t get me wrong, I was pleased to learn, but I did have to question why she was not supporting her own local bookstore in Pennsylvania.  She said she was unaware of any and if they did have any independent bookstores, she didn’t hear about them putting together fun reading packages.

Ahhh… the life of an introvert. Yes, I have my nose planted in the pages of a book. Okay sticking it out for a minute to write today’s poem and to ask – Are my extrovert friends, assuming any come here to read this, doing well? May I suggest ordering from Changing Hands. If you don’t trust them to pick a title for you they do have the pick your own book option. Happy Reading!

NaPoWriMo Day Twelve – Replacement

D.E.A.R

A thrilling read
Thrills are a set of written words
A thrilling read
Transported from page to screen freed
Thrills stuck in libraries where nerds
Only knew how thrills soar like birds
A thrilling read

 

NaPoWriMo Prompt – Today’s (optional) prompt is a “replacement” poem. Pick a common noun for a physical thing, for example, “desk” or “hat” or “bear,” and then pick one for something intangible, like “love” or “memories” or “aspiration.” Then Google your tangible noun, and find some sentences using it. Now, replace that tangible noun in those sentences with your intangible noun, and use those sentences to create (or inspire) a poem.

April 12 is Beverly Cleary’s birthday and to honor the children’s author it has become DEAR day – Drop Everything And Read.  I try to write a DEAR poem on April 12th.  Once I post this my DEAR festivities can begin.  My tangible word is books; intangible word is thrills. I hope everyone finds a thrill to sink their teeth into today.  Happy Reading!

 

Reading – Pass it on…

Every morning I check the Little One’s backpack to make sure she has everything for school. As she heads out the door, she always says, “I feel like I’m forgetting something,” and I reassure her she hasn’t. This morning I noticed two books, one she just finished reading. 

I shook my head and admonished her older sister. See what happens when you become a book dealer? Your younger sister turns into one too. Sure enough when I ask the Little One why she has two books, she told me her friend wants to read the one she just finished. 

Then I heard yesterday another friend took the book she is currently reading and started to read it, asking her where she got it. Mom, who happens to be a book dealer herself, knows where to get the good stuff. The Little One is currently on her second Doctor Who media tie-in novel. I know how to give my little fan her Doctor Who fix. I can’t believe she has friends who think media tie-in books are cool. 

I didn’t start reading Star Trek books until high school, and then I didn’t bring them to school. I had a book dealer mom, as well, but she didn’t support my Star Trek habit. I had to buy those books myself. See, I am a cool mom, handing out the fun brain candy. 😉

 

Raising book dealers

Sisters give friends reading fix

Mom is down with it