#NaPoWriMo – Early Bird Prompt

Five Months Ago - Before 48

Acute early-stage geriatrics
Opaque vision  
              turns my world milky white
Cataracts blind my right eye
If to be "Elder" - means most pain

Youngest patient - not even fifty
Surgery to see clear again
Hits hard my pursestrings
I'm old enough, today 

Cataract Surgery November 2, 2021

NaPoWriMo Early Prompt – Dickinson is known for her elliptical style, unusual word choices, and mordant sense of humor. Over the past year, I’ve experimented with writing poems based on, or responding to, various lines from her poems. Today, I’d like to challenge you to do the same! Here are a few lines of Dickinson’s that might appeal to you (the slashes indicate line breaks)

Good afternoon readers! And welcome to the early bird prompt of NaPoWriMo. And yes, as my loyal readers know I had cataract surgery at the end of last year about two weeks before my 48th birthday. So the lines from One Year Ago – jots What? spoke volumes. No one ever told me about the pre-mature aging that corresponds with cerebral palsy. I mean I really feel like an “Elder” – the eye doctor who first saw my cataracts in August was amazed. He remarked I was 15-20 years too young. Then the surgeon informed I was his youngest patient; followed by, You can no longer drive at night. On the positive side of all this – I do not drive at all because of the cerebral palsy so it wasn’t a restriction the surgeon thought it would be. Thanks for reading my first poetry attempt for 2022.

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NaPoWriMo Day Eight – Rewrite

There is no vessel like a book
You’ll be transported by page
Poorest soul can leave his cage
A sing-song verse
Will quickly immerse
Dear reader, in its depth
Frugal means to gain breadth
Of knowledge, reading will hook!

A Book

There is no frigate like a book
To take us lands away,
Nor any coursers like a page
Of prancing poetry.
This traverse may the poorest take
Without oppress of toll;
How frugal is the chariot
That bears a human soul!
Emily Dickinson

 

NaPoWriMo Prompt – And now for today’s (optional, as always!) prompt. Today, let’s rewrite a famous poem, giving it our own spin. While any famous poem will do, if you haven’t already got one in mind, why not try your own version of Cesar Vallejo’s Black Stone Lying on a White Stone? If you’re not exactly sure how such a poem could be “re-written,” check out this recent poem by Stephen Burt, which riffs on Vallejo’s. Happy writing!

Waiting at the bus stop with Gretchen this morning, another student came up holding Cinder by: Marissa Meyer.  Gretchen just finished reading the third book in the series.  We started talking about how good the books are.  I love when kids love reading. 😀 I’m early but April 12th is DEAR day in honor of Beverly Cleary’s birthday.  Everyone should – Drop Everything And Read.  I wrote a double dactyl for DEAR day one year.

In the middle of NaPoWriMo, I am also reading Kilroy was Here by: Douglas Quinn.  It’s a children’s book; I will write a review of when I’m finished. I’m thinking I may include a found poem in my review.  My oldest daughter has to write three book reports outside of her English class.  One of the suggestions is to write a found poem from a page in the book.  Rachael thought it was too easy to be real.  But I assured her found poetry is a legit assignment.  She has done two of the three reports. No found poem by her yet.