Tag Archives: NaPoWriMo2022

Day 30, Ekphrastic Challenge, My poem, Rainbow Dreams

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Day 30 inspired by all three works. This is the final day of the month-long challenge. This is a san san.

Rainbow Dreams

A rainbow in my dreams–
cantaloupe sky, pink quartz beach, and light-drenched trees
dripping green, gold, blue. Here birds stop to perch
on chromatic rocks. Yet nothing remains as it seems–
shadows come, even within dreams, my mind sees
but also alters. Gulls become robins whose birdsong brings
dawn-light to forest—now, color-spray the birch
with rainbow stripes and feathers. In dreams, my heart sings.

Thank you to Paul Brookes for hosting this April Ekphrastic Challenge. It has been a wonderful experience. You can see the art and read the other responses by going to Paul’s site here.

The artists are Gaynor Kane, John Phandal Law, and Anjum Wasim Dar. Thank you for your wonderful  and inspiring art! I’m giving them a round of applause–and also one for the other poets! 👏

Day 29, Ekphrastic Challenge, My Poem, Oxygen

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For the penultimate day of the challenge:

Inspired by AWD, “Oxygen”

Oxygen

From the dark, soupy universe
light emerged, the afterglow of explosion
blue-shifted here

to our primeval oceans
where microbes gobbled oxygen
and cyanobacteria sent some into the air
through photosynthesis,
generating life.

And from there, flowers bloomed,
and then came fruit,
and us, and love, and art—

microscopic particles recycled, torn apart
in the process of (re)creating space and hearts.

I am once again participating in Paul Brookes’ April Ekphrastic Challenge. Each day, I will post my poem(s) here. You can see the art and read the other responses by going to Paul’s site here.

The artists are Gaynor Kane, John Phandal Law, and Anjum Wasim Dar. Thank you for your wonderful  and inspiring art!

Day 28, Ekphrastic Challenge, My Poem, The Result

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Inspired by AWD, “Politics”

The Result

With alligator smiles
they dazzled, dangling

the promise of freedom
on the tips of their sharp teeth

but the monstrous jaws snapped,
cities, trees, people fell

fertilizing the ground with blood–

no flowers bloomed,
no bird sang at dawn,
only death awakened this spring,

I am once again participating in Paul Brookes’ April Ekphrastic Challenge. Each day, I will post my poem(s) here. You can see the art and read the other responses by going to Paul’s site here.

The artists are Gaynor Kane, John Phandal Law, and Anjum Wasim Dar. Thank you for your wonderful  and inspiring art!

Banished Ghosts

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Banished Ghosts

What is a winter’s tale told in the spring?
A story of ghosts, adrift in the green.

xxxxA story of ghosts—there on the river
xxxxa sparkle, where a naiad swims and shivers.

A naiad swims, sparkling a glow,
silver on the surface, though dark below.

xxxxThe dark below crawls through our dreams
xxxxwith monster claws and demonic screams.

The monsters and demons of nightmares—your ghost--
all banished by the light of day--or almost--

xxxxthe light banishes ghosts, and so, hope grows
xxxxlike a smile, like a daffodil in snow.

A daffodil, a smile in melted snow, hope sings
 for the winter’s tale re-told each spring.






This is for today’s NaPoWriMo prompt, a type of poem called a duplex, a form invented by poet Jericho Brown. I think mine still needs work. This is also a response to Ingrid’s dVerse prompt to use one of Shakespeare's play titles she selected. I chose A Winter’s Tale.
Sparkling Delaware River

Day 27, Ekphrastic Challenge, My Poem: Turnings

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Day 27, inspired by all three images

Turnings

The poet in the attic room,
frayed cuffs rolled, sits at the desk
by the open window–
aware of the cliché—
the garret room, drafty in winter
yet not without charm now
as the scent of sweet pea
from the garden drifts and wanders–
a memory circling
like the Ferris wheel at the fair,
straining to reach the top.

I am once again participating in Paul Brookes’ April Ekphrastic Challenge. Each day, I will post my poem(s) here. You can see the art and read the other responses by going to Paul’s site here.

The artists are Gaynor Kane, John Phandal Law, and Anjum Wasim Dar. Thank you for your wonderful  and inspiring art!

Day 26, Ekphrastic Challenge, My Poem, Catch It

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Inspired by all three images for today.

Catch It

The beauty of a summer rose
is obvious,
less so, the stark winter landscape
of skeleton trees and washed-out sky–
but there–if you look closely–

my cat is beautiful to me,
your pet pig to you–

love doesn’t make us blind,
it makes us see

the lines on a face are roads
on a map
a life-journey—

traveled through places real and imagined,
in monochrome minutes or bright-hued hours,

like a pink bow bobbing in a sea of grey,
a life-preserver tossed to you—catch it.

I am once again participating in Paul Brookes’ April Ekphrastic Challenge. Each day, I will post my poem(s) here. You can see the art and read the other responses by going to Paul’s site here.

The artists are Gaynor Kane, John Phandal Law, and Anjum Wasim Dar. Thank you for your wonderful  and inspiring art!

Day 25, Ekphrastic Challenge, My Poems, Rooted and The Journey

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Inspired by GK25 Wolf and Witness Tree

Rooted

Sometimes you can feel the air–
a wolf growl, a howl at the moon—
faint, like a pencil sketch,
but there

it takes hold
rooted, like a tree bearing witness
to your soul.

Inspired by all three images for today.

The Journey

You sail the endless grey ocean,
a monochrome vista, the sea of despair
surrounds you

the color of the grey wolf
that sheltered under the ancient tree
while you sat above, a young boy
hugged by its strong branches
and rocked gently by the wind
until awakened by dawn’s pulsating light

as now—
your ship illuminated in the canary yellow glow
flies into the peacock blue sky.

I am once again participating in Paul Brookes’ April Ekphrastic Challenge. Each day, I will post my poem(s) here. You can see the art and read the other responses by going to Paul’s site here.

The artists are Gaynor Kane, John Phandal Law, and Anjum Wasim Dar. Thank you for your wonderful  and inspiring art!

Day 24, Ekphrastic Challenge, My Poem, Life Drawings

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Inspired by AWD24, Anjum Wasim Dar’s, “Pencil City”

Life Drawings

If we could outline our lives,
pencil-draw and illustrate,
pastel the years, crayon over tears,
erase mistakes, re-trace–
archive the drawings with a note,
highlight this place, add a quote
from that time–
remember

the bright beauty, the blues, greens, and pink
tattooed in indelible ink, shaded, but well-defined
rolled, tied with a ribbon,
filed in my mind.

I am once again participating in Paul Brookes’ April Ekphrastic Challenge. Each day, I will post my poem(s) here. You can see the art and read the other responses by going to Paul’s site here.

The artists are Gaynor Kane, John Phandal Law, and Anjum Wasim Dar. Thank you for your wonderful  and inspiring art!

Day 23 Ekphrastic Challenge, My poem, Casandra

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Inspired by all three images for today.

Casandra

No one listens,
none believe
my auguries, the dreams
in crystal, upside-down

temples, cities, walls atilt,
a second away from tumbling
into the sea

They toast from the precipice
at sunset, the sky blood-red
and the wine,
spilled–

I tremble, a cup plunges into the sea–

the fish swim on unconcerned–
I see their eyes, their eyes
meet mine
eyes on eyes

as I fall
in a vision.

But I am a woman, chattel,
a prize of war.

No one listens

I am once again participating in Paul Brookes’ April Ekphrastic Challenge. Each day, I will post my poem(s) here. You can see the art and read the other responses by going to Paul’s site here.

The artists are Gaynor Kane, John Phandal Law, and Anjum Wasim Dar. Thank you for your wonderful  and inspiring art!

This is slightly revised, and I’m sharing it with dVerse Open Link Night with this recording.

Day 22, Ekphrastic Challenge, My Poem, Monsieur Qui in the Garden

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Inspired by all three images

Monsieur Qui in the Garden

There’s a ghost in the garden–
a man with a hat from a century ago,
sitting as if for a portrait–
(I think he’s French.)

He seems content,
as he sits and smokes
his hand-rolled cigarette,
the scent drifts over the first roses

as real as this serene garden
of fall fruit and spring flowers,
a fantasy
as elusive as peace.

I am once again participating in Paul Brookes’ April Ekphrastic Challenge. Each day, I will post my poem(s) here. You can see the art and read the other responses by going to Paul’s site here.

The artists are Gaynor Kane, John Phandal Law, and Anjum Wasim Dar. Thank you for your wonderful  and inspiring art!

Don’t forget if you want to join me for There’s a Poem in this Place: Poets in the Blogosphere,
It’s tomorrow, 23 April 4:00-5:30 PM, Eastern Daylight Time. You must register at:
https://tinyurl.com/Poets-in-the-Blogosphere

Poets who will be reading at this live event:

Elizabeth (Liz) Gauffreau (moderator)
Luanne Castle
Serena Agusto-Cox
Ken Gierke
George Franklin
Stephanie L. Harper
Carla McGill
Merril D. Smith
Robert Okaji