National Poetry Writing Month (also known as NaPoWriMo) is a creative writing project held annually in April in which participants attempt to write a poem each day for one month. NaPoWriMo coincides with the National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada.
NaPoWriMo, or National Poetry Writing Month, is an annual project in which participating poets attempt to write a poem a day for the month of April.
This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month), she started writing a poem a day for the month of April back in 2003, posting the poems on her blog. When other people started writing poems for April, and posting them on their own blogs, Maureen linked to them. After a few years, so many people were doing NaPoWriMo that Maureen decided to launch an independent website for the project.
My History with National Poetry Writing Month
I started writing poetry in 1988 after I had been exposed to T.S. Elliot in my honors English class in high school. In 1992 I started reading my poetry publicly at Espesso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. This continued for many years when I ran my own poetry reading at Cannova's in Loves Park Illinois and attended the poetry slams at The green Mill in Chicago Illinois. While living in Rockford Illinois I published my first book of poetry Throwing Yourself at the Ground and Missing in 2007 followed by Postcards From Someone You Don't Know in 2008 Wisdom From the Sack in 2010 and Shaving Crop Circles In My Chest Hair in 2017. You can get copies of all of these books in my merch section. In 2009 I started participating in National Poetry Writing Month which became the basis for my book Wisdom From the Sack and Shaving Crop Circles in My Chest Hair. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021.
April 23rd Poetry Prompt
And now for our daily (optional) prompt. Today I’d like to challenge you to write a poem in the style of Kay Ryan, whose poems tend to be short and snappy – with a lot of rhyme and soundplay. They also have a deceptive simplicity about them, like proverbs or aphorisms. Once you’ve read a few, you’ll see what I mean. Here’s her “Token Loss,” “Blue China Doorknob,” “Houdini,” and “Crustacean Island.”
April 23rd Poem
Unwanted Solicitation
23 April 2022
When I pick up the phone
I can tell by the tone
That the person on the other end
Is trying to be a friend
But they want to sell me
On some loan with a fee
And I tell them
That they are not welcome
To call me again
Opps I lost another potential friend
When they knock on my door
I find it a bore
That the person outside
Is stepping away from the door to hide
Does your grass need
Our special anti-weed
It's safe for pets
And will get rid of spider nets
When I tell the fool
I don’t need their liquid tool
I like my spiders
They are an excellent source of fiber
They turn around and leave
Giving me time to breathe
Walking in the bulk store
They walk up to me and implore
That I need to get new windows
And when I ask for a price, they blow
Maybe you need a new deck
And I say what the heck
I give them the number
To the plumber
Whom I just met
And made my floors wet
Maybe they can be friends
While I listen to music peacefully in my den
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