What is National Poetry Writing Month?
Welcome, art enthusiasts and wordsmiths alike, to another episode of Create Art Podcast! We are diving headfirst into the enchanting world of poetry as we celebrate National Poetry Writing Month (NaPoWriMo). This annual event, which takes place every April, encourages poets and aspiring writers around the globe to embrace their creativity and commit to writing a poem each day for the entire month.
The Beauty of National Poetry Writing Month:
NaPoWriMo, similar to its prose-centric counterpart National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), is a celebration of the written word and the boundless creativity that can flow when one dedicates themselves to a daily practice. Poets of all levels of expertise are invited to take part, from seasoned wordsmiths to those just dipping their toes into the vast ocean of verse.
Create Art Podcast has always been a haven for artists to share their creative processes, and NaPoWriMo offers a unique opportunity for poets to reflect on their craft. With a daily commitment to producing poetry, participants discover new facets of their writing style, experiment with various forms, and explore uncharted emotional territories.
Prompt for today
Finally, our (optional) prompt for the day is another one pulled from our 2016 archives. Today, we’d like to challenge you to write a poem that begins with a line from another poem (not necessarily the first one), but then goes elsewhere with it. This will work best if you just start with a line of poetry you remember, but without looking up the whole original poem. Or you could find a poem that you haven’t read before and then use a line that interests you. The idea is for the original to furnish the backdrop for your work, but without influencing you so much that you feel as if you are just rewriting the original! For example, you could begin, “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day,” or “I have measured out my life with coffee spoons,” or “I miss them, but it wasn’t a disaster,” or “they persevere in swimming where they like.” Really, any poem will do to provide your starter line – just so long as it gives you the scope to explore.
Poem for Today
Said The Shotgun To The Head (Kimo Style)
24 April 24
I can taste the metal in my mouth from a double barrel
Don’t worry, I am not being kidnapped or robbed
I have done it to myself
My finger is not on the trigger
I won’t write the story of my life
On a blood and brain spattered wall
For too long I have thought this was the way to end things
And I felt good that it would be in my hands
And not someone else’s
I felt in control that I could end things
Anytime I wanted to
Anytime it got too deep
But now I have too much to live for
And I don’t want to have those I love
Seeing the ending of this movie
I have relied on the pain that comes with carrying a shotgun in my mouth
And I am tired of the taste
I have enough metal in my mouth
With fillings that crack my teeth
With porcelain crowns that feel off
With the drilling that it took to put them there
I am putting the shotgun down
In front of a crowd
Hoping they never need to feel the need
To shove a weapon in their mouth
My mouth spits wisdom
And hope
And encouragement
And maybe a better path
The shotgun is unloaded
And I hope you can now put yours down
But if you need to aim it at my head to feel better
You’ll need to look me in the eye
And I haven’t met many who can
And if you do decide to pull the trigger
Then you will
What can I do
But at least I am not holding a shotgun to my head anymore
Reach Out To The Podcast
To reach out to me, email timothy@createartpodcast.com I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let's start that conversation.
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