It's The 2025 Poem-A-Week Challenge Discussion Thread

[Angeline]

pretty much this



I limit myself to exposure to the politics/news... enough I can see what's happening, but not so much it's overwhelming me. I'm fortunate enough to have the physical outdoors chores this time of year to keep me occupied: the breaking of the soil, the weeding/prepping, planning layout of the veggies, starting off seeds for growing on before planting into the rows—it's calming and keeps me grounded, distracted from the things I cannot change.

If you can't get out much, maybe there's something you can get involved with online to help others... I dunno, dya like knitting or something? There're always kids in need of winter hats or mittens and stuff. Or maybe take on some editorial work; immersing yourself in the work of others means giving your muse a break which just might spark its own resurgence

I'm actually pretty good at keeping myself entertained. I'm not very crafty. I am, as Annie used to call me, cack-handed (), so I'm awful at stuff like knitting and crocheting. Learning it backwards and then trying to get it right (or should I say left lol) has never worked for me. And I don't allow myself to dwell on my worries, but when I think about writing I'm drawn to polemics (which I don't want to write!) or I just freeze.

I do have a few pieces I'm trying to work on but my normal poetry groove just ain't there for now.

Thank you for the love and suggestions. May we all survive this madness.

 

[LustyScribe]

Good on you! All the crap going on in America is seriously screwing with my ability/desire/inspiration to produce poetry. I feel frozen with worry though I'm doing my best to stay in the moment, be rational and not doomscroll.

How are y'all coping. Anyone have advice?

All I can say is write. Write, in the middle of, because of, in spite of, in defiance of all the crap. Write angry, write sad, write afraid. People need & will need real voices from real lives. That's the only hope for avoiding this crap in the future.

 

[Wat_Tyler]

Somehow, On The Back Roads

>snip<

I wanted a steady hand Stability Control . . . So I made myself me

9/52

Much as I can, this is what I do. Daily. Every damned day. I fall off some days. I'm better at it other days. It's the bit of control that I have over my life. I struggle some days simply to be present. Other days, it comes more naturally. Less effort.


Some days, I just drive the back roads.


Nicely done, Friend O' Mine!!!

 

[Angeline]

Hi Wonderer67. I really enjoyed your Rosedale Road poems. I worked off Carter Road for many years and know that area like the back of my hand. I often rode down Rosedale and admired the houses too, even the geodesic dome house. My go-to lunch was often soup from the Terhune farm store. I even have a poem about Cold Soil Road here somewhere. Your poems brought all that back to me, including wanting a few of those houses that were way, way out of my reach. Thank you for the evocative writing and the memories.

 

[SpermFactory]

Currently I write about the craziness of everything as craziness, as politician porno flicks. While the stock market falls taking me with it.

I read poems like Wonderer’s Rosedale Road, and celebrate the people, the experiences, these counter realities happening right now. And think about how I lived on a Rosedale rd, about my loss of traction, burning my brothers clutch out. somewhere. How it is still his fault for telling me to thrash his supercar (haha).

I write about the things that are happening and not happening.

Then there’s Wat’s poems, constructions, shouldering life and getting on with it. I think about the often deep emotional connections in Angeline’s poems…. I am inspired and grateful to Angeline, Butters and then magnificent Tzara, sitting at his window watching the rain drops on his pane of writing. So many years.

Then there’s Butter’s fertile trusty wheel burrow, I smoke some and imagine feeling the sun and sweat on my back. My day dreams of being a working class man, not the worthlessness of money and Sperm Factory life style I ludicrously live. Ask me what a poet should write?

I wish I wrote like LustyScribe, Bn2f, DKMoon, and all the other little lillypegs that have contributed poems to the thread.

What could a poet write about? Much love to my commander and ring wearing chief executive trophy wife, for posting her own poems (mmmm that’s 4Ms, she’s so kinky) and for tearing down my baser poems lol

But best of all thanks everyone for your thumbs, they are so like presidential pardons for my poems.

 

[Wat_Tyler]

Write about what you know.


You were/are there.


It's in your gut.


Let it out . . . .

 

[Bn2f]

Hideeho fellow scribes!
Let’s skip the pleasantries and jump right in, shall we?

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again and I will probably repeat it again and again over the course of this challenge - poetry is therapeutic.
Poetry Is Cleansing Therapy!
But this time, to my very heartened surprise the healing help did not come from written words, but from the poets themselves! A member reached out and asked for help in dealing with a world seemingly trying to reenact the last scene of Thelma and Louise and folks came and offered their time, support, and gracious ideas as solutions. Butters, LustyScribe, wat, and SpermFactory take a bow! I am humbled to be in the presence of those who saw the Bat Signal and acted like heroes. A toast and cheer and a thank you to you all!

Angeline? You’re not just a member - you’re THE member.
None of us would be here now without you.
I wish I, anyone of us, could ease your worries but I think the coming months we all are going to be needing a ‘pick me up’ from one another. Thank you for taking the lead and actually expressing the angst many of the given poems have tried conveying. I say this with no disrespect to those submissions, but for me personally - this challenge can end now. I can’t imagine anything on the poetry side topping what has just transpired on this the discussion side. I am beaming with pride at the enthusiastic support shown. Without betraying anything regarding your personal privacy, do try and let folks know, as best you can, how you’re coping and anytime assistance is needed.
And that’s not just a request for dear Angeline - that’s for everyone!

An open arms welcome for 2 new members taking part in the challenge!
Welcome Lazaran! This member picked up the baton continuing the theme of political poetry. Well done!
Welcome SmallTownKink! You added 3 submissions! This member picked up the baton continuing the trend of haikus with one poem made up entirely of haiku verses.
Take a load off both your feets and sit a spell, whydoncha!*
*(that’s southern for ‘ya done kissed my daughter on the cheek! Ma? Get me my there shotgun! We’s a gonna have us a weddin!’)
Meaning you two can’t leave.

LustyScribe’s Spring Rises and Falls is just a very wonderful little piece deserving of a reread.

SpermFactory? I would advise you to go play the lottery because you are the Daily Double winner this week! I can’t explain the why but this little nugget of a verse from MAKE GREAT AMERICAN CAR SALES AGAIN tickled me:
Let’s go look at my cyber truck
it’s a vibrator, it’s terrific it’s electric.
And what the hell why not, let’s just say you aimed for dark, sarcastic humor and you succeeded in getting a laugh from the whole piece that is State of marriage.

I’ll close with answering the question Angeline asked last week concerning my interpretation of her wonderful piece Hollywood, Florida 1960. I got it wrong. Lol. That’s the simple answer. I’m actually rather terrible at interpreting poetry. Now, lemme explain where I went wrong because there are 2 reasons to that. First, I’m going to blame simple transference. Going to the beach for me has and always will be a spiritual kind of thing. Packing is a big todo! The travel to the beach as well. Though I now am only minutes away from - I wasn’t in my younger years. And stepping my toes in water is like baptism. Tampa, Canaveral, Myrtle Beach… if I’m able to spare just 5 minutes, I make it a point to at least stick my toe anywhere I am that has salt water. And second, in one verse you mentioned the Daily Forward and described how everything felt ‘magical’ - I looked up the Daily Forward and kinda sorta came up with a reference to that being affirmations to get one through the day but I wasn’t exactly sure but then, again blame transferring my emotions, I added that with the ‘magical’ and there you have it - wrong! Lol.
Now, I will kindly hope that you find the therapeutic inspiration to write more pieces that I can totally misinterpret!

A great week of submissions to the challenge everyone! Keep the poetry coming and the thread going strong!

 

[Wonderer67]

pretty much this



I limit myself to exposure to the politics/news... enough I can see what's happening, but not so much it's overwhelming me. I'm fortunate enough to have the physical outdoors chores this time of year to keep me occupied: the breaking of the soil, the weeding/prepping, planning layout of the veggies, starting off seeds for growing on before planting into the rows—it's calming and keeps me grounded, distracted from the things I cannot change.

If you can't get out much, maybe there's something you can get involved with online to help others... I dunno, dya like knitting or something? There're always kids in need of winter hats or mittens and stuff. Or maybe take on some editorial work; immersing yourself in the work of others means giving your muse a break which just might spark its own resurgence

Pretty much the same. I occasionally scroll thru the headlines. It’s all I want/need.

Getting outside is a biggy for me. Even in the cold, I try to get outside as much as possible.

Meaningful activities. Volunteer work for non profits.

 

[Wonderer67]

Much as I can, this is what I do. Daily. Every damned day. I fall off some days. I'm better at it other days. It's the bit of control that I have over my life. I struggle some days simply to be present. Other days, it comes more naturally. Less effort.


Some days, I just drive the back roads.


Nicely done, Friend O' Mine!!!

Thank you, bud!

 

[Wat_Tyler]

Thank you!!

Just keep doing it. I know that it's push-n-shove sometimes.


Other days, it just falls out.

 

[SpermFactory]

Now, lemme explain

My new favorite saying ‘…lemme explain…’ I can’t wait to try it on my wife!

 

[LustyScribe]

Somehow I missed two weeks?! I'm a slacker; I will atone!
A little note on my latest: I am OK, just coming out of a bit of a dark time, and I felt the desire to bleed some of it out. Or maybe just bleed, to remind myself I am alive.
Which now inspires another poem...

 

[Angeline]

Hideeho fellow scribes!
Let’s skip the pleasantries and jump right in, shall we?

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again and I will probably repeat it again and again over the course of this challenge - poetry is therapeutic.
Poetry Is Cleansing Therapy!
But this time, to my very heartened surprise the healing help did not come from written words, but from the poets themselves! A member reached out and asked for help in dealing with a world seemingly trying to reenact the last scene of Thelma and Louise and folks came and offered their time, support, and gracious ideas as solutions. Butters, LustyScribe, wat, and SpermFactory take a bow! I am humbled to be in the presence of those who saw the Bat Signal and acted like heroes. A toast and cheer and a thank you to you all!

Angeline? You’re not just a member - you’re THE member.
None of us would be here now without you.
I wish I, anyone of us, could ease your worries but I think the coming months we all are going to be needing a ‘pick me up’ from one another. Thank you for taking the lead and actually expressing the angst many of the given poems have tried conveying. I say this with no disrespect to those submissions, but for me personally - this challenge can end now. I can’t imagine anything on the poetry side topping what has just transpired on this the discussion side. I am beaming with pride at the enthusiastic support shown. Without betraying anything regarding your personal privacy, do try and let folks know, as best you can, how you’re coping and anytime assistance is needed.
And that’s not just a request for dear Angeline - that’s for everyone!

An open arms welcome for 2 new members taking part in the challenge!
Welcome Lazaran! This member picked up the baton continuing the theme of political poetry. Well done!
Welcome SmallTownKink! You added 3 submissions! This member picked up the baton continuing the trend of haikus with one poem made up entirely of haiku verses.
Take a load off both your feets and sit a spell, whydoncha!*
*(that’s southern for ‘ya done kissed my daughter on the cheek! Ma? Get me my there shotgun! We’s a gonna have us a weddin!’)
Meaning you two can’t leave.

LustyScribe’s Spring Rises and Falls is just a very wonderful little piece deserving of a reread.

SpermFactory? I would advise you to go play the lottery because you are the Daily Double winner this week! I can’t explain the why but this little nugget of a verse from MAKE GREAT AMERICAN CAR SALES AGAIN tickled me:
Let’s go look at my cyber truck
it’s a vibrator, it’s terrific it’s electric.
And what the hell why not, let’s just say you aimed for dark, sarcastic humor and you succeeded in getting a laugh from the whole piece that is State of marriage.

I’ll close with answering the question Angeline asked last week concerning my interpretation of her wonderful piece Hollywood, Florida 1960. I got it wrong. Lol. That’s the simple answer. I’m actually rather terrible at interpreting poetry. Now, lemme explain where I went wrong because there are 2 reasons to that. First, I’m going to blame simple transference. Going to the beach for me has and always will be a spiritual kind of thing. Packing is a big todo! The travel to the beach as well. Though I now am only minutes away from - I wasn’t in my younger years. And stepping my toes in water is like baptism. Tampa, Canaveral, Myrtle Beach… if I’m able to spare just 5 minutes, I make it a point to at least stick my toe anywhere I am that has salt water. And second, in one verse you mentioned the Daily Forward and described how everything felt ‘magical’ - I looked up the Daily Forward and kinda sorta came up with a reference to that being affirmations to get one through the day but I wasn’t exactly sure but then, again blame transferring my emotions, I added that with the ‘magical’ and there you have it - wrong! Lol.
Now, I will kindly hope that you find the therapeutic inspiration to write more pieces that I can totally misinterpret!

A great week of submissions to the challenge everyone! Keep the poetry coming and the thread going strong!

Thank you, not just for the kind words about me or my poem, but also for the time and care you're putting into the forum. Your interest in everyone's poetry, your questions and feedback are a tonic for this place, especially now when so many of us are struggling with well I'll be polite and call it uncertainty. This forum has always been supportive and welcoming. Maybe it's something about people who value poetry; I don't really know but it's a special little haven here and it's folks like you who make it that way.

I do have one comment about my poem. I'd asked you a question and we did talk about it. I tried to clarify what I'd meant. However I don't think you got anything "wrong" in your interpretation. You brought your own background and experiences when you read, so your interpretation is valid for you. I think we've all had that experience of writing something with a certain idea or experience in mind. And it's personal to the writer so maybe a reader will see it or not, but either way is valid. Once a poem is out in the wild it takes on a life of its own. At least that's how I see it.

And I don't know about the rest of you but I often put a few words or private joke in a poem that I don't expect anyone to pick up on. Why? It amuses or touches me. It's something I do for myself (or sometimes for my kids). Does anyone else ever do that? I know I'm weird lol but I bet others do it too.

 

[Bn2f]

Hello again everyone!
I gotta be honest. I thought this week would be the week that I maybe would bow out on writing anything. The past entries just seemed to write themselves, but this week it felt as if I might actually, you know, do some real work to write about anything really. Nothing was rolling around up there in the ol’ noggin. I felt like this:



Searching and searching for ideas for a poem to submit and something to write about but finding nothing. But then I realized that that wasn’t necessarily the problem and that I actually felt more like this:



I have been more distracted by things going on in life and the internet than anything else. Spring is coming and I have slowly been coming to the realization that as I’m getting older, I’m struggling keeping up with the chores and challenges of upkeeping a place of living. I had to sit down and think a bit on things and then it hit me what really kinda had me down! I’m not going to share what that realization was just yet. I want to keep you coming back for the next episode, but I promise to reveal the why soon and the measures I hope will fix the dull drums.

That said, it’s as if we are all feeling a bit down as of late. Adult life is hard enough as it is and then something else will come up out of the blue to complicate things even more! A flat tire, new boss at work (I just gotta say that EVERY freakin new boss at a workplace comes in wanting to re-invent the wheel and do things better! It would be refreshing to have a person who just says keep doing what ya been doing, I’ll be out your way, and just don’t screw up and have me do something) and now add to that the fear of security from worldly news can overwhelm. I mean WTF!? No! Literally, I had to ask myself what the fuck was I doing? Just last week I was writing on the optimism provided by writing and reading the efforts of you, the dear members who have taken up this challenge. What. The. F. Was I doing now moping?!

So with that, let’s dive into this past week of entries!

We had no new members joining but we were blessed with 2 entries from Angeline! This… THIS alone was such a joy to see!

I love, Love, LOVE any and all the political themed poems. Just the fact that they are taboo and rejected on the main board but face no restrictions here gives me the warm fuzzies like we are all sticking it to the man! Or *Laurel, if you’re feeling inclined for accuracy (* I have, to my knowledge, never had any actual interaction with that person but know that they generally are referred to as The ONE and me name dropping should not be taken as criticism of that person(s) in any way).

As we proceed with the challenge, I’m finding it more difficult to just have 1 verse to highlight and one piece to bring attention to. It’s like you are all bringing you A+ game and it feels bad to shortchange others that are just as good and well structured. I mean:

“Clearing those treasures
From the basement
Tossing those things
That we meant to fix
Knowing we never will”
That’s from member wat and his submission titled Going Away and it’s wonderful.

And then there’s this from Tzara and Liberal Arts Quad, University of Washington:
“our hands twined branches
now grown knotted together”

Or how about this really, really superb twist play of a word by LustyScribe from Pain, Living, Loving:
The one I've honed this last bit
Bit my finger tip.

And there were so many wonderful submissions that highlighting one seems unfair. So let’s take a step back and let me get personal. This, my personal journal entry, has taken on a life of its own. Granted, it’s still a baby and crawling but there’s a certain optimism about this - well I hope there is anyway! So I think it’s only fair that I come clean and throw some cold water of truth out to everyone. I love poetry! Love that I can brag that I am a published author - are you listening, Laurel?

NOT a big fan of erotic poetry though.

Hear me out: I am just not impressed with the quality of vulgarity and think that it quickly becomes/seems cliched and boring. Now, that doesn’t mean that I can’t be surprised by it every now and then - I just crave a different, more imaginative way of an author describing a fuck and SpermFactory does just that in The best laid plans
of painters and
wayward men.

This was a whole week of quality submissions and I could easily pick 2-3 more but I have a feeling that I will be coming back and referencing some of them in the near future - wink, wink for those not picking up on clues.

A great week of submissions to the challenge everyone! Keep the poetry coming and the thread going strong!

 

[Unwillingstarporn]

Here’s a conversation with they—
Parts of me, yet silent they stay.
But tonight they’ll speak, they’ll share, they’ll say…

Me: Feet, my roots, do you feel spent?
Feet: We carry your world, yet we lament.

Me: Legs, my strength, do you ache in stride?
Legs: We long for stillness, not just pride.

Me: Hips, my anchor, do you bear much pain?
Hips: We hold your weight, but cracks remain.

Me: Stomach, my core, do you feel right?
Stomach: I crave care, not just appetite.

Me: Breast, my best, is the dress to tight?
Breast: Let me rise and fall, arousals I'd ignite.

Me: Hands, my makers, do you tire?
Hands: We build your dreams but seek desire.

Me: Palms, my touch, do you still feel?
Palms: We miss soft skin, something real.

Me: Mouth, my voice, do you regret?
Mouth: Words unspoken haunt me yet.

Me: Nose, my guide, do you delight?
Nose: In fleeting scents, both wrong and right.

Me: Eyes, my windows, do you weep?
Eyes: For beauty missed when shadows creep.

Me: Brain, my boss, do you ever rest?
Brain: Silence is the peace I crave best.

This is so original

 

[Angeline]

Hi sister jenny and welcome to the poetry forum. That's a WOW of a poem you just posted on the Poem-A-Week thread. Thank you for sharing it and feel free to share more!

 

[SmokingFap]

nicotine stained fingers

nightmares and monsters

cocaine mist on the mirror

a broken straw

a wet cunt

lipstick

cracked lips

running make-up

an escape

a failure

love on someone else’s terms

pain as a way to not think

drugs to not remember

blowing doctors in the restroom

not eating

not thinking

not feeling

an open window to chill my skin

sun touching my eyes

blind

trying not to breathe as a way to live

getting lost among words and paint

avoiding everyone

being the source of the hurt

swallowing cum

gagging

licking the mirror

the sting on my lips

i love you he said

drying the tears with my dreams

crying away the fear

i love you he said

memories like old friends

an unmade bed

the last in a long corridor

nervous, twitching

she is so easy they said

an open cunt for everyone

lines of men

like the lines on the mirror

the bleeding mouth

the lies

the black eye



i love you he said

but she wasn’t even there anymore

lost in a mist of broken dreams

chemicals and cocks

Hi sweetheart. Glad to see you're at least still around. I hope you're doing okay. You know where to find me.

Forever and no matter what.

Charlie

 

[Bn2f]

Hmmmmmmm. Seems as if most you of Lit students went on Spring Break this week and checked out on turning in your poetry submissions. No worries - demerits for all of you and class will meet after school each day this week until all of you have completed the new writing assignment I now have for you in addition to turning in a poem:



I kid, I kid.
When the glass is half full then it’s time to squeeze some lemons, er, or something like that. What I’m trying to say is that this temporary lull has done is afforded me some time to…

Wha-wah-wha-wah-wha <—That’s my impression of every school message said over the intercom system (yeah, it’s Charlie Brown ) and it basically translates to - Tzara? WWYT!?

I have not looked back on last year’s challenge or the one from ‘23 (was there one held then too? IDK) but because I first saw you do it here - I’m gonna credit you for this. You are one of only a few members who state the number of weeks participating as well total number of pieces you’ve submitted. It’s kinda genius. WWYT!? I personally think that your first submitted poem (do I have write out the whole title? WWYT!)… your first submitted piece A Challenge Greeting Card set the tone with self deprecating comedy for how one might feel going through with writing a poem once a week and A Poet’s Inspiration was like a follow up twin. Were those pieces already saved and waiting for the challenge to begin or did you compose on the spot? WWYT!? In the Prisoner’s Dilemma your first verse stated:
You only win if you give up your lover
while she remains true. WWYT!? You had a string of submissions where, for 4 straight weeks, you seemingly invented a whole new form of poetry! Sedōka, Prunus cerasifera, Zen Garden, and Liberal Arts Quad you took the Haiku and added another Haiku which allowed you to add more depth to your piece. Ok, I know it did not always adhere to Haiku rules and you also have a few pieces where you added 2 lines instead of the necessary 3, but they all caught my eye such that I even came up with a name for them! 2Haiku! That was my first lame attempt and then I thought - Haiduo, but that just sounds cumbersome. Bear with me here, sir, for I sometimes have way too much time on my hands. Haiduo led to Hai2 before I finally settled on Haideux! Huh? Yeah! Huh? Whadayathink? The point of all this is - was this something you have been doing or working on for some time? WWYT!? you have been a member here since 2005. and I am assuming that you’ve been contributing since that time as well. I would like to end by asking you a few personal questions that aren’t WWYT!? What’s your preferred choice in flavor of tea? There was a time when Lit editors recognized and honored what they considered to be exceptionally written stories and poems. You have received a number of those distinctions for your pieces. How did that feel to be recognized for turning in outstanding work? There’s obviously still plenty of great poetry still in you. Do you concern yourself about a legacy? You’ve seen poets come and go, trends in writing styles come and go - what do you see in the future for poetry here on Lit? What are some of your opinions on possibly making the poetry section thrive more?

Thank you, Tzara! Your pieces are a joy for me to read and I am personally honored even asking you questions that you are under no obligation to answer. The pleasure in rereading and attempting to analyze your works was all mine.

A great read of a week everyone! Keep the poetry coming and the thread going strong!

 

[Bn2f]

I’ve been putting off replying to this for over a week now. I’m a procrastinator, I’m lazy, and it’s hard being asked questions. I’m sorry for seemingly ignoring this, but Angeline - here goes.

Thank you, not just for the kind words about me or my poem, but also for the time and care you're putting into the forum. Your interest in everyone's poetry, your questions and feedback are a tonic for this place, especially now when so many of us are struggling with well I'll be polite and call it uncertainty. This forum has always been supportive and welcoming. Maybe it's something about people who value poetry; I don't really know but it's a special little haven here and it's folks like you who make it that way.

I’m humbled and I thank you for the kind words. The amount of respect I have for you is immeasurable - for creating this thread and your poetry. I wish I had known about the previous challenges.

I do have one comment about my poem. I'd asked you a question and we did talk about it. I tried to clarify what I'd meant. However I don't think you got anything "wrong" in your interpretation. You brought your own background and experiences when you read, so your interpretation is valid for you. I think we've all had that experience of writing something with a certain idea or experience in mind. And it's personal to the writer so maybe a reader will see it or not, but either way is valid. Once a poem is out in the wild it takes on a life of its own.

perfect! Could not have said better!

At least that's how I see it.

And I don't know about the rest of you but I often put a few words or private joke in a poem that I don't expect anyone to pick up on. Why? It amuses or touches me. It's something I do for myself (or sometimes for my kids).

I do this too! Although, I must admit that it’s self serving in my case. None of my friends or family that I have shown my work to have desired to read further to where they themselves might get the inside joke. That’s not a sad or tearful admission in my part - I don’t think I would want my mother to come to this particular website to read what I have published regarding the wings of a butterfly under a rainbow. Um, I’m assuming that if your family sees then it is on an actual piece of paper that you crafted? Did anyone pick up on the joke?

Does anyone else ever do that? I know I'm weird lol but I bet others do it too.

Lol, I dunno why I found this difficult to reply to. . I’ll answer ‘yes’ again to your question and give some more detail. I’ve not written a story for this site in about a year. Although I had known about Lit for years and read some of the stories, I never paid much attention to the comments. And so, when I did start posting stories, I naively went to the LW section. So rattled was I that I decided to make matters even worse by arguing back with members in the comments section (I KNOW!). Of course that was a mistake and after having many of my replies removed - I figured that my best course for revenge is by naming douchey characters in my stories after the members who are bold enough not to state their opinions anonymously. Is that a bad thing? Yeah, I think it’s pretty bad, but hey! Honestly, they’re not after you per se and quickly move on to others within minutes. None have recognized themselves because they don’t care. So, eventually, the lesson I’ve learned is to write for my own enjoyment.

 

[Tzara]

I personally think that your first submitted poem (do I have write out the whole title? WWYT!)… your first submitted piece A Challenge Greeting Card set the tone with self deprecating comedy for how one might feel going through with writing a poem once a week and A Poet’s Inspiration was like a follow up twin. Were those pieces already saved and waiting for the challenge to begin or did you compose on the spot?

"A Challenge Greeting Card" and "The Poet's Inspiration" were each written just before I posted them. When I'm having difficulty coming up with something to write about, I frequently write some silly metrical/rhyming thing as an exercise. Since I fiddle around with form a lot, it is usually pretty easy for me once I come up with a first line, especially in my favorite form of Onegin Stanza ("The Poet's Inspiration" is in this form—it's kind of like writing a limerick for me).

In the Prisoner’s Dilemma your first verse stated:
You only win if you give up your lover
while she remains true. WWYT!?

I had been reading a book about the origins of game theory, specifically about the scenario known as Prisoner's Dilemma (PD). PD is a non-zero sum game where the greatest payoff comes when one party "defects" (i.e. doesn't cooperate with the other player) while the second player does cooperate (i.e. selects the option that gives both players the same, moderate payoff). I was playing with the idea that sexual/love relationships sometimes have qualities that resemble PD, e.g. if A cheats on their relationship with B but B remains constant, A gets to have sex with two people instead of just one, while their partner (B) only has sex with A.

Not something I am recommending, though.

If you click on the poem's title in the thread, it should take you to the Wikipedia article on PD.

You had a string of submissions where, for 4 straight weeks, you seemingly invented a whole new form of poetry! Sedōka, Prunus cerasifera, Zen Garden, and Liberal Arts Quad you took the Haiku and added another Haiku which allowed you to add more depth to your piece.

I had been reading about waka (classical Japanese poetry forms; "waka" translates to something like "Japanese poem"). The poems you cite are either adaptations of the classical Japanese tanka form (lines of 5-7-5-7-7 on, with on being roughly equivalent to syllables in English) or sedōka (a older form consisting of two tercets of 5-7-7 on where the second tercet either comments on the first or the two are treated as something like two lovers speaking to each other). The "stanza" breaks (the empty lines) are meant to either separate theme from response or to kind of emulate the kireji or "cutting word" characteristic of haiku which I don't think is a requirement in either tanka or sedōka, but as I said, these are adaptations (corruptions?) of the respective forms. The indentations and italics are there for similar reasons.

Just me playing around.

What’s your preferred choice in flavor of tea?

English Breakfast or some similar black tea.

There was a time when Lit editors recognized and honored what they considered to be exceptionally written stories and poems. You have received a number of those distinctions for your pieces. How did that feel to be recognized for turning in outstanding work?

It's always nice to be recognized (well, positively recognized), but I don't know that the "E" flags necessarily highlighted the best poems, either for me or for others who received them. I think that's true of recognition at any level—Pulitzer, National Book Award, Nobel Literature Prize.

Not that I wouldn't love to win the Pulitzer.

There’s obviously still plenty of great poetry still in you. Do you concern yourself about a legacy?

No.

You’ve seen poets come and go, trends in writing styles come and go - what do you see in the future for poetry here on Lit? What are some of your opinions on possibly making the poetry section thrive more?

I'm not sure I have a lot of thoughts about it. I enjoy writing little commentary pieces about poetry, but I'm not sure many other people are interested in that. Which is OK, of course.

Thank you, Tzara! Your pieces are a joy for me to read and I am personally honored even asking you questions that you are under no obligation to answer.

Thank you. As I said, it's always nice to have someone say nice things about one's writing.

 

[Wonderer67]

I dreamed you were waiting for
my teen light to go green

What a line!

Well done.

 

[Wat_Tyler]

What a line!

Well done.

I missed that, so I reckon I have some rereading to do


My gain, actually.

 

[Wat_Tyler]

the Gulf of America

The sand pipers
Scurry in packs
Into the water with the surf
Bravely darting in
“Once more unto the beach, dear friends!” My wife jokes

Snacking upon whatever it is
That they snack upon
Retreating again as the next wave bears down

Coy gulls waiting in the wings
Ready for a crumb to drop
Or to swipe my blueberry muffin again

In the distance some fishermen bringing in redfish
Or black drum

I watch it all
Taking it all in
Full vacation mode
The full-on cycle of life and
Everything

I am finally calm
Whole
No more Iraq dreams in my head
On the shores of the Gulf of America

10/52

Thank you for this. I need to be reminded how no one needs this floating loose in their heads.

 

[Wonderer67]

Thank you for this. I need to be reminded how no one needs this floating loose in their heads.

No one needs it
Or wanted it

It’s what we had
Instead of happy
Lives

 

[Wat_Tyler]

No one needs it
Or wanted it

It’s what we had
Instead of happy
Lives

I suspect that Happy Lives (whateverthefuck that is) lead to lame-ass poetry.