30PD = 060109 (#5)

like a runaway train
in an old movie
one on the bridge
the bridge crumbling
a million miles above the ground
and I'm pulling hard on the brake
but the train is barreling off the track
out of control
hissing and spitting
spiraling down down down
I can't stop it
I can't help it
I can only stand by
and watch
as the flames rise into the air.

- Write a poem about an event in your life that you have strong feelings about without stating how you feel about the event. I won't tell you the event, but hopefully you understand how it made me feel. -

<3 = beej

30PD = 050709 (#4)

arms outstretched, hair flowing wild
blur of pink and denim and white
a laugh a squeal a leap a smile
rocketing straight into the sunlight

"an adventure! a marvelous adventure!"
yes. a beautiful insane terrible
adventure. we wish to be immature
we want to be children, gullible

children who believe in magic
children who believe in daydreams
we want to leave behind the tragic
want to leave behind pyramid schemes

come with us as we run away
come with us as we fly today

- Lame, a little corny, I think. The assignment was to write a blues sonnet, but I decided to just write a sonnet. Sonnets are hard enough, you know. That's why it took me so long to write it. D: I'm trying, okay? -

30PD = 43009 (#3)

hot spring
urgent driving
hoping to get there soon
after a quick jaunt in the pool
red creme.

- Okay, this one makes no sense, I'm sure. But tonight we went to the hot springs and afterward I got a red creme soda. The prompt was to write in meter, but I hate meter. So I just wrote a cinquain (2, 4, 6, 8, 2) instead. -

30PD = 42909 (#2)

being stressed out
is like being chased by a tiger
mixed with a shark
imagine it:
a grey black orange mess
of claws and teeth and fur and skin
gnashing and screeching behind you
as it crawls ever closer
and you feel like you have knives stuck deep
into your calves
so you can't run
you can only hobble
and you can feel its nasty hot rank breath
and you can smell the strange fishy-cat stink
and you know if you looked back you would see its soulless eyes
hell-bent on having you for breakfast
or dinner
shark-tigers aren't picky.
trust me.

- Write a poem that includes at least one description of an object that is six or more words long. I took it in the direction of writing a poem that described an emotion as an extremely specific object. -

30PD = 42909 (#1)

I believe that my poetry
is made of the words
I wish I could say
but I never will.
the words I want to tell the world
the words I want to be famous for
the words that will never escape
never escape the warm, wet darkness
inside of me.

I wish I had the strength to say them
but I doubt I ever will
so here they come
wrapped in black and white
sans serif
packages.
neat orderly clean
because if I ever said them
I'd make a mess.

- Guess who's starting over on the 30 poems in 30 days. :D This is a new set of days, I really want to do all 30. I only got to 15 last time. D: Today's prompt: Write a poem about something you believe. And yes, I know I could have written about the Gospel. But I didn't. So there. -

<3 = beej

30PD = 11-11-08 (#15)

scuffed, beaten, scraped
the color of battered pewter
its miniature screen
illuminates
"1 New Txt Msg"
my little courier
my link to you.

- Write a poem that follows the three rules of the imagists. -

<3 = brittany

30PD = 11-9-08 (#14)

sleeping
sleeping
I hear nothing
from within my coma.
shake me
try to wake me
nothing works
nothing can make me
get up.
I'm not happy
but I find it easier
sleeping
and
sleeping

comatose.

- Write a poem that uses at least two different forms of repetition. -

<3 = brittany

30PD = 11-1-08 (#13)

Where do you write?
At home, wherever I happen to be sitting.

What tools do you use?
Either pen and paper or my computer, my thesaurus, and usually I have music playing.

When do you write?
Whenever the mood strikes, but usually near the end of the day.

How long are your sessions?
Meh, it depends. And I really don't pay attention, but anywhere from a half hour to an hour.

How do you choose your subjects?
I write about events in my life, I write about things I see, I sometimes try to imagine other characters with different voices, and I sometimes make stuff up.

How do you prepare?
Usually I just sit down and go, but sometimes I'll read other people's poetry or my own old stuff.

What writing methods do you use?
Just write the poem.

How do you edit or revise?
I reread the poem and look for errors or parts that could be better but I don’t spend too long on it the first time. I've been going back and working old poems though, and I spend a while on those.

I hadn't realized
He shook his head
True emotion can be disguised.

The smiling faces were stylized
Masks to cover the sneers unsaid
I hadn't realized.

I was always despised
Because I struggled and bled
True emotion can be disguised.

They had me downsized
And sent me to bed
I hadn't realized.

They pretended to keep me apprised
But made sure that I always misread
True emotion can be disguised.

A lie was devised
To keep them ahead
I hadn't realized
True emotion can be disguised.

- Today is a two-part assignment. The first part is to think about your method of writing poetry. The second part is to shake up your process. If you have a lot of structure, try loosening up. If you write very loosely, try adding some structure to the process. I wrote a villanelle. It was hard. D: -

<3 = brittany

30PD = 11-1-08 (#12)

Cinquain (2, 4, 6, 8, 2)
Miss you
Bring me back there
to the place I can hold
you and tell you "I love you too"
at home.

Tanka (5, 7, 5, 7, 7)
Shadows slink across
The room, obscuring my sight.
Is someone there? Hey-
Get out of here! I stumble
To the light, flip the switch.
But there is nothing.

- Write a poem using syllabic verse. Oh, and I modified my tanka a little by adding a 5-syllable line to the end. -

<3 = brittany