November Poem-a-Day (#novpad) - Day 30

Unspoken Lesson

You got that
artsy streak from your
mom. Before
(and after)
the m.i., she took pictures
black and white mostly.

She couldn't
handle the critiques
that is why...
I'm afraid/
you have that inside you too
I can't lose you both.

* * * * * * *

Click here to see the prompt that inspired this poem.

November Poem-a-Day (#novpad) - Day 29

To Do List

#17 Ask Mr. Greene to switch seats
#18 Stop sneaking looks at her
#19 Don't draw her anymore
#20 Only speak if she speaks first
#21 Appear aloof
#22 Don't try so hard in class
#23 Find someone else to like

* * * * * * *

Click here to see the prompt that inspired this poem.

November Poem-a-Day (#novpad) - Day 28

Good Intentions

It was my
fault the guys on the
Indigo
Crush started
teasing Patch. I shouldn't have
mentioned that painting.

* * * * * * *

Click here to see the prompt that inspired this poem.

November Poem-a-Day (#novpad) - Day 27

Blame the rules

It didn't make sense
the rules for high school
were way different than middle school

or was it that public school rules
were way different than private school

or was it that mandatory classes
were way different than elective classes

why was it so uncool to enjoy painting
it didn't make sense.

* * * * * * *

Click here to see the prompt that inspired this poem.

November Poem-a-Day (#novpad) - Day 26

Patch ran his routes
he was always on the run
as a receiver
as an artist

the more he ran for touchdowns
the further he ran from his goals
the more he ran for touchdowns
the further he ran from the "fag" taunts
but
the more he ran for touchdowns
the closer he got to his father

* * * * * * *

Click here to see the prompt that inspired this poem

November Poem-a-Day (#novpad) - Day 25

Who's the crazy one?

I asked my friend
who is like a bird
why she spoke to the sea

my friend asked me
what I had heard
"I only caught the end

something I couldn't comprehend"
she said to me, undeterred
"you only use pronouns, like she

or nicknames to address me
a nameless friend is absurd
doesn't that bother you, don't pretend

it's not weird to know the name of your friend."

* * * * * * * *

Click here to see the prompt that inspired this poem.

The Arc & Hue winner...

is Jessica!!!

Congratulations on winning Arc & Hue. It's the perfect book of poetry to go with your mashed potatoes and gravy.

Check pages 25, 27, and 67 for some of my favorites.

November Poem-a-Day (#novpad) - Day 24

Patch

His father was the only one
who still called him Patrick

An unfortunate experiment
in sixth grade
a pair of scissors
and his hair
earned him the nickname
that filled the empty spaces
when someone would say
who is that?

* * * * * * *

Click here to see the prompt that inspired this post.

November Poem-a-Day (#novpad) - Day 23

Primary #2

This is where my yellow lived.
It was my Saturday color,
it was friendly
yellow smiled, shined, sashayed around
Yellow sang,
"Laugh with me,"
She was a complement
balancing the difficult truths
with the omissions
and sugary fictions.

* * * * * * *

Click here to see the prompt that inspired this poem.

* * * * * * *

Blogger won't let me download a picture of my poem for some reason, but if you click here, you can see what it should look like as a concrete poem.

November Poem-a-Day (#novpad) - Day 22

what matters? #2

I couldn't under-
stand, how weeks of suggestions
during his sleep
didn't stick
but indirect support
from someone
who barely spoke
satisfied.

* * * * * * *

Click here to see the prompt that inspired this poem.

Arc & Hue by Tara Betts: Book Giveaway

In honor of November Poem-a-day, I would like to gift someone with a book of poetry. Back in August, I ordered Arc & Hue from Aquarius Press in anticipation of Tara's anniversary event with Mahogany Books. It didn't come fast enough for me though, and when I saw it at a bookstore, I snatched it up. So now I have the copy Tara signed for me at the event (which you can't have) and the one I ordered.

Would you like my extra copy?

All you have to do is leave me a comment with your email and I'll enter you in the contest. Once ten people have left comments, I'll use one of those random number thingees and select a winner.

Easy, peesy. Stay thirsty (for poetry) my friends.

November Poem-a-Day (#novpad) - Day 21

permission to use pigment

my father
is football, french fries,
and fighting.
my father asks me
"why haven't you been painting?"

* * * * * * *

Click here to see the prompt that inspired this poem.

November Poem-a-Day (#novpad) - Day 20

I know I shouldn't fight
no need to say it's wrong
couldn't take all that white
I know I shouldn't fight
use chroma, it's alright
hid from color too long
I know I shouldn't fight
no need to say it's wrong.

* * * * * * *

Click here to see the prompt that inspired this poem.

November Poem-a-Day (#novpad) - Day 19

Primary #1

This is where my red lived.

It was my warning color,

it was angry.

Red punched, popped, picked fights.

Red screamed,

"Look at me!"

She was only soft when

the sun sunk

behind the mountains and

peeked through the clouds.

* * * * * * *

Click here to see the prompt that inspired this poem.

November Poem-a-Day (#novpad) - Day 18

The morning sky looks
like a dirty dish towel
daily. Color was lost
and it was affecting the
mood in the city of Wan.

* * * * * * *

Click here to see the prompt that inspired this poem.

November Poem-a-Day (#novpad) - Day 17

Tell me why you paint

Wendelin said
"I paint because I have to"
Oliver said
"To give pleasure"
E. E. said
"For exactly the same reason I breathe"

Bells tinkled in his mind
their words resonated

searching for his own answer
he saw only a mirror
without his reflection inside

* * * * * * *

Click here to see the prompt that inpired this poem.

November Poem-a-Day (#novpad) - Day 16

bad ideas
pile high, steaming
a pancake
stack of dull
unfinished, unloved
thoughts, waiting for his palette.

* * * * * * *

Click here to see the prompt that inspired this poem.

November Poem-a-Day (#novpad) - Day 15

colorless (or please understand, indigo)

just when he thought it was safe to paint
harsh laughter crashes behind his back
soils the hue, the ridicule taint
just when he thought it was safe to paint
beauty in his eye, in their eyes...ain't
the taunting feels worse than a face smack
just when he thought it was safe to paint
harsh laughter crashes behind his back

* * * * * * *

Click here to see the prompt that inspired this poem.

November Poem-a-Day (#novpad) - Day 14

At a crossroad

How was she
going to ask her
friend - that was
like a bird,
a plant, and a dye -
if she was losing her mind?

* * * * * * *

Click here to see the prompt that inspired this poem

November Poem-a-Day (#novpad) - Day 13

What matters?

He could deal
with the bullies' smack
talk, it was
expected
they would hate. He needed his
father's approval.

* * * * * * *

Click here to see the prompt that inpired this poem.

November Poem-a-Day (#novpad) - Day 12

indigo's subliminal messages

forget what they say
believe in your dream
design, paint all day
forget what they say
color is okay
cocoa, lemon, cream
forget what they say
believe in your dream

* * * * * * *

Click here to see the prompt that inspired this poem.

November Poem-a-Day (#novpad) - Day 11

no one wants to be an outsider

he wanted to go to the museum
while other boys played video games

he wanted to paint
while other boys were ballin'

he wanted to buy new brushes
while other boys bought new sneakers

he wanted to sleep
while other boys were in the street

because when you're an outsider
the best part of waking up
is going back to bed.

* * * * * * *

Click here to see the prompt that inpired this poem.

November Poem-a-Day (#novpad) - Day 10

missing color

I'm the only one who remembers
what it was like...

I've learned to stop asking
who remembers?

people whisper about me, but
who remembers
my name?

Tricky questions all fail
"what do you call this fruit?"
but who remembers
it's an orange?

no one

* * * * * * *

Click here to see what inspired this poem.

November Poem-a-Day (#novpad) - Day 9

She is like a bird
like a plant
like a dye

She is my friend
and I'm like
scared

I've seen her
talking to herself
slowly, deliberately
full blown conversations

"Color"
she says
"please add some color"
she says
"what about red, or yellow?"
she says

She is like a bird
like a plant
like a dye
she is my friend

and I want to ask her
what is a red?
what is a yellow?

* * * * * * * *

Click here to see the prompt that inspired this poem.

November Poem-a-Day (#novpad) - Day 8

dark sunshine

with each dream
her world grew sharper

she described the moon to him

outside, a dark sunshine
was born

he agreed to add the primaries
but the moon reflected
a mostly obsidian sea
with flecks of indigo

* * * * * * *

Click here to see the prompt that inspired this poem.

November Poem-a-Day (#novpad) - Day 7

He had a pro-
blem with color

it implied perfection
it implied completion
it implied readiness for dissection

but he wasn't ready
wasn't ready

he kept his sketches close
canvases closer
daubing titanium white
over any "finished" pro-
duct.

* * * * * * *

Click here to see the prompt that inspired this poem.

November Poem-a-Day (#novpad) - Day 6

Looking for Indigo

The sun knocked hard
through the window
disturbing his sleep

sketch in hand
he looked at her eyes
holding the same sadness
he held
her lips turned up
in a smile
insincere
a smile more like
a shield

He added streaks of indigo
in her hair
a complement to her
ambiguity

* * * * * * *

Click here to see the prompt that inspired this poem.

November Poem-a-Day (#novpad) - Day 5

She felt his presence
speaking occasionally
only while he slept
He transformed charcoal into
beauty, toning the canvas.

* * * * * * *

Click here to see the prompt that inspired this poem.

November Poem-a-Day (#novpad) - Day 4

Her face woke him up
3:21 am
it was the first time he saw her clearly

He couldn't risk losing the image
couldn't afford to freehand
sketching instead on transfer paper

he was asleep before
the layer of gesso would dry
her penciled face, temporarily contained

would it be enough
she wondered
to rescue his acrylics from the trash
* * * * * * * *

Click here to see the prompt that inspired this poem.

November Poem-a-Day (#novpad) - Day 3

She didn't get to decide
where to be

she was the median
changing as others arrived
or the sun set

Her name too
would be forgotten
as the rainbow had

the noun used to identify her
faded with the other colors.

* * * * * * * *

Click here to see the prompt that inspired this poem.

November Poem-a-Day (#novpad) - Day 2

She wasn't ready to accept only
black, white, and indigo

it didn't matter that indigo was more like a friend
than the color she used
to illustrate her fourth layer

she needed the other colors
to help hide the truth

the black and white
made indigo scintilate
like blue sunshine

so she stopped painting.

* * * * * * * *

Click here to see the prompt that inspired this poem.

The American Sublime Winner...

is Lorenzo!!!

Congratulations on winning the book. Think of it as inspiration for November PAD. Speaking of poetry inspiration, I have another book to give away that might help motivate others to express themselves poetically.

I'll blog about that later though.

November Poem-a-Day (#novpad) - Day 1

Black, White, & Indigo

The day after every primary color vanished
except for indigo
the world was outraged
but that's just what the historians say

no one was outraged

we were in awe
we found it interesting
we thought it was semi-permanent
and would rinse away

even the fear subsided a week or two later
when an explicit tape was "leaked"
and the fashion industry figured out how to
accessorize with a limited color palate


* * * * * * * *

Click here to see the prompt that inspired this poem.