NaPoWriMo 2015: Day 30: Everything In Reverse

Everything in Reverse

Let me be your angel from above

In this frozen hell

Except for my love

Got nothing left to give

~

You’re an angel from above

In this frozen hell

Will you give me your love

Will your loving heart save me

~

Except my love for you, Baby

I’ve nothing of value to give

My life has gone crazy

This place is a wasteland

~

Except the song that I sing

I have nothing left to give

At the end of everything

I come to you

~

You wouldn’t let me be torn apart

You save me from myself

I feel the warmth of your heart

In this frozen waste

~

Is the love I feel for you

The only thing that matters now

It’s what I always do

I persist

~

I guess it’s the end of my line

Don’t know about the rest of the world

Is this the end of time?

Is this Ragnarok?

~

I give you this song

I’ve nothing left to give

That what we feel is wrong

All the naysayers tell us

~

Love is no crime

I offer you devotion

Let me give you mine

In gratitude for your love

~

Let me bring you peace

If my pain breaks your sweet heart

For making you weep

I’m sorry for my struggles

~

You brought me in from the storm

You saw my struggles

You keep me warm

In this frozen waste

~

We could make a new start

I could be yours forever

Hold me here in your heart

Please won’t you keep me

~

I was drowning in tears

Until I found you

My heart lost in fear

My soul has been robbed

~

Was anything what it seemed

In the whole of my life

You’re more than I dreamed

You’re more than you know

~

To beg you to stay strong

Am I asking too much

Can you return my song

Can you give me your love

~

My voice silenced by fright

My life torn away

Day was swallowed by night

Everything has gone wrong

~

Was anything what it seemed

In the whole of my life

You’re more than I dreamed

You’re more than you know

~

To beg you to stay strong

Am I asking too much

You've been alone for so long

I can see that you’re hurting

~

Can you calm the fear in my chest

Can you heal my spirit

My mind is a mess

My heart is broken

~

Can your love make me well?

Can we bring each other happiness?

Even in this frozen hell

I can see points of beauty

~

Rose

Sadie

and Gem

for Gerry

Notes:

The original poem was created by writing sister Sadie and me (with a little help from a spectral friend, and I don't care if you believe that or not) for my story in progress, Fetch, which I'd really like to get back to working on. It's been a couple of months. Working for a paycheck type work kind of took over my life of late, and that sucks.

Prompt:

For the last day of NaPoWriMo, I’d like you to try an odd little exercise that I have had good results with. Today, I challenge you to write a poem backwards. Start with the last line and work your way up the page to the beginning. Another way to go about this might be to take a poem you’ve already written, and flip the order of the lines and from there, edit it so the poem now works with its new order. This will probably feel a bit strange (and really, it is a bit strange), but it just may help you see the formal “opening” and “closing” strategies of your poems in a new way!

NaPoWriMo 2015: Day 29: Ursula and Me

Shirt available from Teepublic

Ursula and Me

Ursula and me

We're big, bold, badass broads

Well, she's more badass, and I'm more odd

And I don't live under the sea

Ursula and I are ladies with more

We both carry powerful weapons

She has a trident, I a cane as it happens

But we both know the score

I used to be ashamed of my shape

I used to hide to avoid the bullying kind

Who seem to think it's perfectly fine

To do what amounts to psychological rape

Fat cunt, fat bitch, fat ugly cow

You don't like those words, think how I feel

For me, this is all too real

Why is this behavior allowed?

I was always trying to get thin

I hated my broken body

Deemed my post-accident self ugly and shoddy

For years I never could win

I thought that the haters were right

I brought the shame on myself

But then one day that attitude went on the shelf

Because I saw the light

No one has a right to treat another so bad

Fuck your body shaming hate

For thinness I'm not going to wait

You're the one that's pathetic and sad

They say I'll never get a man with a body like mine

I say I don't want any man

Who doesn't want me as I am

Guess what, I'm doing just fine

I discovered that it's pretty great

To be like Ursula and me

She doesn't have to do dialysis

I'm not trying to take over the sea

But we both laugh at your hate

Fat, thin, or in between

Everyone deserves to be treated the same

Nobody should have to hide in shame

Everyone deserves to be be seen

If you don't like what you're looking at

Why don't you look somewhere else

I deserve to go out in public

Just like anybody else

Rocking my big, bad, Ursula-shaped body

With my long graying hair whipping in the breeze

My trusty cane helps as I wind through the trees

I say that being Opal isn't too shoddy

That's my review of Ursula and me

And how I learned to put myself on top

If you're shaming others, stop

Everyone has the right to be free

~Opal~

Notes:

Twelve years ago, I was in a serious car accident which damaged my kidneys and left me with chronic pain and unable to walk without a cane. I was never a small person. I was one of those women who was constantly on a diet and hated what I saw in the mirror. I gained 150 pounds during the coming year. 

My hatred and derision of myself continued for many years. Fortunately, The Real Cie and I discovered Health at Every Size and Size Acceptance. We have supported each other on our way to self-acceptance. 

I no longer have a wait problem. I now do the things I want to do, as much as my body will allow me to. I am never going to be thin, and that's fine.

I can't say the bullying never gets to me, but these days I'm more likely to be able to stand up to it or ignore it rather than have it crush me completely. 

To the ass clown at the Wal Mart: you're in the Wal Mart too as you stand there sanctimoniously spouting about fat bitches shopping at Wal Mart bringing America's standards to a new low. At least I'm not harassing random people who are minding their own business.

If you're one of those who thinks "People of Wal Mart" is oh so hilarious, you need to check yourself. That site is classist, hateful, and those behind its creation are beyond shameless. People in economically depressed areas and living on a fixed income often don't have any choice but to shop at Wal Mart.

I was going to write a review of concern trolling behavior, but it turned into the above. I like it better this way. I've always thought Ursula was an ultimate badass!

The prompt:

And now, for our prompt (optional, as always): today, I challenge you to write a poem in the form of a review. You can review either animate or inanimate things, real places or imaginary places. You can write in the style of an online review (think Yelp) or something more formal that you might find in a newspaper or magazine. (I imagine that bad reviews of past boyfriends/girlfriends might be an easy way to get into this prompt, though really, you can “review” anything in your poem, from summer reading lists for third graders to the idea of the fourth dimension).

NaPoWriMo 2015: Day 28: Bridge the Gap

Bridge the Gap

No matter their color

No matter their race

No matter their nationality

No matter their religion

No matter their sex

No matter their gender

No matter their sexual orientation

No matter their size

No matter if you don't think they're attractive

Nobody deserves to be bullied

We are all sisters and brothers

Let us close the chasm between one another

Let us build a bridge

The materials we need in abundance

Are love and tolerance

Kindness and understanding

Peace and harmony

Be a builder

Not a destroyer

Lift others up

Don't tear them down

Together we can build a bridge to a better tomorrow

A bridge to a world with acceptance for all

~Naila~

Notes:

This sort of thing always brings tears to my eyes. It's a very important message. Maybe someday we won't need such messages any more, but today we still do.

No matter a person's color, nationality, race, size, physical appearance, sexual orientation, or religion, nobody deserves to be picked on.

Nobody.

Don't be a bully.

The Prompt:

And now for today’s prompt (optional, as always). Today, I’d like to challenge you to write a poem about bridges. A bridge is a powerful metaphor, and when you start looking for bridges in poems, you find them everywhere. Your poem could be about a real bridge or an imaginary or ideal bridge. It could be one you cross every day, or one that simply seems to stand for something larger – for the idea of connection or distance, for the idea of movement and travel and new horizons.

NaPoWriMo 2015: Day 27: I, Fae

I, Fae

Although

You tried

To destroy me

I 

Still remain

I have survived

~Fae~

Notes:

This is an account that I (Faycin A Croud) created for my wounded inner child years ago. I haven't used it in almost as many years. I have a tendency to try and silence this voice. I think it will help me heal to let her speak. 

I thank Cie and the others for letting her become part of the team! It takes very special people to realize that those of us who are wounded aren't lesser, and our various selves do have worth and purpose.

Prompt:

And today’s prompt – optional, as always — comes to us from Vince Gotera. It’s the hay(na)ku). Created by the poet Eileen Tabios and named by Vince, the hay(na)ku is a variant on the haiku. A hay(na)ku consists of a three-line stanza, where the first line has one word, the second line has two words, and the third line has three words. You can write just one, or chain several together into a longer poem. For example, you could write a hay(na)ku sonnet, like the one that Vince himself wrote back during NaPoWriMo 2012!

NaPoWriMo 2015: Day 26: Not Easy To Forget

Photoshop by The Real Cie

Not Easy To Forget

I've caused a lot more trouble than I ever intended to

There has been too much grief

Over a simple man whose cognition has gone south

Weeping and mourning do no good

Stop

Go on with your life

I tried not to cause trouble

Tried to pretend everything was all right

I'm like a dying sun setting on a doomed world

I'm sorry for those I let down

I've forgotten everything and everyone

I've forgotten myself

In the scheme of things, I don't matter very much

I don't want to cause any trouble

But at the same time

Everyone wants to matter just a little

Perhaps keep a little bit of me somewhere in your mind

With love From Sally

Notes:

The subject of the poem is a person whose cognition is being eroded by a disease which is literally destroying the structure of his brain.

He was a modest person who didn't like a lot of fuss made over him.

He tried to make out like things were all right during the period of time when he was still functional. He truly didn't want to concern others with his problems.

He is beautiful and brave, and even if he thought that such a humble creature is easily forgotten, he will be remembered as long as the members of Team Netherworld are alive, and, I believe, longer still than that by far.

Bless you, sweet angel.

Prompt:

And now, for our prompt (optional, as always). Our last two prompts have been squarely in the silly zone – this one should give some scope to both the serious-minded and the silly among you. Today, I challenge you to write a persona poem – a poem in the voice of someone else. Your persona could be a mythological or fictional character, a historical figure, or even an inanimate object. Need some examples? Check out this persona-poem-themed issue of Poemeleon from a few years back.

NaPoWriMo 2015: Day 25: Tom Thumb Gets Sauced Again

Tom Thumb is reveling in the spring air and swimming in the sauce

Tom Thumb Gets Sauced Again

Spammy Pipers tweeter Tom Thumb

Decided to sample some rum

He tasted and tasted

Till he got himself basted

~Tempest~

The Prompt:

And now for our prompt (optional, as always)! It’s the weekend, so I’d thought we might go with something short and just a bit (or a lot) silly – the Clerihew. These are rhymed, humorous quatrains involving a specific person’s name. You can write about celebrities, famous people from history, even your mom (hopefully she’s got a good name for rhyming with).

NaPoWriMo 2015: Day 24: Big Axe

Axe Man

2014 VILE Award Winners Iggy Azalea and Jennifer Lopez

Big Axe

Big, big axe, he got such a big axe

Big, big axe, he really lays down the trax

Big, big axe, boy you got a big axe

Big, big axe, what you

(He's such a stud)

Big, big axe, ooh you got a big axe (My baby, uh)

You're brutal

I mean you're hardcore

You're sexy

But most of all

You are just absolutely Axe-A-Licious

Have you seen him

On the stage

He got the boom, wreck the room

That's the lightning and the thunder

You wanna do him

You wanna bang him

See the light glint off his blade

And it starts to make you hunger

All the sexy girls at the show

Go and grab a piece of Axe, bring him to the dance floor

Go on let that black codpiece touch you while you're grinding

It's his birthday, give him what he ask for

(Let me show you how to do it)

Big, big axe, what you got a big axe (work)

Big, big axe, boy you got a big axe (swing that)

Big, big axe, you got such a big axe (go work)

Big, big axe, what you

The way he tears apart the stadium

I know you want him

He light the fire, burn it down

That's the lightning and the thunder

You wanna do him

You gotta have him

Hold on tight for the ride

'Cause you know you wanna get down

All the sexy girls in the party

Go and grab a piece of Axe, bring him to the dance floor

Go on let his black codpiece touch you while you're grinding

It's his birthday, give him what he ask for

(Let me show you how to do it)

Big, big axe, you got such a big tool (work)

Big, big axe, I wanna be your fool (swing that)

Big, big axe, boy you gotta big axe (go work)

Big, big axe, you can lay down the trax

Axe, Axe, Axe, Axe, swinging everywhere

Look at his axe, but don't take too long to stare

Or you might end up chopped

The way he swing that thing

He got a tool so big and long

And if you do it better do it dirty all night long

Axe is on track to bring the house down

And you can hear the sound all through the town

I wanna take that big 'ol bruiser shopping at the mall

Buy him a new codpiece and get him in my car

Axe is the number one most brutal metal star

Vogon Idol Winner, now give me that

Mesmerized by the size of his tool

You can't fight it cause you'll get struck down

I can guarantee you'll dig the brutal attack

Throw up your hands if you love a big axe

Big big big big big big axe, what you

Big big big big big big axe, what you

Big big big big big big, big big big

(Let me show you how to do it)

(Work)

(Swing that)

(Go to work)

Big, big axe, what you got a big axe

Big, big axe, boy you lay down the trax

Big, big axe, I want your big tool

Big, big axe, Axe Man I'm your fool (swing that)

Oxy Moron

With Jenny from the Block

and

Big Booty Queen Iggy

WARNING: (Funny) NSFW PHOTO FOLLOWS!

Notes:

Hi! I'm Oxy Moron, famous Netherworld jester. Today's prompt inspired 2014 VILE Award Winners Jennifer Lopez and Iggy Azalea to ask me to help them write this ode to Axe Man for the good time he showed them in honor of their win.

I was so proud of our work that I decided to ask some of the Netherworld's most respected musicians what they thought. Here are their reactions.

Ugh! I should know better than to ask that crabby curmudgeon anything. Let's see what his band mate thinks.

I'm not quite sure how to interpret that. Did he like it, or is he plotting my demise? Let's see what Malcolm's brother thinks.

Well, um...he kind of got back to the spirit of the original song. I guess that was his intent. Or something. You never know with these guys.

For the Daring:

Here are the original lyrics

Big, big booty, what you got a big booty

Big, big booty, what you got a big booty

Big, big booty, what you got a big booty

Big, big booty, what you

(Ain't that a freak)

Big, big booty, what you got a big booty (My baby, uh)

You're gorgeous

I mean you're fine

You're sexy

But most of all

You are just absolutely booty-full

Have you seen her

On the dance floor

She got the boom, shake the room

That's the lightning and the thunder

You wanna meet her

You wanna touch her

See the light in her eyes

And it starts to make you wonder

All the sexy girls in the party

Go and grab a man, bring him to the dance floor

Go on let them jeans touch you while you're dancing

It's his birthday, give him what he ask for

(Let me show you how to do it)

Big, big booty, what you got a big booty (work)

Big, big booty, what you got a big booty (shake that)

Big, big booty, what you got a big booty (go work)

Big, big booty, what you

The way she moves

I know you want her

She light the fire, get you right

That's the lightning and the thunder

You wanna meet her

You gotta touch her

Hold on tight for the ride

'Cause you know you wanna love her

All the sexy girls in the party

Go and grab a man, bring him to the dance floor

Go on let them jeans touch you while you're dancing

It's his birthday, give him what he ask for

(Let me show you how to do it)

Big, big booty, what you got a big booty (work)

Big, big booty, what you got a big booty (shake that)

Big, big booty, what you got a big booty (go work)

Big, big booty, what you a big booty

Booty, booty, booty, booty, booty everywhere

Look at her booty, stop, stare

They love that booty, hell yeah

The way she twerk it, not fair

She got a booty, that'll swallow a thong

And if you do it better do it dirty all night long

Booty, toot it, boot it, you know the plan

So much booty, she could supply the demand

I wanna take that big 'ol booty shopping at the mall

I wanna pick it up and put that booty in my car

Baby your booty is a movie star

Oscar award winner of them all, now give me that

Mesmerized by the size of it

You can fight it if you like take your time

I can guarantee you'll have the time of your life

Throw up your hands if you love a big booty

Big big big big big big booty, what you

Big big big big big big booty, what you

Big big big big big big, big big big

(Let me show you how to do it)

(Work)

(Shake that)

(Go to work)

Big, big booty, what you got a big booty

Big, big booty, what you got a big booty

Big, big booty, what you got a big booty

Big, big booty, what you got a big booty (shake that)

For the truly daring or otherwise masochistic:

Here is the video

The Prompt:

Our prompt today (optional, as always), will hopefully provide you with a bit of Friday fun. Today, I challenge you to write a parody or satire based on a famous poem. It can be long or short, rhymed or not. But take a favorite (or unfavorite) poem of the past, and see if you can’t re-write it on humorous, mocking, or sharp-witted lines. You can use your poem to make fun of the original (in the vein of a parody), or turn the form and manner of the original into a vehicle for making points about something else (more of a satire – though the dividing lines get rather confused and thin at times).

NaPoWriMo 2015: Day 23: Luck of the Draw

Luck of the Draw

Mania

Hypomania

However you want to call it

Burns magical through the synapses

Every moment unfolds

The greatest story ever told

Magical moments where you think you can fly

You feel so high

Wondrous burning that you never want to end

Like being at a party where the music never stops

Like being the hero of your own amazing movie

Being

Hyper-being

Fire burning

World turning

Every bit of news is good news

Nothing can go wrong

When the song in your head is wild

Real wild child

Every moment is hot

And you

Are just too

too

too

cool

It's like cocaine

It sets fire to your brain

The rain is made of diamonds

Your heart is full of soul

You can do no wrong

This song

And every song

Is your song

Heart beats wild

Real wild child

But when the chandelier comes crashing to the floor

You need to run damage control

But everything has gone to hell

Your brilliant mind reveals you to be

The butt of the joke

When you see yourself clearly in the mirror

You know that no-one could love you

You are the ugliest thing

Not the belle of the ball at all

Just another loser

Lost in the illusion

Brought on by mania

But now the party's over

You're home with Mother Depression

And she's one hell of a bitch

~Wanda~

Notes:

If you were lucky enough to draw the Bipolar Disorder card in this life, this poem needs no explanation.

The Prompt:

And now for today’s prompt (optional, as always). Today, I challenge you to take a chance, literally. Find a deck of cards (regular playing cards, tarot cards, uno cards, cards from your “Cards Against Humanity” deck – whatever), shuffle it, and take a card – any card! Now, begin free-writing based on the card you’ve chosen. Keep going without stopping for five minutes. Then take what you’ve written and make a poem from it. (Hat tip to Amy McDaniel for the idea!)

NaPoWriMo 2015: Day 22: Cloudy Skies: A Pastoral Haiku

Image Source

Cloudy Skies:

A Pastoral Haiku

Sky is overcast

Through the melancholy day

I wish it would rain

~Wanda~

Notes:

I wasn't feeling the shepherdess and field thing. I was struck by the sky today. It was nothing special, just overcast, one of those skies that does that annoying. "I'm gonna rain on you--no, really, I am!" thing all day. So I got to the point with a Haiku about the sky.

The Prompt:

And now for (as always, optional) prompt! Today is Earth Day, so I would like to challenge you to write a “pastoral” poem. Traditionally, pastoral poems involved various shepherdesses and shepherds talking about love and fields, but yours can really just be a poem that engages with nature. One great way of going about this is simply to take a look outside your window, or take a walk around a local park. What’s happening in the yard and the trees? What’s blooming and what’s taking flight?

NaPoWriMo 2015: Day 21: Erasure

Erasure by The Real Cie

Erasure

Move Like Jagger

hand in my heart

Rip it out

spill blood 

lost my head

wanted to put you in my pocket 

wanted to hug you

So I could see the light turn on in your eyes once again

you always looked a little sad

 I could soothe your sorrow

Cuddle away your blues 

Fucking Midnight Confession style thoughts

About a married man

I want to do bad things with you

What the fuck

Is wrong with the Universe?

you don't create something so beautiful

Just to utterly destroy it

my thoughts are

nowhere near close to as wrong

As what's been done to you

Life is pain

Hope is folly

Confession is good for the tabloids

Some things try to be strong

Although they're actually fragile

want to put you in my pocket

And keep you safe 

For Cie

With love from Aurora

Notes:

The term "erasure" reminded me of the picture that Cie created. I thought that I would take something that Cie wrote and try to condense it down to the bare bones.

The original poem, which I absolutely love, can be found here.

The Prompt:

Our prompt for today (optional, as always) is an old favorite – the erasure! This involves taking a pre-existing text and blacking out or erasing words, while leaving the placement of the remaining words intact. I’ve been working on an erasure project that involves an old guide to rose-growing. Here’s an example of an original page, side-by-side with my “erased” page:

One easy way to get started is just to photocopy a page from a book or magazine, and black out words. Or you can copy a text into Microsoft Word, and turn the words you don’t want white. Erasures can feel almost like a game – carving new poems out of old texts like carving statues from blocks of marble — and so they take some of the anxiety out of writing. They can also lead to surprising new ideas, as the words of the original text are given new contexts.

Happy writing!

NaPoWriMo 2015: Day 20: What I Know

Image Source

What I Know

I know happiness

I know sorrow

I know love

I know heartbreak

I know more and less today than I did yesterday

I know that everyone ages

I know that everything dies

I know that I can't know the specifics of what tomorrow will bring

I know that beauty is in the eye of the beholder

I know that true beauty is in the soul

I know that we can never truly know anyone--even ourselves

I know this world is filled with injustice

I know that there is opportunity to change this

I know that the fight will be hard

I know that it will be worth it

I know that I am worthwhile although I sometimes feel that I'm not

I know that I will know more happiness

I know that I will know more sadness

I know that everything and yet nothing is real

I know that there is a lot I still don't know

~Aurora~

The Prompt:

And now for our prompt (optional, as always). Today, I challenge to write a poem that states the things you know. For example, “The sky is blue” or “Pizza is my favorite food” or “The world’s smallest squid is Parateuthis tunicata. Each line can be a separate statement, or you can run them together. The things you “know” of course, might be facts, or they might be a little bit more like beliefs. Hopefully, this prompt will let your poem be grounded in specific facts, while also providing room for more abstract themes and ideas.