Nearly there – I am halfway to my goal of 30 poems in 30 days, and I have raised nearly $700 in pledges for the Bullycide Project! If you don’t know what I’m talking about, check this out – it’s an amazing project and you can be a part of supporting it!

Today’s poem is the result of a word provided by one of my sponsors – she asked me to write a poem using the word “will.” In addition to that, this morning I heard British novelist Sarah Hall talking on NPR and she used the phrase “the heart as a red pulpy mass.” I thought it was such an odd-sounding and somehow beautiful description, so I wanted to try to construct a poem that felt like a pulpy mass: a mishmosh of ideas coming together. 

NaPoMo Day 15 Links: 

Rachel’s Day 15 Poem: Will [Or, the Heart As a Red Pulpy Mass]

Someone Else’s Awesome Poem: Claire Lee’s “Living in Numbers”

Here I am again. Catching up – but not entirely. 

Today’s news out of Boston is overwhelming and terrible. My heart is aching. After a wonderfully centering class at the karate school tonight, I came home and started listening to music, reading poems and writing a little. At times like this, watching my nation suffer, art seems an incredible privilege and an incredible balm. I am grateful for it. 

NaPoMo Links – Days 12, 13 and 14

You can find links to the referring news stories by reading the poems over at PFFA.  

Rachel’s Day 12 Poem – Untitled Poem About Bird Flu
Rachel’s Day 13 Poem – Extracellular Matrix
Rachel’s Day 14 Poem – There are things you cannot do in space

Someone Else’s Awesome Poem – William Wordsworth’s “The World Is Too Much With Us” is the only poem I want to read right now. 

Ok, ok, I’m behind again. But the first week of April, I was able to write during lunch breaks at work. As the month wears on, so does the work, and it’s been difficult for me to steal a few minutes, let alone the solid hour I need to write. But tomorrow is Saturday, and I have big plans.

This whole news stories theme has really been working for me – there is certainly no shortage of prompts, though they are mostly sad and terrible. Still, I am happy with the drafts I’ve been turning out, and I feel it’s important to focus on the world. 

NaPoMo Day 11 Links

Rachel’s Day 11 Poem: Hindsight – refers very loosely from this story

Someone Else’s Awesome Poem: Reginald Shepherd’s “How People Disappear” 

It appears we have something of a pattern established here: skip a day, then write two. Hmph. But again, I am caught up! So enjoy these two poems for Days 9 and 10, and then some more poems written by other people!

NaPoMo Days 9 & 10 Links

Rachel’s Day 9 Poem: Josh Groban Reassures Us That He Is Not A Cannibal – refers from this hilarious headline
Rachel’s Day 10 Poem: If-Then – refers from this devastating article

Someone Else’s Awesome Poem for Day 9: Aracelis Girmay’s “Kingdom Animalia”
Someone Else’s Awesome Poem for Day 10: Dorothy Parker’s “Resume” 

So I fell behind a day again – yesterday was too, too beautiful here in South Jersey to spend time looking at a computer screen (which is how I write), so instead I spent the day digging in the dirt in my backyard, preparing the ground for a garden. But I am caught up again, thanks to a quick hour and a half of writing time tonight. Today’s drafts are really not great, but I am at least capturing the ideas for revision later. 

Also! Don’t forget – it is not too late to donate to The Bullycide Project – see details here. 

NaPoMo Days 7 & 8 Links

Rachel’s Day 7 Poem: Gun in America – this poem refers from an NPR article titled “The First Gun in America” 
Rachel’s Day 8 Poem: Advice to the Young – this poem refers from an interview with Patti Smith

Someone Else’s Awesome Poem for Day 7: “On this Very Street in Belgrade,” Charles Simic
Someone Else’s Awesome Poem for Day 8: “This Is Just To Say,” William Carlos Williams

Still in it! I feel like I am starting to get into the groove, where the poems are happening and I am just letting them happen. It’s a good feeling.

Onward!

NaPoMo Day 6 Links:

Rachel’s Day 6 Poem: This Land: With an Act of Kindness – today’s poem refers from this article about a woman who was carjacked.

Someone Else’s Awesome Poem: Brigit Pegeen Kelly, “Song”

So I got a little behind. Yesterday was a busy day at work, mostly because I took today off, so I spent my lunch hour trying to catch up on work instead of writing a poem. But that’s ok! Because today! I was able to write two poems today! I brought my writing buddy to the coffee shop today: 

And he read while I wrote. So that was good. 

Onward, to the poems: 
Day 4′s poem includes a word provided by Donna (“milkshake”), and Day 5′s poem includes a word provided by Lynn (“fallacy”). Day 5 also mentions kickboxing, which was suggested as a prompt by Becky, but I don’t really want to count it as The Prompt that she gave me, since it’s really not an integral part of the poem. 

NaPoMo Days 4 & 5 Links: 

Rachel’s Day 4 Poem: Terrible News – this poem refers from the subject line of an email I received from a political organization.
Rachel’s Day 5 Poem: Preemption – this poem refers from this article, about North Korea’s threats of nuclear strikes.

Someone Else’s Awesome Poem for Day 4: Patrick Ryan Frank, “Virginitiphobia”
Someone Else’s Awesome Poem for Day 5: Laurie Saurborn Young, “Goodnight Moon” (you’ll get 4 poems of Laurie’s at this link, READ THEM ALL, they are so good)

3 for 3! And while these are very rough drafts, and the feedback at the PFFA is meant to be complete and utter fluff, I am encouraged to see that people are finding some enjoyable moments in them.

In other news, between the fabulous Kristin LaTour and myself, we have managed to raise over $1,000 to benefit The Bullycide Project. BUT! It’s not too late! You can still make a donation! As a reminder, here’s the quick details:

$29 and under – you’re a nice person, and I will give you a hug the next time I see you.
$30-59 – You can give me one word to use in a poem.
$60-99 – You can give me a topic/prompt for a poem.
$100 and up – You can give me a topic/prompt for a poem AND you’ll receive a limited edition, hand-signed broadside (small poster/large print) of one poem produced during NaPoMo.

Visit the Facebook event for more details.

NaPoMo Day 3 Links:

Rachel’s Day 3 Poem: The North Wind Retires – today’s poem refers from this Huffington Post Arts & Culture article.

Someone Else’s Awesome Poem: Graham Foust, “Love Poem”