This morning I woke up to the smell of forest fire. The Pine Barrens were on fire again, and something called a temperature inversion meant that you could smell the fire all the way up to New York City. The air was hazy and smelled like summer camp. 

The fire is under control now – local news is reporting 100% containment. 

Day 7

Rachel’s Poem at the PFFA: Mere-Exposure Effect
Someone Else’s Awesome Poem: Tawni Vee Waters, “From Isis to Osiris On the Day She Found His Head”

Sometimes you hear something a person said, and it continues to hurt you ages after the saying happens.

Day 6

Rachel’s Poem at the PFFA: The True Way of All Flesh
Someone Else’s Awesome Poem: Cynthia Arrieu-King, “Poem”

It should not surprise anyone that google-imaging “Syria” or “Syria civil war” turns up really intense, disturbing images. This one is one of the least disturbing, and this was the springboard for today’s poem. 

Day 3:

Rachel’s Poem at the PFFA: Things We Lost In the Fire
Someone Else’s Awesome Poem: Emily Dickinson, “I Cannot Live With You” 

I think I failed to mention yesterday that I am using a theme this month for my 30-30 challenge. All poems will be prompted in some way by a song – whether it’s the title, the lyrics, the music itself, the video, etc.

Day 2:

Rachel’s Poem at the PFFA: Sleepwalkers
Someone Else’s Awesome Poem: E.E. Cummings, “as freedom is a breakfastfood”

Today is the kickoff of National Poetry Month. WOOOOO! It’s like Poetry Christmas! 

I am once again participating in the 30-in-30 challenge, posting at the PFFA. I’ll be linking to the poems from here, and I’ll also be including a link to someone else’s work, too. 

Day 1: 

Rachel’s Poem at the PFFA: Nightmares
Someone Else’s Awesome Poem: Valzhyna Mort, “Belarusian I” 

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”