Challenge from author Crag Hill: Write a Golden Shovel Poem today.
My Golden Shovel poem is taken from Mary Oliver’s poem The Poet Thinks About the Donkey, from Thirst (2006) and Devotions (2017)
Line: On the outskirts of Jerusalem, the donkey waited.
Trailblazer
and after the Last Supper, they went on
to the Garden of Gethsemane, the
agonizing prayer of one man on the outskirts
of Earth, Heaven-bound, the saltiness of
His tears of sacrificial love for all of Jerusalem
-all of the world- the cross gazing vertically, its arms the
horizontal hug of grace preserved on the back of a trailblazing donkey,
the blessed first leg of a transformational journey as sinners waited
At Christmas, I wrote this one:
Challenge from Glenda Funk: Write a Golden Shovel Poem by taking a line from a favorite poem and letting each word of the line be the last word in the lines of the poem you create.
“An Incident in Bethlehem”
From “Incident” by Natasha Trethewey
(Taken From Native Guard, winner of the Pulitzer Prize)
Line: At the cross, trussed like a Christmas tree, a few men gathered
In a lowly stable in Bethlehem, Mary gazes with pride AT
her sweet little baby, sent to save THE
souls of sinners; in the 33-year shadow of the CROSS,
the shepherds and sheep admire Jesus in a TRUSSED
manger, crib legs that would someday stand LIKE
intersecting compass points needling Heaven and Earth, A
lasting symbol of the reason we celebrate CHRISTMAS,
The hope held in these trees – the manger, the cross, the Christmas TREE–
offers both the blessings of this life and the promise of A
more glorious one in heaven, where more than a FEW
will reflect on the Nativity sets we once admired, with wise MEN
and angels, and pray this is where we will all be eternally GATHERED.
– Kim Johnson
Challenge from author Jennifer Jacobson: write a glimmer poem using observations from everyday life.
Almost a Conversation
Now that the world has stopped
and my footing isn’t as sure
as it was yesterday
and Dad still can’t function
I look for the hawk
for the redbird
for the wild turkey
I listen for the music
for the seat belt beep
for the clicking of the lock
I watch the skies for telling clouds
But what I really need, Mom,
is to sit with you
to talk with you
to listen to you
to hear your voice
to smell your hair
to feel your touch
to see an ethereal you
over a cup of Earl Grey
to have a conversation
about what the truth is
Challenge from Lauryl and Lizzie: Write a poem in two voices – a conversation about what is thought and what is actually said. Use italics.
Mornings with Boo Radley and Fitz
Good morning, Boo Radley! Good morning, Fitz! Stop licking my face! Who needs to go outside?
BR: Why else would we be licking your face? Of course we need to go out.
F: Does she have dementia? She seriously asks us this every morning.
Okay, Boys. Step it up. Do your business.
BR: We both step it up every time. We can’t get these legs any higher, Mom.
F: It’s like the movie Groundhog Day and I’m Bill Murray. She ain’t right.
Good Boys! Let’s go inside. Who wants a treat?
BR: I’ll think about it. If you’re having bacon and offer me a lowly cracker, the deal’s off.
F: Me! Me! Pick me! I’ll take his cracker, too.
Okay, boys. Mom’s getting in the shower now. Go lay down.
BR: Oh, Jeez! Put that face mask over my eyes, will ya? Have you looked in the mirror lately?
F: Dang, she needs to lay off the Corona snacks. Check out that cellulite!
BR: Yeah, and she’s no true blonde, either. If her friends only knew all that we know…….
F: Aw, man! She needs a pedicure. Those toes are looking dapple. Reminds me of my ex.
Off to Zoom, boys. Find your spot and don’t bark. Settle in. I’ll be finished at lunchtime.
BR: Okay, Fitz. You watch for the squirrels and I’ll watch for deer. Let’s bark at ten for a snack.
F: Yep. You bet. I might even poop outside her door in protest of this Zooming.
PAW HIGH FIVE! And off to separate ends of the couch…..for social distancing…
Challenge from Gayle Sands – write an ekphrastic poem by going into a historical photograph and using voice to capture the story there.
Alice Paul at the Seward-Belmont House:
– I chose this one because I KNOW that look! I’ve seen it too many times. And those were the looks that ultimately saved my life.
The Principal and the Preacher’s Daughter
Kimberly Lynn Haynes!
Why are you back here in my office again today?
Your daddy would be so ashamed of you!
Lean across that desk.
You know how this works.
Whack!
For stealing a box of chalk from Mrs. Sharpe’s class so you could play school at home.
Whack!
For ripping up Dawn Taylor’s lunch tickets and hiding them in the trash and blaming April Hudson.
Whack!
For writing a fake confession on April’s desk – in Mrs. Sharpe’s lipstick from her desk drawer.
Whack!
For daring Marvin Pirtle to pee in the soap dish and going in the boys’ bathroom to check the evidence.
Whack!
For playing a harmonica to add dramatic emphasis and trying to remain mysteriously undetected when Mrs. Myers was at the board teaching math.
Whack!
For going through Mrs. Myers’ desk to take back the harmonica she took from you when you were detected.
Whack!
For inciting a class chant for Randy Howard to “Take off your pants, Randy,” when his butt was itching because he forgot to rinse off the soap from his morning shower.
Whack!
For climbing the fence at recess and picking the kumquats from Mr. and Mrs. Gibson’s tree and then distributing the stolen goods.
Whack!
For offering to roll Karl Lewis in the tire at recess and deliberately rolling him into a tree.
Whack!
For sneaking Queenie Peavy home and finishing the class read-aloud ahead of time so you could give spoilers.
Whack!
And one for good measure. For being a preacher’s kid and not setting a better example. Let’s see if this can straighten you out for a day!
Challenge from K.A. Holt: Pick an item in the room and write some original words to describe it: dog walking boots, Timberlands, Michelin Tire Boy, Dumb and Dumber, waterproof bottoms, 7 1/2, Salvation Army $5 find, farm-perfect (I only used the word Farm in my title). Choose a poem format, and a literary device, and without using any of your original words – – write a poem about it.
Format: Etheree Poem
Literary Device: Alliteration
Funny Farm Footwear
slop
sloggers
mud muckers
feeding-time frump
goofy galoshes
whimsical wellingtons
witty wide water waders
camel-colored chicken coop cleats
her hilarious homestead hikers
frivolously funny fieldwork footwear
Fibonacci Sequence Poems are lines of poetry comprised of the total number of syllables in the preceding pair of lines, starting with 1, for a sequence of 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, and so on.
Doodle Doo
so
a
rooster
is too loud
in the city where
airplanes, firetrucks, sirens and trains
don’t want to be wakened so early to do their jobs?
Recycle a book by using it as a canvas for hours of fun creating Found Poetry!
infinite texts
invite me
to
get out of the house
to
cross the street
to
enter the forest
Challenge from Stacey Joy: write a poem inspired by music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLH49g_aQV0
Miriam
Miriam
she comes to us when we least expect it
hawks on a wire
redbirds at the feeder
wild turkeys in the yard
beeping seatbelt reminders
we were munching on popcorn
slurping cherry Icees
cocooned in our movie blankets
watching Emma
my Ansley and I
when those beloved lyrics
invoked her unticketed presence
perched right between us
arms around our shoulders
How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord
is laid for your faith in His excellent word
a congregational hymn at her funeral
her unwavering message to all of us
mother-daughter movies
popcorn and Icees
hymns that leave no questions
she comes to us when we least expect it
Common Threads 
The Guardian reports:
“Cancelling student debt
was always
the right thing to do.
Now it’s imperative,”
says Astra Taylor
I signed the petition.
A dear friend is months
in default.
Her student loan payment
doesn’t feed her three kids
and unemployed husband.
Don’t postpone.
Cancel.
Is there a pulse, Donnie?
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/apr/07/cancel-student-debt-coronavirus