2019 April PAD Challenge: Day 11
Before we jump into today’s prompt, I just want to take a moment to share Vince Gotera’s The Coolest Month, which is a poetry collection completely based off April prompts…
Before we jump into today's prompt, I just want to take a moment to share Vince Gotera's The Coolest Month, which is a poetry collection completely based off April prompts (from here and NaPoWriMo.net). Learn more from his publisher, Final Thursday Press.
For today’s prompt, write a dedication poem. This is a poem dedicated to a person, an animal, or an organization. Or hey, objects work too--like a poem to a rock or paper bag. Put the dedication in the title or in a line under the title ("for Mother" or "to the heart-shaped rock between the creek and the tulips"). I dedicate today's prompt to all of you!
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Poem Your Days Away!
Online poetry prompts are great! But where can you get your poem fix when you unplug? The answer is the Smash Poetry Journal, by Robert Lee Brewer.
This book collects 125 poetry prompts from the Poetic Asides blog, gives poets plenty of room to write poems, and a lot of other great poetic information. Perfectly sized to carry in a backpack or purse, you can jot down ideas for poems as you’re waiting in line for a morning coffee or take it to the park for a breezy afternoon writing session (or on a bus, at a laundromat, or about anywhere else you can imagine–except under water, unless you’re in a submarine or a giant breathable plastic bubble).
Anyway, it’s great for prompting poems, and you should order a copy today. (Maybe order an extra one as a gift for a friend.)
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Here’s my attempt at a Dedication Poem:
“to the lamb sitting on my desk as i'm faced with what to write”
you've had a rather rough go of it.
dropped into a fish tank,
fished out, and then, tossed aside
until my daughter, champion
of stuffed animals everywhere,
found you and remembered everything.
she brought you to me, told me
your entire tale of woe, and asked--
nearly demanded--that i clean you up,
make you like new. and so, lamb,
here we are: me with my scribbling pen,
and you with your sad fake eyes
staring up at me as if you've channeled
my daughter. i suppose it's about time
to put down my pen and clean you.
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Robert Lee Brewer is Senior Content Editor of the Writer’s Digest Writing Community and author of Solving the World’s Problems (Press 53). He knows a poem will come along if he waits long enough and listens. Follow him on Twitter @RobertLeeBrewer.
Robert Lee Brewer is Senior Editor of Writer's Digest, which includes managing the content on WritersDigest.com and programming virtual conferences. He's the author of 40 Plot Twist Prompts for Writers: Writing Ideas for Bending Stories in New Directions, The Complete Guide of Poetic Forms: 100+ Poetic Form Definitions and Examples for Poets, Poem-a-Day: 365 Poetry Writing Prompts for a Year of Poeming, and more. Also, he's the editor of Writer's Market, Poet's Market, and Guide to Literary Agents. Follow him on Twitter @robertleebrewer.
