November PAD Chapbook Challenge: Day 19
A week ago, I had you write a poem focused on a tiny detail. Today, I want you to write a poem that shows the big picture. You can still…
A week ago, I had you write a poem focused on a tiny detail. Today, I want you to write a poem that shows the big picture. You can still get very specific, but I want you to try incorporating a big picture concept related to your theme. For instance, if you're writing war poems, you could write a poem focused on the leader of one of the armies and through his specific concerns cover the full scope of what's happening.
So, for today, back up and soak in the big picture.
Here's my attempt for the day:
"house"
He runs outside--barefoot--to grab the morning paper,
cursing the cold weather. When he gets inside, he grabs
his coffee and reads the headline: Godzilla Attacks Tokyo!
Again, he thinks before flipping to the East Europe section,
filled with stories on zombie uprisings, witch hunts, and
werewolf sightings. A vampire is suspected in Romania,
though there are no confirmed biting deaths on record.
He puts the paper down and eats his bacon-egg breakfast,
thinks about trying to leave the house, knowing he can't.
So much going on in the world, he thinks, and I'm part
of it, but still... It's the waiting that kills him, waiting
for someone to venture into his neck of the woods,
stumble upon his deserted house, have curiosity tempt
that person inside, when he can finally have his fun, too.

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.