CC Willow

Day twenty-eight. Only three more days. This is when you realize that Poem-A-Day challenges are hard. “Yes, show up ev’day. Write a poem …. didn’t I just write one ye’day. I’ve run out of words to say. My family has forgotten what I look like. I ‘z go stuff to do.”

And yet, if you listen to your muse, you’ll find she’s happier than she has been in a long while. Now that you have stopped listening to your inner critic – started listening to her, you will find she has much more to say today.

For my personal Poem A Day Challenge , today’s PAD is … wary.

Robert Lee Brewer’s AprPAD challenge prompt is smell.

NaPoWriMo‘s participant is little learner. The featured poet today is poet Kazim Ali, co-founder of Nightboat Books and author of three books of poetry. NaPoWriMo’s prompt for today is a challenge you to write a poem using Skeltonic verse (or tumbling verse). That is a poem thatwas pioneered by John Skelton, a fifteenth-century English poet. Skeltonic verse features short stanzas with irregular meter, using only two strong stresses per line (otherwise know as “dipodic” or “two-footed” verse). The lines rhyme without a proscribed rhyme scheme. See the NaPoWriMo/GloPoWriMo site for a good example or check out this link to Poetry Forms.

Poets&Writers is asking that today’s poem uses a clichéd phrase (“fit as a fiddle,” “think out of the box,” “running on empty,” etc.) and turns it around. Give it a new meaning .

The Poetry School‘s NaPoWriMo group today suggests that you write a haiku. But to be loose with it; don’t worry about the syllables and focus on the juxtaposition of two ideas or images and the cutting word. See their prompt page for a more detailed prompt.

Let me shift gears here back into CC Willow – something I have been doing continously this week. Salem’s Art Walk is tonight, AKA Final Friday Art Walk. My friends Anna C. & Russ (Star Wars fans, aren’t we all) have set this month’s theme as “It’s a Trap” & then promptly ordered 20-ish stormtrooper heads, handing them out to Salem artists. I’ve been watching them coming back into Prisms Gallery; the Salem art community taken liberties! One of my favs is a steampunk theme done by friend Terra – I think Time Lord. Another is a lamp done by Christy Wood of Runway Crafts. (Before opening Runway, Christy often painted sets for Brush Creek Playhouse productions; amazing lady!)

I, as noted on Tuesday, came late to the fun. And although I just brought my helmet home Monday, I had been planning the design since February and so, Thursday morning had a completed Helmet to turn in. My thought – What if a storm trooper’s helmet had been left a long time ago in the Pacific NW forests ? Maybe by space-faring Ewoks,. Or maybe by a longtime Empire/Rebel war. The movie did say “a long, long time ago”. I added it to the growing collection, setting it on a podium next to Jonathon’s (Create-A-Memory) “Garden Wars”. Come check it out; the Group project is always housed at Prism’s Gallery in The Reed’s Underground.

My Art Walk display, at Create A Memory Studio this time, is almost complete. Jonathon helped me yesterday with it. I do have some new pendants added for sale, based on imagees from my Parrrot Tulip and my Iris paintings. And this morning I’m getting more cards printed and packaged.

Two of my pieces will additionally be on display at Russ & Anna D’s shop Parallel Worlds in The Reed Underground. We were chatting as I was taking down my April show at Prisms and he requested two for his red gallery wall. It’s a great little indie store – I picked up some awesome throwing knives there in January! Do go in there! Both Anna D & He have some amazing work of their own on the wall, some collaborations, and work from other artists as well. Judging for the pieces they have gathered – that red wall is going to be amazing.

I understand that this Art Work has grown quite a bit & really has grown into quite an event. Saying something – since it is just 4 months old. It seems my buddies at Artists in Action have discovered it (Janet & I talking it up at this month’s meeting may have something to do with it) and now the walls above in the Salem Art’s Building are burgeoning.

Well – gotta run – or in my condition today, limp – along. Hope to see you at tonight’s shenanagins. I will be handing at Create A Memory – either with my easel or my sketch pad.

Day twenty-two! And Happy Earth Day! Personally 2’s has always been an lucky for me.; 22 twice as lucky …

Today I need luck both as Ariel & especially as CC Willow; Final Friday Art Walk is a week away & May is coming. That means today I talk to businesses, scouting for wall space for some of my CC Willow pieces. Anna @ Prisms said a few more DT business are joining the Art Walk, I need to see which would be the best venue for me. Right now, the top of my short list is Create-A-Memory, Salem’s pottery & glass-fusing studio, where one of my Something Red pieces hung in December.

So our sojourn today needs to be brief; I need to be out the door here soon.

For today. my personal Poem A Day prompt in honor of Earth Day is … Pacific Northwest forests

Robert Lee Brewer’s AprPAD challenge prompt is to write a fable poem today.

NaPoWriMo’s featured participant today is Arash’s Poetry, where the overheard poem for Day 21 is a wonderful rendering of speech in a busy cafe. Their featured poet is Kyle Dargan. Originally from New Jersey, Dargan now lives in Washington, DC, he is the author of poetry that explore the intersection of the personal, the political, mixed ‘lil science fiction. I don’t usually post NaPoWRiMo’s links here (I link to THEIR page where you can explore thrie contenet moore) However, the Bill Moyer interview with Kyle really gripped me & so, at the risk of riding their coat-ttails. I’m keeping their link active to it.

NaPoWriMo’s prompt is a challenge to write a georgic. The original georgic poem was written by Virgil, and while it was ostensibly a practical and instructional guide regarding agricultural concerns, it also offers political commentary on the use of land in the wake of war. I’m not sure I have written a georgic before – this will be a new one for me.

Poetry School’s NaPoWriMo prompt today is to write a Golden Shovel, a modern poetry form, which has really taken off since it was invented by Terrance Hayes. Take a line from a poem you admire, then use each word in that line as the end word in your own line, keeping them in order. If all goes well, you should be able to read the original poem down the right hand margin of your poem.

Poets&Writers 30 Day Challenge has all 30 prompts listed. Today’s prompt for them is to make a list of the names of your family members and friends. Free-associate. Write a poem using all their names.

And the #30DaysForEarth tip, sponsored by Bambeco, is to Celebrate The Earth today. So many events today to choose from today, all geared towards loving our blue home.

Today is The March For Science; I can think no better way right now to slow the plunder of our planet than in promoting knowledge on how dependant we are on Dear Gaia.

Now … go save the planet today! Write Poetry! Could be the same thing …