Category: NaPoWritMo

NaPoWritMo – Day 3: “Cold Rain”

April is National Poetry Month! The idea is to write 30 poems in 30 days. On NaPoWritMo.net, you’ll find a daily challenge for the month. I don’t follow their challenges, but I try to write a poem a day. Here’s today’s challenge:

“…It’s a Spanish form called a “glosa” – literally a poem that glosses, or explains, or in some way responds to another poem. The idea is to take a quatrain from a poem that you like, and then write a four-stanza poem that explains or responds to each line of the quatrain, with each of the quatrain’s four lines in turn forming the last line of each stanza. Traditionally, each stanza has ten lines, but don’t feel obligated to hold yourself to that! Here’s a nice summary of the glosa form to help you get started.”

NaPoWritMo.net
Photo by Sam Willis on Pexels.com
cold rain
coats frosty roofs
icy glazed city streets
mirror stop light's cherry-red glow
mizzle
obscures
spring's fight to win over winter
a battle to the end
gray clouds hang low
dawn breaks

Colleen M. Chesebro

Check out my poetry and short stories in Fairies, Myths, & Magic HERE

Happy Beltane!

Today is the last NaPoWritMo post for 2021, including my Poem-A-Day practice. I kept up fairly well this year. I had a few days, I just couldn’t get there, but I made up for those days on the next day. Today, I share a butterfly cinquain.

Happy Beltane. This pagan sabbat called Beltane runs from April 30 through May 1 from sunset to sunset.

Beltane celebrates Life. This is the peak of Spring and the beginning of Summer. You wouldn’t know it around here in Michigan, with that cold north wind blowing. At Beltane, the Earth’s energies are at their strongest and most active. All life is exploding with fertility and at this point in the Wheel of the Year, Spring has definitely sprung!

Traditionally, Mayday was celebrated with the dance around the maypole. I remember observing this day in grade school when I was very young. We all grabbed a ribbon and danced in the spring breezes.

There is no reason why we can’t celebrate this year the same way. After the year of Covid, the meaning should be extra special. Get outside and dance under the moon!

Just dance!

"Dance Your Dance"

Beltane...
the dance of spring,
Mayday celebration
ribbons—weave magical powers
Earth dance
your way into liberation
move into the newness
find your own truth
be you!

©2021 Colleen M. Chesebro

“Outside My Window,” #Cinquain, #NaPoWritMo

Day 29 of NaPoWritMo: “And now, for our prompt (optional, as always). This one is called “in the window.” Imagine a window looking into a place or onto a particular scene. It could be your childhood neighbor’s workshop, or a window looking into an alien spaceship. Maybe a window looking into a witch’s gingerbread cottage, or Lord Nelson’s cabin aboard the H.M.S. Victory. What do you see? What’s going on?”

Here’s a cinquain to share what’s outside my window. Chloe loves this spot. She sits on the stairs and observes the neighborhood. <3

Chloe...
argus-eyed cat
watches the neighborhood 
while pear tree petals fall like rain—
wet streets

©2021 Colleen M. Chesebro
Chloe on the blanket and Sophie in her bed… helping mom write poetry!

“My Muse,” #NaPoWritMo #Badger Hexastich

The NaPoWritMo prompt for today is: “Our prompt today (optional, as always), is to write a poem that poses a series of questions. The questions could be a mix of the serious (“What is the meaning of life?”) and humorous (“What’s the deal with cats knocking things off tables?”), the interruptive (“Could you repeat that?”) and the conversational (“Are those peanuts? Can I have some?”). You can choose to answer them – or just let the questions keep building up, creating a poem that asks the reader to come up with their own answer(s).”

"My Muse"

do you
consult the muse
when it's time to create?
does she sing your verses? 
croon lullabies?
just write...

©2021 Colleen M. Chesebro

Join me every Tuesday on wordcraftpoetry.com for the #TankaTuesday Syllabic Poetry Challenge.

“Lilacs at Dawn,” Crapsey #cinquain, #NaPoWritMo

Image by 8926 from Pixabay

The neighbor’s lilacs are blooming outside our bedroom window. The bush almost reaches the second floor. Today, I honor the lilac with a Crapsey cinquain (2-4-6-8-2) for my Poem-a-Day practice and NaPoWritMo. April is almost finished… 

"Lilacs at Dawn"

spring dawn
purple lilacs 
trip the light fantastic 
petals perfume the window sill
bird song

©2021 Colleen M. Chesebro

“American Carnage,” #MirrorCinquain, #NaPoWritMo, #PhotoPrompt, #TankaTuesday

This week, Anita Dawes selected the photo for the Ekphrastic photo prompt challenge on Word Craft: Prose & Poetry. The two cinquains will also take care of my poem-a-day commitment for yesterday and today, including NaPoWritMo.

I missed the opportunity to post this on Earth Day as was my intent. It’s been a busy week. My mirror cinquain follows:

Image by mollyroselee from Pixabay
"American Carnage"

death stinks
of destruction
waterless regions scorched 
American carnage laid bare
ravaged
by greed
politics voided common sense
the mother goddess bleeds
searching for her
revenge

©2021 Colleen M. Chesebro

Join me every Tuesday on wordcraftpoetry.com for the #TankaTuesday Syllabic Poetry Challenge.

“The Editing Blues,” Double #shadorma, #NaPoWritMo

It’s day 21 (has it been that long?) of NaPoWritMo and I’ve been dug down deep in my editing den… Word Craft: Prose & Poetry will become a reality soon.

This is the general direction of the book cover. I know there will be changes. Wendy Anne Darling, a dear friend, is making the cover. So, this double shadorma shares my pain. LOL!

"The Editing Blues"

editing—
necessary chore
when writing
to be read
who wishes to read a book
with many mistakes?

my head hurts
and I know my sight
has dimmed now,
commas and
semicolons will kill me...
the editing blues

©2021 Colleen M. Chesebro

I’m done for the day! LOL!

Join me every Tuesday on wordcraftpoetry.com for the #TankaTuesday Syllabic Poetry Challenge.

“Barely Spring,” (haru asashi)

Just a quick haiku today for #NaPoWritMo and my April Poem a day! It’s been a busy day of editing, book releases, and more! 

"Barely Spring"

shallow spring
Michigan winds howl
cold seeps in

©2021 Colleen M. Chesebro
NO snow— just sunshine and biting winds!

“Michigan’s Grip on Spring,” #Sijo, #NaPoWritMo

Day 20 NaPoWritMo: This is an unusual syllabic form. I found myself writing sentences… I’m not sure I like that style… but here is what a Sijo is according to the guide:

Sijo are written in three lines, each averaging 14-16 syllables for a total of 44-46 syllables. Each line is written in four groups of syllables that should be clearly differentiated from the other groups, yet still, flow together as a single line. When written in English, sijo may be written in six lines, with each line containing two-syllable groupings instead of four. Additionally, as shown in the example below, liberties may be taken (within reason) with the number of syllables per group as long as the total syllable count for the line remains the same. However, it is strongly recommended that the third line consistently begins with a grouping of three syllables.

thesejongculturalsociety.org

The first line is usually written in a 3-4-4-4 grouping pattern and states the theme of the poem, where a situation is generally introduced.

The second line is usually written in a 3-4-4-4 pattern (similar to the first) and is an elaboration of the first line’s theme or situation (development).

The third line is divided into two sections. The first section, the counter-theme, is grouped as 3-5, while the second part, considered the conclusion of the poem, is written as 4-3. The counter-theme is called the ‘twist,’ which is usually a surprise in meaning, sound, or other device.

When will the cold weather end? The bitter wind yields no answer.
Michigan holds a tight grip on spring. It's ready when it's ready.
Lacy snowflakes twirl and dance. Keep your shovels handy!

©2021 Colleen M. Chesebro

I managed to stay within the 44 syllables. I’m sure there is more to this form than I’ve shared here:

Learn about Sijo HERE.

Join me every Tuesday on wordcraftpoetry.com for the #TankaTuesday Syllabic Poetry Challenge.

“Spring in Michigan” #Haiku Sequence, #NaPoWritMo

I missed a couple days of NaPoWritMo day 19 and my poem-a-day practice due to a packed schedule. I hope to make it up with a glimpse of my afternoon, seen from the upstairs window…

spring thunder
clouds, opaque and dark
sky grumbles

cold rain falls...
petal confetti
litters wet streets

redbird squawks
nest torn asunder,
day's labor lost

©2021 Colleen M. Chesebro

Join me every Tuesday on wordcraftpoetry.com for the #TankaTuesday Syllabic Poetry Challenge.