I will not post everything though some I will withhold for possible publication, others I will withhold because they are too politically sensitive in these politically charged times. I will post the prompt.

Enjoy and stay safe everyone

Day Twenty-Six

NaPoWrMo

Berkeley Mad Psychotic Pineapple Burns Sonnet

\the Berkeley mad psychotic pineapple.

was an underground Berkeley icon.

The pineapple said, “Bad Luck comes in threes.”

Last night he smoked a joint and went for a walk.

the pineapple dude encountered a cat,

not just a cat but a cosmic black cat.

and the cat was riding on a dog,

and a mouse was riding on the cat,

and the pineapple was amused to see this,

I told him only in the SF Bay area,

thinking back to when I was eight.

and wished I had a cosmic cat.

I would have made such a cacophony.

the cosmic cat was still my secret friend.

14 lines
10 syllables per line
Those syllables are divided into five iambic feet. (An iamb is an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable). The word “admit” is a good example. In pronouncing it, you put more stress on the “mit” than the “ad.”
Rhyme schemes vary, but the Shakespearean sonnet is abab cdcd efef gg (three quatrains followed by a concluding couplet).

April 26 Prompt Sonnet not in traditional iambic meter

We finally made it to the weekend, everyone!

Today’s featured participant is Eden Ligon, whose “live concert” poem for Day Twenty-Five shows all the sweetness of music that has ripened with time.

Our daily resource is the online collection of Spain’s Reina Sofia Museum, which houses an incredible collection of modern and contemporary art. You can find Picassos aplenty here, of course, but also things like this vertiginous sculpture that makes me think of a rollercoaster, this mysterious Magritte, and this collaboration between Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat.

And now for our daily (optional) prompt. The word “sonnet” comes directly from the Italian Soneto, or “little song.” A traditional sonnet has a strict meter and rhyme scheme. It’s a strange form to have wormed its way into English, which is relatively unmetrical and rhyme-poor compared to Romance languages like Italian.

But thanks to William Shakespeare, Edmund Spenser, and others, the sonnet in English bloomed. It also became a sort of rite of passage for poets, with the Victorians especially loving very strict sonnets.

To refresh you on the “rules” of the traditional sonnet:

14 lines
10 syllables per line
Those syllables are divided into five iambic feet. (An iamb is an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable). The word “admit” is a good example. In pronouncing it, you put more stress on the “mit” than the “ad.”
Rhyme schemes vary, but the Shakespearean sonnet is abab cdcd efef gg (three quatrains followed by a concluding couplet).
Sonnets are often thought of as not just little songs, but little essays, with the first six-to-eight or so lines building up a problem, the next four-to-six discussing it, and the last two-to-four concluding.
Given all these rules, it’s perhaps surprising that love poems make up quite a chunk of sonnets in English, but maybe that’s just because love poems make up quite a chunk of all poems in English?

If you want to intimidate yourself about poetry in general and sonnets in particular, read this quote from Saintsbury’s History of English Prosody.

To have something to say; to say it under pretty strict limits of form and very strict ones of space; to say it forcibly; to say it beautifully; these are the four great requirements of the poet in general; but they are never set so clearly, so imperatively, so urgently before any variety of poet as before the sonneteer.

And now, by way of illustration, let’s take a look at a few contemporary takes on the sonnet. The first, by Dan Beachy-Quick, is a pretty strict traditional sonnet. The next two –by Terrence Hayes and Alice Notley – are looser. And finally, the last one, by June Jordan, is a rather strict sonnet (rhyme- and meter-wise, though somewhat looser in line-specific syllable count) that doesn’t sound strict at all. It is joyfully informal in its language and tone.

After all this, here’s your prompt! Try your hand at a sonnet – or at least something “sonnet-shaped.” Think about the concept of the sonnet as a song and let the format of a song inform your attempt. Be as strict or not strict as you want.

2025 April PAD Challenge: Day 26

Nigerian scam Hermit Crab found poem

Attention,

This is to inform you

that we have been working

towards the
eradication of fraudsters and scam Artists

in Africa with the help of
the Organization of African Unity (OAU)

United Nations (UN), European
Union (EU) and FBI.

We have been able to track down some scam artist

in various parts of African countries

which includes (Nigeria, Republic of Benin, Burkina
Faso Ghana and Senegal with cote d’ivoire )

and they are all in Government custody now,

they will appear at International Criminal
Court (ICC) soon for Justice.

During the course of investigation,

they were able to recover some
funds from these scam artists

and IMF organization have ordered the
funds recovered to be shared among

the 10 Lucky people listed around
the World as a compensation.

This notice has been directed to you

because your email address was
found in one of the scam Artists file

and computer hard-disk

while the
investigation,

maybe you have been scammed.

You are therefore being
compensated with sum of ($300,000.00)

Three hundred thousand US dollars

valid into an (ATM Card Number 4061730956305619).

Since your email address

is among the lucky beneficiaries

who will receive compensation funds,

we have arranged

your payment to be paid
to you through ATM VISA CARD

and deliver to your postal address

with the Pin code as to enable you

withdrawal maximum of $5,000 on each
withdrawal from any Bank ATM Machine of your choice,

until all the
funds are exhausted.

The ATM Card with Security Pin number

shall be delivered to you via
courier Service,

depending your choice.

In order to proceed with this transaction,

you will be required to
contact the agent in-charge

(Mr.Francesco Savgae)

Kindly look below to
find appropriate contact information:

CONTACT AGENT NAME: Mr.Francesco Savgae.
Phone (00226)744-803-62.
Email: (francescosavgae205@gmail.com)

You will be required to e-mail him

with the following information:

YOUR FULL NAME:
YOUR AGE:
ADDRESS:
YOUR COUNTRY:
CITY:
DIRECT CONTACT PHONE NUMBER:
OCCUPATION:

We advise you to stop

all communications with everyone

regarding your
payment as we have short listed

to deliver to you

and now urge you to
comply and receive

your ATM Card funds.

Thanks for your understanding

as you follow instructions while I wait
to hear from you today.

Yours in Services
Mrs.Paulina Federik.

Comment: the latest scam

a claim that the scam artists

are fighting against the spam artists –

all you have to do to receive the 300,000

is to give them your information.

Sounds too good to be true

which of course it is

For today’s prompt, write a hermit crab poem. A hermit crab poem is like a hermit crab essay, which is an essay that takes on the form of another type of literature. So a hermit crab poem might be a poem that looks like a to-do list, footnotes, obituary, spam messages, or a message on a postcard.

Poetry Superhighway Prompts

April 26, 2025: Poetry Writing Prompt from Randy Fowler

I am not a Christian

Jesus Christ said upon his return

After realizing his followers

were not following his teachings,.

He went across the world

I am not a Christian

he would proclaim everywhere,

The church leaders were not amused.

The public began to follow

The returned Jesus

I am not a Christian

Jesus responded on social media.

But the powers that be

decreed amongst themselves

The returned Jesus was a false prophet

I am not a Christian.

This poetry writing prompt submitted by Randy Fowler:

Dissonance: Write a poem about disharmony in your or humankind’s values, views, or relationships: stating belief in one value but doing another, saying you love someone but you really don’t, our nation’s original declarations vs. its current reality. For symbolism, think of all the areas dissonance applies – music, city noise, abrupt sounds (alarm clock, fire alarm), anything that produces a vibration in your mind that something is off key.

April 26—Travel

Noisy Korea Now My Home

When I first came
To South Korea in 1979
To do my Peace Corps duty
In a rural country town,

I thought that the old name
Of Korea
“the land of the morning calm”
Was absurd.

Korea was a noisy place
From early morning on.

Cars, horns, radio TV blaring
People talking to crowds everywhere
At night people drink and dine.

And loudspeakers
Blasting you awake
At 6 a.m.

And during elections
Sound trucks everywhere.

Now 45 years later
It is my home
No longer a noisy
Chaotic exotic place
Just home.

Bonus Poem Visit to Korea

I first went to Korea
In the Peace Corps

After a long plane ride
My first international flight
I ended up in South Korea,

At the old Gimpo airport
A chaotic crazy drive
Through Seoul.

To the town of Chuncheon
Where we did our training course
For four months.

First visit to another land
First foreign travel
To a strange land.

Exotic people
Strange sounds and sights
And the smells of incense
And the food ah the food

But over time
Became my second home
45 years later

I returned to Korea
Ending up living
Next door to Gimpo airport
Where my journey began
45 years ago

Day Twenty-Seven

NaPoWrMo

Buddhist Temple Hell Paintings

Hell is often depicted in Buddhist temple art

In Buddhism, hell is a real place

And hell is filled with demons

the demons torture their victims
while a Buddhist saint looks on in judgment
In Buddhism, hell is a real place

But hell will end when your karma points add up
and you are reincarnated after learning your lesson
And hell is filled with demons

I based my poem on these images and remembered images from all the Buddhist temples I have visited over the years.

free pictures of Buddhist hell – Search Images

Buddhist Hell Pictures

Co-pilot provided background information

“In Buddhism, the concept of hell, often referred to as Naraka, represents a realm of intense suffering and retribution. Unlike the eternal damnation found in some other religions, Buddhist hells are temporary states where beings experience the consequences of their negative karma. Once the karma is exhausted, they are reborn into other realms. There are various types of hells, including fiery and icy ones, each corresponding to specific sins or actions.

In East Asia, Buddhist temples often depict these hells in vivid and graphic paintings. These artworks serve as moral lessons, illustrating the consequences of unethical behavior. For example, the Dazu Rock Carvings in China and murals in Japanese temples like those depicting Jiokui (Japanese hell) showcase scenes of torment and judgment. These paintings are not only religious but also artistic expressions, blending cultural and spiritual narratives.

If you’d like to explore more, you can find detailed descriptions and examples here and here.

Note on form

The cascade poem was a form invented by Udit Bhatia (who also apparently created the Alliterisen, which I’ll try to deal with in a future post). For the cascade poem, a poet takes each line from the first stanza of a poem and makes those the final lines of each stanza afterward. Beyond that, there are no additional rules for rhyming, meter, etc.

Happy Sunday, everyone. I hope you find it to be a relaxing and inspiring day for writing poems.

Our featured participant for the day is Hayashi whose first attempt at a sonnet brings a lovely blend of grief and self-deprecating humor.

Today’s daily resource is the online collection of the Harvard Art Museums, where you can find this bright and pretty drawing of a tulip poplar, a rather forbidding poster comparing various causes of death in Wisconsin, this beautiful jade paperweight, and much more.

And now for today’s optional prompt. W.H. Auden’s “Musee” takes its inspiration from a very particular painting: Breughel’s “Landscape with the Fall of Icarus.” Today we’d like to challenge you to write your own poem that describes a detail in a painting, and that begins, like Auden’s poem, with a grand, declarative statement.

I based my poem on these images and remembered images from all the Buddhist temples I have visited over the years.

free pictures of Buddhist hell – Search Images

Co-pilot provided background information

If you’d like to explore more, you can find detailed descriptions and examples here and here.

Note on form

2025 April PAD Challenge: Day 27

Join poets from around the country and the world to write a poem each day of April. For today’s prompt, write a New Blank poem.

New World Order Emerging

The American MAGA revolution

and the rise of the alt-right

across the world

raises serious questions

Where are we going

What are we doing?

They say that history

Does not repeat

But it rhymes.

So we have echoes

Of the 1890’s

The 1920s

1930s

1950s

And even ancient Rome

And the fall

Of the Roman Republic.

Ending globalization

And the old international order

Restoring great power games.

As the US struggles

To avoid

The collapse

Of the American experiment

And the American empire.

All in the name

Of creating

a new world order.

and a grand reputation

Of the 60’s and 70’s

And the 20^th century

And the 21^st century

progresive vision.

Going back

to the 19^th century.

Gilded Age

and Robber Barons.

For today’s prompt, take the phrase “New (blank),” replace the blank with a word or phrase, make the new phrase the title of your poem, and then, write your poem. Possible titles might include: “New Moon,” “New Car,” “New Significant Other,” “New World,” and/or “New to This City.”

And yes, it is totally fine to replace the word “new” with the word “knew” if that helps you get your poem out today!

April 27, 2025: Poetry Writing Prompt from Patty Bennett

“Deep Fried Blood Alien chicken-pork cutlets for dinner”

Sam Adams is the owner

And the chef of the UFO restaurant

Bar and grill in Berkeley.

He was a famous UFO nut

And opened the UFO theme restaurant

Complete with alien memorabilia

Movie and TV posters.

And what became famous

A sign over the bar

“Space Aliens drink for free”

Every night some joker

I tried to claim the free drink/

Sam always said

You have to prove you

Are a space alien.

One day mysterious

Man in a black suit

Who had a pan-ethnic look.

Could pass for almost any nationality

But had a vague almost unhuman look

And a strange alien accent.

Walked in and spoke

He wanted the free drink

Sam said,

“Prove you are a space alien.”

The man

Morphed into Donald Trump

Then Elon Musk

Then into his true form

A red skin two legged reptilian form

Before morphing back into

Man in black look

Sam laughed

And asked him,

“Well, okay then..

Drinks are on the house.

What do you want ?”

“ one bourbon, one scotch

And one beer. And a favor.

“What’s the favor?”

“Use of the kitchen

to cook my favorite food from home

I’ll teach you recipe and leave

Enough for you to have a supply

On hand.”

“okay”

The alien went out and brought out

Ten alien creatures –

Who looked like a cross

Between a chicken and a pig

He called them “biblog”.

They would cook one

And the rest he could keep

They bred very rapidly

So he would have a ready supply

On hand.

They went to work and Sam and Mr. X

served the customers

all night.

some posted to the media

and Mr. X was interviewed

the meal was a great success

it tasted like chicken and pork

purple and orange colors

with yellow coloring

with a strange after taste,

and a fragrant smell

and a somewhat tough texture

but it was delicious,

with an out of this world

hard to pin down

umami flavor!

the City, State and Federal authorities

came the next day

confiscated the biblog creatures,

and demanded the whereabouts

of Mr X.

Sam smiled and spoke,

‘‘Mr. X said

you all would be coming

And left for home.

But he is coming back next year

To open trade negotiations

with the Sirius star system

and I am his agent.’

They arrested him

And finally released him

And the biblog.

and told him

to keep in touch.

Sam posted everything online

And Mr X came back

With a trade delegation

Later that year.

The biblog escaped

And became an invasive species

But hunting was allowed.

crisis averted.

This poetry writing prompt submitted by Patty Bennett:

Imagine you are a gourmet chef at a fancy restaurant. Invent a new dish, and using the five senses, describe it.* Then serve it to a group of repeat customers, and record their reactions.

*What does it look like? What does it smell like? Can you hear it while it’s cooking? Can you touch it, or describe what it feels like if it’s finger food? And of course, how does it taste? Served hot or cold or room temperature?

April 27—Duty

Congress Symmetrel

Republicans in Congress,
Playing nonstop political games.
Each party calling the other names,
The democrats denying it was their fault.
Both sides digging in, not stopping or to halt.
Sadly, this seems to be our current gestalt.
The insane republicans making wild claims.
Sadly, just seems to be our current gestalt.
Throwing more gasoline on the fires lighting the darkness.
Republicans in Congress.

Symmetrel

Stanza 1 7 subject repeated at end
Stanza 2 9 b
3 9 b
Stanza 3 4 11 c
5 11 c
6 11 c
7 11 c
Stanza 4 8 9 b
9 9 b
Stanza 5 10 7 repeat of line one

Note: a bit political but hey I call it as I see it

Day Twenty-Eight

Funeral Music for the Death of America

Sometimes when I watch the news

And see the continued assualt

On American institutions

Rule of law and basic human decency

All done in the name of promotion

Traditional Christian values

Hiding their true authoritarian impulses

Challenging everyone who opposes them

With being soft on crime, immigration

And terrorism

Shredding the constitution

In the name of preserving

Democracy

Meanwhile, gutting the social safety net

Threatening to fire judges

Lawyers and government officials

Illegally impounding funds

Already approved

Daring anyone to stand up

Against their takeover

Of American society

I wonder what music

Would it be appropriate

For the funeral

Of American democracy?

Perhaps Elgar’s Nimrod?

Or Barber’s Adagio for Strings

Or Mahler’s Adagietto Symphony 8

Or Edward Grieg Solveig’s Song (from Peer Gynt):

Or Chopin’s Funeral Sonata

Perhaps protesters should start

Their protests with funeral music

As they march against

The end of American democracy?

Welcome back, all. As of today, there’s just three days left in this year’s Na/GloPoWriMo.

Today, our featured participant is Mariyah, who brings us a poignant take on Modigliani portrait in response to Day 27’s painting-based prompt.

Today’s daily resource is El Museo del Barrio, a New York City museum focused on the experience of Puerto Ricans and Latin Americans in the United States. The museum’s website provides highlights from its permanent collection, as well videos exploring the art and artists featured.

Last but not least, here is today’s prompt (optional, as always). Music features heavily in human rituals and celebrations. We play music at parties; we play it in parades, and at weddings. In her poem, OBIT [Music], Victoria Chang describes the role that music played in her mother’s funeral. Today, we challenge you to write a poem that involves music at a ceremony or event of some kind.

Happy, or at the very least, meaningful, writing!

Funeral Music for the Death of America

Sometimes when I watch the news

And see the continued assault

On American institutions

Rule of law and basic human decency

All done in the name of promotion

Traditional Christian values

Hiding their true authoritarian impulses

Challenging everyone who opposes them

With being soft on crime, immigration

And terrorism

Shredding the constitution

In the name of preserving

Democracy

Meanwhile, gutting the social safety net

Threatening to fire judges

Lawyers and government officials

Illegally impounding funds

Already approved

Daring anyone to stand up

Against their takeover

Of American society

I wonder what music

Would it be appropriate

For the funeral

Of American democracy?

Perhaps Elgar’s Nimrod?

Or Barber’s Adagio for Strings

Or Mahler’s Adagietto Symphony 8

Or Edward Grieg Solveig’s Song (from Peer Gynt):

Or Chopin’s Funeral Sonata

Perhaps protesters should start

Their protests with funeral music

As they march against

The end of American democracy?

Co-Pilot’s list of funeral music

Barber – Adagio for Strings: Known for its profound sadness, this piece has been played at the funerals of figures like Albert Einstein and Princess Grace of Monaco.
Elgar – Nimrod (from the Enigma Variations): A deeply moving piece often associated with remembrance and reflection.

Mahler – Adagietto (Symphony No. 5): This calming and poignant movement is a favorite for its emotional depth

Edvard Grieg.

Certainly! Classical music often plays a significant role in state funerals, offering solemnity and reflection. Here are some widely recognized pieces frequently used in such ceremonies:

Barber – Adagio for Strings: Known for its profound sadness, this piece has been played at the funerals of figures like Albert Einstein and Princess Grace of Monaco.
Elgar – Nimrod (from the Enigma Variations): A deeply moving piece often associated with remembrance and reflection.
Mahler – Adagietto (Symphony No. 5): This calming and poignant movement is a favorite for its emotional depth.
Bach – Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring: A timeless piece often chosen for its serene and uplifting qualities.
Chopin – Funeral March (Piano Sonata No. 2, Movement 3): This iconic march has become synonymous with mourning.
Vaughan Williams – The Lark Ascending: A beautiful violin piece evoking a sense of peace and transcendence.
Arvo Pärt – Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten: A minimalist yet profoundly emotional piece written in memory of a fellow composer.

Edvard Grieg

1. Solveig’s Song (from Peer Gynt): A hauntingly beautiful piece that evokes longing and farewell.

Arietta (Lyric Pieces, Op. 12): While not explicitly funeral music, its gentle and introspective tone makes it suitable for solemn occasions.

Russian Composers

Tchaikovsky – Hymn of the Cherubim: A deeply spiritual and serene choral work.
Rachmaninoff – Vocalize (Op. 34, No. 14): A wordless melody that conveys profound emotion and reflection.
Mussorgsky – Promenade (from Pictures at an Exhibition): Though not traditionally funeral music, its introspective nature can be fittin

2025 April PAD Challenge: Day 28

For Day 28 of the 2025 April Poem-A-Day Challenge, poets (and other colorful people) are prompted to write a color poem.

Color of Justice is Gold and Green

The color of justice

It is gold and green my poor friends.

Those with enough gold

Buy all the justice they need.

No gold or green, no justice.

Wow! Today marks 4 weeks of poeming for this April. Let’s get to it.

For today’s prompt, write a color poem. The poem could be about a color, mention a color, or be somewhat “colorful.” Of course, the title of the poem could be a color (or include a color) and then not mention colors in the poem at all. So there’s a lot of wiggle room with this prompt.

Waka. Japanese 5-liner.

The waka is a Japanese 5-line poem (or stanza) that is often considered synonymous with the tanka, because both have a 5-7-5-7-7 syllable per line structure. However, the waka groups its lines together in a particular way. The first 2 lines should make up one piece, the next 2 lines should make the next, and then, the final line can stand on its own–or as part of the second group.

It’s possible to end stop after line 2, 4, and 5. But other forms of punctuation can do the trick as well.

If you write a poem from this prompt, post it as a comment underneath the prompt in the Poetry Superhighway Facebook Group.

April 28, 2025: Poetry Writing Prompt from Alex Phuong

snarling cup of coffee (latest version)

Snarling Cup of Coffee

I like to start my day

with a hot cup of coffee
I pound down the coffee.

First thing I do every day

as the dawning sun
Lights up my lonesome room.

Yeah, but not just a simple cup of java Joe, but a God damn snarling sarcastic smarmy cup of coffee

I mean, – we are talking about an alcoholic, all speed ahead, always hot, always fresh, always there when I need it, angry, attitude talk to the hand Ztude, bad, bad assed, beats breaking, beatnik, bluesy, bitter, bitchy, bombs away, capitalistic, caffeinated up the ass, cinematic, communistic, Colombian grown, Costa Rican inspired, Cowabunga to the max, crazy assed, devilishly angelic, divine, divinely inspired, dyslexic, epic, extreme vetting, evil eye, expensive, erotic vision inducing, Ethiopian coffee house brewed, euphoric, freaky, freazoid, foxy, Frenched kissed, French brewed, funkified, foxy lady, graphic, GOD in my coffee, with Allah, Ganesh, Jesus, Kali, Buddha, Christians, Durga, Hindus, Mohamed, Jesus and Mo and their friend, the cosmic bar maid, Sai Babai, Shiva, Taoists, Zoroastrians, drinking my god damned coffee in Hell; growling, gnarly, happy, hard as ice, Hawaian blessed, high as a kite, hippie, hip, hipster, hip hoppy, hot as hell yet strangely sweet as heaven, jazzy, jealous, Kerouac approved, kick ass, kick my god damn ass to Tuesday, kick down the doors and take no prisoners, grown in the Vietnam highlands by ex-Vietcong, Guatemalan grown, kiss ass, illegal in every state, imported from all over the god damn world, insane, lovely, loony, lonely, lonesome, malodorous mean old rotten, motherfucking, nasty, narcotic, never whatever, never meh, never cold, not approved by the CIA, not approved by DHS, not approved for human consumption by the FDA, not your daddy’s sissified corporate cup of coffee, NOT DECAFE coffee, not your Denny’s truck driver weak as brown water cup of fake coffee, not your establishment friendly cup of coffee, Not your FBI coffee, Not FAKE Herbal coffee substitute, but a real cup of coffee, not your farmer brothers dinner crap, not made in America for Americans, not safe for work, not your Starbucks average expensive overpriced crappy corporate chain cup of coffee, Not pretentious, Not White House approved, not State Department safe, nuclear, Not Patriotic, operatic, Peets’s coffee approved, paranoid, pornographic, psychotic, pontific, politically aware, rapping, rhyming, right here, right now in River city, rock and roll up the Yazoo, sad, sadistic, sarcastic, sassy, satanic, schizoid, shitting, silly, sexy, smarmy, smelly, smooth, snarky, snarling, stupid, stinking, sweet as honey, sweat inducing, symphonic, Trump can’t handle this coffee, vengeful, Wagnerian, wicked, with nutmeg and cinnamon swirls, with a hint of stevia, with a hint of vanilla, with a hint of rum, with a hint of whisky, with a hint of cherry, with a hint of fruit overtones, with a hint of drugs spicing up the coffee, spendific, speeding, splendid, superior accept no substitutes, survived the Vietnam war, the Iraq war, the Afghan war, the first and Second Korean war, World War 11, the war on poverty, the war on drugs, the war on black people, the sexual revolution, Soulful as a summer’s night in MOTOWN- James Brown approved, TOP approved, Berkeley approved, the coffee that Jimmy Hendrix drank before he died, the coffee that Elvis drank on his last breakfast, the coffee that Barry White crooned as he drank his cup of coffee – and the coffee that made the white boy play stand up and play that funky music, the coffee that made Jonny B Goode play his guitar, and made Jonny bet the devil his soul after he drank his morning cup of righteous coffee and the coffee that make the Rolling Stones Rock and Roll, the coffee your mother warned you against drinking, the coffee that Napoleon drank when he became the Emperor of all Europe, the Coffee that Beethoven drank when he wrote the Ninth symphony, the coffee that Mozart drank as he wrote his last symphony, the coffee that Lincoln drank before he was killed, the Hemingway drank before he killed himself, the coffee that started the 60’s, and ended the 20th century, the coffee that Lenin drank as he plotted revolution, the coffee that Hitler and Stalin drank with FDR as they divided up the world after World War 11, the cup that JFK drank before he was blown away, the coffee Jerry drinks while driving in cars with random celebrities and political figures, the coffee that Jon Stewart drinks before he goes on an epic take down of some foolish politico, the cup of Arabic coffee that Sadaam drank the day he was executed, the coffee that GW and Cheney drank when they bombed Baghdad, the Indian cup of coffee that Bid Laden drank before 9-11 and just before the seals blew his ass to hell, the cup of coffee that Tiger Woods drank with his mistresses while playing a 3, 000 dollar round of golf at Sandy Lane golf course in Barbados, the last legal drug that does what drugs should do, the cup of coffee that Obama drank when he became President, Vietnamese, Vienna brew, wacky, whimsical, Whisky Tango Foxtrot, wild, weird, wonderful, WOW, Yabba dabba doo! Yada Zappa’s favorite cup of cosmic coffee, and Zorro’s last cup of coffee, Good to the last drop rolled into one simple cup of hot coffee

As I pound down that first cup of coffee
And fire up my synaptic nerve endings with endless supplies
Of caffeine induced neuron enhancing chemicals.

I face the dawning day with trepidation and mind-numbing fear
I turn on the TV and watch the smarmy newscasters in their perfect hair
Lying through their teeth about the great success

the government is having

Following the great leader’s latest pronouncements.

I want to scream and shoot the TV

and run out side Shouting

“Stop the world.

I want to get off this fucking crazy planet”
The earth does not care a whit about my attitude
It merely shrugs and moves around the Sun
In its appointed daily run

And I sit down
The madness dissipating a bit

And enjoy my second cup
Of heaven and hell
In my morning cup of Joe

the latest version published on Creative Gremlins also can be found on my blog which is https://theworldaccordingtocosmos.com © May 2018, john Cosmos Aller

This poetry writing prompt submitted by Alex Phuong:

The publication of poetry could potentially result in an enduring legacy. Please write a poem so beautiful that it could possibly leave an indelible mark on the literary landscape.

April 28—Back to work

My Life as a Diplomat

For 27 years
I served as a foreign Service officer
A U.S. Diplomat
Representing the U.S.
Around the world
And in Washington, DC

I served in ten countries

Antigua
Barbados
Grenada
India
South Korea
Spain
St. Kitts
St Lucia
St. Vincent
Thailand

I did everything

From issuing visas
Blogging about program evaluations
Serving as a program evaluator
Helping American businesses
Helping Americans who got into trouble
Organizing conferences
Coordinating classes
Investigating visa and passport fraud
Serving as a labor officer
Serving as a commercial officer
Serving as a human rights officer
Serving as an economics officer
Serving as an environmental officer

Visiting prisoners

And through it all
I was always proud
To serve my country

And make the world
A better place
Winning friends
And influencing people

Promoting American values
Around the world

Day Twenty-Nine

NaPoWriMo

Rock Stars of the 19^th Century’

chopin — Colour illustration, Music/ Composers, Frederic Chopin, Polish composer, (1810-1848) (Photo by Bob Thomas/Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty Images)

Way back when

In the 19^th Century

Way before we had

Rock stars

We had mad musicians

Piano players mostly

Who stormed across

Europe and America

To enthusiastic crowds

And rumors of sexual escapades

And rich women groupies

To use a modern term

Among them the most famous

Was Franz Liszt

And Frederick Chopin

And many other romantic

Music greats

Of that by gone era

Happy Tuesday, all, and happy penultimate day of Na/GloPoWriMo.

Our featured participant today is Adil Akbar, whose response to Day 28’s “music and ceremonies” prompt rather reminds us of César Vallejo.

Today’s daily resource is the online galleries of the Whitney Museum, where you’ll find artwork as varied as this fun portrait of Billie Jean King, a Frank Stella sculpture that looks like what would happen if a space station fell in love with a bridge, and this contemporary take on the classic embroidered sampler.

And now for today’s prompt – optional as always. Just as poets make poetry, musicians make music. There is always a living being behind the words, the rhythm, and at the heart of every song. Just as music and poetry can fascinate in their own right, so do the personalities behind every form of art. In her poem, “Canary,” Rita Dove riffs on Billie Holiday, and how her life has been spun into myth. Likewise, in “Ode for Donny Hathaway,” Wanda Coleman muses on another tragic figure, in the form of the eponymous soul singer and keyboardist.

Today, we’d like to challenge you to write a poem that takes its inspiration from the life of a musician, poet, or other artist. And while our example poems are squarely elegiac, don’t feel limited to minor-key feelings in your own work.

2025 April PAD Challenge: Day 29

On Day 29 of the 2025 April Poem-A-Day Challenge, writers are challenged with the fifth (and final) Two-for-Tuesday prompt of the month.

The beginning of the End of MAGA Dreams

The American public is growing weary.

They are growing leary.

The MAGA madness is growing dreary.

The public no longer buying what they are selling.

The authoriarians are on the retreat.

No one follows what they tweet.

People joining rallies voting with their feet,

No more bowing down and knelling.

ochtfochlach (pronounced: “UKHT-uh-KHLAHCH”) is irish for “eight line stanza”
“ocht” – meaning 8
“fochlach” – meaning line/stanza

so…
an 8-line stanza
with a rhyme scheme of: aaab cccb.

Before we get into today’s prompt(s), I just wanted to give another quick update on the 2024 November PAD Chapbook Challenge results. I’m almost there and blocking out time today to finish it up; so I’m hoping to make the announcement this afternoon/evening and link to the results in tomorrow’s final prompt for April. I’m so sorry for the delay; it wasn’t intentional. On to the poetry!

It’s time for the fifth (and final) Two-for-Tuesday prompt:

Write a “near the end” poem and/or…
Write a “near the beginning” poem.

Are we near the end of writing poems or near the beginning of revising them? I don’t know.

MAGA stands for Make America Great Again and is the name of the movement that President Trump launched prior to his first term and his second term in office.

April 29, 2025: Poetry Writing Prompt from Maria DePaul

the revolution is coming

A revolution is coming
I can feel it in my bones

A revolution is coming
And it will wipe out
The collapsing edifices
Of the American Empire

The masses are rising up
To throw off their chains
And demand justice

The masses are coming
For the masters of the universe

Their day is numbered
And they know it too

One day
The masses will rise up
Storm the citadels of power

Arresting the corrupt leaders
In the name of revolutionary justice

As the revolutionary fires
Consume the nation

And I can’t wait
For the revolution

Is long overdue

This poetry writing prompt submitted by Maria DePaul:

In times of upheaval, poetry can inspire resilience and resistance. If an issue touches the heart or inspires an action, share that on the page so that others may find ways to express themselves. Poets of the world unite — all we have to lose are the chains that block free and full expression! Now is the time!

If you write a poem from this prompt, post it as a comment underneath the prompt in the Poetry Superhighway Facebook Group.

Dew Drop In Prompts

April 29—Birds

The attack of the Birds

One day

Back in 2005

When I was living

In Suburban Virgina.

I felt like I was living

In an episode of a famous movie

The “Birds.”

A band of outlaw starlings

Decided to live

On my roof,

And on a door frame

Spending all day there.

Flying back and forth

And making a huge mess

On my front doorstep.

We tried the fake owl

We bought at Walmart

They quickly learned

To ignore it.

We put beanie babies

Up on ledge over the door

That scared them

For a day.

We came home

The bird had totally

Destroyed the beanie babies

And were looking at me.

Grinning as if to say,

“That’s the best you can do, human?

You don’t scare us what with your fake owl

And your fake beanie babies. !”

Our contractor sealed off the ledge

And destroyed their nest on the roof

And the birds reluctantly flew

Off down the street.

But I still saw them

About Flying

Grinning and laughing

At me.

Day Thirty

NaPoWriMo

Tower of Power Still Rocks

Tower of Power

Has been rocking

The world

Since the late 60s

A band straight out

of Oakland

East Bay

they were the best funk band

ever

the poster child

of funkiness.

The best horn section

The best guitar work

The best singers

The best drummers.

their greatest hits

Include,

“What is Hip”

And the immortal make-out song.

“You’re Still a Young Man”

The first song I slowly danced to

The song I played

When I first met my wife

Hearing that song today

I still wonder

How many babies

Were conceived

After slow dancing

To this song?

Final Ode to Tower of Power for this challenge

Wow, we made it, everyone! Today’s the final day of National/Global Poetry Writing Month. We hope you make it to the end of the day with thirty new poems under your belt. But even if you didn’t manage to keep up with the whole poem-a-day thing, we hope you had fun!

We’ll be back tomorrow with our final featured participant and some closing thoughts for the year’s challenge, but in the meantime, our featured participant for today is Catching Lines, who brings us an elegy for Janis Joplin in response to Day 29’s inspired-by-the-music-makers prompt.

Our final resource is Matterport, a site that lets you take virtual tours of all kinds of museums, ranging from the National Museum of Ireland to the Bicycle Museum of America.

Finally, here’s the last prompt of this year’s Na/GloPoWriMo (optional, as always)! In his meandering poem, “Grateful Dead Tapes,” poet Ed Skoog riffs on the eponymous tapes that he’s found in a secondhand store, remembering various instances of hearing the band, both live and in recording. Today, we’d like to challenge you to write a poem that also describes different times in which you’ve heard the same band or piece of music across your lifetime.

2025 April PAD Challenge: Day 30

For Day 30 of the 2025 April Poem-A-Day Challenge, poets (and other party people) are prompted to write a remix poem.

Ghosts Commit Immigration Fraud Prose Poem Version

One day, Bob Jones encountered one of the most memorable fraud cases during his time in India as a U.S. immigration officer. People often pretended to be single instead of married, or married instead of single, to jump the immigration queue. Sometimes officers would reluctantly issue fraudulent visas because proving fraud was nearly impossible and very difficult to do. In general, visas were only refused for fraud when it was blatant, right in front of them, and when the applicant continued to lie even when presented with evidence of their dishonesty.

One day, Miss Patel approached Bob, asking him to reconsider holding up the visas for her four siblings, who were married but pretending to be single. She claimed her father, a U.S. citizen, was in the hospital, and his dying wish was for his children to join him in the U.S. The only problem was that Bob had already checked and found that her father had passed away two weeks earlier. When he died, the petition for the visas died with him. Miss Patel had lied to Bob, pleading for him to grant the visas.

Bob called her up to the window and asked her

,
“So, Miss Patel, when was the last time you spoke to your father?”

She replied,

“Oh, I spoke to him just now. He is still alive and waiting for his children to arrive to see him before he dies.”

“He is alive right now?”

“Yes, he is still alive, and he’s waiting for the immigrant visas to be processed.”

Bob said, “OK, well, there’s just one problem. Do you believe in ghosts?”

“What?”

“Well, you see, here’s the problem. There’s only one way you could have spoken to your father today—and that is if you spoke to a ghost. According to the hospital, he died two weeks ago.”

Bob then showed her the fax from the hospital confirming Mr. Patel’s demise.

Miss Patel started crying. Bob then said,

“Well, I’m sorry, but there is nothing I can do at this point. The law is the law, and I have an obligation to enforce it. Under the law, the penalty for visa fraud is a 99-year ban on entry to the U.S. However, planes fly both ways—you can go visit them every year if you want, but they’re not coming into the United States. You can file for them again, and in eight years, seek a visa waiver for ineligibility. It is sometimes granted.”

Based on a true story from 2003, the immigration system has been broken for decades and remains so to this day.

In my opinion, there is substantial fraud within the immigration system. However, I disagree with massive deportation actions. Instead, I believe we should implement a grand reset by offering amnesty to illegal immigrants working in the U.S. illegally. Green cards could be granted to those meeting three criteria: they either have a job or can secure one, they speak minimal English, and they agree to pay back income taxes on a payment plan spread over several years. Those who fail a background check, do not have a job lined up, or cannot speak English would be given a quick hearing and deported.

This proposal would go hand in hand with a massive overhaul of the immigration system. I would eliminate the sibling category entirely, as well as Diversity Visas (DV). However, I would allow anyone currently in line one year to register with the government and one year to process their visas. Priority would be given to educated immigrants, and a pathway to green cards would be offered to all foreign students. Additionally, I would enforce an English-speaking requirement for all immigrants.

I would also mandate E-Verify systems, ensuring that employers hire only legal immigrants.

This plan would clean up the immigration queue, restore order to the system, and better match the needs of the economy. While immigrants are necessary, it is essential to ensure the process is carried out legally.

April 30, 2025: Poetry Writing Prompt from Brendan Constantine

Jake Piano Jones

Often blamed his parents

And their weird sense of humor

They said

“Hey it was the 60’s, man!”

For giving him the middle name

Piano

Based on the fact

His father was a jazz piano player

And his Mom his biggest fan

He decided to call himself

JP Jones

And the name stuck

He felt it was a better name

For him as he grew up

And became known

As JP Jones

And became a rock star

In his own right

One day

His real name leaked

His fans loved it

And started calling him

Jake Piano Man Jones

And that became

His new name.

Items in my room

Piano

Pilates ball

Couch

Coffee table

Cabinet

Photos

This poem writing prompt submitted by Brendan Constantine:

WHAT’S MY NAME?

Take a few minutes to look around your immediate surroundings and note down 6 different sights. They can be anything. For instance, when I look around my desk I see the following:

An antique lamp
A painting of a cowboy
A glass of lemonade
Hotel Insomnia (book title)
An origami bird
Rabbit shaped candy

Once you have your list – choose one with the most pleasing sound. From my list, I think I’ll go with the last one: Rabbit Shaped Candy

Now set this aside and think about this:

A few years back, an american couple was denied a birth certificate for their infant daughter when they attempted to name her Zuleykha Graceful Allah. A civil lawsuit was subsequently filed in Georgia Superior Court on their behalf. In the supporting argument, the following list of names was offered. They are all names which parents around the world have attempted to bestow on their children.

Tiny Hooker
Stud Duck
Cash Guy
Giant Pelvis
Ghoul Nipple
Sex Fruit
Yeah Detroit
Candy Stohr
Fish and Chips
Fat Meat
Acne Fountain
Legend Belch
Freak Skull
Satan
Dracula
Zombie
Loser
Lust
Sloth
Violence
Cholera
Messiah
Latrina
Crimson Tide Redd
Louisiana Purchase
Number 16 Bus Shelter
Tula Does the Hula in Hawaii

A recent article in Harper’s notes a recent trend in baby names reflective of the global pandemic. Since the outbreak of Covid -19 worldwide, the following new names have appeared:

Corona
Corona Kumar
Corona Kumari
Covid
Covid Marie
Covid Rose
Coviduvidapdap
Lockdown
Sanitizer
Covid Bryant

You can probably see where this is going. Your task is to compose a new poem in which you explore what it would be like to be named for the thing you chose from your list. Your poem can be in any style or person: 1st, 2nd, 3rd.

In my case, I would have to write about Rabbit Shaped Candy.

What’s your name?

Take your time with this one.

April 30—Ars poetica

Why do we write?

40 lines

A writer is often asked
Why do you write?
What motivates you?
What keeps you going?

How do you handle the constant rejections?
The self-doubts
What comes with the writer’s life?

I write as many writers do
Because I must
Because the damn muse
Will never leave me alone

The characters in my head
Demand to let their voices be heard
Demand to be freed
To tell their tales

And I am a slave
To my muse
Who takes me
Where she will

No matter what
I must write every day

Usually starting my day
Drinking coffee
Watching the news unfold

Writing my thoughts
Letting the poetry flow
Out of my soul

Bleeding onto the computer screen
The words waiting to be spoken
To tell their tale
Before the day is over

That is why I write
Because I can not write
That is the Buddha nature
Of being a writer after all.

Most of us probably started writing to fulfill the requirements of our teachers in school. We wrote to pass the course and gain recognition through grade assignments.

During some self-analysis upon leaving the Navy and starting my job search, I realized that the things I enjoyed the most and had the most success with involved writing of some sort. Therefore, a technical writing job seemed to be the perfect union of that interest with my engineering education. For the next few years, I wrote to instruct field technicians on how to implement retrofit modifications on aircraft.

Later, in the business world, I wrote to enlighten co-workers, managers, and customers about procedures, policies, and systems.

Nowadays, while I sometimes still write for those reasons (as I’m doing here), many more factors keep me engaged in this wondrous process. That’s probably the case with you, too.

If you feel a need to express your most personal response to this mysterious, beautiful, and sometimes painful world in the shapes, colors, sounds, and smells of your imagination, creative writing can provide a powerful means of therapeutic release.

The pure joy that comes with meeting the challenges of crafting the language into something meaningful, like molding a piece of clay with your hands, can be a refreshing recreational outlet.

Many writers are driven to publish their work on the printed page. I can vouch for the exhilarating sense of satisfaction that comes with that first acceptance letter.

Upon receiving a reviewer’s comment that one of my stories reminded him of a stand-up comedian’s routine, I realized that the desire to entertain/is also a driving force that keeps me motivated.

For whom do you write?

Many writers resist criticism and defend their writing with the claim that they write only for themselves. While some therapeutic or recreational writing may not be intended for sharing with an audience, writing is usually employed as a means of communicating with other people. Of course, the grocery lists and phone numbers you scribble on scraps of paper probably are intended for only you. However, those things within you that won’t rest until they are given voice–the burning memories that linger in your heart and the fanciful fugitive images floating around in your head–must be shared with someone else to satisfy the need for expression.

When you sit down to write, you should keep your audience in mind. Whether it be your friends and family, a group of readers interested in a particular genre as identified here at WDC, or an editor for a specific publication, the language you use serves as a bridge between you and the reader. Choose accordingly.

Your reasons for writing along with your prospective audience will influence the voice you use in your writing, as the relationship between the writer and the reader develops into a true collaboration in this wondrous experience.

Today’s Practice Session: Write about your objective(s) as you continue on this marvelous journey.

Then ponder the postings of your peers and exchange views about the various motivations that keep us all inspired in this venture.

Bonus Poems Writing Com Weekly Challenge

Prompt Week 34

The seasons of the year 2024

Winter started with Arctic blasts

Polar vortexes

Political turmoil everywhere

and fear of the future.

Spring came and went too soon

I remained in Korea until late Spring

Yellow dust in the air,

Spreading Political turmoil

Summertime in the US is hot, with the fear of wildfires

Went to the US DC, Oregon, California

Political earthquakes in the U.S. continued

Stayed many months dealing with renovations

In the autumn, I attended the 50^th High School reunion

Grateful, I am still alive and kicking

Thinking about the future of the world,

Wondering what it will mean for me?

Use the following words in your poem:

Winter Spring Summer Autumn

Prompt 35

Enjoying La Dolce Vita Italian Style

The Italians

Know how

to celebrate life

how to live

the la Dolce Vita

the sweet life

enjoying fine wine

and great food

with friends

and family

knowing that life

is meant to be savored

life is meant to be enjoyed

one cup of espresso

and one cup of red vino

after another and another

PPC5 Logo 2024 -2025
Prompt/Week # 35

{XLphoto:1074207}
Translation of “La Dolce Vita” is The Sweet Life

PPC5 Logo 2024 -2025
Prompt/Week # 37

Old phone has a story to tell

Back in the day

Sam Adams

Was serving

In the consulate in Mumbai.

In the old Palace

That the US took over

To make it into the consulate

Way back went.

The telephone people

Were there to finally

Modernizing the consulate’s

Aging phone system.

Before moving

to a new modern building

A few years later.

One of the telephone workers

Found an old phone dating back

To the 1920s perhaps.

It was the police hot line

That connected the consulate

To the local police authorities/

No numbers or dials

Just picked up

And the police would

Be on the other end.

Sam took the antique phone

Home with him.

Imagining the stories

The phone could tell

If the phone could remember

To tell the stories

It had heard.

The phone sadly

Sat there

Dead phones

Tell no tales

After all.

Pick any object in your room.
Now write a poem describing this object.

Prompt 38

My favorite Childhood Games

As a young lad

I did not have many “toys”

But I did have a few

Favorite games

First played Monopoly

With my siblings and brothers

When I was five

Last played it decades ago

I also played cards

Learned how to play blackjack

Gin rummy, poker and bridge

Playing Risk and Life

Parcheesi, Scrabble

and other games

My mother killed

At scrabble

and bridge too

My father installed a pool table

When I was perhaps 13

And I played pool

With my friends

My brothers and sister

And father

Until I left home

Last played pool

At my Mom’s house

Perhaps back in 2002

Before she moved

To a nursing home

And the pool table

Was sold

When we sold the house

I have found memories

Of playing monopoly, Risk

Life and other board games

And playing pool too.

PPC5 Logo 2024 -2025
Prompt/Week # 38

Write a poem about your favorite childhood toy.

Review For Poems for April 25 2025
Chapter 26 of the book April 2025 poetry madness

Excellent

Jake, this is an impressively varied and emotionally honest collection.
Your Zappa tribute feels personal and grounded, giving us a glimpse of how his rebellious spirit resonated with you-a nice mixture of admiration and speculative sadness.
The insomnia piece captures the spiraling “what if” panic of sleepless nights with a raw, repetitive urgency that feels very true to experience.
The Sphinx poem leans into a mythic voice nicely, though stretching the imagery a little further could have strengthened it even more.
The caregiving piece is the most affecting-plain, unvarnished, and brutally human. You capture the conflicting emotions-duty, guilt, sadness, even relief-with a refreshing lack of sentimentality.
Small polishing in line breaks and smoothing occasional typos (e.g., “saddest” to “saddest”) would lift the technical finish, but emotional honesty is what shines through most.
A moving and wide-ranging contribution to your NaPoWriMo journey.
Thanks a lot i will fix the typo

thanks a lot i will fix the typo

Michael Ludwinder

7 hours ago

Review For Poems for April 25 2025
Chapter 26 of the book April 2025 poetry madness

Excellent

I really enjoyed the way you shared your thoughts. Your tribute to Frank Zappa felt sincere. I could feel the admiration you have for him as an artist. I also loved how you shared your thoughts about the world. The care you took in describing Sam’s experience with his mother was wonderful. Thank you for sharing these poems – they were full of emotion. Thanks a lot as always

thanks a lot as always

~Dovey

17 hours ago

Review For Poems for April 29 2025
Chapter 30 of the book April 2025 poetry madness

Excellent

Way to go, Jake!

You did a fabulous job keeping up with all the posts for NaPoWriMo!!

I am so glad we all made it!!

Good luck in the voting booth!

Kim thanks Kim

Dolly’sPoems

a day ago

Review For poems for April 28 2025
Chapter 29 of the book April 2025 poetry madness

Excellent

The death of America? Oh dear, I hope not. I looks like your post is full of gremlins and those dreaded (A) letters are all over the place. I wish this site could fix this problem. It sounds like you did a bit of travelling in your working life Jake. I learned a little bit more about you in this post, love Dolly xthanks I will fix that

a day ago

Review For Poems for April 29 2025
Chapter 30 of the book April 2025 poetry madness

Excellent

From musicians to politicians and revolutions to birds here Jake. I expect you are glad the challenge is finally over now and you can rest your well-worn pen, good luck with the contest result, love Dolly xthanks a lot

Michael Ludwinder

a day ago

Review For poems for April 28 2025
Chapter 29 of the book April 2025 poetry madness

Excellent

Great job again. Your poem about the “Funeral Music for the Death of America” is so thought provoking! I liked how you used music choices to share the sadness running through your words. Your voice is clear and honest, and it made me stop and think. “Shredding the Constitution” and “Illegally impounding funds” also really stood out to me – powerful lines. Thanks a lot

Michael Ludwinder

a day ago

Review For Poems for April 29 2025
Chapter 30 of the book April 2025 poetry madness

Excellent

I enjoyed all your poems. The bird story was my favorite though – it’s so funny. And I loved the birds with attitude! Great job – keep sharing more like this!

Review For Poems for April 25 2025
Chapter 26 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness

Excellent

Jake, this is an impressively varied and emotionally honest collection.
Your Zappa tribute feels personal and grounded, giving us a glimpse of how his rebellious spirit resonated with you-a nice mixture of admiration and speculative sadness.
The insomnia piece captures the spiralling “what if” panic of sleepless nights with a raw, repetitive urgency that feels very true to experience.
The Sphinx poem leans into a mythic voice nicely, though stretching the imagery a little further could have strengthened it even more.
The caregiving piece is the most affecting-plain, unvarnished, and brutally human. You capture the conflicting emotions-duty, guilt, sadness, even relief-with a refreshing lack of sentimentality.
Small polishing in line breaks and smoothing occasional typos (e.g., “sadest” to “saddest”) would lift the technical finish, but the emotional honesty is what shines through most.
A moving and wide-ranging contribution to your NaPoWriMo journey.
Timthanks a lot i will fix the typo

thanks a lot i will fix the typo

Michael Ludwinder

7 hours ago

Review For Poems for April 25 2025
Chapter 26 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness

Excellent

thanks a lot as always

Review For Poems for APril 23 2025
Chapter 25 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness

Excellent

I loved this poem collection! Your story about the crazy magpies made me smile! Each was unique and enjoyable in their own way. Your poems are full of heart – keep them coming!

View 1 Reply

Review For Poems for APril 23 2025
Chapter 25 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness

Excellent

Jake, your collection for April 23 offers a rich variety of tone and subject, and there is real pleasure in the movement between them.
The mocking birds piece is wild and vivid, capturing a surreal sense of menace with a playful edge-the birds cackling in Korean and English is a brilliant, slightly absurd detail.
Your piece on “reprogramming your mind” is a warm, important counterpoint: it reminds readers (and perhaps yourself) that joy still exists if we choose to seek it, without falling into preachiness.
The short memory about your house feels quiet and grounded, and the Shakespeare piece is a real highlight: personal, affectionate, and tinged with a sense of time passing.
Your affection for the classics shines through clearly.
If anything, the different pieces might feel a little loosely stitched when read together, but as a daily writing project, this kind of natural shift between moods feels entirely fitting.
A heartfelt and honest set.
Tim

Dolly’sPoems

5 days ago

Review For poems for April 24 2025
Chapter 24 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness

Excellent

It sounds like you enjoy your music and your family Jake and I wish you luck with your piano playing as you work your way through all those ancient composers, love Dolly x x x

View 1 Reply

Michael Ludwinder

5 days ago

Review For poems for April 24 2025
Chapter 24 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness

Excellent

Nicely done again. I like the unique formatting at the end. It’s clear you’ve put a lot of care into writing this. I can feel the frustrations of the system. Well done.

Michael Ludwinder

Review For Poems for April 22
Chapter 23 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness

Excellent

I love the heartfelt flow of your writing. I like how you speak about your Shakespearean actor friend and how that connection shaped your love for the Bard. That flows so naturally into Earth Day musings. The ending – about walking on Mars with your love – was perfect.

Dolly’sPoems

Review For Poems for April 22
Chapter 23 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness

Excellent

I glad to hear you have kept up your piano playing and music brings such a joy to others as well as pleasing your own ear. Shakespeare was far from gay, ha ha ha, he had many female lovers, love Dolly x x x

Dolly’sPoems

Review For Poems for April 21 2025
Chapter 22 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness

Excellent

I am sorry you had a fall that caused you to have many operating Jake, how very sad this is. I had a fall that took me weeks to recover from earlier in the year. You are nearly at the end of this challenge and I admire you for keeping this up, love Dolly x x x

Michael Ludwinder

Review For Poems for April 21 2025
Chapter 22 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness

Excellent

This was well done. The “DOGE Team Attacks” part was a nice touch that gave your poem a fun feeling. It’s nice to read your humor and personal experience in your writing – keep having fun with it!

Review For Poems for April 30 2025
Chapter 31 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness

Excellent

You finally posted your last poem for the April challenge. So many desperate people want to live in the US thinking it is the best place to live, many are disappointed when they get there, love Dolly x x xthanks a lot

Michael Ludwinder

5 hours ago

Review For Poems for April 30 2025
Chapter 31 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness

Excellent

Your poem about Jake Piano Jones made me grin – I love how you showed his name changing over time and how he embraced it in the end! Your writing style is so easy to follow. The line “the damn muse will never leave me alone” made me laugh because it’s so true! Great job.thanks a lot

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April 2025 Poetry Madness Part Five April 26 to April 30

audio clip

You can find my prior April Poems here:

Beginning Poems

NaPoWrMo

Berkeley Mad Psychotic Pineapple Burns Sonnet

2025 April PAD Challenge: Day 26

Nigerian scam Hermit Crab found poem

Poetry Superhighway Prompts

I am not a Christian

April 26—Travel

Noisy Korea Now My Home

Bonus Poem Visit to Korea

NaPoWrMo

Buddhist Temple Hell Paintings

2025 April PAD Challenge: Day 27

Join poets from around the country and the world to write a poem each day of April. For today’s prompt, write a New Blank poem.

New World Order Emerging

“Deep Fried Blood Alien chicken-pork cutlets for dinner”

April 27—Duty

Congress Symmetrel

Funeral Music for the Death of America

2025 April PAD Challenge: Day 28

For Day 28 of the 2025 April Poem-A-Day Challenge, poets (and other colorful people) are prompted to write a color poem.

Color of Justice is Gold and Green

April 28, 2025: Poetry Writing Prompt from Alex Phuong

April 28—Back to work

My Life as a Diplomat

NaPoWriMo

Rock Stars of the 19th Century’

2025 April PAD Challenge: Day 29

On Day 29 of the 2025 April Poem-A-Day Challenge, writers are challenged with the fifth (and final) Two-for-Tuesday prompt of the month.

The beginning of the End of MAGA Dreams

Dew Drop In Prompts

April 29—Birds

The attack of the Birds

NaPoWriMo

Tower of Power Still Rocks

2025 April PAD Challenge: Day 30

For Day 30 of the 2025 April Poem-A-Day Challenge, poets (and other party people) are prompted to write a remix poem.

Ghosts Commit Immigration Fraud Prose Poem Version

April 30, 2025: Poetry Writing Prompt from Brendan Constantine

Jake Piano Jones

April 30—Ars poetica

Why do we write?

Bonus Poems Writing Com Weekly Challenge

Prompt Week 34

The seasons of the year 2024

Prompt 35

Enjoying La Dolce Vita Italian Style

PPC5 Logo 2024 -2025 Prompt/Week # 37

Old phone has a story to tell

Prompt 38

My favorite Childhood Games

Review For Poems for April 25 2025 Chapter 26 of the book April 2025 poetry madness

Review For Poems for April 25 2025 Chapter 26 of the book April 2025 poetry madness

Review For Poems for April 29 2025 Chapter 30 of the book April 2025 poetry madness

Review For poems for April 28 2025 Chapter 29 of the book April 2025 poetry madness

Review For Poems for April 29 2025 Chapter 30 of the book April 2025 poetry madness

Review For poems for April 28 2025 Chapter 29 of the book April 2025 poetry madness

Review For Poems for April 29 2025 Chapter 30 of the book April 2025 poetry madness

Review For Poems for April 25 2025 Chapter 26 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness

Review For Poems for April 25 2025 Chapter 26 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness

Review For Poems for APril 23 2025 Chapter 25 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness

Review For poems for April 24 2025 Chapter 24 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness

Review For poems for April 24 2025 Chapter 24 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness

Review For Poems for April 22 Chapter 23 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness

Review For Poems for April 22 Chapter 23 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness

Review For Poems for April 21 2025 Chapter 22 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness

Review For Poems for April 21 2025 Chapter 22 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness

Review For Poems for April 30 2025 Chapter 31 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness

Review For Poems for April 30 2025 Chapter 31 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness

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Rock Stars of the 19^th Century’

PPC5 Logo 2024 -2025
Prompt/Week # 37

Review For Poems for April 25 2025
Chapter 26 of the book April 2025 poetry madness

Review For Poems for April 25 2025
Chapter 26 of the book April 2025 poetry madness

Review For Poems for April 29 2025
Chapter 30 of the book April 2025 poetry madness

Review For poems for April 28 2025
Chapter 29 of the book April 2025 poetry madness

Review For Poems for April 29 2025
Chapter 30 of the book April 2025 poetry madness

Review For poems for April 28 2025
Chapter 29 of the book April 2025 poetry madness

Review For Poems for April 29 2025
Chapter 30 of the book April 2025 poetry madness

Review For Poems for April 25 2025
Chapter 26 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness

Review For Poems for April 25 2025
Chapter 26 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness

Review For Poems for APril 23 2025
Chapter 25 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness

Review For poems for April 24 2025
Chapter 24 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness

Review For poems for April 24 2025
Chapter 24 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness

Review For Poems for April 22
Chapter 23 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness

Review For Poems for April 22
Chapter 23 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness

Review For Poems for April 21 2025
Chapter 22 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness

Review For Poems for April 21 2025
Chapter 22 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness

Review For Poems for April 30 2025
Chapter 31 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness

Review For Poems for April 30 2025
Chapter 31 of the book APril 2025 poetry madness