April Poetry Madness 2024 April 21 to April 25, 2024

https://wp.me/p7NAzO-2Rm

This is the fourth batch of my April Poetry Madness challenge poems, (for April 21 to April 25), following daily prompts supplied by Poetry Superhighway, Writer’s Digest, Writing Com Dew Drop Inn, and NaPoWriMo. I am not posting any more PSH poems as I need to keep some unpublished for future submissions.

I have included the poem, the prompt, and occasionally a bonus poem or comment or two. I am also cross-posting this on All Poetry, Blog Lovin, Cosmos Funnel, Facebook, Fan Story, Instagram, LinkedIn, Medium, Substack, Wattpad, Writer’s Digest, Writing Com, and Twitter. This is probably my last time doing this. Just getting too old to keep up.

You can find my previous entries here:

April 1 to April 6 Poems 2024 Poetry Madness

April Poetry Madness 2024 April 7 to April 14

PSH April 2023 Poems

April 2023 Poems

Writers Digest April 2023 Poems

https://wp.me/p7NAzO-2QB April 15 to April 20

https://wp.me/p7NAzO-2Rm April 21 to April 25

Comments are welcomed but keep it civil.

Part One

April 1

PSH Ode to Durian

WD Optimistic Letourneau

WC Dew Drop Inn

Easter Bunny -warm up March 31

Sarang pabo love fool

NaPoWrMo Springtime Flowers Blooming Love

April 2

PSH The Words of the Year 1955 PSH

WD Sad and happy days

WC Dew Drop Inn

NaPoWrMo Cage

NaPoWrMo It Can’t Happen Here

April 3

Berkeley Mad Psychotic Pineapple Burns Sonnet

PSH 2 AI Version Traditional Sonnet

WD My Musical Street

WC Dew Drop Inn

NaPoWrMo Ode to Coffee

April 4, 2024

PSH The Cosmic Dog from Goa

WD Don’t Make a Mistake Vote for Jake

WC Ending Daily Shaving in Retirement

NaPoWrMo The Parliament of Owls Decree Death to All Humans

AV version The Parliament of Owls Decree Death to All Humans

April 5, 2024

PSH Love Expressed Through Food

WD Tell Me No Lies

WC Make Baseball Great Again!

NaPoWrMo Resurrecting the Dodo Bird

April 6

PSH Cosmic Dog From Goa

WD Meeting My Fate Minimum Poem

WC Daily Ritual Drinks

NaPoWrMo Only In SF

Part Two

April 7

PSH Visiting My Father’s Grave

Bonus: Yakima Dessert Blues

WD Meeting My Fate Minimum Poem

WC Why Trump?

NaPoWrMo Planetary Nut Re-Configuration Program

April 8

PSH Area Codes

WD My Lucky Number

WC Economic Perception Delay

NaPoWrMo Wish You Were Here

April 9

PSH Dearly Beloved

WD the Major Event of My Life

WC Death to All Humans

NaPoWrMo My Dysfunctional Family

April 10

PSH You Can’t Write That!

WD Better Political Discourse Needed

WC Green Trees Don’t Make It

AI Bing Version

NaPoWrMo Ode to My Coffee Pot

April 11

PSH Quote Poem About 9-11

WD Crazy Love Nonet

WC April 11—Eclipse/d two Lunatic Lune Poems about the Eclipse

NaPoWrMo Tribute to John Dean

April 12

PSH Subway Journey

WD Old Man Lost In His Old Memories

WC Civil War 2.0

NaPoWrMo 11 One Liners

April 13

PSH First Time to Eat Kimchi

WD Five Trumpian Humor Poetic Fragments

WC April 13—Discovery Shooting Down the Alien Visitors

NaPoWrMo Saga of Big Daddy

April 14

PSH 99 Haiku TBC

WD Life Worth Living

WC Tech Peeves

NaPoWrMo Shy Man Fishing

Part Three

Writer’s Digest Poems

April 15 New Middle Poem Middle Of Political Silly Season In The U.S. Trigger Warning Mild Political Rant

April 16 Trump Shardona Poem

April 17 New Tuesday prompt write a Shadorma poem about recent tech layoffs CEO To Labor Units of Production Shardona – You are Not Wanted

April 18 WD pessimistic Poem -not the Way to Fire People New Rules in the New Corporation World

April 19 Emotion Poem -Fears of Falling

April 20 The Circus Bear Escapes

Bear in collar hears praise while rambling

alt. bonus poem Met And Married My Dream Lady

Writing Com Dew Drop Inn Prompts

WC April 15 Lament Drifting Towards Civil War 2.0

WC Prove Something – God’s Demented Sense of Humor

WC Question something -The Basic Decency and Sanity of Americans

WC Scumbagology

WC Comedy – The Donald Trump Show is Getting Old

NaPoWriMo Prompts

April 15

My stamp collection

April 16

late Night Earthquake blues

April 17

What is Hip?

April 18 It’s A Dog’s Life for Me

April 19

Hunting the Monsters in Hell

Day 20 Trail of Tears – My Family Connection

Begin Poems

Writers Digest Prompts

April 21 PAD Challenge: Fairy Tale Romance

Sam Adams often thought

Of his true love story

As a fairy tale romance

That somehow became real.

He had dreamt of meeting

His dream lady

For eight years.

He joined the Peace Corps

Traveled to Korea

To look for her.,

Then one day

She told him

In his dream

“Don’t worry

We will meet soon”

That night

She walked off a bus

Into his life

Becoming his wife.

They were from different worlds

She was a Korean college student

From a middle-class family.

And he had grown up

As the son of a college professor

And politician in liberal Berkeley.

Yet despite their different backgrounds

And different personalities

He was not very practical

Lost in his world at times

Not that ambitious.

She was very practical

Money minded woman

Determined to make her mark

On the world

And they did not see eye to eye

On many things

But on the things that really matter

They were there for each other

Understanding each other

And their love grew

Day by day.

Until one day

Sam realized that they had

Been together 42 years

And were still in love.

And that had made all the difference

In their fairy tale true love story.

Write a poem every day of April with the 2024 April Poem-A-Day Challenge. For today’s prompt, write a trope poem.

Once we get through today’s poem, we’ll be finished with the first three weeks of this challenge. Where has the time gone?

For today’s prompt, write a trope poem. For most people, tropes are common plot devices used in certain genres. In romance, for example, the “different worlds” trope brings together two characters from different walks of life and/or cultures. Meanwhile, a popular trope in horror fiction is to split up, which usually doesn’t end well for many of the characters. Mysteries frequently feature the “unassuming suspect” trope. Pick a trope or mix a few in your poem today.

If you need help getting started, check out these lists of popular tropes:

check out and save for future use

21 Popular Romance Tropes for Writers.

21 Popular Thriller Tropes for Writers.

21 Popular Horror Tropes for Writers.

21 Popular Mystery Tropes for Writers.

21 Popular Fantasy Tropes for Writers.

2024 April PAD Challenge: Day 22 Gaii’s Calls for Revenge Against Humanity Earth Day Nightmare

The spirit of the ancient trees woke up
after thousands of years of slumber.

They woke up and marched on Washington
demanding an end to logging, pollution, mining
and other assaults on the planet earth
by the mad human creatures.

They said that Gaia, the guardian angel
of the planet had summoned them
with this warning to the people of earth.
Your time on this planet is coming to an end
i have decreed it, and no one can oppose my will.

Gaia kept her word, unleashing a supper plagues
wiped out 99 percent of humanity.
The few who remained lived under
the watchful eyes of the tree spirits.

Today is Earth Day, so…

For today’s prompt, write an earth poem. The poem can be about nature or the planet. But it can also be about anything or anyone on the planet. Or dirt (aka, earth); feel encouraged to write a poem about dirt. Or earthlings!

2024 April PAD Challenge: Day 23 The Heart of the Matter

Donald Trump’s Trials the Heart of the Matter

The heart of the matter

With Donald Trump’s numerous trials

Is simply this

Is the former president

Above the law

Can he do what he wants

And not be held accountable?

Is the former president

An authoritarian leader

A potential king?

Or is he simply

An everyday citizen now?

Is he a strong leader

a visionary revolutionary populist?

As he constantly proclaims

Or is he broken-down

Pathetic old loser ?

That is the heart

Of the matter.

Today is our fourth Two-for-Tuesday prompt, which would usually mean it’s the final Two-for-Tuesday prompt of the month, but we’re lucky this year: five Tuesdays!

For today’s Two-for-Tuesday prompt:

Write a “(blank) of the Heart” poem, and/or…

Write a “Heart of the (blank)” poem.

Not sure what I’m talking about? Replace the blank in either of these phrases with a new word or phrase, make the new phrase the title of your poem, and then, write your poem. Possible titles might include: “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” “Coney Island of the Heart,” “Heart of the Champion,” and/or “Heart of the Night.”

2024 April PAD Challenge: Maximum Cruelty in the Name of Jesus in the Point

I don’t understand

Why are so many Christian evangelical leaders

And politicians

Are so cruel to everyone!

It seems as if displaying

Maximum cruelty.

To the marginalized communities

To the poor, to immigrants

To the black and brown community

To Asians and other foreigners

To women, and especially

To the LGBTQ community

Is the point.

And all done in Jesus’s name.

By this self proclaimed

Christians.

This is something that Jesus

If he came back

Would not approve

As it violates the core principles,

Of the Christian faith.

Jesus would say,

“Where is the love?

Where is the compassion?

Where is the mercy ?

That I proclaimed

Was the core of my teachings?”

He would say to them,

“You are not Christians”

And he would drive them

Out of the Christian church.

Write a poem every day of April with the 2024 April Poem-A-Day Challenge. For today’s prompt, write a maximum poem.

Well, we’ve only got a week of April remaining, so let’s poem the heck out of the rest of this month.

For today’s prompt, write a maximum poem. Some people may recall that we wrote a minimum poem back on day 6; this takes that concept and brings it back the other way. In fact, one possible way into today’s poem would be to see what you did on day 6 and turn it on its head. Or go somewhere completely new. Whatever you do, take it to the max.

Day 25 Insight into Trumps Incite

One of the many things

That the former President

Has been accused of is

His calls for his followers

To rise up and riot,

An incitement to violence

On his behalf

Like on January 6th.

My insight into

this incitement rhetoric

Is simply this,

The former president is

The ultimate con man

An authoritarian wannabe

And inciting violence

Is part of his stock in trade

Hoping that his MAGA nation

Will help him take power again.

Writing Com Dew Drop Inn Prompts

April 21—Salient Image (poem based on one concrete thing you remember at day’s end)

Every evening when I fall asleep,

I see my wife of 42 years

Coming to me.

And every morning

I wake up

Feeling her love.

And I realize

That the one good thing

I have done in this life.

Is marry the lady

Of my dreams.

April 22— Serio-comic dilemma

2024 Election Choices Trigger Warning -Anti-Trump Rant!

The election of 2024

Presents an existential choice

Which old white grandpa dude

Both past their prime time

Do you support for president?

Friendly, grandpa

Who has been president

For the last three years?

Presiding over a decent economic expansion

Amid war in Europe and the Mid-east.

Or the former chaos president

Facing multiple court cases

Owing settlements for fraud

Sexual assault and defamation?

Who promises more chaos

And retribution against his enemies

In the deep state, and media.

Calling them all communists

As if an international communist threat

Was it still a thing?

Promising to deport

Illegal aliens

And possibly withdrawing from NATO

And other alliances,

and impose crippling tariffs

on all imports?

Yet to his supporters

Has been anointed by god

To vanquish his enemies.

or vote for RFJ, JR

or Cornel West

or Jill Stein

or the libertarian candidate

or just boycott the election.

staying home in disgust.

Sadly, that is our choice

On election day.

The obvious choice for this prompt was the current re-match in the U.S. pitting Trump Vs Biden and three to four third parties. what a farce it is in my mind. In a country of 335 million people, these are our choices?.

April 23—Let Shakespeare be your inspiration

lovers — couple-in-love-silhouette-during

My true love story

Almost seems like

A fairy tale romance.

Romeo and Julian almost.

Two lovers met

From different worlds

And find themselves.

Also has elements

Of “Mid-summer night dreams”

Sonnets and poems.

And other classic romance

Dramas, poems, and stories.

And classic romcoms.

Including Sleepless in Seattle

And Bollywood and K dramas..

But in my story

I dreamt of meeting

And marrying my dream lady

Traveled to Korea

Where she was waiting for me.

And despite opposition

From her family.

There was a happy ending

And we are still together

42 years later.

I likened my true love story to a Shakespearean drama or sonnet as it had elements of Romeo and Juliet and Midsummer’s Night Dream among other plays and sonnets. I have written a lot about my fairy tale dream romance in my portfolio and on my blog.

April 24—Unexplored Desire

As one gets older

One often looks back

At all the things you did

In your life.

The good, the bad, and the ugly

And we all have those moments

Because we are human.

And some things you desired

But never pursued.

For me, it was a dream

Of becoming a famous writer

While I can write poems

And short stories,

My greatest desire

Was to write

The Great American Novel.

And sadly it will remain

An unfulfilled desire

As I don’t have the patience or energy .

To edit my six rough draft novels

Turning them into something publishable

And they may die when I die.

And I am in good company.

The rule of ten rule applies

Of one hundred people

Who want to write a novel

Less than ten percent finish it

Of those less than ten percent publish it

Of those less than ten percent make any money

Of those less than ten percent make a living

At writing their novels.

The rule of ten is a meme that applies to many things. I have seen it applied to novel writing, acting, politics and sports. The point being that most people fail to achieve their dreams and there are only a few professional athletes for example although there are millions of people who have played the game in high school or college, few ever make it to the major leagues. Similar thing applies to novelists, only a few people ever make money from writing a novel. Among Actors they call it the 1 percent rule, of people who try acting, only 1 percent will ever make a living from being an actor full time, and politics. Of all those who aspire to be President, only 45 have ever made it, and 44 were white males, and one black man.

April 25—TV series

One of my favorite shows as a child

Was the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show.

Featuring Rocky the squirrel.

Bulwinkle the Moose

And associated bad guys.

Including Boris Benioff

And Natasha Fatale

Vaguely Eastern European communists.

who worked for the Fearless Leader

perhaps East German or Russian?

Rocky and Bullwinkle

Like the Simpsons, Futurama,

American Dad and Family Guy

Were children’s show

They were also quite subversive

Satire on modern life.

But Bulwinkle remains my favorite

Years ago I binged watched episodes

And remember every episode

Even though I had last seen them

Almost 50 years before.

Bing Co-Pilot provided useful background information

Certainly! The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends, commonly referred to as simply Rocky and Bullwinkle, is an American animated television series that originally aired from November 19, 1959, to June 27, 1964, on the ABC and NBC television networks. Produced by Jay Ward Productions, the series is structured as a variety show, with the main feature being the serialized adventures of the two title characters:

Rocket J. (“Rocky”) Squirrel: An anthropomorphic flying squirrel.

Bullwinkle J. Moose: A moose.

The main antagonists in most of their adventures are the two Russian-like spies:

Boris Budanov

Natasha Fatale

Both Boris and Natasha work for the Nazi-like dictator Fearless Leader. The show also features several supporting segments, including:

Dudley Do-Right: A parody of an old-time melodrama.

Peabody’s Improbable History: In this segment, a dog named Mr. Peabody and his boy Sherman travel through time.

Fractured Fairy Tales: Classic fairy tales retold in comic fashion.

The series has left a lasting cultural impact and continues to be beloved by audiences. Although the current blanket title was imposed for home video releases more than 40 years after the series originally aired, the show was broadcast under different titles during its television run:

Rocky and His Friends (1959–1961)

The Bullwinkle Show (1961–1964)

The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show (or The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle) in syndication 1 2 3.

Another interesting factoid the writers of the show were Berkeley High school students in the late 50’s when I was born.

NaPoWriMo Prompts

April 21 News Gives Me the Blues

cnn logo

Watching the news

As the sun rises,

Drinking a cup

Of snarling coffee.

Often causes me

To feel the blues.

As I watch the gloom

And doom the blues

Comes knocking at my door.

Then I look outside

And see the blue sky

Inviting me

To go for a walk.

As I walk with my wife

The love of my life

By the blue waters

Of the Gimpo Korea canal.

Near my house.

Enjoying the blue sky

And the blue neon sign displays,

A bluebird of happiness

flies overhead

And the blues fade away.

And now for our (optional) prompt! Today, we’d like to challenge you to write a poem that repeats or focuses on a single color. Some examples for you – Diane Wakoski’s “Blue Monday,” Walter de la Mare’s “Silver,” and Dorothea Lasky’s “Red Rum.”

April 22 Coffee and Tea endless argument – which is better?

Coffee and Tea

Two old friends from way back

Were having an argument

In their favorite coffee shop

the Original Peets

on Walnut and Vine

in Berkeley’s gourmet ghetto

It was a long-standing argument

Dating back thousands of years ,

Which is better for you,

Coffee or tea?

Mr. Carl Coffee maintained

it was better

For you with antioxidants

Flavonoids and some caffeine.

Ms Angela Tea maintained coffee

Was overrated,

Had too much caffeine

And cost too much

In fancy coffee shops.

Like Peets.

The two friends

Concluded their argument.

And went out and had

A few shots of Mt. Guy rum

In a bar near Campus.

Carl Coffee was paying

As coffee was better paid.

Based on following article

Certainly! Here’s an article from The Washington Post that compares the benefits of coffee versus tea: Why coffee is healthier than tea. It explores the research and explains why coffee comes out on top. ☕🍵

Last but not least, here’s today’s optional prompt. This one comes from the poet and fiction writer Todd Dillard, who provided this idea on his twitter account a few months ago. The idea is to write a poem in which two things have a fight. Two very unlikely things, if you can manage it. Like, maybe a comb and a spatula. Or a daffodil and a bag of potato chips. Or perhaps your two things could be linked somehow – like a rock and a hard place – and be utterly sick of being so joined. The possibilities are endless!

April 23 Batman Feeling the Blues Kojiki Poem

On a winter’s night

Batman was in the Bat Mobile

on his nightly drive

he was feeling his age

no longer the batman he was

now just an old man

driving in the bat mobile

tired of fighting criminals

just feeling the blues.

info from Fan Story Japanese Poetry group

This week we are learning how to write a KOJIKI poem. You may use the event’s picture or your own.

KOJIKI is the oldest poetic form that dates back to the 712th century. It’s divided into three parts: upper 5/7/5 – middle 5/7/5 – lower 7/7/7 syllables. Originally, KOJIKI was about religion but for this challenge, you can use any theme. It doesn’t rhyme. It uses a kigo (seasonal reference).

HISTORY

The Kojiki is one of the two primary sources for Shinto, the Japanese national religion. It starts in the realm of myth, with the creation of Japan from foam. Innumerable gods and goddesses are described. The narrative moves from mythology to historical legends and culminates in a chronology of the early Imperial line.

wikipedia

And now for our (optional) prompt. Today, we’d like to challenge you to write a poem about, or involving, a superhero, taking your inspiration from these four poems in which Lucille Clifton addresses Clark Kent/Superman.

April 24 the Dream of the Sphinx

In the shadowed desert night,

The Sphinx stirs from her slumber,

Her eyes half-closed, half-open,

Ancient riddles etched upon her stone.

She dreams of forgotten empires,

Of pharaohs and their fleeting glory,

Of sands that whisper secrets,

And winds that carry

echoes of lost civilizations.

Her paws, once mighty and fierce,

Now cradle the shifting dunes,

Their touch a memory of power,

Their weight a burden for eternity.

The Sphinx dreams of travelers,

Bold souls who seek her wisdom,

Their footsteps leaving imprints,

Brief as the morning dew on desert blooms.

Her gaze pierces time’s veil,

Seeking answers in the constellations,

As if the stars hold the key

To unlock the riddles of existence.

And so she waits, patient and silent,

Guardian of forgotten truths,

Her dream a bridge between epochs,

Her secret hidden in the sands of time.

based on Emerson’s Poem the Sphinx

The Sphinx

Ralph Waldo Emerson1803 (Boston) – 1882 (Concord)

The Sphinx is drowsy,
The wings are furled;
Her ear is heavy,
She broods on the world.
“Who’ll tell me my secret,
The ages have kept?–
I awaited the seer,
While they slumbered and slept;–“The fate of the man-child;
The meaning of man;
Known fruit of the unknown;
Daedalian plan;
Out of sleeping a waking,
Out of waking a sleep;
Life death overtaking;
Deep underneath deep?”Erect as a sunbeam,
Upspringeth the palm;
The elephant browses,
Undaunted and calm;
In beautiful motion
The thrush plies his wings;
Kind leaves of his covert,
Your silence he sings.”The waves, unashamed,
In difference sweet,
Play glad with the breezes,
Old playfellows meet;
The journeying atoms,
Primordial wholes,
Firmly draw, firmly drive,
By their animate poles.

“Sea, earth, air, sound, silence,
Plant, quadruped, bird,
By one music enchanted,
One deity stirred,–
Each the other adorning,
Accompany still;
Night veileth the morning,
The vapor the hill.

“The babe by its mother
Lies bathed in joy;
Glide its hours uncounted,–
The sun is its toy;
Shines the peace of all being,
Without cloud, in its eyes;
And the sum of the world
In soft miniature lies.

“But man crouches and blushes,
Absconds and conceals;
He creepeth and peepeth,
He palters and steals;
Infirm, melancholy,
Jealous glancing around,
An oaf, an accomplice,
He poisons the ground.

“Outspoke the great mother,
Beholding his fear;–
At the sound of her accents
Cold shuddered the sphere:–
‘Who has drugged my boy’s cup?
Who has mixed my boy’s bread?
Who, with sadness and madness,
Has turned the man-child’s head?'”

I heard a poet answer,
Aloud and cheerfully,
“Say on, sweet Sphinx! thy dirges
Are pleasant songs to me.
Deep love lieth under
These pictures of time;
They fad in the light of
Their meaning sublime.

“The fiend that man harries
Is love of the Best;
Yawns the pit of the Dragon,
Lit by rays from the Blest.
The Lethe of nature
Can’t trace him again,
Whose soul sees the perfect,
Which his eyes seek in vain.

“Profounder, profounder,
Man’s spirit must dive;
To his aye-rolling orbit
No goal will arrive;
The heavens that now draw him
With sweetness untold,
Once found,–for new heavens
He spurneth the old.

“Pride ruined the angels,
Their shame them restores;
And the joy that is sweetest
Lurks in stings of remorse.
Have I a lover
Who is noble and free?–
I would he were nobler
Than to love me.

“Eterne alternation
Now follows, now flied;
And under pain, pleasure,–
Under pleasure, pain lies.
Love works at the centre,
Heart-heaving alway;
Forth speed the strong pulses
To the borders of day.

“Dull Sphinx, Jove keep thy five wits!
Thy sight is growing blear;
Rue, myrrh, and cummin for the Sphinx–
Her muddy eyes to clear!”–
The old Sphinx bit her thick lip,–
Said, “Who taught thee me to name?
I am thy spirit, yoke-fellow,
Of thine eye I am eyebeam.

“Thou art the unanswered question;
Couldst see they proper eye,
Alway it asketh, asketh;
And each answer is a lie.
So take thy quest through nature,
It through thousand natures ply;
Ask on, thou clothed eternity;
Time is the false reply.”

Uprose the merry Sphinx,
And crouched no more in stone;
She melted into purple cloud,
She silvered in the moon;
She spired into a yellow flame;
She flowered in blossoms red;
She flowed into a foaming wave;
She stood Monadnoc’s head.

Through a thousand voices
Spoke the universal dame:
“Who telleth one of my meanings,
Is master of all I am.”

Finally, our (optional) prompt for the day is another one pulled from our 2016 archives. Today, we’d like to challenge you to write a poem that begins with a line from another poem (not necessarily the first one), but then goes elsewhere with it. This will work best if you just start with a line of poetry you remember, but without looking up the whole original poem. Or you could find a poem that you haven’t read before and then use a line that interests you. The idea is for the original to furnish the backdrop for your work, but without influencing you so much that you feel as if you are just rewriting the original! For example, you could begin, “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day,” or “I have measured out my life with coffee spoons,” or “I miss them, but it wasn’t a disaster,” or “they persevere in swimming where they like.” Really, any poem will do to provide your starter line – just so long as it gives you the scope to explore.

Day 25 Proust Questionnaire

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

I am most content and happy

when I am hanging out

just being with

the love of my life

What or who is the greatest love of your life?

Angela Lee is my Dream Lady

she haunted my dreams for eight years

then came to life

walked off a bus

in South Korea

42 years ago

a fairy tale romance

come to life

What is your current state of mind?

My current state of mind

is quiet contemplation

and sense of inner peace

When and where were you happiest?

The happiest day of my life

was the day I met my wife

42 years ago

Which talent would you most like to have?

I would have liked

to have been able

to drive a car

play the piano professionally

sing in a blues band

finish my novels

better skills

at learning languages

better vision

more coordination skills

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

I would have liked

to have been born

without a learning disability.

better vision

better teeth

better hearing

more coordination

less socially awkward

but still genius level IQ

and never had the accident

that left me with life-long fibromyalgias

and arthritis, to boot.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

My greatest achievements include

Joining the State Department

Joining the Peace Corps

Graduating from UW graduate school

graduating from college

Teaching College for three years overseas

and the most important thing of all

is marrying my dream lady

What is your most marked characteristic?

sense of humor

sense of adventure

incurable romantic

poet, writer, dreamer

What do you most value in your friends?

understanding, empathy, sense of humor

sense of wonder

Last but not least, here’s our optional prompt for the day. Today, we’d like to challenge you to write a poem based on the “Proust Questionnaire,” a set of questions drawn from Victorian-era parlor games, and adapted by modern interviewers. You could choose to answer the whole questionnaire, and then write a poem based on your answers, answer just a few, or just write a poem that’s based on the questions. You could even write a poem in the form of an entirely new Proust Questionnaire. We have a fairly standard, 35-question version of the questionnaire laid out for you below.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

What is your greatest fear?

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?

What is the trait you most deplore in others?

Which living person do you most admire?

What is your greatest extravagance?

What is your current state of mind?

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?

On what occasion do you lie?

What do you most dislike about your appearance?

Which living person do you most despise?

What is the quality you most like in a man?