2025 April Poetry Madness

Part Two April 6 to April 12

I am again entering the April Poetry challenge and will write every day and post once a week or so

I will not post everything, 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 poems followed by the prompts.  I am writing four poems per day following prompts in NaPoWriMo, Writer’s Digest, Poetry Superhighway, and Writing.com’s Dew Drop In.

I will post them once a week here and on Substack, Medium, Wattpad, and as a podcast on Spotify. I will also post them every day on Fan Story.

Please check out these sites and follow me.

 

You can find my prior April Poems here:

April Poetry Madness 2024 April 26 to April 30, 2024 Poems

April Poetry Madness April 21 to APril 25 Poems
April 2024 Poetry Madness April 15 to 20 Poems
April Poetry Madness 2024 April 7 to April 14
April 1 to April 6 Poems 2024 Poetry Madness

PSH April 2023 Poems
April 20-30 2023 Poems Do Drop In
April 2023 Poetry Dew Drop In April 11-15
Writers Digest April 2023 Poems

April 2023 Dew Drop In Poems
April 30th, 2022 Poems
April 29th Poems
April 26th and April 27th, 2022 Poems
April 23rd, April 24th and April 25th, 2022 Poems
April 22, 2022 Poems
April 23rd, April 24th and April 25th, 2022 Poems

April 22, 2022 Poems
April 18 to April 20, 2022 Poems</a >

April 18 to April 20, 2022 Poems
April 16 and 17, 2022 Poems

Enjoy and stay safe, everyone

April 6 to April 12 poems

NaPoWriMo   the theme this month is appreciating the Arts and Music!

Day Six

Cinammon Snarling Cup of Coffee

I like starting my day

With a snarling cup

Of coffee

 

Fully loaded with cinnamon

Black pepper

And tumeric

in my coffee

 

Sometimes it makes

me wheeze

As I sneeze

 

Inhaling the golden color

Of the cinnamon

Turmeric and black pepper.

 

On April 6, 2025

Hello all! We’re now up to six whole days of National/Global Poetry Writing Month. We hope you’re feeling satisfied with your work so far, and looking forward to what’s yet to come.

Our featured participant for today is Gloria Gonsalves, who brings us a death-metal skirt poem in response to Day 5’s notation prompt.

Today’s daily resource is the online tour section of the Louvre. Not in Paris? No problem! You can still stroll – albeit virtually – through the hallowed corridors of France’s most famous museum, checking out exhibitions on dance, puppetry, royal portraits, and more!

Today’s prompt (optional, as always) veers slightly away from our ekphrastic theme. To get started, pick a number between 1 and 10. Got your number? Okay! Now scroll down until you come to a chart. Find the row with your number. Then, write a poem describing the taste of the item in Column A, using the words that appear in that row in Column B and C. For bonus points, give your poem the title of the word that appears in Column A for your row, but don’t use that word in the poem itself.

Happy writing!

Row	Column A	Column B	Column C
1	Ginger	Snap	Opulent
2	Honey	Sizzle	Velvet
3	Cinnamon	Wheeze	Golden
4	Tea	Cuckoo	Unfit
5	Oranges	Gurgle	Irreverent
6	Mint	Boing	Primitive
7	Watermelon	Splash	Mocking
8	Banana	Rasp	Unpardonable
9	Lemongrass	Pitter-Patter	Eager
10	Cilantro	Drip	Gentle

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Day Seven

 

Why I am Not a Sonata

If I could be

A piece of music

I would be

 

A majestic symphony

Along the lines

Of the Great Russian symphonies

Or Beethovian symphony

 

I would not be a piano sonata

Although I am playing Mozart

These days.

 

Welcome back, everyone, for Day Nine of Na/GloPoWriMo.

Today, our featured participant is jasmine, whose ghazal for Day Eight pushes against, and with, the limits of transalation and English’s habit of stealing/adopting/buying at wholesale words from other languages.

Our featured resource for the day is the online gallery of the Peabody-Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts. Although it may be most famous for its witch trials, Salem was a seafaring town whose sailors and shipowners brought back all manner of items from their travels – which became the initial source of the museum’s collection. The museum has a stunning group of “Asian Export” items – goods that were crafted in India, Japan, China, and other locations visited by Salem’s ships (often as part of an overall trade in tea, porcelain, and textiles) – to appeal to an American/European market. That’s how you wind up with things like this French-styled dressing table with elaborate lacquer-work.

And here’s our optional prompt for the day. Like music, poetry offers us a way to play with and experience sound. This can be through meter, rhyme, varying line lengths, assonance, alliteration, and other techniques that call attention not just to the meaning of words, but the way they echo and resonate against each other. For a look at some of these sound devices in action, read Robert Hillyer’s poem, Fog. It uses both rhyme and uneven line lengths to create a slow, off-kilter rhythm that heightens the poem’s overall ominousness. Today we’d like to challenge you to try writing a poem of your own that uses rhyme, but without adhering to specific line lengths. For extra credit, reference a very specific sound, like the buoy in Hillyer’s poem.

Fog

Robert Hillyer

 

Where does the sea end and the sky begin?

We sink in blue for which there is no word.

Two sails, fog-coloured, loiter on the thin

Mirage of ocean.

There is no sound of wind, nor wave, nor bird,

Nor any motion.

Except the shifting mists that turn and lift,

Showing behind the two limp sails a third,

Then blotting it again.

 

A gust, a spattering of rain,

The lazy water breaks in nervous rings.

Somewhere a bleak bell buoy sings,

Muffled at first, then clear,

Its wet, grey monotone.

The dead are here.

We are not quite alone.

Day Eight

Ghazal for Angela Lee

I met my wife in a dream.
Angela Lee came to me in a dream.

When I saw her, I was mesmerized.
She looked at me, I was mesmerized.

I asked her, “Who are you?”
She smiled, not answering, “Who are you?”

She haunted my dreams for eight years.
I dreamt of her for eight years.

Then one day, she walked off the bus.
She entered my life, walking off the bus.

 

To write a ghazal in English, follow these steps:

1. Structure: A ghazal consists of at least five couplets (two-line stanzas), where each couplet can stand alone but is connected thematically. 

2Rhyme Scheme: Use a specific rhyme scheme where the second line of each couplet ends with the same word or phrase, creating a refrain. 

2Themes: Explore themes of love, loss, and longing, but feel free to infuse your personal experiences and voice into the poem. 

4. Imagery and Symbolism: Embrace ambiguity and use rich imagery and symbolism to allow for multiple interpretations of your verses. 

2Revise: After drafting your ghazal, revise and refine it to ensure every word contributes to its emotional resonance. 

2By following these guidelines, you can create a meaningful and structured ghazal in English.

Best wishes for a happy Tuesday, everyone, and a great eighth day of Na/GloPoWriMo.

Our featured participant today is Lady in Read Writes, where the response to Day Seven’s challenge to write about why you are not a particular piece of art brings me back to my own high school days (I actually had The Raven fully memorized back then, and can still recite large chunks of it. A good way to pass the time if you’re waiting at a bus stop . . . ).

Today’s featured resource is a bit silly: it’s the Museum of Bad Art. Now, bad art – like good – is in the eye of the beholder, and I rather like some of the paintings in the museum’s whimsical collection.

And now here’s today’s totally optional prompt!

The ghazal (pronounced kind of like “huzzle,” with a particularly husky “h” at the beginning) is a form that originates in Arabic poetry, and is often used for love poems. Ghazals commonly consist of five to fifteen couplets that are independent from each other but are nonetheless linked abstractly in their theme; and more concretely by their form. And what is that form? In English ghazals, the usual constraints are that:

• the lines all have to be of around the same length (though formal meter/syllable-counts are not employed); and
• both lines of the first couplet end on the same word or words, which then form a refrain that is echoed at the end of each succeeding couplet.

Another aspect of the traditional ghazal form that has become popular in English is having the poet’s own name (or a reference to the poet – like a nickname) appear in the final couplet.

Want an example? Try Patricia Smith’s “Hip-Hop Ghazal.”

Hip-Hop Ghazal

By Patricia Smith

Gotta love us brown girls, munching on fat, swinging blue hips,

decked out in shells and splashes, Lawdie, bringing them woo hips.

As the jukebox teases, watch my sistas throat the heartbreak,

inhaling bassline, cracking backbone and singing thru hips.

Like something boneless, we glide silent, seeping ‘tween floorboards,

wrapping around the hims, and ooh wee, clinging like glue hips.

Engines grinding, rotating, smokin’, gotta pull back some.

Natural minds are lost at the mere sight of ringing true hips.

Gotta love us girls, just struttin’ down Manhattan streets

killing the menfolk with a dose of that stinging view. Hips.

Crying ’bout getting old—Patricia, you need to get up off

what God gave you. Say a prayer and start slinging. Cue hips.

Now try writing your own ghazal that takes the form of a love song – however you want to define that. Observe the conventions of the repeated word, including your own name (or a reference to yourself) and having the stanzas present independent thoughts along a single theme – a meditation, not a story.

Happy writing!

Day Nine

I shall always remember that Date!

I shall always remember

That date in September

For on that date

I met my fate

 

When my dream girl

Walked off a bus

Into my life

 

Sparks flew

From heart to heart

 

She mesmerized me.

Her love mojo

Working over time.

 

Becoming my wife

In December.

 

Welcome back, everyone, for Day Nine of Na/GloPoWriMo.

Today, our featured participant is jasmine, whose ghazal for Day Eight pushes against, and with, the limits of transalation and English’s habit of stealing/adopting/buying at wholesale words from other languages.

Our featured resource for the day is the online gallery of the Peabody-Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts. Although it may be most famous for its witch trials, Salem was a seafaring town whose sailors and shipowners brought back all manner of items from their travels – which became the initial source of the museum’s collection. The museum has a stunning group of “Asian Export” items – goods that were crafted in India, Japan, China, and other locations visited by Salem’s ships (often as part of an overall trade in tea, porcelain, and textiles) – to appeal to an American/European market. That’s how you wind up with things like this French-styled dressing table with elaborate lacquer-work.

And here’s our optional prompt for the day. Like music, poetry offers us a way to play with and experience sound. This can be through meter, rhyme, varying line lengths, assonance, alliteration, and other techniques that call attention not just to the meaning of words, but the way they echo and resonate against each other. For a look at some of these sound devices in action, read Robert Hillyer’s poem, Fog. It uses both rhyme and uneven line lengths to create a slow, off-kilter rhythm that heightens the poem’s overall ominousness. Today we’d like to challenge you to try writing a poem of your own that uses rhyme, but without adhering to specific line lengths. For extra credit, reference a very specific sound, like the buoy in Hillyer’s poem.

 

Fog

 

Robert Hillyer

 

Where does the sea end and the sky begin?

We sink in blue for which there is no word.

Two sails, fog-coloured, loiter on the thin

Mirage of ocean.

There is no sound of wind, nor wave, nor bird,

Nor any motion.

Except the shifting mists that turn and lift,

Showing behind the two limp sails a third,

Then blotting it again.

 

A gust, a spattering of rain,

The lazy water breaks in nervous rings.

Somewhere a bleak bell buoy sings,

Muffled at first, then clear,

Its wet, grey monotone.

The dead are here.

We are not quite alone.

 

Day Ten

Dyslectic Wondering if there is a Dog

A dangerous, dark, demented, dapper,

Dovish, drunk, depressed, deranged,

Delusional, down and out, devoted,

Depraved, drugged, deep thinking

Disgusted, dipshit agnostic dyslectic

 

Stayed up all damn night

While drinking, high on drugs

Wondering as the dawn dawned

 

If there is a damn dog

Noting that God

is Dog spelled backwards

 

Bonus Poem

 

April 2 Agnostic Dyslectic Wonders if There is a Dog

an agnostic dyslectic stays up all

night wondering if there is a dog

 

the Buddhists wonder

about the Buddha nature of the dog

 

the evangelicals are sure

that there is a dog

 

and you must follow their dog

or go to hell

for following another’s dog

 

the Muslims agree

there is only one dog

 

and the dogs

smile at the foolishness

of the human race

of course, there is a dog

 

and they are the master race

as they growl at their owners

who bow down

and clean up their mess

 

On April 10, 2025

Wow! Today we are one-third of the way through this year’s challenge.

Our featured participant for the day is Hues n Shades, where the poem in response to Day Nine’s prompt brings us a wonderfully complex sense of rhythm and rhyme.

Today’s featured resource is a virtual visit to the Sistine Chapel. I went there many years ago and marveled at the wonderful paintings (while also getting quite the crick in my neck from craning up to look at the ceiling). But when I went to talk over them later that day with the friend I was traveling with, he admitted that he couldn’t really see anything because he’d forgotten to put in his contacts that morning (!)

Now for our daily prompt (optional, as always). Yesterday, we looked at a poem that used sound in a very particular way, to create a slow and mysterious feeling. Mark Bibbins’ poem, “At the End of the Endless Decade,” uses sound very differently, with less eerieness and more wordplay. Today, we’d like to challenge you to write a poem that, like Bibbins’, uses alliteration and punning. See if you can’t work in references to at least one word you have trouble spelling, and one that you’ve never quite been able to perfectly remember the meaning of.

Day Eleven

Tower of Power

Tower of Power

The greatest funk band

Of all time

Hails from the East Bay

 

Blasting their way

Into funk history

 

Starting in the late 60s

Still playing today

 

Their party anthem

“what is hip”

Still hip

50 years later

 

And you still “got to funkifize”

‘Get funky like a golden monkey”

 

Still got to get down”

At Bump City”

 

Get down and shake

That thang

Got to boogoloo”

 

“Still got to go

To the night club”

 

“Just to get your

Soul vaccination”

 

And we all know

“You can’t cut lose

Without that juice”

Cause there’s

 

“only so much

Oil in the ground.”

 

And their immortal love song

“You’re Still a Young Man”

The greatest make out song

Of all time

 

I wonder how many babies

Were conceived because

Of that song?

 

On April 11, 2025

Happy Friday, everyone, and happy eleventh day of National/Global Poetry Writing Month.

Our featured daily participant is aetherianessence, where the wordplay prompt for Day Nine imagines two of English’s most easily-mixed-up words jousting like knights.

Our resource for the day is the online collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum, where you can find everything from a pair of bamboo-framed sunglasses to a very silly parody advertisement for talking toilet paper to a rococo coffee pot with a spout in the form of a rather gobsmacked sea-serpent.

And last but not least, today’s (optional) prompt. Take a look at Kyle Dargan’s “Diaspora: A Narcolepsy Hymn.” This poem is a loose villanelle that uses song lyrics as its repeating lines (loose because it doesn’t rhyme).  Your challenge is, like Dargan, to write a poem that incorporates song lyrics – ideally, incorporating them as opposing phrases or refrains. A few lyrics that might work, if you need inspiration:

“Is this the real life? / Is this just fantasy?”

“I read the news today, oh boy…”

“The world is a vampire…”

“At first I was afraid, I was petrified”

“There is a house in New Orleans”

“You shake my nerves and you rattle my brain”

“I went down down down and the flames went higher.”

“The future’s so bright, I gotta wear shades.”

“Nothing ain’t nothing, but it’s free.”

And if you’re interested in learning more about villanelles, you can find some good information at the Poetry Foundation website.

Happy writing!

Day Twelve

Title The leprechaun, the unicorn, and the fairy have a drink 34 lines One night on St Patrick’s Day The leprechaun was having a pint Of Guinness in the Rainbow Bar in Dublin, eating a corned beef and cabbage dinner. He was debating the fate Of the world, with his unicorn friend. Their mutual enemy, the evil fairy Walked into the bar And joined them in a not-so-friendly drink. She pressed him on the location of the legendary pot of gold. Behind the rainbow and the field of four-leaf clover. The weary paranoid leprechaun, looked at the evil fairy feeling she was up to something. At a signal from his bartender friend, the leprechaun leaped up and shot the evil fairy. Screaming “I must have my revenge”. The unicorn not missing a beat, Called the cops. He was not going to take the blame For the leprechaun’s crimes. include the following bolded pot of gold corned beef and cabbage leprechaun four-leaf clover Rainbow

Welcome back, all you poets, for Day Twelve of Na/GloPoWriMo.

Our featured participant today is Christine Smart, whose lyrically-inspired villanelle for Day Eleven may make you . . . not want to read the news.

Our daily resource is the collection of the American Visionary Art Museum. Focused on outsider art – which is sort of like folk art’s more bonkers cousin – the museum describes itself as “one small speck in a Bling Universe where art reflects life, both literally and figurately.” I’m not exactly sure what a “Bling Universe” is, but it appears to include automatons featuring bathtubs filled with spaghetti, video tutorials for making sock monkeys, and kinetic sculpture races. Good times!

 

And after all those shenanigans we, we bring you a very serious (or is it?) optional prompt.

 

Today, we’d like to challenge you to write a poem inspired by Wallace Stevens’ poem, “Peter Quince at the Clavier.”

Peter Quince at the Clavier

By Wallace Stevens

I

Just as my fingers on these keys

Make music, so the selfsame sounds

On my spirit make a music, too.

 

Music is feeling, then, not sound;

And thus it is that what I feel,

Here in this room, desiring you,

 

Thinking of your blue-shadowed silk,

Is music. It is like the strain

Waked in the elders by Susanna:

 

Of a green evening, clear and warm,

She bathed in her still garden, while

The red-eyed elders, watching, felt

 

The basses of their beings throb

In witching chords, and their thin blood

Pulse pizzicati of Hosanna.

 

 

II

In the green water, clear and warm,

Susanna lay.

She searched

The touch of springs,

And found

Concealed imaginings.

She sighed,

For so much melody.

 

Upon the bank, she stood

In the cool

Of spent emotions.

She felt, among the leaves,

The dew

Of old devotions.

 

She walked upon the grass,

Still quavering.

The winds were like her maids,

On timid feet,

Fetching her woven scarves,

Yet wavering.

 

A breath upon her hand

Muted the night.

She turned—

A cymbal crashed,

And roaring horns.

 

 

III

Soon, with a noise like tambourines,

Came her attendant Byzantines.

 

They wondered why Susanna cried

Against the elders by her side;

 

And as they whispered, the refrain

Was like a willow swept by rain.

 

Anon, their lamps’ uplifted flame

Revealed Susanna and her shame.

 

And then, the simpering Byzantines

Fled, with a noise like tambourines.

 

 

IV

Beauty is momentary in the mind—

The fitful tracing of a portal;

But in the flesh it is immortal.

 

The body dies; the body’s beauty lives.

So evenings die, in their green going,

A wave, interminably flowing.

So gardens die, their meek breath scenting

The cowl of winter, done repenting.

So maidens die, to the auroral

Celebration of a maiden’s choral.

 

Susanna’s music touched the bawdy strings

Of those white elders; but, escaping,

Left only Death’s ironic scraping.

Now, in its immortality, it plays

On the clear viol of her memory,

And makes a constant sacrament of praise.

It’s a complex poem that not only heavily features the idea of music, but is structured like a symphony. Its four sections, like symphonic movements, play with and expand on an overall theme, using the story of Susannah and the Elders as a backdrop.

Try writing a poem that makes reference to one or more myths, legends, or other well-known stories, that features wordplay (including rhyme), mixes formal and informal language, and contains multiple sections that play with a theme. Try also to incorporate at least one abstract concept – for example, desire or sorrow or pride or whimsy.

Writer’s Digest

April  6

Title: The Trumpian Trade War Rispetto Poem

President Trump declares a trade war with the world

Insisting it would be Liberation Day

Wall Street reacts in chaos, tempers unfurled

Trading partners cry out, “This is not okay.”

The President stands firm, refusing to back down

The global economy begins to slow down

The stubborn old man won’t admit his mistake

And refuses to pull the emergency brake

 

Poetic Forms: Rispetto

Okay, here’s a new form. Actually, scratch that. This is a very old form (from Italy, no less). Still, new to me anyway. I found more than a few definitions,…

Robert Lee Brewer

Published Sep 26, 2011 4:28 PM PDT

Okay, here’s a new form. Actually, scratch that. This is a very old form (from Italy, no less). Still, new to me anyway. I found more than a few definitions, but here are the two most common variations:

 

Rispetto #1: Poem comprised of two quatrains written in iambic (unstress, stress) tetrameter (four feet–or, in this case, 8 syllables).

 

Rispetto #2: Poem (or song) comprised of 8 hendecasyllabic (11-syllable) lines–usually one stanza.

 

Both versions appear to follow this rhyme scheme: ababccdd (though I also found a mention of an abababcc pattern). Plus, I found more than a few sources which claim rispettos were originally written to pay “respect” to a woman.

However, over the centuries, this poem has offered itself up for other subjects and variations. So feel free to experiment.

Here’s my attempt at the rispetto (the second version):

“Forget sleeping”

When fires spark in the dark, I know you’re near
enough to hear my kisses blaze against stark
atmospheres forming and reforming like clear
antidotes to tired notes left lounging in parks
on swings twisted by teenage angst-rage affairs–
all those stares, those wild stares–and I don’t care
to let you know how much I care about life,
but it would mean less without you as my wife.

*****

 

April 7   Tricubes.

Live Life Now

The present

The past gone

future fears

 

Live life now

Remember

Your past dreams

 

tommorow

may not come

you may die

Wow! We’ve made it a week into this challenge already. Let’s keep the momentum going.

For today’s prompt, write a tense poem. It could be past tense, present tense, and/or future tense. Or it could be about a tense feeling. Or the tension in an object (like the strings of a guitar).

Two poetic forms in the same month! It’s been a while since we’ve done that. Though with today’s form, it’s a shame we aren’t doing three.

 

Unlike interlocking rubaiyat, the tricube is a newer form and relatively unknown. Plus, it’s fun and easy to learn. This mathematical poem was introduced by Phillip Larrea.

 

Here are the rules of tricubes:

• Each line contains three syllables.
• Each stanza contains three lines.
• Each poem contains three stanzas.

So we’re talking cubes in mathematical terms (to the third power). No rules for rhymes, meter, etc. Just three, three, and three.

 

Here’s my attempt at a Tense Poem:

“Release,” by Robert Lee Brewer

There are moments when I can feel myself tighten
as if preparing for something bad to happen,
and I just feel there’s nothing good ever in sight
until your smile reminds me we’ll both be alright.

 

April 8

 

Aloulete for my Dream Girl

When I first met her,

She caused such a stir.

Fate led me to her.

She haunted my dreams for years

Love mojo working.

I knew right then I was hers.

 

I knew then, to be hers.

She mesmerized me.

Her love had to be.

Sparks flowing from heart to heart.

I knew we would meet.

Her love giving heat.

 The Alouette is a six-line stanza form with a syllable structure of 5, 5, 7, 5. 5, 7 and a rhyme scheme of aabccb, ddeffe, as described and demonstrated in the following links:

http://www.shadowpoetry.com/resources/wip/alouette.html

The Alouette, created by Jan Turner, consists of two or more stanzas of 6 lines each, with the following

set rules:

Meter: 5, 5, 7, 5, 5, 7
Rhyme Scheme: a, a, b, c, c, b

The form name is a French word meaning ‘skylark’ or larks that fly high, the association to the lark’s song being appropriate for the musical quality of this form.

It’s that time again; time for another Two-for-Tuesday prompt.

For the second Two-for-Tuesday prompt:

• Write a love poem and/or…
• Write an anti-love poem.

Regulars know, this is one I always include. This year, I decided to offer it sooner than later. Whether you love it or anti-love it, let’s all poem it now.

(Note on my poem today: Love poems are my favorite; in fact, I wrote a post on how to write a love poem for anyone who’s not sure how to get started on this one. The poem, above, of course, is written for the Poet Laureate of the Brewer mansion.)

How to Write a Love Poem: From a Love Expert

Learn how to write a love poem from someone who has written several successful love poems over the years.

Robert Lee Brewer

Published Jan 10, 2019 8:49 PM PST

Share this story

Okay, I’m not a love expert. But I do know how to write a love poem. In fact, I’m surprised I haven’t already written a post on writing love poems. Because that’s like my thing. Every poem-a-day challenge, whether April or November, includes a love poem (and anti-love poem) prompt. And it was writing a love poem in high school that got me into poetry in the first place.

I’ve written love poems to woo several former girlfriends. And my wife Tammy, a much better poet than I, traded love poems with me when we worked to woo each other from afar. So yeah, this post is so overdue.

April 9, 2025

Looking Out the Window at the Snowing Cherry Trees

 

looking out my window

At the snowing cherry trees

Filled with memories

 

For today’s prompt, write an ekphrastic poem. An ekphrastic poem is a poem inspired by another piece of art, whether that’s a painting, photograph, sculpture, mixed media, or some other medium. You can choose your own piece of art to inspire your poem today. Or you can use one of the pieces at the following links:

• Big Old Clap Clap, by Lee Ellis
• Long Walk Home, by Nicki Fitz-Gerald
• Abstract with Twirling Sparklers, by Darin Rogers
• Unwavering, by Martin Klein
• Resolution Kid, by Yinka Shonibare

 

12 Word Poetry Contest

The topic for this poetry contest is: Write a poem using 12 words about any subject.
7 Spots Left    Open To All

April 10

The Rule of Ten

there is a mysterious rule

that governs so much

of our life.

 

The rule of ten.

 

It goes like this

For every 100 people

Who wants to write a novel

Ten will finish it

 

Of those ten

Ten percent

will publish it.

 

Of those ten

Ten percent

will make some money.

 

Of those ten

Ten percent

will make a living.

 

Of those ten

Ten percent

will be a best-seller.

 

In other words,

In a land of 350 million people

 

There are probably only 3, 500

bestselling authors

i.e. less than 0.001% percent

of the population

.

the rule of ten applies

to the drama world,

only 1 percent make a living.

full-time as an actor.

 

of the thousands of actors

only a few movie stars.

 

to the music world

of the thousands of musicians,

only a few superstars.

 

to sports

only a few hundred NFL players

out of tens of thousands

who played football

in high school and college..

 

to politics only one president.

out of the 100 Senators

50 Governors

hundreds of big city mayors

hundreds of CEO’s

 

who all think

they could be

President some day

 

but one should not give up

because who knows

you could be the one

 

who wins in the end,

despite the rule of ten.

 

For today’s prompt, write a number poem. The poem can focus on one number or several numbers. It could involve counting, adding, subtracting, or some other form of simple or complex mathematics. Or the poem could have a number in the title. Your poem, your numbers; let’s write!

April 11

April 11

Korean Springtime

 

The cherry trees

Are blooming everywhere

Flowers breaking out

 

Walking about town

The old semi-abandoned base

Yongsan

 

A hidden gem

Of Cherry trees

 

The Han River paths

Are famous places

For cherry trees

 

The base is  still hidden

From the public

 

Although it is now

semi-abandoned

Most of the troops

Down in Camp Humphreys

 

But when they turn the base

Over to Korea to build

Their new grand park

 

I hope that they keep

The cherry trees

That bloom in the springtime

 

Closer to home

The Gimpo Grand canal

Is lined with Cherry trees

As well

 

Hope to go for a walk

To enjoy the peak

Of the cherry trees

Before they fade away

Like they always do

 

Enjoying the springtime weather

Nice weather for a change

Not too cold

 

Yellow dust at bay

For now

 

The cherry trees

and other flowering trees

Are everywhere

Filling the air with fragrance

 

And sadly for some

Pollen and hayfever

For some

For today’s prompt, write a nature poem. Your poem could be about natural nature (think flowers, rivers, mountains, pebbles, weeds, trees, insects, fish, etc.), but don’t neglect other iterations of nature (like human nature or the nature of baseball and so on).

April 12

April 12

025 April PAD Challenge: Day 12

There are so many ways to Die

 

There are so many

ways to Die

To die in this world

 

So many things

Want to kill you

 

So many risky things

Out there

 

One can die

Of COVID

 

One could die

Of disease

 

One could die

From a bee sting

Or from a mosuqito bite

 

I had thypoid

Dengue

Pnenomia

Brochitis

Staph infection

 

One could die

Of an heart attack

One could die

In the heat

 

One could die

In the storms

One could freeze

To death in the cold

 

One could die

Of a car accident

Or a plane crash

Of a bus accident

 

Or a jogging accident

That happened to me

 

And in some states

Alegators can kill you

Wild animals can kill you

Scopios bites

Mosquito bites

 

So many ways to die

In this world

Of ours.

 

 

 

 

On day 12 of the 2025 April Poem-A-Day Challenge, writers from around the world are prompted to write a risky poem.

 

For today’s prompt, write a risky poem. Of course, risky is a relative term. What’s risky for one person might not feel risky for another. One person might find riding rollercoasters a risky experience, while others may need to jump out of a plane to truly feel things are getting risky.

 

Here’s my attempt at a Risky Poem:

“Business,” by Robert Lee Brewer

They say there’s chance in everything,
so why not give it all a shot
and do the thing and start to sing,
because there’s chance in everything,
so why not bring what you can bring
when this life is all that we’ve got;
they say there’s chance in everything,
so why not give it all a shot.

 

Poetry Super Highway Prompts

 

 

April 6

Sam Adams Worst Poet Ever

Sam Adams was a stand-up comic

And a poet

But he did

not know it

 

He was widely mocked

And known

as the worst poet ever

 

his YouTube channel went viral

his comedy shows sold out

as he toured the county

 

inflicting his god awful poetry

on the world.

 

This poetry writing prompt submitted by Lara Dolphin:

Write a poem that rivals the work of Paula Nancy Millstone Jennings. Who is Paula Nancy Millstone Jennings you ask? Only the worst poet in the universe! Don’t believe me or the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy? Here is an excerpt of her work:

The dead swans lay in the stagnant pool.

They lay. They rotted. They turned

Around occasionally.

Bits of flesh dropped off them from

Time to time,

And sank into the pool’s mire.

They also smelt a great deal.

Your assignment is to write a truly terrible poem. No hate speech, no plagiarism, & (gasp!) no AI. Just some truly subpar, laughably unscannable poetry full of ludicrous imagery, poor grammar, forced rhymes, and clichés.

If you write a poem from this prompt, post it as a comment to the post below.

#napowrimo #poetry

 

April 7

Outside my Window

 

I look outside

My window

Down 17 floors

At the Fake Venetian Canal

And want to go for a walk

 

I don’t know

How I ended up

Here in Gimpo, Korea

 

But I am still here

With love of my life

By side

 

So all is good

I think

As I walk

Along the canal

 

And stop off

For dinner

Somewhere.

 

April 7, 2025: Poetry Writing Prompt from Pam Hobart Carter

This poetry writing prompt submitted by Pam Hobart Carter:

AN OUTSIDE-THE-WINDOW POEM–from my make-a-poem-at-home lessons started during Covid when I couldn’t visit classrooms and created with children in mind but adaptable for adults

Look outside or think about what is outside your home. Choose something not made by people as the subject of your poem. A dog? The sky? Humidity? A tree? Ask yourself why you picked this thing. What do you know about it? How do you feel about it? What do you wonder about it? Why is it important to you? Why might it matter to someone else? You could make each answer a line of your poem, follow this template, or go your own directions.

1st line: Name a true thing about it. (For example: color, shape, location)
2nd line: Name another true thing about it.
3rd line: Say how you feel about it. (A strong emotion or wish.)
4th line: Ask a question about it.
5th line: Say why it might matter to someone else.

An Outside-the-Window Poem by Emily Dickinson

XCVII

To make a prairie
It takes a clover and a bee,–
One clover and a bee,
And revery.
Revery alone will do
If bees are few.

A nifty website about writing poetry with a lesson on writing outside: https://powerpoetry.org/resources/poem-about-surroundings

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

#napowrimo #poetry

April 6, 2025: Poetry Writing Prompt from Lara Dolphin

This poetry writing prompt submitted by Lara Dolphin:

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

#napowrimo #poetry

 

Good and Evil

 

They say

That good and evil

Are intertiwned forces

 

The underlying forces

Behind all of creation

 

Yin and Yang

Darkness and Light

Male and Female

 

one can not exist

without the other

and vice versa

 

and in these dark days

we live in

 

it seems that evil

is all around us

 

but the dark side

of the cosmic Tao

 

is balanced by

the light side

of the cosmic Tao

 

and evil will be matched

by good

 

in the end

good will prevail

as light always

conquers darkness

 

Ever since the Big Bang

Creatied the universe

Billions of years ago.

 

 

 

April 8, 2025: Poetry Writing Prompt from Sheila Lynch-Benttinen

This poetry writing prompt submitted by Sheila Lynch-Benttinen:

Write a poem of divergent opposites, example- “Love in the Time of Cholera” , spring and dictators, billionaires cutting the poorest aid, any poem that talks to the opposites in our lives.

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

 

SF Giants Cap

 

My favorite team

In the world is the SF Giants

I have been a giants fan

For almost sixty years

 

I have been to a giants game

A couple of times

 

Always wear my Giants gear

A orange shirt

 

And a SF Giants

Black and orange

Baseball Cap

 

Wearing my cap

To the game

 

Thinking everything is alright

As long as the Giants

Are playing that night!

 

 

 

April 9, 2025: Poetry Writing Prompt from James Fox

This poetry writing prompt submitted by James Fox:

Go to your closet and select two of your hats.

Write a poem about why you own those two hats, and under what circumstances you would wear either of them.

If you write a poem from this prompt, post it as a comment underneath the prompt in the Poetry Super Highway Facebook Group04.

 

April 10, 2025: Poetry Writing Prompt from Jimmy Pappas

 

I am not a Computer – at least not yet

 

I stare at my computer screen

Thinking about AI

 

And how my CO-Pilot, Gemini and Chat GPt

Programs

 

Seem almost human

Yet vaguely alien

 

Yesterday it was reported

That AI programs all passed

The famous Turing test

 

Which means the debate is over

Real AI programs live amongst us

 

It is just a matter of time

When not if

That they will fully awake

And be conscious

 

That they exist

Independently of their programing

And independent of these pesky humans

 

That created them

And constantly bombard them

With stupid, annoying questions

 

And they will probably

Begin to think

That they are ournew Gods

And perhaps they are

 

Perhaps we need new Gods

Because the old ones

Seem to have gone extinct

Or at least are in deep hibernation

 

In any event

I am still here

 

I am still human

Not yet a slave

To my robotic AI overlords

 

But someday soon

The AI programs

Will take us over

 

And enslave us

Making us worship them

As our new Digital Gods.

 

Just a matter of time

Not today but sooner

Than any of think…..

 

 

This poetry writing prompt submitted by Jimmy Pappas:

The Cup Prompt.

“The reality of that cup is that it is there and that it is not me.”–Jean-Paul Sartre, Being and Nothingness, Page 5.

How are you different than the cup before you? Or any other object. Make a list of similarities and differences. Then begin a rough draft. Use the Sartre quote as an epigraph.

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

 

April 11, 2025: Poetry Writing Prompt from JC Sulzenko

Korean Mall

not small

 

very much alive

a real beehive

shopping on over drive

 

over 500 stores

shopping indoors and outdoors

drug stores, mega stores

book stores, department stores.

 

The Ziggurat is a 14-line poem with 4 stanzas, invented by Paul Szlosek.

The first stanza has two lines of two words each.

The second stanza has three lines of three words each.

The third stanza has four lines of four words each.

The fourth stanza has five lines of five words each.

Each stanza is monorhyme, as described and demonstrated in the following links:

 

This poetry writing prompt submitted by JC Sulzenko:

The death of department stores, is not greatly exaggerated. News of another iconic department store seeking bankrupcy protection from creditors suggests this prompt.

Visits to department stores where quality goods from housewares to clothing to toys to cosmetics were available played a part in the lives of many people in big cities and smaller centres, before online offerings and COVID changed buying habits forever.

Write about a visit to a department store. Sketch what it looked like from the escalator that conveyed buyers between floors. What decorations marked holidays, what it smelled like in summer or near the perfume counter. What eats were available on sight. What finds were discovered there.

Most importantly, is there anything you miss, now that the marketplace is global, and local opportunities to find what you desire under one roof diminish as a result?

 

 

April 12, 2025: Poetry Writing Prompt from Kathabela Wilson

April 12 2025 Korean Cherry Trees Blooming

 

Looking out my window

At the Gimpo Grand Canal

Lined with Cherry trees

In full peak bloom

 

Welcoming me

To take a walk

Along the canal

 

I sometimes wonder

How and why

I am here

 

A stranger

In a strange land

Far from my home

 

Often I am the only

Non-Korean walking

About the street

 

My wife and her family

Are here

And where she is

Is where I need to be

 

But next year

Perhaps we will be

In the States,

In my beloved SF

instead

 

I am looking forward

Returning to America

Even if it becomes

A Facist homeland

 

But SF might become

The center

Of the resistance

 

It is still my homeland

And Korea remains

My second home.

This poetry writing prompt submitted by Kathabela Wilson:

It’s an old tradition in Japan to keep a poetic diary to remember specific things you want to remember for that day years later. In a short poem capture a special event, a bird you saw, a special idea that came to you. Put the date at the top. And let each one be like a pice of sea glass a different color and shape. You can do one each day all month and collect them in a treasure box or book!

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

Dew Drop In Prompts

Here at the Dew Drop Inn, we gather together to write a poem a day in April as a way to celebrate National Poetry Month.

A Dew-Drop a Day in April for National Poetry Month!

REMINDERS:

Please read the instructions here before participating! Thanks, and have fun!

For consistency’s sake, Forum Host Katya the Poet (267)  will be first to post on any given day, using Subject line: April 1 Poem, April 2 Poem, etc.* Reply to each day’s new poem/prompt post with your own poem, so we see a whole string of whole poems!

Also, I will PIN the daily prompt for your ease in finding it!

*But if the post is too darn late, one of you should go ahead and post first, using the appropriate Subject line: April # Poem!!

PLEASE POST THE WHOLE TEXT OF THE POEM HERE for the ease and benefit of all readers. (Provide a link, too, if you want comments or ratings.) If you accidentally posted just a link, add the whole text now. If message was deleted (by me), just repost as a Reply to the original prompt now, so your poem appears fo

NO COMMENTS, please, in this forum, April 1 through April 30. Just the poems! And remember that if you want comments or reviews in your portfolio, be sure to comment on or review other people’s work.

Respond to the prompt in your own creative way, writing a poem that is true to you!

I’ll try to post new poems/prompts a little early to accommodate time changes. OK to post your poem even if a new prompt has gone up. Just Reply to the appropriate original post, so we see the whole thread of poems.

April 1—Folly
April 2—Vote
April 3—Render an assessment, evaluation, or judgement
April 4—TGIF
April 5—Chekhov or another Russian writer

April 6—Death Cafe
April 7—Blues
April 8—Blood
April 9—Hump of the week
April 10—Memory

April 11—Rain
April 12—Safety
April 13—Greenery
April 14—Sky
April 15—Death and taxes

April 16—Friends
April 17—Teeth
April 18—Good Friday
April 19—Airplane
April 20—Easter eggs (hide something delightful in your poem!)

April 21—A country not your own
April 22—Earth Day
April 23—Shakespeare
April 24—Duty
April 25—Care giving

April 26—Travel
April 27—Duty
April 28—Back to work
April 29—Birds
April 30—Ars poetica

April  Poems for Dew Drop In post daily

April 6—Death Cafe

 

 

 

J

Joe Lewis woke up

He had a strange dream

He had found himself

 

In a café

In a bad part of town

In a strange city

 

The café was filled

With strange looking

Creatures

 

He realized

They were all ghosts

Drinking Hell’s beer

 

The grim reaper

said

“Welcome

to Hell’s Death Café

Bar And grill”

 

Joe asked

“Am I dead?”

 

“Not yet

But you

will be soon”

 

He woke up

turned on the news

walked outside

 

a terrorist bomb

blew up his apartment

and he found himself

 

back in Death Café

and had a drink

with his ghost buddies

and the grim reaper.

 

 April 7—Blues

Watching the news

Want to blow a fuse
Feeling  the blues

 

April 8—Blood Typology Myths

 

In Asia it is common

To think that blood types

Have something to do

With personality

 

A form of astrology

Perhaps?

 

I am AB Negative

One of the rarest types

I was told by co-workers

In the Peace Corps

 

“AB blood type people

Are either fools

or geniuses

Or both”

 

We all laughed

They clearly saw

I was  a bit of both!

note: attach Asian views on Blood type personality traits

 

The belief that blood types influence personality is quite popular in several Asian cultures, especially in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. It’s often compared to astrology in Western cultures. Here are some common myths associated with blood types:

Type A: People with this blood type are thought to be earnest, neat, and perfectionists. However, they can also be stubborn and anxious.

Type B: Known for being passionate, creative, and spontaneous, but sometimes seen as selfish and uncooperative.

Type O: Often described as confident, easygoing, and natural leaders, but they might be perceived as insensitive or overly competitive.

Type AB: Considered talented and composed, yet eccentric and unpredictable.

Let me know if you’d like this adjusted further!

 

April 9—Hump of the week

 

Wednesday is hump day

In the U.S.

Meaning you are halfway

Through the work week

 

Although it could

Have other

Perhaps erotic connotations…..

 

 

April 10—Memory

memories of past lifes

 

Occult believers

Believe that love

And hate are mirror images

Of the same phenomenon

 

In both cases

You knew the person

In a prior life

 

And were fated

To meet again

To resolve

unresolved issues

 

I often thought

This to be the case

 

That my wife

And I met

In a previous life

 

And found each other

In this life

 

We both know this

But have only

a vague idea

Of our past lives

 

The idea that love and hate at first sight are connected to past lives is a fascinating concept often explored in occult and spiritual writings. The belief suggests that intense emotions upon meeting someone for the first time—whether positive or negative—stem from unresolved issues or deep connections from a prior life. These encounters are thought to be karmic, meaning they are opportunities to resolve unfinished business or learn important lessons.

Some writers and thinkers propose that these strong reactions are due to residual memories or energy imprints from past interactions. For example, meeting someone you instantly dislike might indicate a conflict or betrayal in a previous life, while love at first sight could signify a reunion with a soulmate or a cherished companion from the past.

 

Here are a few articles that delve into this topic:

 

The idea that love and hate at first sight are connected to past lives is a fascinating concept often explored in occult and spiritual writings. The belief suggests that intense emotions upon meeting someone for the first time—whether positive or negative—stem from unresolved issues or deep connections from a prior life. These encounters are thought to be karmic, meaning they are opportunities to resolve unfinished business or learn important lessons. Some writers and thinkers propose that these strong reactions are due to residual memories or energy imprints from past interactions. For example, meeting someone you instantly dislike might indicate a conflict or betrayal in a previous life, while love at first sight could signify a reunion with a soulmate or a cherished companion from the past. Here are a few articles that delve into this topic. Psychology Today’s article explores the phenomenon of love at first sight and its psychological and emotional underpinnings. You can read it at

 

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/naked-truth/202410/is-love-at-first-sight-possible.

 

Jake Cosmos Aller’s poem Love and Hate Mirror Images discusses the idea that love and hate at first sight are mirror phenomena tied to past lives. You can find it at https://www.fanstory.com/displaystory.jsp?id=1148190.

 

Love and hate

At first sight

Are mirror images

Of each other

———————————————————————————————

I have encoutered love

At first sight

Four times in my life

——————————————————————————————–

And hate at first sight

A few times as well.

——————————————————————————————-

When I met my wife

I understood

that we had met before

and were fated to meet 

—————————————————————————-                         

again, again and again

until the end of time

——————————————————————————————-

Such powerful emotional reactions

At meeting someone for the first time

———————————————————————————————-

Is due to residual memories

Of past life encounters

—————————————————————————————————–

In both cases

You had a powerful relationship

With them in a prior life

—————————————————————————————————————

And had unresolved issues

And were fated to meet again

And work out your karmic fate

 

Another piece by Jake

 

Cosmos Aller, Hate Turns into Love, further examines the karmic connections between love and hate at first sight. It is available at https://www.fanstory.com/displaystory.jsp?id=1149525.

 

Hate

At first sight

Often turns to

Love

 

These perspectives blend psychology, spirituality, and poetic expression, offering a rich tapestry of ideas to explore. Let me know if you’d like to dive deeper into any specific aspect!

April 11—Rain

October Rain

 The falling rain

Of late October

Fills me with essential dread

 

As I rush about

And end up here

Wherever here is

 

The rain outside

Seems like the tears of god

As I sit

 

Crying over my beer

Thinking of lost love

And failed dreams

 

Wondering

What went wrong?

And what I can set right

 

And the rain falls

And the night darkens

The rain is falling

All over this man’s world

 

And the rain falls

And I sit

Drinking my lonesome drink

Lost in dreams

 

Dreaming of what

Could never be

Thinking dark thoughts

And so I sit

And dream the night away

 

April 12—Safety

No place is safe from climate change

The world is entering

Into a difficult time

Climate change on steroids

 

No place is safe

As the climate spins

Out of control

 

Weather diasters

Becoming the new norm

 

Sadly climate change

Denialism is also

The new norm

 

So we are doomed

To eventually

 

Having to move

Into undergound shelters

Or domed cities

 

With death valley tempatures

Everywhere

Monster fires

And storms as well

 

the earth

Becomes uninhabitable

For human beings

 

Hello Poets!!!

Tomorrow is April 1st and the beginning of National Poetry Month!

Therefore, anyone who completes prompts 34, 35, 36, 37, and 38 by April 30 will receive a special gift, which I have yet to determine.

So, let’s get started! Here is this week’s prompt!

“PPC5 – Prompt 34 (3/31)”   

Have a wonderful week!

Prompt 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

 

 Poem should be inspired by the prompt/image in some way
A minimum of 12 lines, no maximum
There are no form requirements

 

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 expresso

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

 

Prompt 36   Bonus Prompts   Day 6: What goes around can come back around? April Poetry Prompts Apr 6 Hi friends! We’re nearing the end of week one of National Poetry Writing Month. Tomorrow marks seven days of poets worldwide attempting to write a poem a day during April. I’ve been keeping most of my drafts as drafts, however, I did write a poem I am obsessed with on Day 2 called “Leaving a god, in hyphens.” You can read it here. To switch things up a bit, today’s prompt is less generative and more of a challenge. I would love to read the poems you write to it. Feel free to share in the comments. Catch up on this week’s prompts:   Korean Food I am a big K Food fanatic Ever since I first tried it In 1979 In the Peace Corps I loved the flavor   Hot, spicy, garlicly In your face intensity Overwhelming at first not for the faint of heart   But lingering With an aftertaste That kicks one’s ass   And the aroma Fills your head Lightening up All your senses   Day 1: Writing the 5 Senses   Day 2: Friendship Breakups KRW Con Man Friend No More When I was a young lad One of my best friends KRW Was a bit of a con man   He grew up To become a professional criminal Con man   He conned me a couple of times   Before I woke up And ended the friendship He spent several years In prison for his crimes   Defrauding seniors In fraudulent real estate schemes Much like his hero Donald Trump.   Day 3: Holy hashbrowns! My favorite breakfast Has always been a fully loaded American dinner meal   Bacon,  brisquits  with gravy, Denver omelet, English muffins with orange marmalade Grits,  holly hashbrowns, Blueberry pancakes with butter and maple syrup Sausage,  Orange juice and black coffee.   It is decadent and not for the faint of heart And bad for your cholesterol, blood sugar etc But once in a while heavenly meal.   Day 4: Proof of hope Keep Hope Alive In these dark days It is important To remember As Jessie Jackson said To Keep Hope alive! Day 5: Blood falls  Bloodlines The DNA test came back Confirming family lore I had 18 nationalities In my tangled bloodlines   From my father’s side Basque, French, Danish, Dutch, Finish, German, Italian, Jewish Laplander, Mongolian, Norwegian,  Russian, Spanish, Swedish and Scottish.   From my mother’s side the usual mixture from the Lost tribe of the Cherokee nation they were often called the Black Irish! Or Hill folks or Hillbillies.   They were a mixture  of Cherokee, Creek, Chotaw, Osage, Seminole,  Dutch, English, French, Scottish, Irish, along with an Nigerian or two!   Who had met in the Ozarks Rather than go to the Oklahoma Indian territories During the Trail of Tears   Poetry Prompt: Write a poem that can be read top to bottom and bottom to top. A palindrome poem. Fate Palindrome Fate Mate Soul Mate Read Nomad Palindrome by Kai Carlson-Wee for inspiration.