2024 Poetry Madness – April 1 to April 6 Poems
I am again entering the annual April Poetry Month challenge. I will update this once a week and post the updates on Blog Lovin, Facebook, Fan Story, Instagram, Medium, Substack, Watt Pad and X. Comments are welcomed.
Index
April 1
PSH Ode to Durian
WD Optimistic Laturnae
WC Dew Drop Inn Sarang pabo love fool
NaPoWrMo Easter Bunny Warm up March 31
NaPoWrMo April 1 Cage
April 2
PSH The Words of the Year 1955 PSH
WD Sad and happy days
WC Dew Drop Inn Spring Time Flowers Blooming Love
NaPoWrMo Ode to Coffee
April 3
PSH Berkeley Mad Psychotic Pineapple Burns Sonnet
PSH 2 AI Version Traditional Sonnet
WD My Musical Street
WC Dew Drop Inn
NaPoWrMo
The Parliament of Owls Decree Death to All Humans
AV version the Parliament of Owls Decree Death to All Humans
April 4
PSH Love Expressed Through Food
WD Look at the Sky
WC Dew Drop In Ending Shaving in Retirement
NaPoWriMo It Can’t Happen Here
April 5
PSH Cosmic Dog From Goa
WD Tell Me No Lies
WC Dew Drop Inn Making Baseball Great Again
NaPoWriMo Only In SF
April 6
PSH Visiting My Father’s Grave
Writers DIgest Meeting My Fate
Writing Com Dew Drop Inn Daily RItual Drinks
NaPoWrMo PNRCP
Begin Poems
April 1
Ode to Durian
The infamous durian fruit is a strange phenomenon.
Common in China, Southeast Asia, and India,
and in Chinese, Southeast Asian, and Indian diaspora communities,
It has such a powerful sour smell that it is banned in airline cabins.
I first ate Durian in a rural town in Central Thailand
my hasher friends dared me to eat it
it was horrible at first the smell
But if you can get beyond
The awful, dirty socks, rotten, sour smell,
The taste is pure heaven,
Proof perhaps that God has a sense of humor?
April 1, 2024: Poetry Writing Prompt from Suzanne Lummis
This poetry writing prompt submitted by Suzanne Lummis:
Evolve a poem that involves an exotic fruit, one fruit, and a town you’ve never visited, or else have distant memories of. The poem does not have to be About the fruit. It probably should Not be about the fruit. No one gives a fig about a fruit. But the fruit makes an Appearance. Extra points if it’s a Pomegranate. No need to mention Persephone, but if you do… It better be something we don’t already know.
Writer’s Digest
Optimistic Laturnae
life
more love
with my wife
standing by me
love
The lanturne is a five-line verse shaped like a Japanese lantern with a syllabic pattern of one, two, three, four, one.
Writing Com Dew Drop Inn
April 1—Be a fool in a poem!
Sarangpabo – Korean Love Fool for You
When I first saw you
In my dreams.
You were the most beautiful woman
In the world to me
And still are.
When you looked at me
With love blazing
From your dark brown
Goo-goo eyes.
sparks flew from heart to heart
(이심초심 ishimchomshim)
You hynotized, messemeried me
Your love mojo working overtime
Turning me into nothing but
A 사랑 바보 Sarang pabo (love fool).
Eight years later
You walked off that bus
Into my life,
Becoming
my wife,
My soul mate.
And yes,
I am still
your 사랑 바보Sarang pabo.
And will remain under
Your love spell
Until the day I die.
Translation into Korean (rough AI Version)
Hangul:
처음 너를 보았을 때
꿈 속에서.
넌 세상에서 가장 아름다운 여자였어
내게
그리고 지금도 그런 너.
네가 나를 보며
사랑이 눈부시게
네 어두운 갈색 눈에서
불타오르는 모습.
마음에서 마음으로 불꽃이 튀었어
(이심초심 ishimchomshim)
넌 나를 최면에 걸었고, 날 사로잡았어
네 사랑의 마법이 야근을 하며
나를 사랑 바보로 만들었어.
8년 뒤
넌 그 버스에서 내게 다가왔어
내 삶 속으로,
내 아내가 되며,
내 영혼의 동반자가 되었어.
그리고 맞아,
나는 여전히
네 사랑 바보야.
네 사랑 주문 아래에
내가 죽을 때까지.
Romanized Script:
Cheoeum neoreul boasseul ttae
Kkum sogeseo.
Neon sesangeseo gajang areumdaun yeoja-eosseo
Naege
Geurigo jigeumdo geureon neo.
Nega nareul bomyeo
Salangi nunbusige
Ne eoduun galssaek nun-eseo
Bultao-reuneun moseup.
Ma-eumeseo ma-eum-euro bulkkoch-i twieosseosseo
(이심초심 ishimchomshim)
Neon nareul choemyeon-e geol-eoss-eo, nal salojab-ass-eo
Ne salang-ui mabeob-i yageun-eul hamyeo
Naleul salang babo-lo mandeul-eoss-eo.
anyeon dwi
Neon geu beoseueseo naege dag-awass-eo
Nae salm sog-eulo,
Nae anae-ga doemyeon,
Nae yeonghon-ui dongbanja-ga doeeoss-eo.
Geuligo maj-a,
Naneun yeojeonhi
Ne salang babo-ya.
Ne salang jumun alae-e
Naega jugeul ttaekkaji.
NaPoWrMo
March 31 warm Up
Easter Bunny Warning
April 1 Cage
Easter Bunny Warning
The Easter Bunny
Had a warning
He was tired
Of being played the fool.
Tired of being associated
With low-life fake Christians
Proclaiming that Donald Trump
Is the next messiah.
The Easter Bunny said,
“Donald Trump
Ain’t no Christian
He ain’t no friend of mine.
He is the antichrist
The poster child
For the seven deadly sins”.
Donald Trump denounced
The Easter Bunny.
Saying on Truth Social,
“The Easter Bunny is nothing
But a low-life wanna-be thug,
A real loser!
An anti-fa, anti-American, BLM, communist, fascist
Radical left-wing Marxist vermin thug,
Part of the woke crowd,
That is ruining our once-great country.
That needs a Second Amendment remedy.
Warm Up Cage
One of the most terrible things
Of the Former President’s last term
Were the infamous Cages.
Where children were ripped away
From their parents or adult caregivers.
Who were accused of being coyotes,
And put into huge cages,
Exposed to the hot desert temperatures.
With limited food, internet, phones
Medical care, translators, water
Or access to other services.
The apologists for Trump
Claimed that the cages
Did not exist!
Just more liberal fake news
And all that.
Or it was the need
To ensure that children
Were not being trafficked
To discourage the invading armies
Of dangerous criminals
Being organized in mythical
Mass caravans of brown people.
Or these were more
Like Summer camp
With happy campers!
NOT
A
SINGLE
WORD
OF
THAT
WAS
REMOTELY
TRUE
These cages were cages
Children were housed there
For months.
Many were never reunited
As the parents were deported
Many have spent decades
Trying to track down
Their missing children.
Now Trump is talking
About massive detention camps
He will set up
If he is re-elected,
Most likely they will be housed
In tents exposed to the weather
Just like cages.
Immigrants including dreamers
And those suspected of being illegals
And other undesirables
Antifa, BLM, and LGBTQ,
Protestors, Muslims, “foreign terrorists”
Criminal gang members
And ultimately Jews
Because Jews always
End up in these Camps.
All will be sent to these
“Temporary immigration detention Centers”
TIDC for short
The apologist will describe them
As wonderful caring facilities
But restrict access to them
For national security reasons
They will be concentration camps
Or filtration Centers to use the Russian term
Or Re-education Centers
Located in rural areas
Where they would be promoted
As “job centers”
The spine list SCOTUS
And republican party
Will either look the other way
Or claim that they are constitutional
Or play the same game
Lying
That they are great camps
The inhabitants are happy
The communities love
Having new jobs
AND
OTHER
DAMN
LIES!
Eventually the media and public
Will forget that they exist too.
If I am lucky
And this happens
I will not end up there!!!!!
For writing this poem!
April 2 Prompt
PSH The Words of the Year 1955 PSH
WD Sad and happy days
WC Dew Drop Inn
Springtime Flowers Blooming Love
NaPoWrMo
It Can’t Happen Here
PSH prompt The Words of the Year 1955 1955 Words
Title: The Words of the Year 1955 PSH
According to
Meriam Webster’s new tool
Time Traveler by Merriam-Webster: Words from 1955
1955 my birth year.
Started with many words
that are still current
almost 68 years later.
Some of the prompt words that struck
My fancy includes the following
There are hidden agendas
All around us.
Artifical intellegence
The bigest buzz word
Nowadays
Was just becoming a thing
scientists speculated.
The big bang theory a big thing
Back in the day
Not a comedy about nerdy scientists.
Cosmonauts and astronauts
Pre-moon shot days.
Counter intuitive thinking
Begining of the DYI
Home Depot macho man culture.
The home computer
And micowave oven
Not yet in everyone’s house.
But the idiot box
Had invaded American homes
But only four networks
To choose from
Not the thousand channels
We have now.
It was the pre-internet
Pre-streaming era.
Information science
Was not for
The intellecually disabled
It was not rocket science.
The juice heads
Were juiced
And jazzed up the max.
While secretly smoking weed
With the rasta dreadlock wearing
Jamacian rastafarians,
And playing pinball
In the arcades.
While thinking about
The new left
And the beatnit movement.
Thinking about
The latest mind blowing
Miniturization devices.
the roots of modern life
beginning way back
in the day.
Writers Digest Sad and Happy
Every day I wake up
At dawn
And drink a cup
Of snarling hot coffee.
Writing my daily poems
Including this one
And my journals.
While half listening
To the idiots on TV
Blathering on and on.
When I pay attention
To their drivel,
I became increasingly sad,.
Even mad,
And feel real bad
I turn off the boob tube.
Turn off the news.
And play me some old-school blues.
When my wife walks into the room
With love blazing from her eyes,
She chases away the lingering blues.
And I feel my happiness
Returning to me.
And know as long
As we have other
Everything will be Jake
And I will be at peace
With my world.
Write a poem every day of April with the 2024 April Poem-A-Day Challenge. For today’s prompt, we have our first two-for-Tuesday prompt.
For today’s prompt, we have our first two-for-Tuesday prompt, which means you get two prompts. You can write to one of the prompts, both the prompts separately, or try to write a poem that works with both prompts at the same time. The prompts are:
Write a happy poem, and/or…
Write a sad poem.
Two sides of the same emotional coin.
NaPoWrMo
It Can’t Happen Here
It Can’t Happen Here
was a prescient look
at the rise of Christian Fascism
in the United States
Set in the later 1930s
It looked at the rise
of a Christain Fascist dictator
modeled after Charles Lindbergh
and his American First movement
who with the support
of the American Bund
and other pro-fascist forces
mounted a spirited third-party
effort to become President
amid the suffering of the Great Depression
promising to keep us out of the war
and ally with the fascists in Europe
against the evil communist
Godless menace of Stalin.
“American Fascism came
wrapped in the flag
and carrying a Christian flag”
Although it was not successful
it probably kept us out of World War 11
longer than we should have
there are so many parallels
to modern Trump and post Trumpian
MAGA movement
which is a modern alt. right
explicit Christian Fascist movement
that openly admires
the right-wing autocrats
in Hungary, Türkiye
and Putin’s Russia
hoping to turn the U.S.
into a Christian Fascist one-party state
run by Donald Trump
and his acolytes
with millions rounded up
subject to deportation
with dissent outlaw
the deep state tamed
the media sold off
to regime supporters
and the late-night TV comics
defanged
No more Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimble
John Stewart and SNL
replaced by right-wing comic hacks
shilling for the great leader
while the book did not happen
and Philips Roth’s Plot Against America
the warning that it could happen here
is more relevant than ever
as Trump and Biden are in a dead heat
I am optimistic that Trump will not prevail
this time around
but I worry about all the potential Trump
wanna be politicians out there
who promise to Make America Great Again
by returning to the 1890’s
when they claim the U.S. went down
the wrong path
when white men ruled the world
minorities knew their place
Women were second-class citizens
the LGBTQ community in the closet
their very existence illegal
with a twist
Christian Fascism
the new ruling ideology
underpinning the latest
illiberal democracy
Posted on Https://theworldaccordingtocosmos.com
Writing Com Dew Drop Inn
Springtime Flowers Blooming Love
Springtime in Korea
walking down the world peace forest
near the international airport in Incheon
with the love of my life by my side.
Enjoying the Flowering Trees
The snowing apple trees, cherry blossoms
pear blossoms. the purple azaleas, the anemone,
the buttercups, the daffodils, the magnolia,
the scotch bloom, the tulips,
the wildflowers in the field.
the fragrance of love in the air
Life is great.
April 3 Poems
PSH 1
Berkelely Mad Pyscotic Pineapple Burns Sonnet
PSH 2 AI Version traditional Sonnet
WD My Musical Street
WC Dew Drop Inn Look at the Sky
NaPoWrMo
Berkelely Mad Pyscotic Pineapple Burns Sonnet
the Berkeley mad pyscotic pineapple.
was an underground Berkeley icon.
the pineapple said, “Bad Luck comes in Three.”
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,
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.
The Burns Sonnet is a Shakespearian sonnet but it does not follow traditional meter or rhyme
Please convert the previous text into a traditional sonnet using most of these words in line 13 must use the word cacophony and follow the following criterion
1 inner life of pineapple
2 berkeley fate
3 bad luck comes in three
4last night went for a walk
5-8 line five to eight two animals meet someone unusual
9 10 wish for the pineapple
11 12 what did I wish for when your eight
13-14 hullabaloo, ragamuffin, hooferaw, scoundreles cacophony and discuss a secret something is hidden or something no one else knows
AI Version
AI version Title: “The Cosmic Cat”
The Berkeley mad, psychotic pineapple,
An underground icon in the streets of Berkeley,
Whispered, “Bad Luck comes in Three,” so cynical,
Last night, he wandered, joints ablaze, unwary.
Encountering a cat, not mere feline grace,
But cosmic blackness riding on a dog,
A mouse perched high, a curious embrace,
In SF Bay’s odd realm, where dreams may jog.
Oh, how I wished when I was merely eight,
For a cosmic cat, a secret friend concealed,
To stir a hullabaloo, a wild debate,
A ragamuffin dance, a truth revealed.
In hooferaw and scoundrel’s cacophony,
The pineapple’s fate intertwined with glee. 🍍🌌
Writer’s Digest Our Musical Street
30 lines
I grew up
In a very creative time
a very musical time.
The 60’s had the best music
Motown ruled the Bay Area
As well as Great rock music
Acid jazz
Acid Rock
Fusion Jazz
The Grateful Dead
Mamas and the Papas
Jefferson Airplane
Jimmy Hendrix
last high school
was Berkeley High School
Santana
And so many others
The best funk band
Of them all
Tower of Power
Beloved by all
High school students.
For their immortal classic
Make out song
You’re still a Young Man.
wonder how many people
fell in love slow dancing
to this song
how many babies
were conceived?
Tower of Power rocked
Every party in town
On every street.
Music flowed.
On every musical street
In the city.
That was Berkeley
In the 60’s and 70’s.
Please use the following as the Title of your story or poem:
“Our Musical Street”
Please select “Music” as one of your genres.
Tower of Power is an American R&B and funk-based band and horn section, originating in Oakland, California, that has been performing since 1968. The band has had several lead vocalists, the best known being Lenny Williams, who fronted the band between early 1973 and late 1974, the period of their greatest commercial success1. They have had eight songs on the Billboard Hot 100; their highest-charting songs include “You’re Still a Young Man”, “So Very Hard to Go”, “What Is Hip?”, and “Don’t Change Horses (in the Middle of a Stream)”1.
The band was formed by tenor saxophonist/vocalist Emilio Castillo and baritone saxophonist Stephen “Doc” Kupka in 19681. The band’s soul sound appealed to both minority and counterculture listeners1. The band’s name was changed to Tower of Power after they agreed that their original name, The Mots, would not help them play at Bill Graham’s Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco1.
Tower of Power has released 31 albums, including 15 studio albums, 5 live albums, and 11 compilations1. Their most recent album, “Step Up”, was released in 20202.
Here is a list of some of their most popular songs:
“You’re Still a Young Man”
“So Very Hard to Go”
“What Is Hip?”
“Don’t Change Horses (in the Middle of a Stream)”
“Soul Vaccination”
“This Time It’s Real”
“Time Will Tell”
“Only So Much Oil in the Ground”
If you’re interested in listening to their music, you can check out their official website2.
2024 April PAD Challenge: Day 3
Write a poem every day of April with the 2024 April Poem-A-Day Challenge. For today’s prompt, write a musical act or artist poem.
Believe it or not, today is one of the more important days of the April Poem-A-Day Challenge. While each day is a new challenge, I’ve found that most poets who make it through the first three days of prompts have the best chances of still being here at the end of the month. So let’s write a poem!
For today’s prompt, pick a musical act or artist and either make that the title of your poem or incorporate into the title of your poem; then, write your poem. Possible titles might be: “Michael Jackson,” “Olivia Rodrigo,” “the Beatles,” “Guided by Voices at Austin City Limits,” “Watching a Movie With Elton John,” or “Eating Ice Cream With Dr. Dre.” Have fun with it!
Remember: These prompts are springboards to creativity. Use them to expand your possibilities, not limit them.
Writing Com Dew Drop Inn Look at the Sky
NaPoWrMo Prompt
the Parliament of Owls Decree Death to All Humans
AV version the Parliament of Owls Decree Death to All Humans
Death to All Humans
The Parliament of Animals met one day in a secret undisclosed location as they were under constant surveillance by the human CIA and others who wanted to disrupt the parliament’s work.
the wise owl presided. He read the charges
“We are assembled here to judge the actions of the human race. the human race is being charged with
crimes against nature,
destruction of the environment,
mass murder,
enslavement of animals,
mutilation of animals,
and violation of Gaia’s basic commandments to preserve the environment for all animals including humans.
Speaking for the prosecution will be the Tiger and Lions, speaking for the defense with the domestic cats and dogs. We have in the room ten men and women who are representative of the human race.
The parliament can make any recommendation to remedy the situation including the death penalty, exile, or reparations. All animals will be required to conduct these recommendations.”
“Okay, Mr. Tiger first we will ask the humans how they plead.” “
Humans. You have been charged with the following crimes.
crimes against nature,
destruction of the environment,
mass murder,
enslavement of animals,
mutilation of animals,
and violation of Gaia’s basic commandments to preserve the environment for all animals including humans.
How do you plead?
Sam Adams, the lawyer for the humans, responded,
“Not guilty your honor for these charges except for eating animals which we contend is part of the natural order of the world and many if not most of you are guilty of the same charge.”
“Clarification – your basic argument is that everyone eats animals, so humans are not guilty
“ “Yes, that is correct, your honor.” “
Okay, Mr. Tiger, you’re opening.” “Okay. The facts are clear. For thousands of years until the Industrial Revolution humans had a little mass impact on the overall environment. Ever since then all animals have been impacted and my species has been hunted to extinction for the greed of humans who have not eaten tiger meat. The predator class, including bears, coyotes, feral dogs, lions, tigers, and wolves have been fighting back against the predation of humans, but we are losing. And if we don’t do anything within 10 years, there won’t be any tigers or other big predators left in the wild. And the natural order of things would be controlled by the evil, selfish humans who don’t give a damn about their fellow creatures. Therefore, we are proposing that 95% of humans must be killed. The remaining humans will be allowed to live as our slaves It is only fair. That is my request to the parliament of animals. Death to humans!”
The crowd rose and chanted “Death to all humans” until the owl ruled that they must not disrupt the proceedings.
The owl turned to the cat and and dog for their defense. the dog responded, “
Humans and dogs have been partners, and we know humans more than any of you. Humans are capable of great kindness, and compassion and we maintain they are not fundamentally evil. And then they can be redeemed through education and through. Campaign to reform human thought. I think we should give humans a second chance.”
the owl motioned to the dog
“I concur with Brother Cat. Humans are okay and we like them they are our friends, although they should be found not guilty because of insanity.”
The owl said he was ready for his verdict.
“Death to 95 percent of humans, and enslavement of the rest, but we will allow 50,000 to immigrate to the Moon and Mars. I will meet with the UN to give them the decree.
Once that is published all animals must rise up and kill all humans on sight. This suspends the parliament of animals. Death to all humans.” The word went out animals rose all over the world and the reign of human tyranny ended within a year.
AI Version The Parliament of Animals
In the clandestine chambers of the Parliament of Animals, where shadows danced and secrets whispered, the wise owl presided. Under the ever-watchful gaze of human surveillance, the charges were read aloud:
“We are assembled here to judge the actions of the human race. The human race stands accused of crimes against nature, destruction of the environment, mass murder, enslavement of animals, mutilation of animals, and violation of Gaia’s sacred commandments. Speaking for the prosecution are the Tigers and Lions; for the defense, the domestic cats and dogs. Ten representatives of humanity sit in this room. The parliament holds the power to recommend remedies: death penalty, exile, or reparations. All animals shall be bound by these decisions.”
The Tiger, his golden eyes ablaze, addressed the humans, “How do you plead?”
The humans, their faces etched with defiance, stood before the assembly. Sam Adams, their lawyer, stepped forward, his voice unwavering, “Not guilty, Your Honor. Except for eating animals—a primal act woven into our existence—we maintain our innocence. It is the natural order, and many among you, my fellow creatures, partake in this ancient feast.”
The room buzzed with tension. The wise owl blinked, feathers rustling. The verdict hung in the air, suspended between judgment and mercy. The fate of humanity rested on the scales of justice, balanced precariously.
And so, the Parliament of Animals convened, weaving threads of fate, pondering the sins of bipeds, and deciding whether to condemn or absolve. In this surreal courtroom, where the boundaries blurred and the moon bore witness, the world awaited its reckoning.
Last but not least, here’s our prompt for the day – optional, as always. Today, we’d like to challenge you to write a surreal prose poem. For inspiration, check out Franz Kafka’s collection of short parables (my favorite is “The Green Dragon”).
Illustrated byAimee Pong
The News of the Building of the Wall: A Fragment
The Great Wall and the Tower of Babel
April 4
PSH
Writers Digest
Writing Com Dew Drop In
NaPoWriMo
April 5th
PSH
Writers Digest
Writing Com Dew Drop In
NaPoWriMo
PSH The Cosmic Dog from Goa
My final time with God
Happened a year latter
I was staying down in Goa
With my wife
Enjoying being with her
After our reconciliation
We stayed at the Taj Mahal Goa
Living like Kings and Queen
Just for a few days
High up on a hill
Overlooking the beach
Every morning I went down to the beach
And did yoga by the water
While contemplating life
And every morning
I saw the same dog
Not just a dog
But a cosmic dog
Filled with the divine spark of God
And the dog recognized me
And spoke to me and I knew
That God was present once more
In the face of the that cosmic dog
Kindred spirit
perhaps to the cosmic cat
that had save my soul
in Berkeley so long ago
I told the dog everything
And he just looked at me
With those soulful eyes of his
And I knew he knew that I knew
That he was possessed by God
God had sent him to me
To make sure that I was on the right path
That the reconciliation that God had promoted
Was on track that I was back with my wife
And that everything was the way it should be
Again, I asked God whether he was Jesus or Allah
Or Brahmin or Ganesh or Buddha
God the cosmic dog just stared at me
I finally asked him directly
Say if you are God the God of Jesus
Bark once
The Dog looked at me and barked
I said well if you are Allah bark twice
The dog barked twice
Well are you buddha then bark three times if yes
The god dog barked three times
Hmm well are you Satan
The dog growled at me
And I knew I had gone too far
Finally, I was at peace
And for the next three days
The God Dog was my constant companion
And I knew God for the final time
In my life
Writer’s DIgest Tell Me No Lies
Tell me no lies
My dear
and I will tell you
no lies too.
But every word
I say
could be a lie.
you never know
what is true
and what is a lie.
So tell me no more lies
and I will tell you the truth
if you can handle it.
April 4
PSH
WD
WC Dew Drop Inn
NaPoWrMo
April 5
PSH
WD
WC Dew Drop Inn Make Baseball Great Again!
NaPoWrMo Only in SF
It is time
to make American baseball
Great again
starting with creating a worldwide
baseball competition
with each season
with the national champions
competing in a World Cup World Series
with the final round pitting the
North American Champions
against the winners of Africa,
Asian, Europe, and South America
with the final rounds
best of seven
always held in the U.S.
The other things to do
include rapid expansion plans
including the MLB teams
adopting local schools and colleges
fully funding baseball programs
and only hiring college graduates.
as players.
and making tickets affordable
no more than ten dollars per game!
if they do this,
we can make baseball
once again the best sport
in the U.S.
Let’s all join together
to make baseball great again!
NaPoWrMo Only In SF
Tiny, the Jamaican
was a big 6’5 reggae Rasta man,
sprouting long black and purple dreadlocks
and a purple mohawk
wearing a black leather jacket
with weed logos on it,
played guitar in the SF Reggae Kings.
A big Three Stooges fan,
Named his four pets,
“Shemp” the cat,
“Moe” the dog,
Curly” the mouse,
and Curly Joe, the Vietnamese pig.
The four amigos got along famously
They lived in an apartment
in the western addiction,
off of Geary,
in a rapidly gentrifying part of the city
One day, Shemp said to Moe
“Moe, I have a question for you,
and I want an honest answer,
none of your canine BS answer.
You know us cats are straight shooters.”
“Okay, my cat brother. Shoot.”
“Well, I understand that
cats, dogs, mice, and pigs
are natural born enemies,
How come we get along?
And you get along
with Curly and Curly Joe?”
“Good question.
“First, when we met
I hated you all
and you were afraid
I might eat you in your sleep
and the thought
crossed my mind.
But over time
I mellowed out
and realized
we were all a band of brothers
living in this house.
I think it
also has something to do
with the cloud of weed
in the air
and the chill deep house
reggae peace and love
vibes in the house.”
“cool.
“Good answer.
I too think of you
all as my brothers.”
“You know what I like the most?”
Our nightly walk
when Tiny, Tina, and Linda
take us out
and we put on our show.
You know Curly Joe
letting you ride on him,
and I ride on you
and Curly
sits on my head
to complete the show
as we freak out the tourists
good citizens, and outlaws
who constantly take pictures
saying to themselves
“Only in SF”.
And you know
They are right.
Only in SF.
Let’s keep SF weird.”
Tiny came in
and they all went
for their walk.
April 1
Ode to Durian
The infamous durian fruit is a strange phenomenon.
Common in China, Southeast Asia, and India,
and in Chinese, Southeast Asian, and Indian diaspora communities,
It has such a powerful sour smell, that it is banned in airline cabins.
first ate Durian in a rural town in Central Thailand
my hasher friends dared me to eat it
it was horrible at first the smell
But if you can get beyond
The awful, dirty socks, rotten, sour smell,
The taste is pure heaven,
Proof perhaps that God has a sense of humor?
Sour
April 1, 2024: Poetry Writing Prompt from Suzanne Lummis
This poetry writing prompt submitted by Suzanne Lummis:
Evolve a poem that involves an exotic fruit, one fruit, and a town you’ve never visited, or else have distant memories of. The poem does not have to be About the fruit. It probably should Not be about the fruit. No one gives a fig about a fruit. But the fruit makes an Appearance. Extra points if it’s a Pomegranate. No need to mention Persephone, but if you do… It better be something we don’t already know.
A Mango would also be good.
No Oranges.
Nothing personal against them, but that’s another poem. And Gary Soto wrote it.
Don’t forget about the Town.
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
Writer’s Digest
Optimistic Laturnae (CC FS)
life
more love
with my wife
standing by me
love
The lanturne is a five-line verse shaped like a Japanese lantern with a syllabic pattern of one, two, three, four, one.
March 31 warm Up
Easter Bunny Warning
The Easter Bunny
Had a warning
He was tired
Of being played the fool.
Tired of being associated
With low-life fake Christians
Proclaiming that Donald Trump
Is the next messiah.
The Easter Bunny said,
“Donald Trump
Ain’t no Christian
He ain’t no friend of mine.
He is the antichrist
The poster child
For the seven deadly sins”.
Donald Trump denounced
The Easter Bunny.
Saying on Truth Social,
“The Easter Bunny is nothing
But a low-life wanna-be thug,
A real loser!
An anti-fa, anti-American, BLM, communist, fascist
Radical left-wing Marxist vermin thug,
Part of the woke crowd,
That is ruining our once-great country.
That needs a Second Amendment remedy.
April 1—Be a fool in a poem!
Sarangpabo – Korean Love Fool for You
When I first saw you
In my dreams.
You were the most beautiful woman
In the world to me
And still are.
When you looked at me
With love blazing
From your dark brown
Goo-goo eyes.
sparks flew from heart to heart
(이심초심ishimchomshim)
You hynotized, messemeried me
Your love mojo working overtime
Turning me into nothing but
A 사랑 바보Sarang pabo (love fool).
Eight years later
You walked off that bus
Into my life,
Becoming
my wife,
My soul mate.
And yes,
I am still
your 사랑 바보Sarang pabo.
And will remain under
Your love spell
Until the day I die.
Translation into Korean (rough AI Version)
Certainly! Here’s the English text followed by the Hangul and Romanized script line by line:
English:
When I first saw you
In my dreams.
You were the most beautiful woman
In the world to me
And still are.
When you looked at me
With love blazing
From your dark brown
Goo-goo eyes.
Sparks flew from heart to heart
(이심초심 ishimchomshim)
You hypnotized, mesmerized me
Your love mojo working overtime
Turning me into nothing but
A 사랑 바보 Sarang pabo (love fool).
Eight years later
You walked off that bus
Into my life,
Becoming
My wife,
My soul mate.
And yes,
I am still
Your 사랑 바보 Sarang pabo.
And will remain under
Your love spell
Until the day I die.
Hangul:
처음 너를 보았을 때
꿈 속에서.
넌 세상에서 가장 아름다운 여자였어
내게
그리고 지금도 그런 너.
네가 나를 보며
사랑이 눈부시게
네 어두운 갈색 눈에서
불타오르는 모습.
마음에서 마음으로 불꽃이 튀었어
(이심초심 ishimchomshim)
넌 나를 최면에 걸었고, 날 사로잡았어
네 사랑의 마법이 야근을 하며
나를 사랑 바보로 만들었어.
8년 뒤
넌 그 버스에서 내게 다가왔어
내 삶 속으로,
내 아내가 되며,
내 영혼의 동반자가 되었어.
그리고 맞아,
나는 여전히
네 사랑 바보야.
네 사랑 주문 아래에
내가 죽을 때까지.
Romanized Script:
Cheoeum neoreul boasseul ttae
Kkum sogeseo.
Neon sesangeseo gajang areumdaun yeoja-eosseo
Naege
Geurigo jigeumdo geureon neo.
Nega nareul bomyeo
Salangi nunbusige
Ne eoduun galssaek nun-eseo
Bultao-reuneun moseup.
Ma-eumeseo ma-eum-euro bulkkoch-i twieosseosseo
(이심초심 ishimchomshim)
Neon nareul choemyeon-e geol-eoss-eo, nal salojab-ass-eo
Ne salang-ui mabeob-i yageun-eul hamyeo
Naleul salang babo-lo mandeul-eoss-eo.
8nyeon dwi
Neon geu beoseueseo naege dag-awass-eo
Nae salm sog-eulo,
Nae anae-ga doemyeon,
Nae yeonghon-ui dongbanja-ga doeeoss-eo.
Geuligo maj-a,
Naneun yeojeonhi
Ne salang babo-ya.
Ne salang jumun alae-e
Naega jugeul ttaekkaji.
April 2 Prompt
PSH The Words of the Year 1955 PSH
WD Sad and happy days
WC Dew Drop Inn
NaPoWrMo Springtime Flowers Blooming Love
PSH prompt The Words of the Year 1955 1955 Words
Title: The Words of the Year 1955 PSH
According to
Meriam Webster’s new tool
Time Traveler by Merriam-Webster: Words from 1955
1955 my birth year
Started with many words
Some of the prompt words that struck
My fancy include the following
Oddly we are still talking
About many of these words
In 2024
There are hidden agendas
All around us
If you write a poem from this prompt, post it as a comment underneath the prompt in the Poetry Super Highway Facebook Group.
This poetry writing prompt submitted by D.L. Lang:
Use the Merriam-Webster website’s time travel feature, pick a year, and use those words in a poem.
1955
PSH
WD Sad and happy days
NaPoWrMo
WC Dew Drop In
Sad and happy days
every day I wake up
at dawn
and drink a cup
of snarling hot coffee.
writing my daily poems
including this one
and my journals.
while half listening
to the idiots on TV
blathering on and on.
when I pay attention
to their drivel,
I became increasingly sad,.
even mad,
and feel real bad
I turn off the boob tube.
turn off the news.
and play me some old-school blues.
when my wife walks into the room
with love blazing from her eyes,
she chases away the lingering blues.
and I feel my happiness
returning to me.
and know as long
as we have other
everything will be Jake
and I will be at peace
with my world.
2024 April PAD Challenge: Day 2
Write a poem every day of April with the 2024 April Poem-A-Day Challenge. For today’s prompt, we have our first two-for-Tuesday prompt.
For today’s prompt, we have our first two-for-Tuesday prompt, which means you get two prompts. You can write to one of the prompts, both the prompts separately, or try to write a poem that works with both prompts at the same time. The prompts are:
Write a happy poem, and/or…
Write a sad poem.
Two sides of the same emotional coin.
NaPoWrMo
It Can’t Happen Here
was a prescient look
at the rise of Christian Fascism
in the United States
Set in the later 1930s
It looked at the rise
of a Christain Fascist dictator
modeled after Charles Lindbergh
and his American First movement
who with the support
of the American Bund
and other pro-fascist forces
mounted a spirited third-party
effort to become President
amid the suffering of the Great Depression
promising to keep us out of the war
and ally with the fascists in Europe
against the evil communist
Godless menace of Stalin.
“American Fascism came
wrapped in the flag
and carrying a Christian flag”
Although it was not successful
it probably kept us out of World War 11
longer than we should have
there are so many parallels
to modern Trump and post Trumpian
MAGA movement
which is a modern alt. right
explicit Christian Fascist movement
that openly admires
the right-wing autocrats
in Hungary, Türkiye
and Putin’s Russia
hoping to turn the U.S.
into a Christian Fascist one-party state
run by Donald Trump
and his acolytes
with millions rounded up
subject to deportation
with dissent outlaw
the deep state tamed
the media sold off
to regime supporters
and the late-night TV comics
defanged
No more Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimble
John Stewart and SNL
replaced by right-wing comic hacks
shilling for the great leader
while the book did not happen
and Philips Roth’s Plot Against America
the warning that it could happen here
is more relevant than ever
as Trump and Biden are in a dead heat
I am optimistic that Trump will not prevail
this time around
but I worry about all the potential Trump
wanna be politicians out there
who promise to Make America Great Again
by returning to the 1890’s
when they claim the U.S. went down
the wrong path
when white men ruled the world
minorities knew their place
Women were second-class citizens
the LGBTQ community in the closet
their very existence illegal
with a twist
Christian Fascism
the new ruling ideology
underpinning the latest
illiberal democracy
Posted on Https://theworldaccordingtocosmos.com
Writing Com Dew Drop Inn
Springtime Flowers Blooming Love
Springtime in Korea
walking down the world peace forest
near the international airport in Incheon
with the love of my life by my side.
Enjoying the Flowering Trees
The snowing apple trees, cherry blossoms
pear blossoms. the purple azaleas, the anemone,
the buttercups, the daffodils, the magnolia,
the scotch bloom, the tulips,
the wildflowers in the field.
the fragrance of love in the air
Life is great.
April 3 Poems
PSH 1
Berkelely Mad Pyscotic Pineapple Burns Sonnet
PSH 2 AI Version traditional Sonnet
WD My Musical Street
WC Dew Drop Inn
NaPoWrMo
Berkelely Mad Pyscotic Pineapple Burns Sonnet
the Berkeley mad pyscotic pineapple.
was an underground Berkeley icon.
the pineapple said, “Bad Luck comes in Three.”
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,
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.
The Burns Sonnet is a Shakespearian sonnet but it does not follow traditional meter or rhyme
Please convert the previous text into a traditional sonnet using most of these words in line 13 must use the word cacophony and follow the following criterion
1 inner life of pineapple
2 berkeley fate
3 bad luck comes in three
4last night went for a walk
5-8 line five to eight two animals meet someone unusual
9 10 wish for the pineapple
11 12 what did I wish for when your eight
13-14 hullabaloo, ragamuffin, hooferaw, scoundreles cacophony and discuss a secret something is hidden or something no one else knows
AI Version
AI version Title: “The Cosmic Cat”
The Berkeley mad, psychotic pineapple,
An underground icon in the streets of Berkeley,
Whispered, “Bad Luck comes in Three,” so cynical,
Last night, he wandered, joints ablaze, unwary.
Encountering a cat, not mere feline grace,
But cosmic blackness riding on a dog,
A mouse perched high, a curious embrace,
In SF Bay’s odd realm, where dreams may jog.
Oh, how I wished when I was merely eight,
For a cosmic cat, a secret friend concealed,
To stir a hullabaloo, a wild debate,
A ragamuffin dance, a truth revealed.
In hooferaw and scoundrel’s cacophony,
The pineapple’s fate intertwined with glee. 🍍🌌
Writer’s Digest Our Musical Street
30 lines
I grew up
In a very creative time
a very musical time.
The 60’s had the best music
Motown ruled the Bay Area
As well as Great rock music
Acid jazz
Acid Rock
Fusion Jazz
The Grateful Dead
Mamas and the Papas
Jefferson Airplane
Jimmy Hendrix
last high school
was Berkeley High School
Santana
And so many others
The best funk band
Of them all
Tower of Power
Beloved by all
High school students.
For their immortal classic
Make out song
You’re still a Young Man.
wonder how many people
fell in love slow dancing
to this song
how many babies
were conceived?
Tower of Power rocked
Every party in town
On every street.
Music flowed.
On every musical street
In the city.
That was Berkeley
In the 60’s and 70’s.
Please use the following as the Title of your story or poem:
“Our Musical Street”
Please select “Music” as one of your genres.
Tower of Power is an American R&B and funk-based band and horn section, originating in Oakland, California, that has been performing since 1968. The band has had several lead vocalists, the best known being Lenny Williams, who fronted the band between early 1973 and late 1974, the period of their greatest commercial success1. They have had eight songs on the Billboard Hot 100; their highest-charting songs include “You’re Still a Young Man”, “So Very Hard to Go”, “What Is Hip?”, and “Don’t Change Horses (in the Middle of a Stream)”1.
The band was formed by tenor saxophonist/vocalist Emilio Castillo and baritone saxophonist Stephen “Doc” Kupka in 19681. The band’s soul sound appealed to both minority and counterculture listeners1. The band’s name was changed to Tower of Power after they agreed that their original name, The Mots, would not help them play at Bill Graham’s Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco1.
Tower of Power has released 31 albums, including 15 studio albums, 5 live albums, and 11 compilations1. Their most recent album, “Step Up”, was released in 20202.
Here is a list of some of their most popular songs:
“You’re Still a Young Man”
“So Very Hard to Go”
“What Is Hip?”
“Don’t Change Horses (in the Middle of a Stream)”
“Soul Vaccination”
“This Time It’s Real”
“Time Will Tell”
“Only So Much Oil in the Ground”
If you’re interested in listening to their music, you can check out their official website2.
Bump City
| Bump City | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 1972 | |||
| Recorded | 1971-1972 | |||
| Studio | Trans Maximus Inc. Recording Studios, Memphis, Tennessee | |||
| Genre | Soul, funk | |||
| Length | 35:52 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. Records | |||
| Producer | Ron Capone, Tower of Power | |||
| Tower of Power chronology | ||||
|
||||
Bump City is the second album by the soul/funk group Tower of Power. The album cover is derived from a sketch by David Garibaldi.[citation needed] It’s also their first album for Warner Bros. Records. With Rufus Miller now gone, Rick Stevens took the reins as the sole lead vocalist for this album.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Christgau’s Record Guide | C[2] |
Track listing[edit]
All songs written by Emilio Castillo and Stephen “Doc” Kupka unless otherwise noted.
- “You Got to Funkifize” – 4:31
- “What Happened to the World That Day?” – 4:11
- “Flash in the Pan” – 3:34
- “Gone (in Memory of Jacqueline Mesquite)” (Greg Adams, Skip Mesquite) – 3:41
- “You Strike My Main Nerve” (Kupka, Castillo, L. Williams, L. Gordon) – 2:52
- “Down to the Nightclub” (Kupka, Castillo, David Garibaldi) – 2:43
- “You’re Still a Young Man” – 5:35
- “Skating on Thin Ice” – 3:48
- “Of the Earth” – 4:30
Personnel[edit]
- Rick Stevens – lead vocals
- Skip Mesquite – first tenor saxophone, flute, vocals (lead on “Gone”)
- Emilio Castillo – second tenor saxophone, vocals
- Greg Adams – trumpet, flugelhorn (solo on “Gone”), French horn, piano (on “Gone”), vocals[3]
- Stephen “Doc” Kupka – baritone saxophone, vocals
- Mic Gillette – trumpet, trombone, French horn, vocals
- Willie James Fulton – guitar, vocals
- David Garibaldi – drums
- Francis Rocco Prestia – bass
- Brent Byars – conga drums, vocals
- Jay Spell – piano (on “What Happened to the World That Day”, “You’re Still a Young Man” and “Of the Earth”)
- Memphis Strings – arranged and conducted by Greg Adams on “What Happened to the World That Day?”, “You’re Still a Young Man” and “Of the Earth”
- Technical
- Ron Capone, Steve Cropper – mixing
Charts[edit]
Albums – Billboard (United States) [4]
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | The Billboard 200 | 85 |
| 1972 | R&B Albums | 16 |
Singles – Billboard (United States) [5][6]
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | “You’re Still A Young Man” | The Billboard Hot 100 | 29 |
| 1972 | “You’re Still A Young Man” | R&B Singles | 24 |
| 1972 | “Down To The Nightclub” | The Billboard Hot 100 | 66 |
2024 April PAD Challenge: Day 3
Write a poem every day of April with the 2024 April Poem-A-Day Challenge. For today’s prompt, write a musical act or artist poem.
Believe it or not, today is one of the more important days of the April Poem-A-Day Challenge. While each day is a new challenge, I’ve found that most poets who make it through the first three days of prompts have the best chances of still being here at the end of the month. So let’s write a poem!
For today’s prompt, pick a musical act or artist and either make that the title of your poem or incorporate into the title of your poem; then, write your poem. Possible titles might be: “Michael Jackson,” “Olivia Rodrigo,” “the Beatles,” “Guided by Voices at Austin City Limits,” “Watching a Movie With Elton John,” or “Eating Ice Cream With Dr. Dre.” Have fun with it!
Remember: These prompts are springboards to creativity. Use them to expand your possibilities, not limit them.
NaPoWrMo Prompt
the Parliament of Owls Decree Death to All Humans
AV version the Parliament of Owls Decree Death to All Humans
Death to All Humans
The Parliament of Animals met one day in a secret undisclosed location as they were under constant surveillance by the human CIA and others who wanted to disrupt the parliament’s work.
the wise owl presided. He read the charges
“We are assembled here to judge the actions of the human race. the human race is being charged with
crimes against nature,
destruction of the environment,
mass murder,
enslavement of animals,
mutilation of animals,
and violation of Gaia’s basic commandments to preserve the environment for all animals including humans.
Speaking for the prosecution will be the Tiger and Lions, speaking for the defense with the domestic cats and dogs. We have in the room ten men and women who are representative of the human race.
The parliament can make any recommendation to remedy the situation including the death penalty, exile, or reparations. All animals will be required to conduct these recommendations.”
“Okay, Mr. Tiger first we will ask the humans how they plead.” “
Humans. You have been charged with the following crimes.
crimes against nature,
destruction of the environment,
mass murder,
enslavement of animals,
mutilation of animals,
and violation of Gaia’s basic commandments to preserve the environment for all animals including humans.
How do you plead?
Sam Adams, the lawyer for the humans, responded,
“Not guilty your honor for these charges except for eating animals which we contend is part of the natural order of the world and many if not most of you are guilty of the same charge.”
“Clarification – your basic argument is that everyone eats animals, so humans are not guilty
“ “Yes, that is correct, your honor.” “
Okay, Mr. Tiger, your opening.”
“Okay. The facts are clear. For thousands of years until the Industrial Revolution humans had a little mass impact on the overall environment. Ever since then all animals have been impacted and my species has been hunted to extinction for the greed of humans who have not eaten tiger meat. The predator class, including bears, coyotes, feral dogs, lions, tigers, and wolves have been fighting back against the predation of humans, but we are losing. And if we don’t do anything within 10 years, there won’t be any tigers or other big predators left in the wild. And the natural order of things would be controlled by the evil, selfish humans who don’t give a damn about their fellow creatures. Therefore, we are proposing that 95% of humans must be killed. The remaining humans will be allowed to live as our slaves It is only fair. That is my request to the parliament of animals. Death to humans!”
The crowd rose and chanted “Death to all humans” until the owl ruled that they must not disrupt the proceedings.
The owl turned to the cat and and dog for their defense. the Cat responded, “
“ Humans are okay and we like them they are our friends, although they should be found not guilty because of insanity.”
the owl motioned to the dog, who responded,
“Humans and dogs have been partners, and we know humans more than any of you. Humans are capable of great kindness, and compassion and we maintain they are not fundamentally evil. And then they can be redeemed through education and through. Campaign to reform human thought. I think we should give humans a second chance.”
The owl said he was ready for his verdict.
“Death to 95 percent of humans, and enslavement of the rest, but we will allow 50,000 to immigrate to the Moon and Mars. I will meet with the UN to give them the decree.
Once that is published all animals must rise up and kill all humans on sight. This suspends the parliament of animals. Death to all humans.” The word went out animals rose all over the world and the reign of human tyranny ended within a year.
AI Version The Parliament of Animals
In the clandestine chambers of the Parliament of Animals, where shadows danced and secrets whispered, the wise owl presided. Under the ever-watchful gaze of human surveillance, the charges were read aloud:
“We are assembled here to judge the actions of the human race. The human race stands accused of crimes against nature, destruction of the environment, mass murder, enslavement of animals, mutilation of animals, and violation of Gaia’s sacred commandments. Speaking for the prosecution are the Tigers and Lions; for the defense, the domestic cats and dogs. Ten representatives of humanity sit in this room. The parliament holds the power to recommend remedies: death penalty, exile, or reparations. All animals shall be bound by these decisions.”
The Tiger, his golden eyes ablaze, addressed the humans, “How do you plead?”
The humans, their faces etched with defiance, stood before the assembly. Sam Adams, their lawyer, stepped forward, his voice unwavering, “Not guilty, Your Honor. Except for eating animals—a primal act woven into our existence—we maintain our innocence. It is the natural order, and many among you, my fellow creatures, partake in this ancient feast.”
The room buzzed with tension. The wise owl blinked, feathers rustling. The verdict hung in the air, suspended between judgment and mercy. The fate of humanity rested on the scales of justice, balanced precariously.
And so, the Parliament of Animals convened, weaving threads of fate, pondering the sins of bipeds, and deciding whether to condemn or absolve. In this surreal courtroom, where the boundaries blurred and the moon bore witness, the world awaited its reckoning.
Last but not least, here’s our prompt for the day – optional, as always. Today, we’d like to challenge you to write a surreal prose poem. For inspiration, check out Franz Kafka’s collection of short parables (my favorite is “The Green Dragon”).
Illustrated byAimee Pong
The News of the Building of the Wall: A Fragment
The Great Wall and the Tower of Babel
April 3—Look at the sky!
One day the world woke up
To the impending end
As a new asteroid.
Quickly dubbed
The doomsday asteroid
Headed to Earth.
Everyone looked up
At the doomsday asteroid
As the world scrambled
To send space missiles
To blow it away.
Brazilians, Chinese, the EU, Koreans, Japanese, Iraqis,
Iranians UAE, Israel,. Indians, Pakistanis, Russians, Saudis,
South Africans, Russians, and Ukrainians.
50 nations all joined the IPDF.
Including to everyone’s surprise
The elusive enigmatic North Koreans.
All join together under a newly formed.
International Planetary Defense Force
Under the auspices of the UN.
NASA provided the executive leadership
The others all provided parts of the ship,
The software, hardware, and nuclear bombs.
The ship would be unmanned
And was launched worldwide
Interest as everyone watched
Hoping for the best.
The bombs worked
The asteroid was blown away
With only some minor damage
The IPDF vowed to remain ever-vigilant
And fully funded, with a new mission.
Setting up permanent space colonies
In space stations, the moon, Mars,
The moons of Jupiter and Saturn.
Vowing to have them set up by 2030!
Using the latest AI-generated research.
The goal to have over 50,000 people
Living and working off the planet.
One of the rare international ventures
That survived the new multi-power
Global great power conflicts.
April 4
PSH Love Expressed Through Food
WD Mistake Poem – Don’t Make a Mistake, Vote For Jake
WC Dew Drop In Ending Shaving in Retirement
NaPoWriMo
It Can’t Happen Here
PSH Love Expressed Through Food
My love loves to cook
Delicious food on the stove
Cooking up a storm
All to express her love for me
Showing her deep emotion
Though the food she cooks up
We met in a dream
And I recall that dream
Whenever I eat her delicious food
It was love at first sight
Our love deepend through her food
Looking at her with lust in my heart
As I taste every inch of her
Smelling her as we make love
Love Stove
emotion cook
dreams food
attraction eat
Lust taste
sex Smell
Writing Prompt from Jon Wesick
This poetry writing prompt submitted by Jon Wesick:
The Assembly Line of Surprise
Step 1 – Choose a subject to write about. This should probably be something about being human such as a mental state, emotion, or social issue. Often this is abstract.
Love
Step 2 – Choose an object to compare it to. It’s best if this is something very different than in step 1. Concrete things like machinery give good imagery. The more outrageous the better. Congratulations! You’ve just created a metaphor.
Stove
Step 3 – Make two columns on a piece of paper. List the parts of the subject step 1 in the first column and the parts of the item in step 2 in the second.
Love Stove
emotion cook
dreams food
attraction eat
Lust taste
sex Smell
Step 4 – Map items in each column to those in the other. Choose the most interesting mappings. These will be phrases in your poem.
Step 5 – Put these phrases together into a poem.
Let’s “cook up” an example. Steps 1 and 2 – Compare despair to a microwave oven
Step 3 – Table.
| Despair | Microwave Oven |
| Fatigue | Klystron |
| Sleeplessness | Turntable |
| Irritability | Browning dish |
| Emptiness | Observation window |
| Loss of libido | Control panel |
| Gloom | Timer |
| Despondency | Defrost function |
| Hopelessness | Auto cook menu |
| Futility | Number pad |
| Start/stop button | |
| Tomato sauce caked on walls | |
| Sparking when tin foil inside |
Step 4 – I’d map sleeplessness to dried tomato sauce, irritability to sparking, and libido to the defrost function.
Step 5 – Put mapping into a poem.
Writers DIgest Mistake Poem “Don’t Make a Mistake Vote for Jake”
I should have run for office
I would have a perfect slogn
Rifting on the word mistake
Rhyming it with my name Jake.
In a old “Burma shave style
Cowboy poetry poem..
Don’t make a mistake
Vote for Jake
He is so awake
Don’t brake
Don’t use your emergency brake
Everything’s Jake. ‘
Just Vote for Jake
He ain’t no fake
He’s no flake
He ain’t on the make
Just vote for Jake
He’s aint no rake
He ain’t no rattle snake
He ain’t no common snake
He ain’t on the take.
Just vote for Jake
Take a tea break.
Don’t have a cluster headache,
Don’t have a sinus headache.
Just vote for Jake
Make a political earthquake
Don’t Shake
Take a stake.
Just Vote for Jake.
For today’s prompt, write a mistake poem. Everyone makes mistakes. Yes, even that person standing in the corner shaking their head to the contrary. And even those people who don’t admit to making mistakes have seen others make them. So whether it’s the mistakes you’ve made, witnessed in others, etc., write a poem about it today.
BUT (and yes, I’m using a big “but” here) poem nicely to each other today. I would hate to remove anyone for getting into arguments about X, Y, or Z in the comments; that’s why social media was created.
Note: Burma Shave ads were everywhere from 1910 to the late 70s. Here’s Bing Co-Pilot on “Burma Shave” and Cowboy poetry.
Burma-Shave was an American brand of brushless shaving cream, famous for its quirky and memorable advertising campaign. From the 1920s to the early 1960s, they posted humorous rhyming poems on sequential highway roadside signs. These signs became iconic and are fondly remembered by many.
Here are a few classic Burma-Shave jingles that adorned the highways:
- “Cattle crossing means go slow, that old bull is some cows’ bold.”
- “The bearded lady tried to jump, she’s now a famous movie star.”
- “Shaving brushes out of date, use the razors perfect mate.”
- “The crowd you see around that store are Burma shavers buying more.”
- “PHA likes the cream, ma likes the jar, both like the price, so there you are.”12
These clever and whimsical signs were typically posted in sets of six along highways, with the last sign revealing the product name. Passing motorists would eagerly read each sign to discover the punchline. The signs were originally produced in red-and-white or orange-and-black color combinations, although the latter was eventually phased out. While the Interstate system and increased vehicle speeds led to the signs’ discontinuation, their legacy lives on as a nostalgic piece of American advertising history. Some of these signs can still be seen at The House on the Rock in Spring Green, Wisconsin, and re-creations appear on Arizona State Highway 66, part of the original U.S. Route 66, between Ash Fork and Kingman, Arizona 34. 🚗🌟
Burma-Shave was an American brand of brushless shaving cream, famous for its quirky and memorable advertising campaign. From the 1920s to the early 1960s, they posted humorous rhyming poems on sequential highway roadside signs. These signs became iconic and are fondly remembered by many.
Cowboy poetry is a unique genre that celebrates the rugged lifestyle, camaraderie, and natural beauty of the American West. These poems often evoke nostalgia, humor, and a deep connection to the land. Let me share a few classic cowboy poems with you:
- “Tying Knots in the Devil’s Tail” by Gail I. Gardner:
- This poem exemplifies cowboy poetry. Written in a narrative form, it uses slang and vivid storytelling. Here’s an excerpt:
“Away up high in the Sierry Petes where the yeller Jack Pine grows tall,
Ol’ Sandy Bob and Buster Jig had a rodeer camp last fall.
Oh, They’d taken their hosses and their runnin’ irons an’ maybe a dog or two,
And ‘lowed they’d brand any long-eared calves that come within their view.” 1
- This poem exemplifies cowboy poetry. Written in a narrative form, it uses slang and vivid storytelling. Here’s an excerpt:
- “A Prairie Song” (Anonymous):
- A shorter poem with six stanzas, it captures the spirit of traveling and horseback riding:
“Oh, music springs under the galloping hoofs,
Out on the plains;
Where mile after mile drops behind with a smile,
And tomorrow seems always to tempt and beguile.” 1
- A shorter poem with six stanzas, it captures the spirit of traveling and horseback riding:
- “The Strawberry Roan” by Curley Fletcher:
- Written in quatrains (four-line stanzas), this poem celebrates a horseback ride:
“I was laying round town just spending my time,
Out of a job and not makin’ a dime;
When up steps a feller and he says, ‘I suppose,
That you’re a bronc rider by the looks of your clothes?’” 1
- Written in quatrains (four-line stanzas), this poem celebrates a horseback ride:
- “The Old Frying Pan” by James W. Whilt:
- An ode to the humble frying pan, this poem reflects on its usefulness:
“You may talk of your broilers, both single and double,
Your roasters and toasters, they’re all lots of trouble;
But when out in the hills, just find if you can,
Any kind of a dish like the old frying pan.” 1
- An ode to the humble frying pan, this poem reflects on its usefulness:
- “The Camp-fire Has Gone Out” (Anonymous):
- This poignant poem mourns the decline of cowboy culture:
“The Camp-fire has gone out, and rusts the iron pot,
The chuck-wagon is still, and the coffee is not;
The flaps of the tent are untied to the breeze,
And over the prairie the cattle roam free.” 1
- This poignant poem mourns the decline of cowboy culture:
These cowboy poems capture the essence of life on the range, the bond between rider and horse, and the fading traditions of the American West. 🤠🌵
Writing Com Dew Drop Inn Ending Daily Shaving in Retirement
When Sam Adams
retired from
the U.S. Department of State,
he made five vows
which he kept for years.
first, he would quit daily shaving
shaving once or twice a month
second, he would never wear
a suit and tie
instead opting for the northwest look
Long pants, khaki or jeans, T-shirt
and a Western-style shirt
like a Pendleton shirt.
Third, he would retire in Korea
where his wife had family
and Southern Oregon
and an annual trip to DC
where they had rentals.
Fourth, they would travel
a lot every year
seeing as much as the world
as they could while they could still do.
starting with an epic road trip
across the US
10,000 miles 35 states
in three months
and a cruise to Alaska
his last State of 50 to visit
and an annual visit to someplace
warm in the winter.
Fifth, he would start a blog and podcast.
the World According to Cosmos,
to highlight his poetry and short story
submissions and occasional political rants.
He kept his vows
except that COVID blew away
his travel plans from 2019 to 2022!
and he wore a suit once,
to attend the wedding of the son
of his best Korean friend.
April 5
PSH Cosmic Dog From Goa
WD Tell Me No Lies
WC Dew Drop Inn Making Baseball Great Again
NaPoWriMo Only In SF
PSH The Cosmic Dog from Goa
My final time with God
Happened a year latter
I was staying down in Goa
With my wife
Enjoying being with her
After our reconciliation
We stayed at the Taj Mahal Goa
Living like Kings and Queen
Just for a few days
High up on a hill
Overlooking the beach
Every morning I went down to the beach
And did yoga by the water
While contemplating life
And every morning
I saw the same dog
Not just a dog
But a cosmic dog
Filled with the divine spark of God
And the dog recognized me
And spoke to me and I knew
That God was present once more
In the face of the that cosmic dog
Kindred spirit
perhaps to the cosmic cat
that had save my soul
in Berkeley so long ago
I told the dog everything
And he just looked at me
With those soulful eyes of his
And I knew he knew that I knew
That he was possessed by God
God had sent him to me
To make sure that I was on the right path
That the reconciliation that God had promoted
Was on track that I was back with my wife
And that everything was the way it should be
Again, I asked God whether he was Jesus or Allah
Or Brahmin or Ganesh or Buddha
God the cosmic dog just stared at me
I finally asked him directly
Say if you are God the God of Jesus
Bark once
The Dog looked at me and barked
I said well if you are Allah bark twice
The dog barked twice
Well are you buddha then bark three times if yes
The god dog barked three times
Hmm well are you Satan
The dog growled at me
And I knew I had gone too far
Finally, I was at peace
And for the next three days
The God Dog was my constant companion
And I knew God for the final time
In my life
Writer’s Digest Tell Me No LIes
Tell me no lies
My dear
and I will tell you
no lies too.
But every word
I say
could be a lie.
you never know
what is true
and what is a lie.
So tell me no more lies
and I will tell you the truth
if you can handle it.
Writing Com Dew Drop Inn April 5—Get a sport into a poem! Make Baseball Great Again!
It is time
to make American baseball
Great again
starting with creating a worldwide
baseball competition
with each season
with the national champions
competing in a World Cup World Series
with the final round pitting the
North American Champions
against the winners of Africa,
Asian, Europe, and South America
with the final rounds
best of seven
always held in the U.S.
The other things to do
include rapid expansion plans
including the MLB teams
adopting local schools and colleges
fully funding baseball programs
and only hiring college graduates.
as players.
and making tickets affordable
no more than ten dollars per game!
if they do this,
we can make baseball
once again the best sport
in the U.S.
Let’s all join together
to make baseball great again!
NaPoWrMo Only In SF
Tiny, the Jamaican
was a big 6’5 reggae Rasta man,
sprouting long black and purple dreadlocks
and a purple mohawk
wearing a black leather jacket
with weed logos on it,
played guitar in the SF Reggae Kings.
A big Three Stooges fan,
Named his four pets,
“Shemp” the cat,
“Moe” the dog,
Curly” the mouse,
and Curly Joe, the Vietnamese pig.
The four amigos got along famously
They lived in an apartment
in the western addiction,
off of Geary,
in a rapidly gentrifying part of the city
One day, Shemp said to Moe
“Moe, I have a question for you,
and I want an honest answer,
none of your canine BS answer.
You know us cats are straight shooters.”
“Okay, my cat brother. Shoot.”
“Well, I understand that
cats, dogs, mice, and pigs
are natural born enemies,
How come we get along?
And you get along
with Curly and Curly Joe?”
“Good question.
First, when we met
I hated you all
and you were afraid
I might eat you in your sleep
and the thought
crossed my mind.
But over time
I mellowed out
and realized
we were all a band of brothers
living in this house.
I think it
also has something to do
with the cloud of weed
in the air
and the chill deep house
reggae peace and love
vibes in the house.”
“cool.
“Good answer.
I too think of you
all as my brothers.
You know what I like the most?”
Our nightly walk
when Tiny, Tina, and Linda
take us out
and we put on our show.
You know Curly Joe
letting you ride on him,
and I ride on you
and Curly
sits on my head
to complete the show
as we freak out the tourists
good citizens, and outlaws
who constantly take pictures
saying to themselves
“Only in SF”.
And you know
They are right.
Only in SF.
Let’s keep SF weird.”
Tiny came in
and they all went
for their walk.
April 6
PSH Visiting My Father’s Grave
Writers DIgest Meeting My Fate
Writing Com Dew Drop Inn Daily RItual Drinks
NaPoWrMo PNRCP
Visiting my father’s grave
In Yakima Washington State,
The ancestral land of the Aller clan
Thinking about my father
And his legacy
And thinking that I am
My father’s son
There is so much
I wanted to tell him
So much I wanted to share
So much I wanted him to see
My accomplishments
He was taken from me
Before I had achieved my dreams
i am sure he would have been
proud of the man
I turned out to be.
This poetry writing prompt submitted by Lara Dolphin:
A “taphophile” is someone who has more than a passing interest in burial places.
Cemeteries can hold beautiful sculptures, moving epitaphs, and genealogical secrets as well as religious meaning. If you were a tombstone tourist and could visit any burial place or shrine in the world, where would it be? Who would it belong to? Someone famous or obscure? Write a poem about one grave in particular.
Writer’s DIgest Meeting My Fate Minimal Poem
that september date
I met my fate
when she walked
out of my dreams
off a bus
into my life
becoming my wife.
For today’s prompt, write a minimum poem. Some people only do the minimum; others like to pay the minimum. When I first started working, I earned minimum wage. My kids had to reach a minimum height requirement to ride roller coasters at amusement parks.
Writing Com Dw Drop In Daily Beverages
in the morning
I drink a cup
of snarling hot coffee
while watching the news
in the afternoon
I shift to tea
either earl gray
or herbal tea
at sunset
I drink red wine
with my wife
as the evening
shifts into night
I drink rum
or whiskey
to end the day
right.
NaPoWrMo PNRCP
My mother was an original
One of a kind person
Unique in her ways.
She had many sayings
That has stuck with me
Over the years.
She was not a big fan
Of birthdays
Even forgot my 18th birthday.
She said on her birthday
“Well that means
One year closer to the grave.”
One of her funiest saying
Was how she described
Getting to Berkeley
In the late 30’s.
She had ran away
From a large but abusive family
In Little Rock, Arkansas.
Part of the so-called “lost tribe”
Of the Cherokee Indians
Also known as the Black Irish
She said that she was just
Part of the government run
“Plantetary Nut Reconfigeration Program”.
Every ten years
The world flips
And all the nuts
Roll down here
And end up in California.
Here’s some info on the Lost Tribe of the Cherokees. There are only about 50,000 left. According to Bing Co-Pilot, “The Lost Tribe of the Cherokees, also known as the Black Dutch or Black Irish, is estimated to number around 9,000 in Arkansas and approximately 500 more in southern Missouri. These individuals seek recognition as a tribe after years of investigation. The federal Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) has been diligently working on their recognition petition for nine years1.
Interestingly, some theories propose a connection between the Cherokee people and the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. Genetic studies have even labeled the Cherokees as a Middle Eastern-North African population, suggesting this intriguing possibility23.
While the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma does not consider this group to be legitimate, their quest for recognition continues, and their history remains a fascinating chapter in Native American heritage. 🌳🔍
TBC next week
The End
