National Poetry Writing Month Day 14

Welcome, art enthusiasts and wordsmiths alike, to another episode of Create Art Podcast! We are diving headfirst into the enchanting world of poetry as we celebrate National Poetry Writing Month (NaPoWriMo). This annual event, which takes place every April, encourages poets and aspiring writers around the globe to embrace their creativity and commit to writing a poem each day for the entire month.

The Beauty of National Poetry Writing Month:

NaPoWriMo, similar to its prose-centric counterpart National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), is a celebration of the written word and the boundless creativity that can flow when one dedicates themselves to a daily practice. Poets of all levels of expertise are invited to take part, from seasoned wordsmiths to those just dipping their toes into the vast ocean of verse.

Create Art Podcast has always been a haven for artists to share their creative processes, and NaPoWriMo offers a unique opportunity for poets to reflect on their craft. With a daily commitment to producing poetry, participants discover new facets of their writing style, experiment with various forms, and explore uncharted emotional territories.

Today’s (optional) prompt asks you to write a poem of at least ten lines in which each line begins with the same word (e.g., “Because,” “Forget,” “Not,” “If”). This technique of beginning multiple lines with the same word or phrase is called anaphora, and has long been used to give poems a driving rhythm and/or a sense of puzzlebox mystery. To give you more context, here’s an essay by Rebecca Hazelton on her students’ “adventures in anaphora,” and a contemporary poem that uses anaphora to great effect: Layli Long Soldier’s “Whereas.”

Listless Is How 

14 April 24 

Listless is how I wake 

Looking at my goals of the day 

What I need to accomplish 

Needless chores each and every day 

Actions that won’t be remembered in perpetuity 

Listless is how I feel 

As the motions that are meaningless begin to take shape 

Looking at all the things I want to fill this hole in my soul 

Watching the dust pile up 

I can’t even keep up with cataloging the objects that I once thought I desired 

Listless is how I live my life 

Without interest in the outcome 

Without passion that used to drive me on 

Without the interest in learning new things 

Without challenging the status quo 

Listless is how I move through the day 

Pushing through the fog that is comprised of mental strain 

Pushing through the obstacles I place in front of me 

Pushing through the mud that becomes paintings 

Pushing through the words on the page 

Listless is how I sleep 

Never getting the rest that I find is required 

Never inspired by what I see in dreams 

Never recharging myself and taking naps that pushes me farther behind 

Never catching up and going ahead of where I want to be 

Listless is how I never wanted to be 

Avoiding the trap of thinking none of this...