National Poetry Writing Month Day 18

What is National Poetry Writing Month?

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.

Prompt for today

And now for our (optional) prompt! Today, we’d like to challenge you to write a poem in which the speaker expresses the desire to be someone or something else, and explains why. Two possible models for you: Natasha Rao’s “In my next life let me be a tomato,” and Randall Jarrell’s “The Woman at the Washington Zoo.”

Poem for Today

The Name Tattooed on My Arm 

18 April 24 

Looking down at my right arm 

Seeing the skull and the fu-man-chu  

With a fedora and sunglasses 

And the name scrawled there 

Is the person I wanted to be 

 

I gave him a name 

And a tortured history 

And a dismal future 

Just on the right side of destitution 

He was my voice for decades 

When I didn’t know what to be 

 

He sat there under my skin 

As a reminder 

As a warning 

That I may become him one day 

Parts of me desired that ending 

It was so poetic 

So romantic 

He'd be someone I’d give up my sweet ass to in a heartbeat if he’d have me 

 

He was dark and dangerous 

Mysterious and stoic 

Nothing could touch him 

Feelings could not sway him 

He was comfortable in his own skin 

He is the things I am not 

 

I created this phantom 

To fight the nightmares 

To fight my weaknesses 

Naturally he doesn’t have any 

He was my hero 

Like Bukowski or Kerouac 

Until I became a father 

And thought that if he tried to date my daughters 

He’d be carried out in a pine box 

 

I so wanted to be him 

But he is not real 

He is not sustainable 

He would not be able to do what I do 

Live the life I live 

Be a father 

Be a partner 

Be supportive 

He is selfish 

He is all the bad qualities that I don’t need 

And yet 

At times I want to be...

What is National Poetry Writing Month?

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.

Prompt for today

And now for our (optional) prompt! Today, we’d like to challenge you to write a poem in which the speaker expresses the desire to be someone or something else, and explains why. Two possible models for you: Natasha Rao’s “In my next life let me be a tomato,” and Randall Jarrell’s “The Woman at the Washington Zoo.”

Poem for Today

The Name Tattooed on My Arm 

18 April 24 

Looking down at my right arm 

Seeing the skull and the fu-man-chu  

With a fedora and sunglasses 

And the name scrawled there 

Is the person I wanted to be 

 

I gave him a name 

And a tortured history 

And a dismal future 

Just on the right side of destitution 

He was my voice for decades 

When I didn’t know what to be 

 

He sat there under my skin 

As a reminder 

As a warning 

That I may become him one day 

Parts of me desired that ending 

It was so poetic 

So romantic 

He'd be someone I’d give up my sweet ass to in a heartbeat if he’d have me 

 

He was dark and dangerous 

Mysterious and stoic 

Nothing could touch him 

Feelings could not sway him 

He was comfortable in his own skin 

He is the things I am not 

 

I created this phantom 

To fight the nightmares 

To fight my weaknesses 

Naturally he doesn’t have any 

He was my hero 

Like Bukowski or Kerouac 

Until I became a father 

And thought that if he tried to date my daughters 

He’d be carried out in a pine box 

 

I so wanted to be him 

But he is not real 

He is not sustainable 

He would not be able to do what I do 

Live the life I live 

Be a father 

Be a partner 

Be supportive 

He is selfish 

He is all the bad qualities that I don’t need 

And yet 

At times I want to be him 

This tattoo on my arm 

This mark I gave myself 

This Frankenstein's monster I created 

Reach Out To The Podcast

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