April 30, Napowrimo 2026. I decided yesterday that I would not be following today’s prompt because I had already been inspired to write something. Over the weekend read a post on LinkedIn about an elephant that had done something remarkable and someone commented that it was “elephantastic”. I was so struck by this word and,Continue reading “Elephantastic”
Tag Archives: Poetry
Puppy Love
April 22, Napowrimo 2026. Jaswinder Bolina’s poem “Mood Ring” imagines the speaker as both himself and an interior being. It’s quite silly . . . and not silly at the same time. A sort of “serious fun.” Today, we’re challenge to write our own poem in which the speaker is in dialogue with themselves. ThisContinue reading “Puppy Love”
Eddie
April 16, Napowrimo 2026. Today’s prompt involved writing a poem in which we describe something that cannot speak, and what it has taught or told us. I remember being chastised at school once for simultaneous insolence and dumb insolence. I learnt a lot from that, but I suspect it was not what the Deputy HeadContinue reading “Eddie”
Love on a barn door
April 15, Napowrimo 2026. Taking inspiration from K. Siva Reddy’s poem, “A Love Song Between Two Generations,” today, we we’re asked to write our own poem that muses on love, but isn’t a traditional love poem in the sense of expressing love between romantic partners. Love? Love is for life. Love is travelling alone forContinue reading “Love on a barn door”
Walk the wind
April 13, Napowrimo 2026. Today we are to try our hand at writing our own poem about a remembered, cherished landscape. It could be our grandmother’s backyard (did that in Napowrimo 2025), our schoolyard basketball court (didn’t have one of those), or a tiny strip of woods near the railroad tracks (possible). At some pointContinue reading “Walk the wind”
Jobsworth
April 3rd, and we are asked to write a poem in which a profession or vocation is described differently than it typically is considered to be. Our poem could feature a very relaxed brain surgeon, or a farmer that hates vegetables. Or maybe we have a poetical alter-ego of our own who runs against theContinue reading “Jobsworth”
Caliban to your Prospero
Today, with a day to go, we are asked to write a poem that takes its inspiration from the life of a musician, poet, or other artist (I suspect it would help if we liked them too). Having said goodbye to an old friend today, the temptation for elegy was declined, so I went forContinue reading “Caliban to your Prospero”
A moment in time
Today’s ask is to come up with a poem that involves music at a ceremony or event of some kind. This month, I have tried respond to the prompts by looking at the resource, finding some inspiration and connecting it to the first thing that opened the wardrobe of my imagination as I climbed fromContinue reading “A moment in time”
What is it good for?
Today’s challenge? To write our own poem that describes a detail in a painting, and that begins, like Auden’s poem, with a grand, declarative statement. I chose to look at Picasso’s Guernica, to reflect on current issues and paint it with appropriate colours. Art only works if you invert its meaning.See the sacred cow’s head,Continue reading “What is it good for?”
Marvel of the sea
A few days after the Bard’s birthday we have been asked to write a sonnet, the poetic form so most connected with love. We weren’t given a subject today, but I had already primed my mind after seeing this photo yesterday taken by fellow bird enthusiast Stephen Beaver. who is also a member of theContinue reading “Marvel of the sea”
Missives & Musings 