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I am not religious but I’m praying now

  I am not religious but I’m praying now I try to forget the horror of the day and concentrate on writing    poetry There is no horror here I tell myself But I can’t look away I check the news every hour And each time it’s worse The atrocities! I’m overwhelmed with anxiety Exactly where the ‘Powers’ want me to be Paralyzed and quietly submissive Complicit even It’s breaking my heart to see the destruction Of everything I’ve ever believed in History, Art, and Humanity (I studied all three at University) Is it too late for Peace? Lord help us please! Prompt:  “write a poem in which a profession or vocation is described differently than it typically is considered to be. Perhaps your poem will feature a very relaxed brain surgeon, or a farmer that hates vegetables. Or maybe you have a poetical alter-ego of your own, who flies a non-wan, treasure-hunting flag with pride .” 
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Old Cat Lady ~ doggerel It started with a cat we found in a gully that followed us home, and I named her Tammy I was five. And Tammy was in for a ride (so was I) it’s lucky that cats have nine lives. We put out a saucer of milk on the porch and a blanket, and she hunkered down between the folds in the cold it was winter My parents didn’t want her inside. That was the year we moved to the island a remote fishing town and Tammy came with us bedded down in a wash shed at the back of the house where she dined primarily on mouse. Prompt: “write a poem in which you recount a childhood memory. Try to incorporate a sense of how that experience indicated to you, even then, something about the person you’d grow up to be.”
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Tanka ‘North’

It’s a cold spring here the trees are barely budding! I’m longing for warmth (Farther south streets are dreamy  pink cherry trees flowering) It’s a cold spring here don’t recall another  year   I have felt this way I can feel it in my bones maybe  I’m just getting old Day one prompt: Write a tanka. “ an ancient Japanese poetic form. In contemporary English versions, it often takes the shape of a five-line poem with a 5 / 7 / 5 / 7 / 7 syllable-count – kind of like a haiku that decided to keep going.”  
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My April Poetry 2026

Dear reader, Here we go again! National/Global Poetry Writing Month has arrived! The challenge is to write a poem a day for the month of April; inspired by prompts from the NaPoWriMo website located at:   https://www.napowrimo.net/ .  
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Blowin’ in the Wind

Blowin’ in the Wind by Bob Dylan I heard it at church I heard it at school  I heard it on the radio I heard it on the juke box I heard it on vinyl at the hall I heard it in an elevator in Montreal I heard it on a train in Spain Guitars! Harmonica! I heard it at the mall I heard it at the bar I heard it ‘round the campfire I heard it on cassette tape I heard it on CD I heard it on tv I hear it now online A reoccurring theme Sadly it seems The answer is still  Blowin’ in the wind. https://youtu.be/KJBbX0jzM2c?si=OyBtAPAZTX-bUkRf write a poem that also describes different times in which you’ve heard the same band or piece of music across your lifetime.  prompt from day 30  NaPoWriMo 2025 (last day!)  
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for r

                                     for r A humid summer day  beating the heat water in the pool optical illusion creaky air conditioning waiting on a hurricane writing like Hemingway a devoted companion in bare feet serving you a drink  ~ fanning your chair           with a Palm leaf For Rick Richardson 1957 - 2025    rest in peace dear Poet Day 29 April poetry 2025 write a poem that takes its inspiration from the life of a musician, poet, or other artist.
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Song

Song  ~  after Leonard Cohen A sad voice is softly singing humming an ancient tune just in back of your mind where the flowers of poetry bloom. You hear it when you are not listening and later wonder where does it reside now that the garden has died. note: written previously to the tune of Leonard Cohen’s song               One of us Cannot be Wrong               https://youtu.be/tHwcyGQ58fg?si=kqiBeCNrHrTXNKd9   Prompt:    Day 28 April 2025 ~ write a poem that involves music at a ceremony or event of some kind
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