In the month of May, author Kaitlin Curtice hosted a poetry challenge on her blog, asking readers to write a poem a day based on a prompt word. Here are some of my favorites that I wrote that month.
May poem day 10: Relapse
“I’ll spend less time on the Internet
from now on,” I say.
“After all, it’s not real life
and social media makes me anxious
and I have better things to do than
doomscrolling.”
Outside a mockingbird is singing through his repertoire with all his might
but here I am inside,
scrolling, scrolling, scrolling.
May poem day 12: Definitions
I always tell my students:
It’s not the definition that matters,
but the connotation.
It doesn’t matter that “zesty” means “lively”—
if you use the phrase “zesty puffins”
the reader will assume they’ve been barbecued.
This is true of life as well:
so little is literal
or neatly pin-down-able.
It’ll all about subtext.
It’s all about connotation.
May poem day 15: Frustration
I have these perfect standards for myself—
and why can I not live up to them?
It’s simple, really:
do everything perfectly, all the time.
Make the bed without wrinkles
Answer your emails
and make phone calls
without a knotted throat.
Be an effortless and available
friend
while baking cakes for birthdays
and never say anything stupid
and never say anything you regret.
It’s the secret key to avoiding
frustration:
Do everything perfectly, all the time.
Don’t you see how much better it’ll be?
~~~
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