Poetry Challenge #124-Alphabet Riddlers
Remember the Jackson Five song ABC*? “A-B-C/1-2-3/Baby, You and Me . . . keep tapping those tootsie’s as we wind up for a real riddler of a prompt:
Poetry Challenge #124
Alphabet Riddle Poems Easy as ABC
Many forms of poetry are like puzzles—you try to fit the right words into a certain order or have the right number of beats/syllables on each line. Here are four poetry puzzles. Choose one to solve today and come back to this when you’re stuck for a topic some other day.
Can you use every letter of the alphabet in a poem? The letter can appear anywhere in the word and can be in any order.
For the next puzzle, you need to use a word starting with each letter of the alphabet in order. You can add other words between your words to help your poem make sense.
How about starting each line with a letter of the alphabet? How long a poem can you make that makes some sense?
Pick one letter. Can you write a poem using twenty words that begin with that letter?
Set your timer for 7 minutes
Don’t think about it too much; just do it!
Start writing!
Alphabet Riddlers Playlist:
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge over 1350 consecutive days—120 weekly shared 7-Minute Challenges ago. We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. (This one is Cindy’s.) If you join us by writing a poem, let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments.
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Poetry Challenge #123-Library Shelfie Day
What’s on your shelf?
Hooray! It’s Library Shelfie Day!
Observed every 4th Wednesday in January, (Jan 24, 2020) Library Shelfie Day was founded by the NYPL as a way to celebrate and share our books by arranging a few favorites or entire collections on a shelf.
Take a picture and share it on social media with the hashtag #LiibraryShelfieDay to share on social media. As we do, let’s observe Library Shelfie Day with a poem.
Poetry Challenge #124
Great First Words
After you’ve chosen a few of your favorite books . . .
After you’ve arranged them into a social media worthy collection (and posted or not) . . .
Let’s use your collection to create a poem.
Write 3 to 5 of your chosen book titles on a paper. These titles will form the basis of your poem. How you arrange them is entirely up to you. You may choose to use the titles exactly as they appear or mix words and phrases around. Feel free to add words to improve the poem. Or change the form of the words. However, there is one rule: You must use every word from every title.
Set your timer for 7 minutes
Don’t think about it too much; just do it!
Start writing!
Here’s mine! Now, show me yours!
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge more than 1380 days ago (who’s counting?) We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. If you join us in the Challenge, let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments.
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Ask Norman...What will I get for Christmas?
Ask Norman questions HERE
Hey Kids!
Do you have a question for Norman the Goldfish—about friends, school, pets, family, life in and outside the fishbowl? Send him a letter!
Poetry Challenge #122-Here's To Bagels, Hats & Bagel Hats!
Today, January 15th, is both National Hat Day and National Bagel Day. I’ve given some thought the matter and still, I have absolutely no idea what hats and bagels have to do with each other…except, of course, that everyone hungry/bagel crazed enough to be bageling on the streets of Manhattan in the winter chill is wearing—or should be wearing—a hat. Maybe you’ll have a better idea:
Poetry Challenge #122
Hat’s Off to Bagels, Hats & Bagel Hats
Think of words that have to do with either hat or bagel.
Come up with words to describe your pick, words you think of when you have one or the other, or words that bagels and/or hats bring to mind.
Now use those words to form a shape poem. Fit the words into either the shape of a bagel or the shape of a hat. Make it beautiful!
Einstein’s Bagels is a Texas fav.
Set your timer for 7 minutes
Don’t think about it too much; just do it!
Start writing!
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge over 1350 consecutive days—120 weekly shared 7-Minute Challenges ago. We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. (This one is Cindy’s.) If you join us by writing a poem, let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments.
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Poetry Challenge #121-Joy Germs?!
In the midst of cold-flu-ick-crud season everyone’s trying to stay germ free. But, there’s one germ I’m hoping goes viral: The Joy Germ
Celebrated every January 8th, National Joy Germ Day is a holiday created to remind people “that by being positive and treating people with kindness, we can influence those around us and pass that positive attitude on to others.
Joy Germ day was established in 1981 by Joan White of Syracuse, New York, in honor of her mother. Here’s Joan’s prescription for observing Joy Germ Day: “Laugh, smile, be kind, inspire and spread the one type of germ that is good for everyone to catch!”
Joan White, Joy Germ Day’s Founder
Poetry Challenge #121
Joy Germs
What’s your Joy? Imagine you are a scientist in a happy lab concocting your own Joy Germ.
What would those ingredients be?
What’s your Joy?
What does it smell like?
Taste like?
Sound like?
How would you spread your Joy Germ?
Write a poem entitled Joy Germ
“May a giant jar of jaunty joy germs rest gently on you and yours.”
Set your timer for 7 minutes
Don’t think about it too much; just do it!
Start writing!
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge 1380-ish days ago. We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. (This one is Cindy’s.) If you join us in the 7-Minute Poetry Challenge, let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments.
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Poetry Challenge #120 Resolutionist’s Resolutions
Today, 1-1-2020 marks the #120th 7-Minute Poetry Challenge—that in itself is worth celebrating—as is this bright shining new year, new decade. As they sing in the song*:
It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life
For me.
Let’s celebrate by ringing in 2020 with:
Poetry Challenge #120
Resolutionist’s 2020 Resolutions
At the beginning of the new year, everyone seems to have the best intentions. The most common resolutions people make are: exercise more, eat less, spend more time with family, get organized, save money, learn a new skill.
One thing that helps people succeed with their resolutions is when they tell other people what those resolutions are. Therefore, we’re going to write a resolution poem. First, think of three to five resolutions you would like to make this year. Then write a couplet (two lines that rhyme) about each resolution. Finally, share your poem with a friend—and get the friend to write one too. Reread your poem (and your friend’s) at least once a month to remind yourself of what you’re trying to do. Good luck! And . . .
*Line from “Feeling Good” written by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley, sung most notably by Nina Simone
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge over 1350 consecutive days—120 weekly shared 7-Minute Challenges ago. We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. (This one is Cindy’s.) If you join us by writing a poem, let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments.
Click on Fishbowl link below and sign up to receive email notifications from Kelly's blog (aka The Fishbowl):
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