Poetry Challenge #137- XYZipppppper!
Two Part Question: 1. Did you wear a coat or pants today? 2. How did you clasp the front closed?
If your answer to the second part was “I zipped up!” Then put on your party hat and let’s here it for Elias Howe!* It’s National Zipper Day!
Elias Howe’s first zipper wasn’t called a zipper. When Howe filed his patent in 1851, it was for an “Automatic, Continuous Clothing Closure.” But …Howe never tried to market or sell his invention, so it wasn’t until 42 year later when Whitcomb Judson patented a fastener similar to but not exactly the same called the “Clasp Locker.” Judson debuted his clasp locker at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893. But… people were too zipped up at that time to fathom doing away with button hooks and laces, so nothing came of it.
Finally, in 1917, a fella who worked at the company Judson founded, Gideon Sundback invented the “Separable Fastener.” Folks like it, but…no one knew quite what to do with it. Apparently, the trouble was all in the name. It wasn’t until 1923 when B. F. Goodrich tried the danged zipper as a boot fastener and coined the name that stuck. Which brings us to our prompt.
Poetry Challenge #137
XYZ: Xamine Your ZZZipppppper!
Back in my school yard days, whenever a friend forgot to zip his or her pants, we’d call out with a helpful XYZ! Let’s begin by doing exactly that. By design a zipper is “two facing-rows of teeth that pull into a single piece by the slider.”
In honor of National Zipper Day let’s choose two different sets of words and link them together—zip them—into a poem.
Begin with two words. But, just as zipping a snug pair of jeans isn’t easy, let’s not make this poem come together too easily. Choose two words that do not seem at all connected. For instance: Tire & Popcorn; Carnival & Pencil; Snow & Tabasco. You get the idea.
Write each word on one side of a paper. Now, BRAINSTORM, list 5 or more words that relate to each of those words.
Weave, link, fasten—ZIP these words together into a one poem. Extra points for physically arranging the poem into a zipper shape on the page.
Or, write about riding THE BIG ZIPPER
Set your timer for 7 minutes
Start writing!
Don’t think about it too much; just do it!
Ready! Set! X.Y.Z.
*That zipper isn’t the only thing about those clothes for which we have good ole Elias to thank. He also invented the sewing machine. Without him, instead of a closets & drawers full of clothes to choose from, we might be scrounging around in hand-sewn sacks tied with string—zip it pontificator, stick to the subject!
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge MORE THAN 4 YEARS ago! (without a miss!!!) 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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Poetry Challenge #136-Happy 50th Earth Day
The first Earth Day was April 22, 1970—fifty years ago! It is now celebrated by millions of people all over the world who care about our planet.
Check out One Square Inch of Silence which was founded on Earth Day in 2005 to find out how you can participate in expanding naturally silent spaces around the globe.
“The concept of Earth Day was established in 1969 at a UNESCO Conference in San Francisco. On March 21, 1970, a sanctioned Proclamation was signed by Secretary General U Thant at the United Nations. On April 22, 1970, U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson founded Earth Day.”—National Day Calendar.
On this day each year—for the past 50 years—people around the world, promote green campaigns to save the Earth.
Poetry Challenge #136
Happy Earth Day
One way to celebrate our world is to write a poem about it. Because haiku is usually written about nature, today is a great day to write one (or two or three).
Haiku usually has three lines with 5 syllables on the first and third line and 7 syllables on the second.
Think about what you most appreciate about Earth on this Earth Day and write a haiku celebrating that trait.
Set your timer for 7 minutes
Start writing!
Don’t think about it too much; just do it!
Share your Earth Day experiences using #EarthDay on Social Media.
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge MORE THAN 4 YEARS ago! (without a miss!!!) 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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Poetry Challenge #135-Bird Therapy During this Time of CoVid
Stop! Listen! What’s that Sound? Everybody look what’s flitting round! *
Birds! Hear them? See them? Now, in this time of CoVid-19 mandated Lockdown, with most human-made noises stilled and human activity slowed, Birds are everywhere! (Or were they always everywhere and we were too busy to notice?) I’m noticing now!
There’s something therapeutic about watching birds flutter and flit about, calling to each other—especially now when we humans are trapped in our cages and the birds are free. For today’s post, let’s send our imaginations winging with the birds.
7-Minute Poetry Challenge #135
Bird Song Therapy
Position yourself in a quiet spot with your eyes and ears tuned to the world beyond your window and listen to the birds. What are they singing about? Are they greeting each other? Squabbling? Sharing news of the world—just learning to tweet?
See if you can track the bird songs to a specific bird or clump of birds. If not, close your eyes and imagine yourself amongst the birds.
Nestlings in sis-in-law Liz’s pansies.
Write a poem about what you’re seeing—and most especially hearing.
Incorporate the sounds and rhythm of the birds into your poem to make it sing!
Set your timer for 7 minutes
Start writing!
Don’t think about it too much; just do it!
Join Audobon Alaska’s Bird Poetry party. Each week a new bird poem prompt is posted. Try it! Submit it! Submissions will be published. And, what’s more! Each week’s poems are mashed to create a collective poem. #AudubonAlaska
*Stop Children by Buffalo Springfield Utube:
**For more “Bird Therapy in CoVid” click over to Audubon Alaska’s “Birdy Care Package” with glorious photographs, activities—for kid’s too—games & videos—complete with song…& bird poetry! Bird Poetry Corner features a new prompt each week.
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge MORE THAN 4 YEARS ago! (without a miss!!!) 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.
Click on Fishbowl link below and sign up to receive email notifications from Kelly's blog (aka The Fishbowl):
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Audubon Alaska
Audubon Alaska’s “Bird Therapy in CoVid”: https://ak.audubon.org/covid-19-Relief
Audubon Alaska’s Poetry Corner: https://ak.audubon.org/education/bird-poetry-corner
*Stop Children by Buffalo Springfield Utube:
Poetry Challenge #134-Zoo Lovers Testify!
It’s National Zoo Lover’s Day. Yep, in case you need an excuse, April 8th is a day set aside for visiting the Zoo. FYI: “The first modern zoo was established in the beauty of Vienna, Austria with the order of Emperor Francis I in 1752. It was created to viewing pleasure of the imperial family, but in 1765 it was extended to the public.”—via https://happydays365.org/zoo-lovers-day/national-zoo-lovers-day-april-8/.
Poetry Challenge #134
Access Your Inner Animal
Imagine you’re an animal at the zoo. How would you describe the people looking at you? What would you think they love based on the people they’re with or what they’re wearing or eating? How would you—the animal—know if you’re right?
Write a poem from the point-of-view of a zoo animal. What does it see, think, feel? Who are its friends/enemies? When is dinner?
Access your inner animal—be it tiger, cheetah, lion or goldfish
Set your timer for 7 minutes
Start writing!
Don’t think about it too much; just do it!
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge MORE THAN 4 YEARS ago! (without a miss!!!) 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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Poetry Challenge #133-April Fools
APRIL FOOLS!
Poetry Challenge #133
Dear April Fools
Because it’s what one does on April Fool’s day, let’s be epistolary pranksters! An epistolary poem, also called a verse letter, is simply a poem in the form of an epistle or letter. Think up a prank to play on some good sport in the form of a letter. Epistolary poems can take any form, from couplets to lists, rhyming and free verse. So take a few moments to push some poetic elements and/or impose a form on your prank.
If you’re feeling naughty, send your epistolary poem…
Don’t forget to say “April Fools” after!
Think of a naughty or nice prank—prankster’s choice
Set your timer for 7 minutes
Start writing!
Don’t think about it too much; just do it!
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge MORE THAN 3 years ago! (Without a miss—no fooling!) 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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Poetry Challenge #132-Little Red Wagons Get Rolling!
The last Wednesday each March is Little Red Wagon Day, a holiday established by Radio Flyer in honor of their Little Red Wagon’s 100th birthday “to encourage kids to get outside, get active and go wherever their imaginations take them.” Let’s give it a whirl—with words!
Poetry Challenge #132
Little Red Wagons Get Rolling!
Norman has a little red wagon—that’s how he rolls! Bennett & Jack have one, too. How about you?
Do you remember bumping along the street pulling a little red wagon? Or maybe, as my brother and his friends did, attaching the wagon to your dog’s leash and trying to get him/her to tow you?
If you had a Little Red Wagon who or what would you fill it with? Or, if you’re the passenger, who’d be pulling the wagon? And where would your adventuring take you? Imagine the rhythm of the wheels rolling along. What does it sound like? What does it feel like?
Create a rhythmic Little Red Wagon poem by first creating a refrain evoking the sound and feel of the ride. See if you can use the refrain three times in your poem. *
Set your timer for 7 minutes
Start writing!
Don’t think about it too much; just do it!
*Social Media inclined: use #LittleRedWagonDay and tag @RadioFlyer to share
**Watch Radio Flyer the Movie!
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge MORE THAN 1400 days ago! (APPLAUSE!!!) 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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Poetry Challenge #131-The Miner's Lot
Sometimes it’s time to mine your writing for gems. These gems can become a take-off point for a new poem or story. Or, to paraphrase The Byrds:
There is a time, time-time-time/
for every stage-stage-stage/
Of a poe-eeemmmmm/
a time to create/a time to write/
a time to revisit/a time to rhyme/
a time to delete/a time to combine . . .
Poetry Challenge #131
Working In a Poem Mine, Digging Down-Down-Down
Read through some of your older poems. Pick a line or phrase that you like from three different poems. Then put those lines in some sort of order and write a new poem. Add words or lines as needed.
Set your timer for 7 minutes
Start revising!
Don’t think about it too much; just do it!
And, if you, like Mary Poppins, think a song will help the job along. Here goes (and forgive me Lee Dorsey):
Working in a Poem Mine/Digging way down-down/Working in a Poem Mine/Digging way down-down/Working in a Poem Mine—Yeah! I wrote some words down/Working in a Poem Mine . . .
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge about 1400++ 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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Poetry Challenge #130-Let's Here it for Johnny Appleseed!
You know the adage: “An apple a day keeps the doctor away?” Today, in honor of a guy who must have had a phobia about doctors, let’s spread the apple love!
Poetry Challenge #130
Ode to the Apple
March 11th is Johnny Appleseed Day in celebration of John Chapman who in 1797 (and maybe before, but that’s the first recorded mention), traveled around sharing apple seeds, tending ailing orchards—spreading apple (and pear) love. For today’s poem let’s write an ode to the Apple:
Grab an apple, either an actual hold-it-in-your-hand-and-take-a-bite type, or tap into an apple memory to write a poem in praise of apples or Johnny Appleseed.
Choose a nice juicy apple
Set your timer for 7-Minutes
Ready! Set! Bite! . . . WRITE!
Don’t think about it too much—just do it! (If you share it #JohnnyAppleseedDay)
For more about Johnny Appleseed Day: click here.
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge MORE THAN 1400 days ago! (APPLAUSE!!!) 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.