Poetry Challenge #169-Weary Willie Day
It’s not what you think…Weary Willie was a circus clown persona created by Emmett Kelly. He based the character on hobos of the Great Depression. Kelly’s Weary Willie was part of Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus and was at one time the country’s most recognizable clown. He’s the clown known for ceremonially spread his handkerchief on the ground beneath the trapeze just before the daring Flying Wallenda’s performed, so if one of them missed a catch, they’d land in his hankie.
Ralph Emerson snapped a photo of Willie, bucket in hand, racing to the fire, which appeared in the July 17, 1944 issue of Life Magazine
Known as he was for clowning around, Emmett Kelly/Weary Willie was also a hero. When the Big Top caught fire on July 6 1944, the bandleader cued up “The Stars and Stripes Forever,” circus code for TROUBLE!
The afternoon of what’s known as the “Hartford Circus Fire,” there were about 7,000 people in attendance.* In spite of his oversized floppy boots and flapping tails, Weary Willie came running.
Exactly how one is supposed to celebrate Weary Willie Day is unclear. Wear some big shoes? Act like a goof? Grab a bunch of friends and pile into a tiny car? Or better, clown around with words:
Poetry Challenge #169
White make-up and ruff collar were the norm until Weary Willie hit the Big Top
Weary Willie Day
In memory of Weary Willie create a Found Poem from this post. A Found Poem uses words or phrases from already existing work to create a poem.
For this prompt, jot words or phrases from the passage above that grab your attention. Then shape those words and phrases into a poem. Whether you rearrange them or use them in the order they appear is up to you. And, as Weary Willie tried to do for audiences, see if you can add some levity to this rather somber account.
Or, if create a poem by clowning around with the words: circus, trapeze, bucket, and “a duck maybe somebody’s mother.”
Set Your Timer for 7 Minutes
Start Writing
Don’t Think Too Much About it; just do it!
*“The show was twenty minutes in when the flames started near the entrance to the big top. The Great Wallendas were beginning a high-wire performance. For waterproofing purposes, the tent’s canvas had been coated in paraffin and gasoline. The flames spread across the top quickly . . . panic followed: crowds surging toward small passageways, pieces of flaming canvas falling on people, horrific screams. Some broke ankles jumping from bleachers. There is a story of a woman who spent the rest of her life toting a pocketknife because a man pulled his out and cut a hole in the canvas to help people escape. The comedian Charles Nelson Reilly was thirteen and in attendance, and one story claims he avoided sitting in audiences for the rest of his life. The whole thing is said to have lasted fewer than ten minutes…. once he heard the screams of “Fire!” Kelly is known to have acted quickly.
More about Weary Willie: “Tears of a Clown”
And, always, a song: Tears of a Clown by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge about 1700 days ago! (without a miss!!!) We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you (This one is Cindy’s.) 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 #168-Mutt & Jeff
The comic strip Mutt and Jeff, created by American cartoonist Bud Fisher, began in the early 1900’s and was the first published comic that had more than one panel and told a small story. It is considered the first daily comic strip since it inspired the genre.
And, because December 2nd, is also National Mutt Day, and Mutt and Jeff are mongrels of a sort, inspiration stuck:
Poetry Challenge #168
Mutt & Jeff
Mutt was a character who liked horse racing and get rich quick schemes.
In honor of Mutt, write a poem featuring either a get-rich-quick scheme, a bet, or a comic strip.
Set Your Timer for 7 Minutes
Start Writing
Don’t Think Too Much About it; just do it!
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge about 1700 days ago! (without a miss!!!) We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you (This one is Cindy’s.) 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 and sign up to receive email notifications from Kelly's blog (aka The Fishbowl): SUBSCRIBE TO THE FISHBOWL
Poetry Challenge #167-Attitude of Gratitude
I’m a sucker for old musicals. One of my favorites, because it features Bing, Fred & Irving is Holiday Inn* created as an unabashed way to recycle Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, etc. including I’ve Got Plenty to Be Thankful For…I do. If you’re reading this, I’m thinking you do, too.
Firstly, acknowledging the turkey in the room, this year has been an anomaly (we hope), many of us are celebrating Thanksgiving differently. We may throw up our hands and stomp around singing “Traditions!” ala Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof at being forced to change traditions. Or, we will create new traditions—maybe even with a dancing chorus. Whatever… at the heart of it, as in Traci Sorell’s new picture book, Otsaliheliga! We are grateful!
Poetry Prompt #167
Attitude of Gratitude
Make a list of things, people, activities you have to be grateful for in this new pared down reality.
Once your list is complete, reorganize the items on your list to create a pleasing pattern.
Try changing some words to add internal repetition through vowel sounds and see what you think.
If your so included recite your poem before your Thanksgiving feast. Who knows, it may become part of your new traditions!
Set Your Timer for 7 Minutes
Start Writing
Don’t Think Too Much About it; just do it! (because we can)
Our new Thanksgiving Favorite!
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge about 1700 days 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 and sign up to receive email notifications from Kelly's blog (aka The Fishbowl): SUBSCRIBE TO THE FISHBOWL
Poetry Challenge #166-Princess Day!
Spit-shine your tiara! Bust out the sparkle gown and magic wand! Tra-La Tra-Lay It’s National Princess Day (November 18th). The one day of the year where we can all unapologetically unleash our inner princess!
We certainly are fascinated by the royals: princesses and princes, kings and queens, knights and castles. We love stories about kingdoms and dragons.
Poetry Challenge #166
Princess for Today!
Choose one of the words above or think of your own and write an acrostic poem using that word as your title and subject. (To write an acrostic, write one letter of your chosen word on each line going down the page and use that letter as the first letter for the line.)
Set your time for 7 minutes
Set your intentions to Royal
Start writing! Don’t think too much—just do it!
For Your Viewing Pleasure: Princess Movies!
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge more than 1680 days 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 #165-Dino Romp-Pom
It’s said a picture is worth a thousand words, and so by way of sparing you reading 983 more:
Poetry Challenge #165
Dino Romp-Pom
Write a poem inspired by this image (borrowed from @visualverseanthology).
Set your time for 7 minutes
Set your intentions to POEM
Start writing! Don’t think too much—just do it!
And when you’re finished, click over to @visualverseanthology to post—it might be published in the Visual Verse Anthology.
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge more than 1680 days 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. And scroll down for my happy news:
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Poetry Challenge #164-Candy Anadilosis
Not sure who’s brilliant idea it was—maybe Milton Hershey’s —but it’s official: November 4th, four gluttonous days past “Trick or Treat” comes the sweetest day of all: National Candy Day!
Note the absence of chocolate…
I have it a half-hearted search but couldn’t find the origin story of the holiday. So here, I’m thinking, is the logic behind the day: everyone with access has had four whole days to cherry pick through the Halloween stash. Really all that’s left is the dregs, so let’s get it over with ripping-off-the-Band-Aid style: Dump whatever is left into a pile, pluck out the odd pencils, toothbrushes & stickers, unwrap the rest, and go for it!
Yoda “Dylan” & Ewok “Aiden”
Stuff as much will fit into our mouths and chew, chew, chew, chew, chew . . .
or maybe safer: join us for the 7-Minute Challenge!
Poetry Challenge #164
Candy Anadiplosis aka the Illusion of Logic
Anadiplosis is a repeated word or phrase. This repetition adds emphasis. It makes your words sound strong and sure. It adds music to your poem. Many poets and politicians use anadiplosis when they’re making a point. Yoda used anadiplosis in Star Wars when he said,
“Fear leads to anger; anger leads to hatred; hatred leads to suffering.”
In honor of National candy day, write a poem using anadiplosis. Make the first line end with the word candy or the name of a particular candy. The second line will begin with the last word and so on.
Try to use strong words—usually nouns—for the last word of each line. Write at least five lines.
Read it aloud to hear the sweet if illogical music!
Set Your Timer for 7 Minutes
Start Writing
Don’t Think Too Much About it; just do it!
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge more than 1680 days 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. And scroll down for my happy news:
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Poetry Challenge #163-The Answer is always Chocolate!
Now, what’s your question?
As if we need an excuse It’s National Chocolate Day. Yep! An entire 24 hours, 1440 minutes, not to mention seconds! At 1 chocolatey nibble per second that’s 86,400 nibbles! That’s my kind of day!
Like Willie Wonka, I think of the chocolate factory with chocolate trees and rivers. I imagine everything you can dip in chocolate.
My VCFA class, “Unreliable Narrators” splurged on a chocolate fountain, gobbled obscene quantities of chocolate dipped strawberries, marshmallows, cake, grahams, carrots, celery, radish . . . after donated it to the school. Writers require chocolate PRN!
Poetry Challenge #163
The Answer is Always Chocolate
Write an acrostic poem, using the letters
C-H-O-C-O-L-A-T-E as the first letter in each line.
Your poem can be about chocolate or candy or anything else you want it to be—as long as it’s ooey, gooey delicious!
Set Your Timer for 7 Minutes
Start Writing
Don’t Think Too Much About it; just indulge!
Chocolate as good to read as it is to nibble! & If you like yours chocolate dark, dip into Robert Cormier’s The Chocolate War
Post a review, I’ll give you a glug!
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge more than SIXTEEN HUNDRED days 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. And scroll down for my happy news:
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Poetry Challenge #162-Be Kind to Your Cold-Blooded Friends
This is a tuatara. Who knew?
Be kind to your cold-blooded friends, for that gecko maybe some critter’s mo-ther/Be kind to snakes, crocs, turtles, tuatara, too/And don’t just stick them all in the zoo…
There are approximately 10,700 species of reptile, that is four-limbed (or like snakes, related to four-limbed) cold-blooded, egg-laying, creatures that have been walking-climbing-crawling-slithering over this planet for more than 312 million years, including turtles, snakes, lizards, crocodiles, turtles, and tortoises. Besides staring in horror films, what exactly do you know about them?
It’s said knowledge is the best way to raise awareness, so, since today (Oct 21) is National Reptile Awareness Day, that’s what we’ll do with poetry—in the form of a lantern poem!
Snakes, snakes…them too!
Poetry Challenge #162
Be Kind to Your Cold-Blooded Friends
A Lantern Poem is a type of descriptive poetry that originates from Japan.
The Lantern poem uses five lines with a structure of one, two, three, four and one syllables (or words) per line.
It’s called a Lantern poem because, when finished, the shape resembles a Japanese lantern.
Begin by choosing a one-reptile as the subject of your poem. Now, with that reptile in mind, follow these instructions to craft your lantern poem
Line #1: 1 word noun
Line #2: 2 words to describe appearance
Line #3: 3 words to describe action
Line #4: 2 words simile or metaphor
Line #5: 1 synonym
Set Your Timer for 7 Minutes
Start Writing
Don’t Think Too Much About it; Just slither, creep, crawl into it!
Post a review, I’ll give you a glug!
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge more than SIXTEEN HUNDRED days 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. And scroll down for my happy news: