Welcome to Day 1 of the November Open Write. If you have written with us before, welcome back. If you are joining us for the first time, you are in the kind, capable hands of today’s host, so just read the prompt below and then, when you are ready, write in the comment section below. We do ask that if you write, in the spirit of reciprocity, you respond to three or more writers. To learn more about the Open Write, click here.
Join us for a live Open Write at NCTE or through this Zoom link at 9:00 AM (PST)! https://educationokstate.zoom.us/s/6028777200
Our Hosts
Kim Johnson, Ed.D., lives in Williamson, Georgia, where she serves as District Literacy Specialist for Pike County Schools. She enjoys writing, reading, traveling,camping, and spending time with her husband and three rescue schnoodles – Boo Radley (TKAM), Fitz (F. Scott Fitzgerald), and Ollie (Mary Oliver). You can follow her blog, Common Threads: patchwork prose and verse, at www.kimhaynesjohnson.com.
Kyle Vaughn is the author of Calamity Gospel (forthcoming from Cerasus Poetry, 2023), The Alpinist Searches Lonely Places (Belle Point Press, 2022), and Lightning Paths: 75 Poetry Writing Exercises (NCTE Books, 2018), and is the co-author/co-photographer of A New Light in Kalighat (American Councils for International Education, 2013). His poems have appeared in journals such as The Journal, A-Minor, The Boiler, Drunken Boat, Poetry East, Vinyl, the museum of americana (2022 Best of the Net nomination), and The Shore (2021 Pushcart Prize nomination). He teaches English and is the Director of the Writing Center at Pulaski Academy in Little Rock, Arkansas. Find him at www.kylevaughn.org / twitter: @krv75 / insta: @kylev75
Inspiration
In his book Lightning Paths: 75 Poetry Writing Exercises, Kyle Vaughn challenges writers to create Monostitch poems (one-line poems), stating, “I believe strongly in the power of a small poem…as a zenith of brief, bursting expression.” One-word poems aren’t easier than others to write – but the strong sense of connection between a title and a poem of one line inspires the writer to consider the relationship between the title and the word.
Process
Write a one-line poem today, bringing your life to paper through a pen ready to capture your moment or thought, wherever you are.
Kim’s Poem
Vintage Serro Scotty
cloud and aquamarine dream with #1 problem: no potty
Your Turn
Now, scroll to the comment section below to write your own poem. (This is a public space, so you may choose to use only your first name or initials depending on your privacy preferences.) Not ready? That’s okay. Read the poems already posted for more inspiration. Ponder your own throughout the day. Return later. And, if the prompt does not work for you, that is fine. All writing is welcome. Just write something. Also, please be sure to respond to at least three writers. Oh, and a note about drafting: Since we are writing in short bursts, we all understand (and even welcome) the typos and partial poems that remind us we are human and that writing is always becoming. If you’d like to invite other teachers to write with us, tell them to subscribe.
Kim!
Coming late to the party, but delighted to discover a party exists. One line is the perfect way to start us off. I adore the phrase “aquamarine dream.” Thanks for bringing us all back together, and I hope you found a potty.
Psyched for Surgery
“Too young for a hip replacement!” they say as I hobble away for three more days.
Rhiannon, wow, this says so much in so few words! All the best to you!
Welp, I broke the rules. But thank you, Kim, for the invitation (the on-ramp!) to write a poem tonight when my brain is saturated–sponge leaving puddles–on day three of NCTE.
Enough
open
offer
be
enough is enough
Allison, I feel this enough in my bones! Enough! For tonight.
Allison, you know I love a rulebreaking writer friend to end up in form jail with, sitting on a bench with handcuffs. We are partners in crime, my roundtable pal! You captured it wonderfully here, the saturation of NCTE. Enough is enough. Agreed!
Nice movement from one concept to the next with each word, Allison. From the internal receptive to the giving to being. I love just that one word: be. And enough is enough being about boundary setting for both what we can take in and give out. Lovely.
Kim and Kyle, thank you! I almost forgot to write today. I love the description of your vintage trailer. A potty is a very important part of camping for me, so that would be problem#1!!
Old and new friends, free books, and great big ideas at NCTE.
❤️
Denise, Denise, Denise! You have me wondering what are old friends who are also new friends like so many of us?? We’re friends through and through. I love those big ideas.
That pretty much sums up THE perfect conference experience, Denise. They should use that as their tag line for marketing! Hope y’all have fun!
Denise, I am so thrilled we met. I love your poem!
Sounds like the best parts of NCTE! Amazing to think how immediately these spaces bring so many together in such an intimate way. Ah, the power of words.
Kim, your mentor poem got me thinking about titles. I loved the way you played with language in your one line poem. Thanks for the attainable prompt today, but it was by no means easy.
Tonight’s Poetry
A frightful “woof” shatters the stillness of this numbing November night.
Rachelle,
I can hear the silence just before the “woof” erupts. That happens here as well. And yes it is rather numbing out. Fall is out.
Rachelle,
You set a clear November night in this line. I’ve been having to escort my dog out for late potty breaks (she got skunked recently) and it is creepy quiet and cold. You really captured how it feels.
That “woof” made me jump as I thought I heard a coyote howl.
Rachelle, the shattering of stillness, numbing November night, frightful woof…..the sounds of alliteration add brilliance and sensory imagery to this line packed with all the feels of a cold night’s darkness. Oooooooh, what a walk!
Just outside my window
I watch a squirrel dampen their front paws on the dewy grass,
and then wash their cheeks and forehead.
Jamie, you are so right! They can be annoying, but they can be so entertaining, too, these squirrels who practice good grooming using nature’s resources. Thank you for taking the time to write and sharing your view outside~
Jamie, I love this imagery. I’m about to wash my face for the night and realized the similarities between humans and squirrels. Thanks for drawing that parallel for me.
What a sweet image you describe, Jamie. I can see the squirrel and it delights me.
So much to love here in the visual imagery–but I also love the pronouns. Thank you, friend.
Thank you for the prompt today Kim. It was quite thought provoking…so much so that I kept coming here and navigating away.Your poem brings comedy into awkward and unnerving situations. We need more of that. Now that I have the time and thoughts, here it is. We had one week of fall and then winter crashed the party. I like neither season, but I need just a little more bit of fall.
Winter is Brutal, but Fall said “Hold My Beer”
Fall came and winter spit in its eye, blinding it and blinking back the tears of football and pumpkin spice.
A good one-liner, Jessica. I think it shows the emotion of winter coming too soon.
Thank you Susan, and yes it does! I’m sniffing for the wrong reason!
Jessica, your line about winter is so spot on! Nicely done.
Thank you Jennifer!
Jessica, I love the personification you bring to the seasons and their conversation – – “Hold My Beer.” I love your use of this phrase in your poem to signify the coming calamity. You have told the truth and brought laughter, despite the cold and snowy forecast across our country right now. I agree – – we could all use more fall…..before the handing off of the beer. 🙂 Thanks so much for writing!
Thank you so much Kim! It’s toe-to-toe here in Arkansas and I’m not sure who’s winning, lol.
Wow, Jessica, such powerful verbs and nouns. Gorgeous!
Thank you Denise!
This rocks! I adore the “hold my beer” along with the tears of pumpkin spice. This is brilliant metaphor work that encapsulates what’s going on out there!
Kim, thank you for your inspiring and witty Monostitch! Love the power of so few words.
I’m in NYC celebrating a few family birthdays and this Monostitch was the perfect way to capture one poignant moment.
NYC Hustle
Amid the hustle and bustle of the weekend festivities in the city of lights, we find solace and warmth lighting votives and shedding a tear, or two.
Christine— I’ve only been to New York City once and it was a short visit. Your poem makes me want to visit in winter.
Christine, I think this captures the essence of the holidays so beautifully – – full of festive fun and the hustle and bustle of living and loving…..and also those moments of reflection, of allowing ourselves to feel raw emotion as we consider our blessings and miss those who may not be with us. You share a moment that truly matters!
Christine, beautiful juxtaposition of the two kinds of light–te festivities in the city of Light and the grieving candles. “solace and warmth” are nice.
Christine:
I think this is the side of Thanksgiving we sometimes forget. I had the chance to light candles this morning for Trans Day of Remembrance, and it was such a powerful thing to do, to honour people.
I love the calm, quiet, and stillness you bring into a city filled with endless motion by the simple idea of “lighting votives and shedding a tear, or two.” Beautiful.
Kim – I’m always amazed by the vivid images you conjure with so few words. The beautiful blue camper, allowing you to restore your soul in nature, but when nature calls.. alas! This monostitch poem is vintage Kim wittiness.
Here is a scene from my house this afternoon…thank you for providing this way to convey!
Heaven Is Near
Little girl plays in the floor, singing so pure, so clear: The cattle are lowing… preacher-man Grandpa rests in his recliner, listening, face streaked with tears.
-kind of a long line, though-!! Will see if I can condense…
Oh, Fran. As someone married to a “preacher man”, I hope he gets a version of this someday. Such beauty here.
Oh! The sweet sound of littles one’s singing! How pure – I can hear it from here
Very lovey and comforting sentiment. Gets me in the mood for Christmas.
Fran, what a heartwarming moment to hear a pure, angelic voice of a young granddaughter singing Away in a Manger and see a grandfather so touched that tears stream forth. You have a way of bringing us to the window and letting us look in and listen…..and feel the tears, too! It’s your Fran magic.
Live Theater
A part with no lines is no less essential to success
Kim- thank you for sharing this form. Short is exactly what I needed today and I will be getting back to write more. We are currently between performances — my daughter is a New Yorker/Servant in Annie Jr. this weekend (she’s on the right in the photo
Love this! We all play our parts!
Jennifer, as I tend to do, I began reading the poem without the title, though clearly the title is part of the poem. I was imagining all the parts individuals play in life and the spaces where and when we have no lines or are silenced or forgotten. Then, I read your title and revised my meaning making. Love it.
Jennifer – the truth and brevity of your poem hit home – pow! I started out in theater arts and EVERY part matters. How fun for you and your daughter!
Jennifer,
I love this–art is art, spoken or not! You capture that very succinctly.
And she has a part – we all start somewhere! Love this
Jennifer, this is great! And so true! [As a member of a number of ensembles, I’ve had several opportunities to “convey” a conversation. As I’m writing this, I’m currently stage whispering “peas and carrots, peas and carrots, baloney and ham, baloney and ham.”] Thanks for sharing your poem (and the picture)!
Jennifer, congratulations to your daughter for her role in the play! She is precious! Somehow, right now, the short forms are working well to help us keep our habits of writing. Those parts with no lines are crucial. I was an emerald girl in The Wizard of Oz when I was about her age, and I still remember feeling important to the scene and overall play. I wish your daughter an unforgettable experience and a boost of confidence in her stage presence as she performs! Thanks for writing today.
Jennifer, I will carry your sentiment forward! Brilliant.
Thank you for the prompt. So very much appreciated.
Garter Stitch Fall
All bump, no smooth has been this season, head down, navigating row after row of challenges.
Lisa —
“All bump” — pretty much seems to sum up the teaching season for many of us. Hope the break will bring you a bit of rest and energy to tackle the rest of the year.
Sadly, in Ontario, where I teach, it’s a long haul fall this year. We had our Thanksgiving long weekend in early October, and are now in it until December 23 (we don’t go back until the 9th!) . It is all bump right now.
“[L]ong haul fall this year” is so poetic and so deeply sad, Lisa. 🙂 Enjoy your break when it eventually gets to you! (And I really enjoyed your poem, too. I can definitely relate. I’m currently “head down, [trying to] navi[gate] row after row of challenges,” too (and by that, I mean, stacks of senior English essays!).)
Scott, as both my parents were high school English teachers, I understand, trust me!
Lisa, I read your title and then poem, trying to align “garter stitch” with the sentence resisting a Google search. And then I read your poem without the title and think it helps me understand navigating. Still thinking about stitch.
Thanks, Sara. I did wonder about whether it was too obscure. Monostitch got me thinking about knitting. In garter, you knit every row, creating ridges, rather than the smoothness of stockingette, created by knitting a row and purling a row.
I am living this poem – thank you for so succinctly, lyrically conveying it!
Lisa, what a clever way to weave in a knitting stitch for a bumpy ride metaphor! The days of teaching, I remain convinced now more than ever, are the most rewarding and the most challenging – – and I hope that the rewarding begin to outnumber the bumpy days! Thank you for writing today – – writing is therapy for the bumps, isn’t it?
Kim, writing utterly is therapy for the bumps. (As is knitting, for me)
I most related to you words ’navigating row after of challenges.’ As always there is a degree of comfort knowing the experience is shared beyond our own walls. Hang in there!
Kim — Thank you for this prompt. I love one-sentence poems and my students love them too. I’ve strung a few together today.
Two morel days before the alarm is silenced.
Rising to a bashful sun instead of brazen darkness.
These few days of repose will energize my soul.
Tammi,
I, too, am counting the days until I get five off in a row. My favorite line:
Tammi, the words rising to a bashful sun bring such beautiful imagery to light here – – and I can see the bedcovers stirring in the dim light of the bashfulness, ready to face the day! Thank you for writing and sharing today. Cheers for the forthcoming break!
Tammi,
I too am so excited for the extra days off!
This was fun. Once I started I couldn’t stop, so I wrote three. Happy Saturday!
Out My Window
Squirrels and birds vie for the suet – a quest with survival at stake.
You Never Know
Each day is a gift of surprises, your response is the crucial element.
Nearly Fully Grown
Letting go is the hardest part of being a mom, but the most essential.
Oh Cara,
These are three fun different poems.
We used to have a squirrel feeder I loved watching the birds try to steal the squirrel food.
As for letting go three of my children have flown the nest one more is almost out.
Thank you for sharing
Cara,
I felt the same way today while writing. Once I started, I just wanted to keep going.
These two lines:
“Nearly Fully Grown/Letting go is the hardest part of being a mom, but the most essential” — really resonated with me as my grown son (23) was dealing with some difficult adult things recently. Letting go and letting our children solve their problems is hard, but as you say “essential”.
Cara, these three lines have a string running through them- our place in or amongst our ecosystem.Your last Monostitch is encouraging, we need reminders from time to time.
Cara, love all the s sounds and the how the shape of this letter also contributes to the nature of “quest with survival.” I enjoy imagining your window view.
Cara, I’m so glad you enjoyed the form! I love all three of your poems – the alliteration in the first one is fun to read aloud with the /s/ sound and the short i and long I sounds as well. Nearly Fully Grown is pure truth. Isn’t it the hardest thing of all? That and allowing them to make their mistakes…..parenthood is the toughest job of all! Thanks so much for writing and sharing today.
Each of these poems speak a truth about the world, nature, and humanity. Thank you for sharing these perspectives with us today. Out My Window speaks to me most today since I just refilled our suet feeder!
Non-Writer
There’s no lack of want but a lack of ability to form meaning from swirling abstract ions inside my head finally breaking through outside and sputtering ink to paper.
Susan, the swirling abstract ions and sputtering ink to paper draw that perfect image of how I feel so many times when I start to write, thinking of my lack of ability but my strong desire to make meaning and make sense. Thank you for writing and sharing today!
Susan, the visual images in your one line really drew me in. The language of swirling abstractness into concreteness was powerful.
Susan,
This says it all “sputtering ink to paper”.
I often feel this way too and I know many of my students feel this way often too.
Non-writer, my foot! Susan, you’re as creative with the pen as you are with the paintbrush! Thanks for showing one can show “meaning” using a variety of media.
You are so kind, Anna, and your opinion matters a lot to me. Thanks.
Thank you, Kim. I love this prompt.
Thanksgiving break…the classroom breathes relief.
Katrina, AMEN and AMEN again! Oh, those classrooms, emptying their lungs of noise and taking a deep breath for a short autumn nap while we, too, …..breathe. Thank you for writing and sharing today.
I really love your personification. I however thought about the teacher also “breathing relief’ .
Yes, we all need a break to catch our breath and decompress.
I can hear the relief – ahh… you’ve done well it says
Katrina . . . so it’s not just the people that are relieved? Love the idea of what the classroom’s thoughts are when the craziness is gone.
Indeed. The use of breathing is so essential in this. I’m about to do “breathing:with my 9-year-old for his nightly bedtime ritual. We are all at a point where this break will be the breath that we need, I think.
Katrina,
As someone who is actively working on curriculum for the week, I feel this in my bones!
Kim, trying to write from my phone while in line for ROTR ( a first for me). Thank you for your inspiring prompt today (and one accomplishable in between spurts of movement). So grateful for all of you!
All that is needed: a trio, a destination, and a time to breathe.
Jennifer, the needs are met! You are living and breathing today, my friend, savoring moments and creating new memories for writing and sharing life. I’m so glad you wrote and shared today.
The stars came together for you, Jennifer! It was so great to meet you!
Jennifer, there’s so much to be said for destinations, yes?
I seriously just took a deep calming breath at the end of that, Jennifer. I always appreciate the reminder to take that time. I like the idea of listing out a potential adventure here and keeping it so succinct as to specify but still leave some open curiosities in there for the reader to create their own story.
Thank you, Kim. You know how I struggle with economy so this was good for me. My wheels are spinning after finishin the book Demon Copperhead, so instead of working on imagery or figurative language or a lyrical sound, I just went with straightforward thoughts.
Oddly, a fictional character’s battle
with Oxycotin addiction
lights a fire in me more than
any real person’s has.
~Susan Ahlbrand
19 November 2022
One of the “powers” of literature! Thank you, Susan, for capturing it so well in your poem. I’m reminded of Marianne Moore’s line in “Poetry” of “Imaginary gardens with real toads in them.” It’s why I can finish reading a passage from some novel, wipe my eyes, and just marvel at the fact that some words on a page were arranged in just the right way to move me to tears.
Susan, you raise a great point – – we get so attached to our characters that we feel as much for those in books as we do our own family and friends. It is a struggle that is so real throughout our world today. The grip of addiction is undeniable. Thanks so much for writing and sharing your fire!
Oi. Indeed – agree with Kim and Scott on this one, Susan. Maybe this is the book people need to read to care enough to do something more than what we are seeing to help people with addiction in our society. Perhaps politicians should be required to complete a reading list before they can run for office – ?! I actually have not read this book yet, so I am adding it to my “immediate” list. Thank you!
Thank you for this prompt and inspiration, Kim! Your poem made me smile and realize we might have similar dreams sometimes.
Here is what’s on my mind this morning:
Unconditional
Tiny baby fingers wrap around my thumb – forever love is born.
Forever love, indeed! Love this feeling of warmth today!
Leilya, you found your title! And I love it! Writing next to you this morning was a treasure, and I enjoyed it so much. Your poem blankets my heart in warmth, my friend. Thank you for writing and sharing.
Leilya,
This is so sweet and reminds me of a picture book I picked up called Blur. Time w/ baby is so short.
Text messages
are ill-equipped
to carry
the weight
of this
“disagreement.”
_____________________________
Thank you, Kim and Kyle for this prompt! And for Sarah for providing the Zoom link for those unable to attend NCTE “in person.” And thank you to Anna for writing with me via Zoom. (I’ll stop now because this is starting to sound like some award ceremony acceptance speech…I’d like to thank the academy….Lol.)
Scott,
Great poem. I love to say you can’t “read” the true tone of a text. Your own emotions will spin the tone to how you feel and not what was meant. Thanks for sharing.
Scott, I always worry about the tone of my texts, especially when I text with folks who don’t know my personality – – yes, yes to the ill-equippedness of texts! Thanks for writing today!
There’s an interesting power of quotation marks in your line, Scott.
🙂
Kevin
Love this and the quotation marks.
Scott, it was fun to meet with you and share the time writing “with the group” even though we weren’t with the group. The truth in your poem reminds us not to take seriously what is not explained.
Scott,
Your voice never fails in your poems–so wonderful! And such true words–bravo!
Scott,
“Disagreements” should never be handled via text, should they? The weight is far too heavy. Of course, you capture that perfectly.
Yes, text messages are very ill-equipped to clearly express. I find mine are often taken wrong and a disagreement occurs. Emails are even worse. Oh, back to the voice on the telephone.
Ohhh yes! I believe speaking and listening are the only options for handling disagreements.
Sadly, when she passed, there was barely a ripple in the universe.
Such loss and despair in so few words felt here. Hugs.
Gayle, just wow! As I sit here in the airport, watching people come and go, hither and yon, carrying on in their travels, I wonder: what is happening in the wide world right now that hasn’t rippled us? Such a sobering thought, and, as you wrote – – sad. Thank you for sharing.
Hugs and love your way, Gayle ?❤️
I am lingering here, on your words, reading them now for the fifth time. Maybe universe ripples take longer to be visible than we know or understand, Gayle
Kevin
This one kind of breaks my heart, Gayle. <3
Gayle,
i keep coming back to this piece. You noticed. She made a ripple for you. Maybe, that is enough for any of us?
Like so many others, Gayle, I keep coming back to your line. It’s heartbreaking. But I also find some comfort in it, too. I love your inclusion of the word “barely.” The universe is such a big place and “barely a ripple” is still a ripple. That’s not nothing! Thanks for this!
Oh, this is so sad and melancholy. We all hope to leave a legacy or fond memory with someone. I hope more than ripples can be left when I pass.
A never-smooth surfaced foams, churning with thoughts, silent and percolating.
Melanie, this is such a lively image and metaphor!
Oh! I can feel the thoughts here, imagine the conundrum faced. Beautiful image.
Melanie, thank you for organizing a time to meet fellow slicers last night and for coming to write this morning! Your words put me in the zone of how my mind feels at the end of a long day when I lie down and strive for sleep – – it never fully shuts down but percolates in the quiet darkness, taking me to moments big and small.
Love your use of metaphor here, Melanie!
What a poem can do
Nourished limbs carry the torso’s beats and breaths toward possibilities that hungry limbs cannot.
Sarah, I love the action of your poem; the idea of the importance of feeling nourished and fulfilled to do the work we love.
A reminder to self-care. Love the movement and energy that comes from being nourished.
Sarah, your words “moving toward possibilities” take me to a word you frequently use – becoming. Becoming, ever growing, nourished, ready. It takes me to Nic Stone’s keynote yesterday….self love, self care, and from there we extend ourselves. Such beauty in word and thought this morning, and it was a special treat to write next to you today.
Love the balance of this — and the truth of it! Feeling this before Thanksgiving Break. 🙂
Every year / in February / she sends my wandering eye / back to me from L.A. / but today we meet at Roscoe’s / for chicken and waffles / where I get to meet her husband
Bryan, I’m cherishing this time together this morning of writing side by side with those who inspire me, who challenge me to think in so many new and different ways, who make me a better person. Thank you for coming and joining this time of writing. Your poem melts and breaks my heart all at once. The chicken and waffles (a favorite of mine, too) keeps things real and grounded in the moment – I can see the table, taste and smell the food! Thanks for being you.
Love your end, Brian!
Hmmm …. what a line of words, Bryan … and how it unfolds the story that’s there, along with what seems to be the twist at the end.
Kevin
Love, especially, those first four lines.
Bryan,
I want a MUCH longer version of this. My heart has to heart more.
I’m glad you were present to clarify because my mind went all kinds of wrong directions. LOL! I love it!
Thanks, Kim for leading us this morning. It’s so refreshing to write in person with all of you. I am wearing a piece of jewelry I bought at the festival after my son-in-law asked my husband and me for our blessing on his proposal to our daughter. My husband bought it for me and said it will forever remind me of this perfect day.
The Proposal
Under a Southern sky, he said he would love her…forever.
Margaret, thank you for sharing this morning! Those symbols as reminders of such cherished moments in our lives are relived each time we see special pieces of jewelry to take us back to those moments. I’m so glad you shared this with us today! Writing in person with the group is such a treat!
Margaret, love the sense of ambiguity here. The hope of promised love! Wondering if this promise came true.
truly a perfect memory!
What a beautiful memory
Thank you for sharing this priceless memory with us this morning, Margaret!
Kim, I am thankful to be sitting next to you, writing and responding to your prompt.
Release
The tears drip from bans from the lone state prompted by poetry by intersecting with others at a round table.
Stefani, writing together in this moment is one that I know I will return to in my mind throughout the year, throughout the years. Your poem and your title stir my emotions and issue a call to action in my spirit to continue the journey of listening to others at roundtables, of crying, of connecting. Our stories matter! Thank you for organizing our group writing time this morning. I’m so happy to finally meet friends I know so well already!
Not being there, I can only imagine the power of the conversations, and the frustrations of the modern era of us, teachers of texts, and the limits others seek to place on learning. Thank you for sharing what seems like a powerful emotional moment, Stefani
Kevin
Agree with Kim and Kevin on this one. Love the sound of “prompted by poetry” – which is itself a great start line or theme for more poetry! And the word “intersecting” when placed in the context of a round table. Makes me envision Camelot. Aren’t we all the knights – the heroes – in these turbulent times? Thank you, Stefani, for the powerful commentary. So condensed!
Stefani, such an amazing poetry moment and one you inspired. Beautiful and poignant.
Thanks, Sarah for thinking of those like Scott and me, who did not make it to Anaheim. You created a link and we met and wrote at the same time, but just not in rhyme. 🙂
No Alone After All
It’s snowing here; wish I were there to share the cheer.
It’s not because of the snow, because its lights shed a glow.
It’s because I’m not there to see what you have to show
Wish I were there, though being here still gives me time to think
To think about all the friends I’ve made whose writing has made me think.
It’s snowing here, but Scott has come to join me here on ZOOM,
Because he came, I don’t feel so lonely here and not there in the NCTE room.
Anna, we are missing you here in Anaheim and with the sun. So glad you could connect with Scott on Zoom and be together.
Love that you two wrote together. Wish you were here. Stacey read your Rhyme and Rhythm poem yesterday for us, and the room felt you.
So sorry I missed you two! I had to get my morning tea ?
Thank you for posting your image, Anna! My screenshot turned out to be just half of my face and some of my scribblings on the page! (I so enjoyed writing and talking with you this afternoon!)
Love this for you both!
Anna, we certainly missed you, but so thankful that writing on this platform keeps us close in spirit and in kinship. Feeling the presence of other writers whether in person or via Zoom or website is a treasure for sure! So glad you wrote and shared today!
Ditto, Kim. And knowing so many of the “regulars” were together in Anaheim made me feel a part of a group that found togetherness a boon. And, thankfully, Sarah created “room” for us who weren’t there. That’s some kind of thoughtfulness. We appreciate you ALL!
What a nice way to connect, write, share and savor friendship through poetry, Anna
Kevin
Kim, thank you for easing us into Open Write today. I’m grateful to write in person with so many of our friends here.
Check Engine
My car has a sensor but what about my body?
©Stacey L. Joy, November 19, 2022
Oh Stacey, my engine is running on low battery today. It’s been so great meeting you!
Stacey, wow, NCTE can definitely push that button (and life). Reset before returning to the classroom. So thankful to be with you in person.
As someone morphing into middle aged, dad-bod (no! No! No!) I am loving this question, Stacey
Stacey, you capture my feelings of not wanting to accept my current physical shape. I wish for a major tuneup!
Truth, Stacey! We need to find that sensor and pay attention (I tend to ignore my car sensors too).
Stacey, I’ve read your poem several times now. This speaks to me – – with my recent foot injury, it reminds me to monitor the sensor and take better care of ME, not living life at the breakneck pace of the full-throttle life I too often try to live. I need a better sensor. Thank you for writing today and sharing!
Interesting connection between tangible thing (car) and the body/spirit .. I hope yours are running smooth and in forward motion, Stacey
Kevin
I just love it, Stacey! Thank you for your wisdom.
Stacey:
Thank you for this. My body is feeling its “warning light” immensely this fall. I really felt this.
Your words captured my attention with a call to pause. I hope you find a flashing light as a reminder.
Stacey,
This is the perfect question following NCTE. My body needs a tune-up!
A little me time does wonders for the soul-why don’t I do this more often?
Me time with such wonderful poets and friends. We are a great team!
Mo, self-care is so important. Thank you for sharing other personal stories with me at dinner last night. Safe travels home!
Mo, yes! We need more of these soul rechargers. Love this so much, my friend!
Indeed!
Mo, what a perfect question. Even when we know how important self-care is, it’s difficult to accomplish.
Taking a Break
A week of recuperation and rest from the months-long toiling and pouring into others.
So much punch in so few words…recuperation is self care!
So we’ll deserved, Donetta! I hope you get to recharge!
Donnetta, your monostitch says so much in so few words – – the forthcoming week of rest and relaxation to recharge our bodies and minds and spirits is a gift I can’t wait to open! Thank you for writing with us this morning.
I sense the “take a breath” in the spaces of each of these words, Donnetta
Kevin
Kim, thank you for providing this awesome brief prompt and wonderful source of inspiration.
Blessed
blue skies
warm California sun
commune with writing friends
Barb Edler
19 November 2022
I see your back as you are turned toward that beautiful California sun! Love writing side by side.
Barb,
I love this!
?
Barb, the climate is perfect, indoors and out, when writing among friends. Thank you for writing and sharing today. Writing together was the cherry on top of an always-great dessert!
This is all we need at the moment! I feel tha same way, Barb.
Barb,
Your words capture how I feel and what NCTE means to me.
My own wings down, sick in bed, and from my window the butterfly, like cream, pours through the clover.
Emily,
I love your imagery here. I can close my eyes a just picture that butterfly ? flying through the clover ?. Thank you for sharing today.
Emily, I’m sorry you don’t feel well, but I’m grateful that you wrote today and brought the flutters of beauty to the midst of your darkness. I hope you feel better soon and that your wings are even stronger when you are fully recharged! Thank you for writing today!
Emily, I love your simile. Such a beautiful focus even when you’re under the weather. Sending healing thoughts.
I hope you feel better soon. Butterflies are a beautiful reminder for healing and hope.
Being able to visualize the butterfly is everything! Beautiful!
Kim and Kyle, thanks for inspiring us.
Garden Living
Immersed in a cloud of untouchable wind.
Juliette, the image you bring to my mind – – I’m standing on a hillside terrace garden, sheltered from the wind, fully absorbed in the colors of nature surrounding me. This is lovely, and it brings a feeling of peace and protection. Thank you for joining us today!
Sounds absolutely heavenly!
The freedoms from tension soothes here! A beautiful spot to land today!
I love the image of ‘a cloud of untouchable wind.’ There’s nothing like solitary time to putter in the garden.
Thank you Kim for this fun prompt. I enjoy the struggle of fitting it all into just one sentence.
Coffee (poem number ?? I’ve lost count)
Drip drip drip sound and smell that comes with call to me, time to wake and start your day drip drip drip my mug is full.
Deanna, my nose goes straight to the aromatic swirls of steam in the drip drip drip of the fresh coffee. That first-morning charge of exhilaration beckons me. I’m raising my mug in coffee cheers, my friend! Thank you for sharing today!
DeAnna, I appreciate the layers of meaning with your line “my mug is full”
DeAnna,
Nice! The repetition works perfectly for both the sound and the need for our morning Java.
The smell of coffee instantly makes me alert, even though I don’t drink it! I could both hear and smelll in your words today!
An inviting line, helps your reader see exactly what is happening and the coffee aroma that fills the space.
DeAnna,
A truer DeAnna poem was never written. Thankfully, for our own safety, you are rarely without your full mug. <3
This poem has me looking forward to tomorrow morning, though I have switched to tea (traitor!). I love that I can smelllll this poem.
Hello Poets. Thank you, Kyle Vaughn, for this prompt. It’s a bit addicting. I scrolled through my camera roll over the last week and moments came back to me. #1 & 2 are from jury duty. #3 is unconnected–a moment in my classroom.
Jury Duty
Remembering musical chairs when the music stopped.
Jury Duty
Justice weeps.
Can I Change Groups?
Make new friends but keep the old – one is silver and the other gold
Linda,
What a great visual of jury duty. I never realized how much it was like musical chairs until I read your poem. It home as I have been called to serve next week.
Linda, wow! You brought a strategy to the prompt – – using the pictures on your camera roll to inspire lines of poetry. I love that you wrote 3 of these and shared today. I’m going to be scrolling. They say a picture is worth 1,000 words, and picking only a few is powerful stuff! Thank you for sharing today!
Linda, your musical chairs metaphor is such a visual image. I’m missing you here.
The thing about these short poems is the evocation of a story, hinted at but unknown to the reader (but not the writer). Yours are examples of that, Linda
Kevin
Thank you for the inspiration this morning.
Changes
Backward or forward – only time knows the answer.
I just want to wait here in the middle on the dash to see. Great catch of a moment.
Heather,
I want to know what the dash holds
So much in such a small poem.
Thanks for sharing
Heather, the wait (and weight) of time can be such a comforting force and yet unnerving all at once. I broke my ankle recently, and on the heels of this I hit a deer. I asked the Good Lord, “what are you trying to teach me? first my heels, then my wheels?…” And I’m thankful to say that I believe He is reminding me to stop living life at breakneck pace. To pause and savor the moments. Thank you for writing with us today.
And don’t we spend so much time within the space of not knowing. Or hoping. Or wanting. You’ve captured this perfectly.
…cement barrier and steel ones, too: a wall of cars rush by, faces resolutely forward (don’t make eye contact or you’ll feel sorry…)…someone please let me in, open your heart – and, just like that, I’ve missed my exit…
Wow–what truth in that moment in your lines. So true. So human. So glad there is someone who will connect despite the exit missing.
Wendy, I needed this reminder today. There’s a t-shirt here at NCTE that says Your Story Matters. I bought one the minute I saw it. I think of the people I walk among every single day, never knowing their stories. Your poem today inspires me to ask, to make eye contact, to smile. Thank you for writing with us.
Such a cool prompt today! Thank you!! Kim you are a true inspiration for writers!
Exhale
Brisk air forgive my dares, as I crunch acorns with my rocking chair, brisk air thanks for your cares. (Inhale).
Thanks, Boxer! Love your rhyme and beautiful imagery this morning! <3
mmmm mmmm. It just feels good to read this line and know that feeling of crunching acorns and the delicious fragrance of fall.
Boxer, your line brings me home to the front porch, where I sit and breathe. I love the way your title works so well with the end of your poem. The exhale is the relaxing part – – that crunching of acorns, the gravity of weight comforted by the rocker – and the brisk air of fall filling the lungs to charge the soul. Absolutely beautiful reminder to breathe. Thanks for sharing today!
Boxer,
I love the rhyme of your poem. I can just picture sitting in a rocking chair on a wide front porch on a fall morning. Thank you for sharing.
I love the internal rhyming (and the sensory image of the acorns and the rocking chair)
Kevin
Thank you, Kim and Kyle! I’m totally into the power of this brevity.
No Crystal Ball
I never imagined this would be my life, but then, I’m not sure I ever could have.
Denise, I loved how bittersweet this sounded and the ambiguity in the meaning. 🙂
I’m immediately in the Langston Hughes voice—love that your one sentence can do that!
I live this, Denise! Your title is perfect.
Denise, I used to think how cool it would be if we really could look into the crystal ball and see the future of ourselves. As I got older, I realized I would never have wanted to know. For all the challenges and all the celebrations of life, it’s all in the living, and I agree with you – – it’s often not what we ever could have imagined. Thanks for sharing today!
Exactly. And yet, it may be better than I had hoped for.
We meander and mettle
To make magic
in this world,
like water flowing from whispering springs in the mountains
crashing over waterfalls shouting rainbows as it journeys.
Erica, I loved your murmury alliteration and all of the beautiful soft consonant sounds in here. 🙂
Erica, I love the sounds you created with your words and the personification in the last line.
“To make magic” is such a delicious phrase.
waterfalls shouting rainbows. Oh, the promise of sound and imagery. You have it all right here! Thank you!
The softness of your alliterative works beautifully here, to soothe, to just be.
I hope we all “make magic
in this world” in our own
ways, as your poem suggest …
Kevin
Well done Erica. I love the alliteration (meander and meddle; make magic) and the vivid imagery. I’m most delighted by the line “…waterfalls shouting rainbows as it journeys.” Thank you for sharing.
Kim, I love this prompt and it’s brevity offering us an opportunity to say so much in a few words. Wonderful humor breaking that sublime dream or in your poem.
In the NCTE exhibit hall
for the love of writers & words we clutch treasured tomes & await the signing.
—Glenda Funk
November 19, 2022
*I scored 34 free books Friday. Woot!
Great image! Wish I were there!
I hope to experience it in person someday. I understand that love deeply. I was giddy yesterday watching and listening to Nic Stone.
How wonderful! The word, treasured, is perfect.
Glenda, thank you. Your poem deeply resonates with me. I just spent the early hours of the morning on the greatest puzzle challenge I’ve had in a long time. How did someone who arrived at NCTE with just a carryon, promising she would not stand in lines and bring home 12,900 books come back to the room with 13,001 books in tow, expecting them to all fit in the suitcase? Oh, you capture the spirit and the energy of this convention in one brief line, and it thrills my soul with joy. How did you say it last night? My cup runneth over, (then adjusted your strap :).
Glenda, Happy birthday! So glad you scored big! Enjoy your reading adventures!
I read “await the signing” as “await the singing” and thought, rock concert at NCTE!
🙂
Kevin
Learned a new word today Glenda, tomes! Thank you for expanding my vocabulary. And I’m so jealous of your wonderful treasure trove of FREE books! Sounds like an amazing experience to share the space of “the love of writers & words”.
We Make Music: One Line Poem
If we are music together, then you, my love, are melody, a song inside my ear, and I, a wobbly harmony, a chorus only you will ever hear
I like short poems but phew, this was a bit of a morning challenge …
Getting a little steamy i. here, Kevin. This little poem is ?.
Aww…I loved the ending of this, the humility and plea of it. 🙂
Your words sing of such a special connection. This would be a beautiful gift.
How beautiful…they are lucky
Kevin, such beautiful words, and so you – – ever the writer and musician who blend both so masterfully. One line IS a challenge for sure. I’ve lately been thinking so much about the power of words, and Kyle’s shorter writing prompts inspire us to really hone in on them. I love how your word wobbly works so wonderfully here, and then you seal the deal with commitment to your one and only love. Lovely!
You aced that challenge Kevin. You made music sound so sexy without playing a note. Bravo!