Poetry Prompt 3 - ‘War’

July 25, 2008


On the 21st of July, former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic was arrested in Belgrade on charges of war crimes and genocide. He is set to stand trial at The Hague. I’ve been following this story closely over the last week and as a result it occurred to me that the 3rd Poetry Prompt could be themed on the rather unpalatable subject of ‘War’.

You can take the word in anyway you wish, be it the warfare seen on the world’s battlefields today; the conflicts faced yesteryear, whether Vietnam or the Battle of Hastings; or alternatively it can be based on the daily struggles you face with someone obnoxious at work or with a chronic illness. Whatever route you take, be creative with the words you use and perhaps think of the structure of your poem and how it relates to the imagery of what you describe.

When you have completed the poem, post the direct link in the ‘auto-links’ box below and also make a comment in the comment’s section. Before or following this, take time over the coming week to visit other entries from fellow poets and add a friendly comment or two regarding what you felt about their poem. This last part is vital if we are all to gain value from this exercise.

Next Thursday evening I will create a round-up of my personal favourite pieces but remember, this is not a competition. If you need any help or advice, then either contact me or pose a question in the comments section and I’m sure someone will be available to give you a hand.
Have Fun!

Badges for ‘Poetry Prompt’ can be found here.

Posted by Edward | Filed Under Weekly Poetry Prompt | 15 Comments 

Poetry Prompt Round-Up 2

July 24, 2008

It’s Thursday evening here in England and therefore it’s time to make a round-up of last week’s Poetry Prompt 2, which was based on the theme of birth. I am delighted with the number of writers who partook in only the second prompt of this website’s short history. This figure certainly bodes extremely well for the future.

As John Henry Newman, the 19th Century English preacher and poet once said: “Fear not that thy life shall come to an end, but rather fear that it shall never have a beginning”. This succinct fragment of advice has been on my mind a lot recently because it relates to our writing and poetry. If we don’t make the effort to communicate and transmit what we feel in our psyche onto paper or the computer screen, then what hope do we have of ever creating the beautiful verses, literary structures and heartfelt romance or tragedy that burdens our subconscious.

As with the creation of life and everything, the birth of a poem needs a starting point, a catalyst which ignites the imagination, and that is what I hope I am providing for you with these weekly poetry prompts. Below is a short compendium of the entries for Week 2.

The first entry was from Melissa at Poetic Ponderings. She wrote an Acrostic poem based on the 5 letters in the word ‘birth’ which wonderfully encapsulated most precious gifts a mother can give her baby. Those of love, protection and devotion.

Sascha Cooper’s poem was based on her experiences of moving to a new place in Brighton, England and the perils that were faced. A humorous and interesting tale with a snappy ending.

Nunyaa from Australia wrote a very poignant piece called ‘Live in the Dream’. It has a hauntingly wispy structure which lends itself well to the dream narrative.

The fourth entry was from Tiel Aisha Ansari and was inspired by both an image and the subject matter of this week’s prompt. ‘Inside Fibonacci’ is an almost mathematical creation with metrical and chant-like qualities that leave the reader wonderfully confused as to whether a poem was read or if instead music had been played. The auditory flirtations between such words as ‘Fibonacci’ and ‘logarithmic’ that are ennobled with the soft and mollified words including ‘chiral’ and ‘gyration’ are enchanting.

Holly’s poem is an intriguingly dry humoured piece which is complex in its contextual meaning but leaves the door ajar for a rich variety of interpretations. Well worth a read and a few minutes of contemplation.

Rio of Thru Chocolate Eyes was the sixth entry and entered in an extremely thought provoking poem about the hour of birth and its context in the wider world. The use of repeating third lines adds an aura of quasi-parental safety and comfort that drags the mind back from its potentially dangerous and disturbing wanderings.

‘Witness’ by Jorc is a beautiful account of the birth of two angels. The descriptions desperately made me want to see the figures with my own eyes.

Keith has created a painfully emotional poem about the death of a baby. The questioning and the frustration at the unknown, increments the tragedy.

The sole Haiku entered into this week’s prompt was from Brad Frederiksen, a current Philosophy undergraduate student in Australia. The birth of memories is contemplated in this tiny Japanese-style verse. Another piece to spend time admiring.

Then came my offering. ‘My Difficult Birth’ is a poem inspired by the stories my mother told me about my birth, almost 28 years ago.

Lirone composed her piece, ‘Now’, using a poetic form that I’m embarrassed to say I was not familiar with. The Fib Chain, as Lirone herself describes it, is a construction where the syllable count in each stanza is 1,1,2,3,5,8. The architecture of the poem matches perfectly with the content where streams of thought link quickly from one to another.

The final poem, at the time of writing this, was from Lissa. Titled ‘Birth Days‘ it touches on memories and how time progresses. This is a poem that certainly leaves a valuable footprint in the memory of the reader.

I would like to thank all poets who submitted their work to this week’s poetry prompt. The comments section will remain open and you can add further links at any stage. Next week’s prompt will begin tomorrow at 6pm London time. If you enjoyed your stay here and will continue to take part each week, then please spread the word about this weekly interactive poetry event. It will benefit not only myself but all of us.

Posted by Edward | Filed Under Weekly Poetry Prompt | 5 Comments 

Poetry Prompt 2 - ‘Birth’

July 18, 2008


When she was born, according to the late American actress Gracie Allen, she was so surprised she didn’t talk for another year and a half. Thankfully the birth of life, new adventures or friendships don’t render participants speechless in such a fashion. This week’s Poetry Prompt subject is “Birth”.

Write a poem related to this word which could, for example, include the birth of a child, the budding of a new career opportunity, a religious epiphany or the beginnings of a loving relationship or marriage. The possibilities are endless. If you have written a poem before with particular pertinence to this subject and it is online somewhere, then you may include that.

When you have completed the poem, post the direct link in the ‘auto-links’ box below and also make a comment in the comment’s section. Before or following this, take time over the coming week to visit other entries from fellow poets and add a friendly comment or two regarding what you felt about their poem. Remember, this prompt can only work and flourish if we create a dynamic community or writers and readers alike willing to make visits to other websites and blogs.

I will create a round-up of my personal favourite pieces next Thursday evening but remember, this is not a competition. If you need any help or advice, then either contact me or pose a question in the comments section and I’m sure someone will be available to give you a hand. Enjoy!

Badges for ‘Poetry Prompt’ can be found here.

Posted by Edward | Filed Under Weekly Poetry Prompt | 21 Comments 

Poetry Prompt Round-Up 1

July 17, 2008

The first weekly round-up of last week’s ‘Poetry Prompt 1′ has arrived and I am delighted by the number of contributions for this new poetic adventure. It’s always a bushel of uncertainty when embarking upon such exciting conceptions as to whether they will appeal to others and indeed, catch alight and spread. This week’s results are therefore a very gratifying sign that the new weekly Pen Me A Poem Poetry Prompt is germinating with invigorated assuredness.

At the time of writing this, there are eleven entries that have been submitted into the comments section. For a website that is a month old and for an extremely new prompt, this is wonderful.

The very first poem submitted to last week’s comments section was ‘To Go Back In Time‘ by Nunyaa. It’s tick-tocking repetition in a similar vein to a Villanelle is a wonderfully rich allegory to the subject of the piece.

Second was a blogger from Texas who shared her very first prose on a new blog called ‘Veracruz Flowers‘. I certainly hope she continues. I do share the views of another commentator about the spacing of the piece being a little compact but that is not a big problem at all.

Then there is the intensity of the chase followed by the depression of captivity from Beamer which used a very suitable structure to provoke the desired emotions I’m sure he intended.

Scott Killen masterfully creates an allegory to Christ in his poem ‘Inspiration‘ which is a beautiful oblation to religious poetry and faith. I especially like the ending.

The fourth entry was a dark and haunting piece titled ‘The Only Escape‘ by the prolific writer Jane Doe. She uses imagery that would marry perfectly with a horror film and that is an asseveration to the quality of this poem.

Kat Rice uses short repetition, indicative of thoughts flickering through the mind, throughout ‘Stifled Serenade from the Soul‘. This is perfect for an internal reflective piece about romance and the pains associated with it. Her use of words to describe the fears and hurts are an intelligently polished example of a gifted writer.

The first French visitor to the Poetry Prompt section was Tiniak who wrote ‘The Lady Rose Higher‘. For a poet to write in a language which is not their mother tongue is an impressive task and I feel this poem is an enchanting result of such an effort. The picture accompanying the poem as well as the silky softness reminds me of ‘The Little Prince’ by Antoine de Saint Exupéry.

Keith of Keith’s Ramblings poem ‘Because‘ was structurally as simple as the title yet extremely profound in possible meanings and depth. It’s a sad piece that as a fellow commentator said, can be taken in a number of ways.

‘Black‘ by Lissa sent my mental visuals into overdrive. It was much like drinking a flaming cocktail and the resulting ‘wow’ afterwards.

The final entry, at the time of writing this, was ‘Protecting the Innocent‘ from the blog ‘Empty Garden’. It’s an interesting piece that reads like a devoted lover torn by separation which they are trying to figure out with the action of writing words on paper. The terrible emotions being released as tears. Well worth a read.

I would like to conclude this round-up with a thank you to all those who contributed a poem to the very first Pen Me A Poem Poetry Prompt. There will be one every week starting on Fridays at 6pm, London time. As with today, I will complete a general round-up of entries, depending on the number of entrants, on the following Thursday. If you enjoyed your visit and participation, I would be delighted if you could spread the word and link back to the site. In the ‘widgets’ section you will see a number of pictorial links, if you are of an artistic persuasion, to put on your blog or website, if you so choose.

Posted by Edward | Filed Under Weekly Poetry Prompt | 3 Comments 

Poetry Prompt 1

July 13, 2008



Welcome to the very first ‘Pen Me A Poem’ poetry prompt!

As Leonard Bernstein once said, “Inspiration is wonderful when it happens, but the writer must develop an approach for the rest of the time… The wait is simply too long”. It is for this precise reason that I have decided to start a weekly prompt for devotees and practitioners of poetry and verse. Each Friday at approximately 18:00 (London time) I will provide an inspiring and stimulating cue from which you can then create your very own poem or short poetic prose. When you feel it is ready for other people to read then copy and paste the link in the comment section of the individual ‘Poetry Prompt’ post.

This can only work if other writers and readers visit these websites and blogs which the authors kindly provide links to and leave comments as to what they thought of the work and related general feedback.

Following on from this, every Thursday I will complete a round-up of my favourite poems and prose from the links provided and publish them with a short description and reasons for finding them particularly appealing, in a brand new post.

This is not a competition or popularity contest but merely a place where poets and readers alike can assemble and enjoy the fruits of each other’s work. See this as an ideal environment in which to creatively express such things as dreams, hopes, inner feelings, loves, humour, tragedy, personal events and above all, a place to make new contacts and relationships with people who share similar passions.

Relax, sit down, read through some poetry, then try writing some of your own. There are no restrictions or obligations whatsoever apart from trying to keep to the basic flavour of the weekly prompt given. Anyone, anywhere in the world, is welcome to participate.

As this week is the first and one that will also finish rather sooner than the following prompts, the subject matter is therefore any theme you so wish. Show poems from your present collection or write a new one especially. Let us share and experience your poetry as a group but above all, enjoy your visits and interactions with myself and others at ‘Pen Me A Poem’.

A round-up of this prompt will be published on Thursday 17th July.
The 2nd prompt will begin on Friday 18th July.

Posted by Edward | Filed Under Weekly Poetry Prompt | 22 Comments 

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