National Poetry Writing Month Day 3

What is National Poetry Writing Month?

Welcome, art enthusiasts and wordsmiths alike, to another episode of Create Art Podcast! We are diving headfirst into the enchanting world of poetry as we celebrate National Poetry Writing Month (NaPoWriMo). This annual event, which takes place every April, encourages poets and aspiring writers around the globe to embrace their creativity and commit to writing a poem each day for the entire month.

The Beauty of National Poetry Writing Month:

NaPoWriMo, similar to its prose-centric counterpart National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), is a celebration of the written word and the boundless creativity that can flow when one dedicates themselves to a daily practice. Poets of all levels of expertise are invited to take part, from seasoned wordsmiths to those just dipping their toes into the vast ocean of verse.

Create Art Podcast has always been a haven for artists to share their creative processes, and NaPoWriMo offers a unique opportunity for poets to reflect on their craft. With a daily commitment to producing poetry, participants discover new facets of their writing style, experiment with various forms, and explore uncharted emotional territories.

Prompt for today

here’s our prompt for the day – optional, as always. Today, we’d like to challenge you to write a surreal prose poem. For inspiration, check out Franz Kafka’s collection of short parables (my favorite is “The Green Dragon”).

Poem for Today

A Coffee Shop in Abilene Texas 

3 April 24 

I walked into a coffee shop in Abilene Texas 

Spent the next few decades trying to find it again 

The Purple Pope of Abilene was slinging drinks behind the counter 

He was also slinging smack in the back room 

Preaching the words of one Andre’ Breton 

Who I never heard of in my travels at that time 

A painter sat in that coffee shop 

He mistook Abilene Texas for Abilene Kansas 

And was stuck there for decades for his mistake 

He sold me paintings of Nietzsche and Hendrix  

And one that was cursed with ants crawling over skulls in a jungle 

He was our version of Dali 

There were poetry readings spontaneously 

Mostly young men gathered around a table 

Slipping pieces of paper back and forth to each other 

And the one I call Bear 

Belting out my feeble scratching's with the authority of Tzara 

Helping me find my voice in the chaos of the day 

On-the-spot spectacles occurred with no frequency 

Drag shows, one-act plays and pronouncements  

Spelling out the flaws of this Texas town 

As if Artaud was among us 

Sharing his absinthe 

As these playwrights downed another spiked smart drink 

Oh to be back there 

Back in my youth 

When life was simpler 

When I thought I had made the biggest mistake 

I found a home 

Where I could be what I dreamed 

If only for a few hours a day 

And after all these years of searching 

For another place to replace the first one 

I have found it 

But now I am the old man 

The painter 

The poet 

The playwright 

And the youth that comes empowers me 

There is a new Purple pope that I share conspiracy stories with 

There is a new Breton 

A new Tzara 

A new Artaud 

And a new me 

Reach Out To The Podcast

To reach out to me, email timothy@createartpodcast.com I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let's start that conversation.

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