24 Poems ~ 24 Hours
Hi! My name is Kaci and I will be participating in the half marathon. I have never written consistently for more than three hours straight, but I have so many ideas flowing out of me all the time that I know I will be able to come up with some great material. I love the idea of the marathon so I was excited when I heard about it. I am looking forward to it and anxious to see what I can conjure up!
Greeting fellow word-wranglers. Allow me to introduce myself. I am a novelist by trade, a full-time father and grandfather, and a poet at heart. I am an award-winning contributing member of the Society of Classical Poets, and love reading poetry as well as writing it.
As a poet, I am very much old-school. I don’t do much free-verse, preferring the discipline and lyrical quality of structured, metered forms. My heroes are Frost, Thomas, Poe and Whitman – although my style is closer to Poe’s than anyone else’s.
As a metered verse poet, I love to explore the classical forms. From villanelles to rondeau redoubles, from coronas and crowns of sonnets to sestinas, from terza rimas to pantoums, I love writing and stretching the limits of metered rhyme.
I tend to write a lot of iambic poetry, and like the Bard, I usually end up in pentameter (the length and pattern appeals to my inner minstrel) — but trochaic or even anapestic feet can also be a lot of fun.
I enjoy writing across all genres, and often challenge myself to do poetry in different ways. One of my favorite genre-poems tells a western Gunslinger’s story in a thirty-nine line sestina – and I love to write Gothic horror.
Since the day I read E.A.P.’s The Raven as a child, the narrative tale in metered form has been my greatest thrill. My first ever published poem was done as a tribute to this epic story, and was written in catalectic trochaic octameter, using the Raven’s back-beat cadence as it’s driving heartbeat.
I hope to get to meet some of you who enjoy classic poetry as much as I do, and am looking forward to the marathon.
I used to be an old hat on WordPress, but it’s been a while. I hail from the Pacific Northwest and write fiction, creative nonfiction, and occasionally poetry. My favorite animals are road runners and snails because of their (polar opposite) charismas. My day job involves working closely with community college students as an academic success coach.
I’m here to do the half-marathon. I’ve got a project in mind that I’ve been meaning to get started on, so this will hopefully light a fire under me.
– A
Since I am not a coffee drinker…but a Chocolate-a-holic…I am armed with a supply for the Marathon. and WATER….my lovely Filtered water system will be full…and will provide the refreshing drink (to wash down the chocolate!) On a “normal” night I rarely sleep more than three hours without waking up….and I am retired…no job to go to….so I THINK this is possible. NOW, about the writing poems …one an hour for 24 hours? I often compose poetry in my so-called sleep at night…but I’m too tired to get up and write them down. I’ve written song lyrics for the two CDs I have produced in the past sixteen years…and some of those lyrics came in the night! I told my facebook friends….”I plan to be composing all night long….and hope I will NOT be DEcomposing!” Yes, I am a silly poet…hooked on Dr. Seuss and Shel Silverstein and others from my own childhood. I cannot resist rhyming….alliteration…(I’m from Iowa…the Corn State….thus the corny jokes) and all manner of silliness. When I delivered original “singing telegrams” a few years ago…(in costume and as characters like Mae West, Zsa Zsa Gabor and Blanch from Golden Girls…you can tell my age by the gals I portrayed) the rhyming “gift” brought me a part time income. How Fun to make somebody’s day with a surprise performance of their very own original greeting! Ah, this should be FUN….yet totally exhausting! Making plans to sleep most of Sunday …after the final poem is produced at 8 a.m. Mountain time! (9 a.m. ET)
When the world is turning left, I look right.
When it’s waltzing, I tango.
I do them well. Just not always in rhythm.
I’m great at a party, if I’m engaged.
Otherwise, I sit and observe.
I do that well, too.
When the world is laughing, I cry.
When it’s being loud, I make quiet.
I do them well. Just not at the right time.
I’m a good friend, if I’m focused.
Otherwise, I’m thinking of other things.
I do that well, too.
When the world is flying by too fast, I walk.
When it’s crawling, I peddle faster.
I do them well. Just slightly out of sync.
I’m great to talk to, if I’m listening.
Otherwise, I’m at peace watching ants crawl.
I do that well, too.
Do I always feel comfortable in my skin? No
Do I see beauty where there is blight, and,
discomfort, when I could be smiling? Sometimes.
Yet, I know who I am. And, why.
Am I easy to live with? Yes, fairly often.
Otherwise, I’m always searching for another question.
I do that well, too.
I am a poet.
~chowilawu~
I am unappologetically poetic,
I move and rhyme in such grace,
One stroke of the pen,
And there it is,
A masterpiece created so beautifully!
I am a poet and I love it,
Not appologizing for a thing,
Because I am the Queen of pen and paper,
Crafting each word with precision,
Making the delivery very clear,
And as I sit back and watch,
There’s no turning away,
I’m unapologetically a poetic!!!
Hello marathon goers..
The name’s Khalifah, I’m a Puerto Rican woman. 37 yrs old, mother of 3 really cute kids! I’ve been writing since grade school but never pursued. I go back and forth with it. I’ll write for months and then turn to painting for a year, then back to writing for a year, and so forth.
I’m an Aquarius, for those who follow, know I’m a very free spirit and take a laid back approach to obstacles. I work great under pressure and usually shine bright like a flawed diamond!
Can’t wait for this Saturday- I will be going back and forth with a wedding, hope I can handle it!
Looking Forward to this Marathon. In need of a good challenge to flush out my creativity so I can begin working on my very first manuscript. =)
Becca
Hi everyone! It looks like I’m in good company. I haven’t written much since 2005, when I lost all of my writing in Hurricane Katrina. I was fresh out of college with my B.A. in English. It’s taken me 10+ years to feel ready to push myself again. Since then, I received my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music (vocal performance) and sing opera in San Francisco and San Diego. This may sound strange, but the thing I feel that I’m missing as a singer is my own voice. The words and music are already provided in the libretto and score. Sure, you have to explore the characters and their motivations, but it’s just not the same as creating something where there was nothing. I’m excited, and a little scared, to do this. I hope the words come to me and that I can stay awake.