Test Poem
To Christian Politicians Who Pass Laws Making Hate Legal
You can codify
it, make it legal, but hate
is still not holy.
Getting Ready for Poetry Marathon
I’ve been getting myself mentally ready for the Poetry Marathon by thinking of topics, and genre I would like to feature. I signed up for the half marathon but hope to keep going. It will definitely be a challenge to do either one, but it’s good for my still healing brain. Have fun, everyone!
Touch Your Toes
The first exercise is
wake up,
get up,
groom the horse,
put on a
saddle and bridle.
Ride your horse
around the arena,
trot and canter.
Do not attempt
to jump before
you feel awake.
Suddenly the pen
feels lighter,
your horse slows,
sighs, tomorrow
rides herself.
The Last Sign Up Period for the 2016 Marathon is Now
You can sign up for the Poetry Marathon now! This is your last chance in 2016 to sign up! If you want to learn more read our main page.
Sign up closes tomorrow at 12 PM ET. All acceptances will go out the following day.
Hello Marathoners
Hi My name is Torri. This is my 2nd marathon and I’m pretty hype about it. I’m so hyped, I decided to do the 24 hour marathon this year instead of the 12 hour one. I recently moved from Saint Louis, Missouri to Tacoma, Washington and could use a bit of write-spiration. My sister Meka is also doing the poetry marathon again this year and I’m looking forward to reading her stuff along with yours! Our life has changed quite a bit this past month with the loss of our very special cousin and we could use a little motivation to get out of our sadness. I’m so happy that such a thing like the poetry marathon exists! I plan to stay pumped by drinking plenty of water and eating plenty of fruit during the marathon. I hope it works! I look forward to reading some of everyones beautiful poetry soon! ❤
Ready or Not…
The marathon is coming
The poetry marathon is coming
The 24 hour poetry marathon is coming
Am I ready?
Do I have necessary supplies?
I hope so
pens
pencils
paper (I write on paper 1st)
ideas
prompts and nudges
sparks
snacks, can’t forget the snacks
and coffee and tea and water
Timer
to keep track of time
write one poem every hour
Twenty four in all
Am I ready? I hope so
Others things to fit in
Caring for a friends chickens
my own pet too
All accomplished in 24 hours
Less than a week out…sweatin’ blood in practice
Trying on other poetry forms and finding the fit less than comfortable than my usual free-wheelin’ lyric style. Just dictating the voices has always been so easy. I saw, on the fb page, that the sestina was a prompt style last year and I gave it a try. It was really hard to write with the set rules and predetermined words.
I thought I would share it anyway…in the spirit of “sucking it up” and getting ready to share whatever happens – for next week.
*sigh*
Here it is:
Memory
It is the weight of bridges
cast in steel and concrete –
sinking deeper in places it should connect –
at the very least, allow us to pass over
those grimy, shadowed locales, surfacing
only when completely unnecessary.
The memories, unwanted and unnecessary,
tearing us apart rather than forming bridges;
constantly forcing shadows to keep surfacing –
shadows burnt into concrete.
Sift through the ash over
the place where flesh and bone connect –
or should connect –
but do no longer. Grief is unnecessary
now – told to get over
it – to build bridges
from the world of the dead. Concrete
wings keep our better angels from surfacing,
when surfacing
from the heaviness, and the desire to connect
to the living, is the concrete
pillar holding us up in unnecessary
discomfort. Waiting for these bridges
to direct us over
the past; over
the ghosts continually surfacing
in twilight hours, bridges
day with night, where reality and dreams connect.
We want our brains to soothe, making it unnecessary
for a heart to be heavy; weighed by the concrete –
memory of concrete
moment – moments we are supposed to be over.
But, somehow, we pry open unnecessary
corners of the brain – forcing down what was surfacing
in order to survive…endeavoring to connect
to the world of flesh and blood which bridges
the suffocating concrete doubt, preventing us from surfacing
in places over the emptiness. Connect,
in spite of unnecessary doubt, to the hope in bridges.
R. L. Elke
Aug. 5/16
Readying for Poetry Marathon
I’ve been getting myself mentally ready for the Marathon. Even though I only signed up for the Half Marathon, I’ll keep going as long as I can.
I’ve been thinking of topics to write about as well as poetry genre. I’ll be using genre I learned many years ago as well as some recent ones I learned when I took an online poetry workshop.
Greetings and salutations to all!
So I decided to enter this on a lark and what ho, my lark has built a nest! I am looking forward to giving this a whirl and sharing some of my writing. I have not done so in quite some time so this is something I am glad to be pushing myself to try.
Stroke Was a Blessing
In 2012 I suffered a ruptured Achilles’ tendon at work. Two weeks after surgery, I suffered a massive stroke. I was in medically induced coma to save my life. It was a hemorrhagic stroke that also caused swelling of the brain. My prospects for survival were pretty grim, in fact, doctors told family to get ready for the worse, that they’d done everything they could. To everybody’s surprised, I pulled through! After rehabilitation, I went home to follow-up home and outpatient care, physical, speech, and occupational therapy. I started writing as a for of therapy. I also did volunteered work and went back to school, online this time, to resume a Master’s degree. I started publishing one month before my graduation ceremony. I’d have gotten my Master’s because I’d started it again before my stroke, but I don’t think I’d have taken writing seriously if it hadn’t been for my stroke. That’s why I tell people: The stroke is the best thing that happened to me; the really bad stuff all happened after my stroke. Here I am, habitually challenging my brain, but this time with writing to participate in the Half Marathon and hope to continue to the full Marathon.