Poetry Marathon Prep Pt. 2:

This is me, seeing how many prompts I can write to in a single hour.

Peace Pirate Poetry May 2022 Prompt Responses:

  1. Too Late:

If you know you’re going to be late,

too late for the showing, or so late that

even the ice in my water will have melted

before we’re able to order, then I hope

you know

 

you will be crafted into a work of art.

You will be immortal as a poem and

most likely you will outlive every other

thing I’ve created. Because there will be

love and hate broiled into every word

to hit the page so completely that

you will be my most quoted creation.

 

It does not matter if we have been

on dates before, or if this is the first.

It does not matter if you have lived

in my home with me or not, because

poetry is the only consistent home

I have ever known – and to welcome

you within these pages is indeed

wonderous and rare – it does not

 

account for tardiness. And I will

not stand for such flippant responses

to our love. Our life. Or my time.

-M. Rene’

 

2. Perfect Pair

I have a “pair” of sneakers

that is composed of one

black sneaker and one white sneaker.

They are covered in sharpie dreams

of lyrics and dreams and people we

have always wanted to be – but will

never know how to walk the path

of becoming. These are my favorite

shoes, because everyone always

has something to say. Has something

to wonder. Has to take a photo of.

And I would not it any other way.

-M. Rene’

 

3. Company:

Darling, you have always been such beautiful company.

 

Carrying words in your heart and art on your skin.

Filling every room we venture into with laughter.

Standing tall no matter the storm raging around.

Existing blissfully – just knowing that you are mine

& I am yours.

 

This friendship, I believe, is the epitome of

everything that the world has tried to keep us

from being, and living, and understanding.

 

Thus, we shall carry on as we have for all of time.

Despite the distance ever dancing between us.

-M. Rene’

 

4. May the Force:

If you have a hobby, a fantasy world, a memory

that you embrace so whole-heartedly that it

appears in every big momentous occasion you live,

then I shall support you and the artistry of such things.

 

But you must know, Star Wars has never been

and likely never will be a favorite of mine for any

reason other than the place it holds in YOUR heart.

-M. Rene’

 

5. For Now:

For now, I will breathe

 

and pretend that everything is okay.

 

But I want you to know my lungs

will be the first thing to give out on me.

And when that happens, I’ll likely lose

the ability to raise this voice of mine

in crowded rooms and empty coffee shops alike.

And if that happens, the artistry flowing through me,

coursing through these veins and bleeding itself

onto pages that will be photographed but

never held – will carry on until my heart

beats its final measure. I’ll simply rely on you

 

to do the talking. Which may seem odd

at first, but I promise, you’ll find

 

it’s just like breathing.

-M. Rene’

 

6. People Watching:

Walk into any cafe, bar, restaurant you like

order the first thing on the menu that catches your eye –

even if you have no idea what it is. Find a seat outside

of the incoming sunlight, the center of the room, or

by the register – I know this can be difficult, but I

have faith in you. Take out a book, pretend that you

are reading every word stamped onto the page

as intently as you stare into your first love’s gazes.

Know that you are really tasked with people watching.

 

With exploring the way the building sways in the wind

and how people dance around each other and the words

that get carried across the steam rising from the coffee you

know you’ll need. With being a part of everything and nothing

all at once – because someday the world will need to know

the goings on of places like this in times like these and you

are the greatest artist I have ever known. This task is yours.

 

And I only hope you will continue to appreciate such findings

as the times and places continue to change – and so do you.

-M. Rene’

 

7. Cat Eyes:

SKIP – because this would be more of a gut reaction rant rather than an actual poem

 

8. Wizard’s Staff:

My friend, I know, I know with

every

single

fiber of my being, that you

are certainly going to be part

of the creation of a fabulously

powerful human being in a

multitude of beautiful ways.

 

But you cannot under

absolutely

any

circumstances name your child

Bathazar or Gwenevier or after

any of the characters you’ve

built within fictional lands.

 

There is a difference between

a wizard’s staff as an artifact or

decoration and actually believing

that you are chaotic enough to

BE a wizard or a warlock or a

demon master in this day and age.

 

And no matter how ridiculously

amazing your child will indeed be,

you cannot ask them to live through

the taunting and the teasing and the

madness that will undoubtedly follow

them through the hardest years of

their life with a name like that – a

standard to live up to that simply

no youth should be asked to.

 

It would be like giving birth to a

Shakespeare and demanding them

be the next Currie. It cannot and

should not be done regardless of

how confident you may be upon

the day of their birth. I do wish you

 

every possible happiness though.

-M. Rene’

 

9. One Hand Song

In your arms you carry every meaningful

moment you have ever encountered.

Songs and poems and stories and toys

and memories and dreams and dances.

Some would say you are overburdened

that you must let go of the resources

in order to carry new ones – I say

 

I trust you. And in my eyes, if you

trust yourself that is more than enough

to counteract what ANY of us may believe.

 

But, you have a one hand song

taking up so much space that

could be utilized in other ways –

if only you could understand that

music is just as much a soulful

experience as it is a tangible one.

 

And I know you are going to do

whatever it is you think best for yourself –

but I just wanted you to know that

some of the things that matter do not

need to be carried in such heavy ways. ‘

-M. Rene’

 

10. Tradition:

Every morning

as the sun rises

and the mosquitoes buzz

you and I have coffee

on the Veranda.

 

Yours in a purple espresso cup

mine summer yellow – because

we need to start things off joyfully.

Afterall we do not want to be here,

these are some of the most impactful

days we will ever know, and still

we must move forward – making

the most of what we have if we

ever wish to change things.

 

This is the most beautiful tradition

either of us will ever know.

-M. Rene’

 

11. Spell of Sparrow:

While this IS a really cool prompt, it’s really just not speaking to me right now. And honestly, I hope that’s cool. Maybe if you’re reading this, it’ll speak to you though. That is always a wish I carry.

 

12. Self Guided:

The box of stickers resting patiently

in the closet that has not been opened

since Christmas – is too good for us.

 

It is a self-guided discovery of its own

that will someday litter the pages of

our dreams and wonders and everything

we were not actually able to become

within the confines of this lifetime.

 

And it is a beautiful and terrible thing

all at once to know that a person’s fate

and entire story can both be told and

detailed in a handful of misc. stickers.

-M. Rene’

 

13. Reconcile:

To reconcile the halves of myself

that remain unnamed despite the

importance of such things would

be just as tiresome as telling two

neighbor boys they have to be friend –

and in the world today also expecting

them to eventually be lovers.

 

And proud of who and what they are

and vocal about the story they’ve written

both together and as individuals. You

cannot simply expect someone or something

to grow into the shapes you could not

just by believing it so. And I will not and

by no means will ever try to explain

my own reasons to the parts of myself

 

that refuse to listen or change.

I will simply exist in the ways that feel

best and most important to the person I am.

-M. Rene’

 

14. Hippie Names:

My mother wears burkenstocks

and I like paisely and raves –

interchangeably everything you

just read makes sense regardless

of the order you read it in.

 

Because of this, people in our lives

call us hippie names and refuse to

believe that we can actually function

as adult people in the society we were

born into. And though things have

changed over the years, there is

absolutely nothing wrong now or then

with hippies, or the people we have become.

 

Despite whatever the world around us

chooses to believe at any given time.

 

And such things will remain true for even

the furthest of generations yet to come.

-M. Rene’

 

Okay so it’s 11 pm for me – I’ve been up since 6 – and was not *exactly* planning to prep for the event today, but I am. I’ve got 9 minutes left of my one hour timer, and I’ve written 12 poems and racked up 1600+ words. If I can properly sleep, eat and caffinate prior to the real deal – I think I’ve got this under control. HOWEVER, since writing my introduction I’ve decided to alter my pledge – I will donate $5 to charity for every hour I successfully write more than 3 poems. Because taking care of yourself is first, within reason, and encouraging a community is almost always secondary. Let’s see how many more poems can be written in the remaining few minutes shall we?

 

15: More hope:

The world always needs

 

more hope;

 

and to be honest, so do

most of us

on a more personal level.

 

This is why poetry deserves

every goddamn award known to man.

Why artistry is the most important

task any soul can be assigned.

And precisely why the starving artist

belief is a complete and utter myth.

 

Even if we do not have money

in the bank – we are rich with

the wealth of encouraging ourselves

and others no matter what life

sends our way. And that is

 

more than any prized possession

could ever offer, create, or understand.

-M. Rene’

 

16. Stay:

Stay with me through the rain

through the chilly nights with the window open

and in all the most beautiful parts of ourselves as well.

 

Stay and I promise, we will both

be better because of it.

-M. Rene’

On the note of “Stay” is anyone here an Atticus fan? His latest merchandise line has some beautiful creations of galaxies and stay and his poem with this word as the mainstay. It’s wonderful. If you’re a fan.

 

And if not, this concludes my hour of testing and trying and playing. These are all brand new drafts and I can’t wait to see what they become over time or how more of these practice attempts play out either. Thank you so much for reading and your support. Good luck and write your souls out~

Sincerely,

BlueJay

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