24 Poems ~ 24 Hours
I grew up in Southern Colorado's San Luis Valley, positioned between the beautiful San Juan Mountains to the west and the breath-taking Sangre De Christo Mountains to the east. I am currently living in Utah. I am a father of four amazing children. My wife and I have two of my children with granddaughters living at home with us. I am now, the proud grandpa of three beautiful granddaughters. The two oldest call me Papa. A name that is more endearing than any other. I enjoy late evening swims, reading books, gardening, painting with the assistance of computer technology (GIMP) and taking hikes in the Utah and Colorado mountains and foothills. And of course, I also enjoy writing poetry and sharing it with my friends and family. I have had my personal struggles in life and poetry has helped me come out victorious over them.
Text Prompt
“Tell me an old story (like a folktale from your culture, a fairytale you heard when you were young or a story passed down in your family). You can give it your own twist as well.” Prompt submitted by Bhasha Dwivedi
Droping out to take my daughter to the hospitle
It didn’t seem to make much sense.
We had our home and work.
Our son decided to try and take
His life one spring that day.
We took him to a hospital,
In hopes to save his way.
He then returned with better thoughts
But one thing was quite clear.
A move was needed for his life
We moved to pave new ways
It wasn’t without pain or strife.
He’s good to this good day.
~willjxn~
In choir—
are you singing?
inquire:
What is your song?
Isolated by fear
we come together in one sound.
on social media.
Me and Youtube inquiring?
Text Prompt
~willjxn~
It’s the sound that pleasure brings
Just be for the smile.
It’s the soul when humor stings,
joy, brought center aisle.
Funny is its victuals,
Silly is its drink.
Language’s residuals.
Jesting on the brink
Hope of every clown you see,
Wish of every mime.
Is the hearty haw, haw, hee!
Primeval sound sublime.
Text Prompt
“Personify an animal. Switch its trait. Example: a disinterested lion, a polite gorilla, an aggressive giraffe…” – Contributed by John Dutton
Said the turtle to the snail
“Race you to that flower”.
I’m too fast to race you dude.
Let’s climb up that tower.
Said the gray mouse to the snail.
“Can I wear your dress?”
“If I canI I’ll give it up.
May I wear your vest”
Said the bumble bee to her.
Want to take a ride?
I’d love to take a ride with you?
I’ll flatten out and glide.
Said the snail to all her friends,
We need to have some gall.
When we share our nobleness.
We can do it all.
“Look in your cupboards and find a food that brings up a childhood memory, and the memory is your prompt” – contributed by Deborah Dalton
~willjxn~
You have always been there
when other flavors weren’t.
Giving cookies flair.
making cake look burnt.
Teacher of the bitter truth
acerb shared with sweetness
Gives us all a taste of you
Chocolate is completeness.
Text Prompt
Every year we have a new form prompt, and this year, it’s the Gigan, which is an invented form. There’s a detailed blog post about it here, and it includes an example Gigan, which always helps.
Gigans must be 16 lines in length with seven stanzas (each stanza is separated by a line break). It goes couplet (two lines), tercet (three lines), couplet, couplet, couplet, tercet, couplet.
The first line is also the eleventh line, line six is repeated as line 12 as well.
Optionally the closing couplet should put a twist on the poem, but that isn’t a requirement.
Blue Moon Valley
~willjxn~
Let me walk in blue moon valley
where the blues sky people lived
Take me there to walk the wind
Lift me up to touch the stars.
Skip rocks on the winding streams.
Morning cross The Blood of Christ
Evenings guard me by a saint.
Spirits of the blue sky people
Sing their song in wind and rain.
Pray for me, blue sky people
Let me walk in Blue Moon Valley
Morning cross The Blood of Christ
Pray with song and dance for life
Moon alight upon my face.
Sing with me in Blue Moon Valley
Dance a prayer of grace.
A Sort of Text Prompt
Look on your phone and find the 10th non-selfie picture and use that as your prompt. – Prompt by
My brother took the base of an old saddle and recreated it with the Jackson last name stamped on its seat. He joined the Marie Corp and so he left behind the horses and the saddle. My son expressed a need for a saddle and now it is being oiled up for another life. I felt like a haiku would work well to express my thoughts about this picture. It is about transitions.
hanging from above
you are now cut free to ride
saddle up, cowboy!
Image Prompt
Text Prompt
Write a letter to yourself from the perspective of someone who is no longer in your life. It could be a former teacher you admired but you lost touch with, someone you knew from childhood, someone who passed on, etc. The specifics are very much up to you.
Dear Son
~willjxn~
Dear Son,
It’s about time really.
That is, I’m here to talk to you about time.
So go ahead and wash the dishes and—
Well—
Ponder.
Remember.
Believe.
You are good at being in your head in the present moment..
Pondering comes pretty easy for you.
It’s just “the what “you should be picky about.
Don’t let yourself get stuck in the negative.
Continue to ponder what is beautiful and what is truth.
Don’t let fleeting passions blind you to what is important in life.
Then there is “Remember”.
Don’t let the past get away from you.
Remember the learning moments and those who have taught you.
Finally, there is believing.
Believing is about reaching into the future.
Believe there is truth and when you find it you will know it is right.
Believe in yourself. Yes, everyone has this posted somewhere on a wall.
But you are one of an endless number of beings of truth.
You were made to import and then impart truth.
Once you find it. Share it with others.
It is always up to the listener to decide for themselves the truth.
I love you always,
Mom
Image Prompt
Text Prompt
Write a poem using at least 5 of the following 10 words/phrases.
Still Life
~willjxn~
Upon the old oak stump
is nailed a make-shift table
covered with a linen scarf and—
set with these:
An empty wine glass towering, globalement—
a plate of cheddar cheese,
antique satchel
yellowed by time,
filled with bitter herbs,
And there also—
an open hardback
to be read
of Emily’s Returning.
Knitting life into one space—
by wild sunflower framing.
Far from the sounds of city pavement.
Still life there—
revealing.
Image Prompt