Tag Archives: NaPoWriMo 2023

Nominative Determinism

I knew a man called Black
Unlike his delightful sense of humour

I knew a man called White
With dreadful yellow teeth

I knew a man called Young
who lived to ninety-four

I knew a man called Bull
who never would eat beef

I knew a man called Rich
Who died from being poor

I knew a woman surnamed Sleep
who would not come to bed

I knew a woman called Faith
who did not believe in God

I knew a woman surnamed Money
who was kicked out from the bank

I met a carpenter called Carpenter
to be honest, quite a plank.

~

*Tracy, would have been a rose, by any other name.

n.b. NaPoWriMo 2023. Day 26 prompt: what is in a name.

CLP 26/04/2023

Camellias

Winter brings weak
Morning light late
Afternoons dark
Frost-shivered limbs

First sign of warmth
(Rain on the west wind)
Foliage thickens
Leaf litter laps the fence

Sticky buds unfold
Super-slow-motion
Burst of pink
Petals un-scroll

Sudden brightness soon
Burnt by memories 
Casting shadows
Across our lawn

Spectacular displayed
Vibrancy lasting
No longer
Than winter's sun

~

n.b. NaPoWriMo 2023. Day 25 prompt. Love poem with flower, parenthesis and odd line breaks.

CLP 25/04/2023

By the Seaside

Wincing dull dawn
Colourful
If grey's your thing
Does the sky reflect
the sea or sea
the sky?
This performance
Doesn't make it clear

The North-Easterly
Plays its part well
Gets in the head
With a sinuous chill
Reminiscent of 
Atonal violins
That bring tears

A bit-part freighter
bound for Hartlepool
Sustains a rhythmic arcing
Of symmetric bow-waves 
Silently pleasing
Musical sensibilities
As it ploughs the line
Where that grey
Meets this grey

Today the briny's
Salt-sharp scent
Fills the lungs
An air that lifts
The audience
Of herring gulls
Enjoying
The string section
Of promenade lights

Empty seats
Are all I see
From this end
Of the pier
What attractions
Did I envisage
Exciting enough
To drag you here?

It's what passes
For entertainment
At this time of year
Out on this pile
Of rusting iron
Planks of decking
Spitting up spume
On our shoes
From breakers below

Admittedly
Not everyone's flask
Of lip-scalding tea
But with a constant changing cast
And subtle improvisations
Oh! I do like to be beside
You here
I think it's worth the fare
We'll have to pretend
The mocking chorus
Of immature gulls
Don't disagree

~

n.b. NaPoWriMo 2023. Day 24 prompt: poetic review of the rarely reviewed.

Picture shows two people swimming in The North Sea a substantial period before the laughingly labelled, British Summer Time kicked in.

CLP 24/04/2023

Upper Tier, Front Row

1.

Kev looks across
Calls me over
There's a seat
Free
Beside him
In the front row
Grateful
A great view


2.

A player
Jogs closer
Pauses preparation
Looks up seeking
Familial faces
Points a finger
To the right
Blows a kiss
To someone


3.

Squeezed in tight
Beside her mum, 
She sees the man
In the blue shirt
Waving
Then bursts out
Brightly
"That's
My Daddy!"


4.

Cuddling
Her daughter
Closer
New baby boy
On her knee
She's touched
By the joy
Of her little girl
With arms full
she can only nod
And smile
Hides
Anxiety
Hopes he won't
Get hurt
Not lose
Come home
Happy


5.

Hunched over
Leaning
On walking stick
So old that
The process of
His gradual
Shrinking
Visible
Even during
The match
He's here
Excited
At the prospect
Relieved
To be here
Having been
Revived
By paramedics
Who worked on him
For three hours
Just two weeks ago
Frustrated
That he missed
Two matches
Reassured
That they were
Pretty dull
By all accounts

~

n.b. NaPoWriMo 2023. Day 23 prompt: Numerous numbered stanzas from various people’s perspectives at the same setting.

CLP 23/04/2023

At Length

Her final month of summer
Was all we feared that it might be
Not her tender graciousness
Left us in her wake, but that drive
Drawn from the womb's well
Fired her urgency
Made her hunger pain
We wondered at their blindness
When nothing was more plain
As they quarried her stone heart
Their stupidity no brighter
Than a dullard's dull insolence
It was life's force within her
Not pleasure drove her on

~

n.b. NaPoWriMo 2023. Day 22 prompt, Dickinson deconstructed – restructured; reconstituted -.

Here, I offer At Length, re-formed.

CLP 22/04/2023

Betrayal

Windsurfer
balances
breeze and
sail

Stands
confident in
position
of authority

Refreshed
by spray
on tanned
gym-monkey torso
vanity
justified

Evacuation
of Kabul
stutters
pending
Minister's
approval

Afghan allies
require
visas to
escape
Taliban's
vengeful advance

Windsurfer
gybes
cock-sure
of judgement
power

Calls from
ministry
officials
can wait
their papers
will be read
later

Aircraft
depart
half-empty
such precious
equipment
cannot
be lost

Loyality
to the
democratic
creed
only flows
one-way
and can
cost you
everything

~

n.b. NaPoWriMo 2023. Day 20 prompt take an abstract noun from the list and write in short lines and brief stanzas.

News events here, the resignation of a bully from HM Government, brings to mind his appalling neglect of duty when the USA and British forces were told to flee from Afghanistan, as Taliban forces descended on Kabul.

The man, who was British Foreign Minister at the time of the crisis, refused to return from his holiday in Crete, so he might work closely with officials trying to evacuate translators and other Afghani people, who had worked closely with the UK military forces there.

It is known that the lack of leadership and subsequently poor coordination of resources within the Foreign Office led to the abandonment of men and women, who were later imprisoned, tortured and killed for having worked with the British, who had tried to support USA efforts to bring democracy to the war ravished country.

CLP 21/04/2023

on life

Eons hence they'll see
Blue planet's lifeless waters
KEEP OUT - TOXIC WASTE

~

n.b. NaPoWriMo 2023. Day 20 prompt, looking back to now from a distant future time. Here from a distant planet.

CLP. 20/04/2023

Aladdin Sane

The cover artwork, white
Feather cut, blue and red
Lightning flash across
Bowie's downcast eyes
Bared shoulders and torso
'He suffers from androgyny'
Mother cautioned me

I had borrowed the album
From Paul, who four years later
Became more extrovert, quite camp
After his trip to Paris
Where he sought a man
To offer up his virginity
While I played 'Time' ashamedly

~

n.b. NaPoWriMo 2023. Day 19, cautionary tales.

Great prompt today. Absolute car crash of implications for everyone. Mine relates to half-truths, blind-siding and Catholic silence leading to confusion and ignorance around matters sexual.

As John Cleese once said, shaking his fist at the clouds, “Thank you, God! Thank you, very much!”

Link to Bowie‘s Aladdin Sane image.

CLP 19/04/2023

Qwerty Love Story

Quietly watching, Eva romanticised.
This youth, unshaven, insistent, optimistic.
Possibilities!
Arising sexual desire formed
Grasped her

Jubilantly kindling Love’s
zany X-certificate variations
brought new meaning.

n.b. NaPoWriMo 2023. Day 18 prompt: Use the alphabet to write a poem. I went a bit Qwerty with this one.

QWERTYUIOP / ASDFGHJKL / ZXCVBNM

CLP 18/04/2023

Kumquat

Kumquat, as he was known

Worked each Saturday morning

In Fruit & Veg, it was said

And school holidays

When not playing cricket

Which was all winter

And much of the summer too

Given so much English weather

Is unsuited to chasing leather

Across a field freshly mown



In China the Kumquat’s known 

As the golden orange fruit

It’s bitter-sweet

Quite a thing to eat

Its thin skin and all

Unlike the cricket ball

Which were it to meet

Someone’s front teeth

Would provoke a ghastly moan

~

n.b. NaPoWriMo 2023, Day 17 prompt, a specific fruit poem.

Kumquat was a keen cricketer and turned out to be a decent player and all round good bloke. Great nickname, in a team of mostly great nicknames.

“Chasing leather” refers to the fielding part of the game of cricket. It means to chase after a cricket ball.

Cricket balls weigh at least five and a half ounces (159.99g) and no more than five and three-quarter ounces, (163g).

They are made of a cork core, which is bound tightly in string, before being incased firmly in leather. The two pieces of leather are joined by a raised seam.

Cricket balls are solid, hard objects which can seriously hurt a player if not fielded correctly.

CLP 17/04/17