Poetry Friday – Poemtober

Happy Poetry Friday today! Thank you, Irene, at Live Your Poem for hosting today. Here is her post with an Ode to Autumn by Neruda and “Autumn Puzzle” by Irene, as well as an opportunity in 2022. I hope to become an official wild and precious writer.

It’s a busy week here, so I have another LaMiPoFri again. (See Kat Apel’s blog for more information on the Last Minute Poetry Friday form.)

I was inspired last week by Jone McCulloch to look at the prompts for the Inktober and write small poems. Here are my first week’s October #smallpoems.

And today for my lamipofri poem, with today’s Inktober prompt watch:

How to Be Here

  • be curious
  • be courageous
  • watch for your privilege like a guard patrols a parapet
  • let that power go
  • listen laser-focused
  • be curious
  • be courageous

12 thoughts on “Poetry Friday – Poemtober

  1. This is wonderful Denise! Wise words to take to heart.

    I’m doing a Poemtober as well, with an older list. I’m enjoying the challenge (mostly ;-). It’s interesting to step back and look at how my poems have come together – which ones were hard and had lots of throw-away lines, and which ones almost write themselves.

    Thanks for sharing this today. Have fun with your prompts in the coming days!

    1. Elisabeth, that sounds fun. I like the idea of pushing myself to write every day, even a couplet or some other small poem. I will try to push on to complete. All the best to you too.

  2. I like this poem, like support for each day, Denise. I love “watch for your privilege like a guard patrols a parapet” – imagining now!

    1. Thank you, Linda. I too am imagining what this means–being on guard again my privilege, but the parapet is low…I’m thinking about what it means. I feel like I want to break the parapet down. I jotted it down today after lots of confused thoughts after an interesting conversation today with someone who didn’t believe in white privilege.

  3. Nothing like a good word list to make writing a poem a day a realistic goal. I always start strong then peter out as the month goes along. Here’s to listening and writing all month long!

    1. Thanks, Margaret. I hope I can continue. I’m sure I will be more successful than I was in August reading poetry books! Haha!

  4. Honestly 99% of my posts are LaMiPoFri-flavored. *Maybe* sometimes I have a general intention, but it’s rare that I can get to the writing before Friday at 5:30 am! I like what you did with that not too special prompt, and your long line is wonderful–patrolling our parapet of privilege indeed.

    1. Thank you, Heidi. I’m finding a lot of the prompts are a little boring, so I’m going to enjoy challenging myself this month to make something good with them. Or at least something small each day!

  5. Good advice in your poem! I like that “here” can big and general, or a specific place/time/situation.

    1. Thanks, Mary Lee. Yes, you are right–small things like everyday conversations and big things, too. I had an out-of-town guest this week and I tried to be curious and courageous as we talked about important things.

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