Blackout Poetry - Fear

Today I decided to write a blackout poem. In blackout poetry, you select a page from a book, magazine, or newspaper article (a page from anything) and black out words you don't want to use. The remaining words on the page become your blackout poem. Usually I glance over the page and underline or circle the words I want to use before blacking everything else out. I chose page 139 of the book Mistress of All Evil by Serena Valentino.

After I blacked out text, this is what my page looked like.

Fear

By Candace Shultz

Shaking leaves cascade out of the darkness.

Face that fear. Grab fear. Crush it.

Place the Light where you are.

You have the face of a queen.

Disconnect

The streets are full of strangers,
Eyes forward or looking down at their phones.
We're all in this together.

My mom taught me to look out for dangers:
Don't walk outside in the dark alone.
The streets are full of strangers.

But it doesn't matter whether
I'm with someone or on my own.
We're all in this together.

No one is paying attention to me.
Their eyes are glued to the screen on their phone.
The streets are full of strangers.

But I can't say I'm any better.
My phone is in my hand, my head facing down.
We're all in this together.

Let the change start here
Before we all disconnect and drown.
The streets are full of strangers,
But we're all in this together.

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Today I followed the NaPoWriMo prompt to write a villanelle poem using phrases that oppose each other and pulling text from outside sources. I chose the phrase "the streets are full of strangers" from the song "On My Own" from Les Misérables and the phrase "We're all in this together" from the song "We're All in This Together" from High School Musical.

Moving On

She closes the box and tapes it shut, dreams
and memories locked inside the darkness.
Gentle hands will keep it safe, but it seems
the movers are in a rush. They care less
about her pictures and her wedding dress
and more about the time seen on a clock.
The box falls from the truck. Oh, what a mess!
All her photos sprawl across the sidewalk,
friends and family wishing they could talk.
Her white dress is wrinkled against the ground,
and she just stands there silently in shock
as rough, strong hands pick up her ultrasound.
Her husband pulls her into his embrace
as their old lives disappear from that place.

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On Day 4 of NaPoWriMo, I followed the prompt to write a sad poem in the form of a sonnet.

Bananas

The bananas sit on the island counter,
green touching yellow, five in a bunch.
Two days pass by and only three remain,
their peels bright yellow and inviting.
A boy and girl eat rice krispies cereal
with cut up bits of banana in their bowls.
Soon black spots appear on the banana peels
as they sit in a clear bowl on the island.
One more is eaten as a late night snack,
and another in a bowl of Neapolitan ice cream
until finally only one banana remains.
The dark spots grow and multiply,
and the banana softens, mushy to the touch.
It sits there on the island, emitting a ripe smell,
forgotten until it is thrown into the trash.

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I wrote this poem for NaPoWriMo - Day 3. The prompt was to write a poem that involved a story or action that occurred over a period of time.

Writer's Block

A blank white page
on the screen
A blinking cursor
staring at me
Words tumbling
through my mind
My hands
still on my lap

A calming breath

I can do this.

My fingers
rest on the keyboard
Waiting
to move
Waiting
for the right words
to spill forth
from my jumble of thoughts

A few words typed
and then deleted
Some other words written
and then erased
The rest escaping
from my mind
leaving me
dark and empty.

An exasperated sigh

Why can't I do this?

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For Day 2 of NaPoWriMo, I was prompted to end my poem with a question. Since I haven't written much in the last couple of years, I've been struggling with writer's block. I think I just need to write a little bit every day to get over this obstacle.

How to Not Write a Poem

I want to write a poem today, but first
my daughter needs to go to school
and she can't find her brush to get through
her tangled messy hair, and my son needs
help putting on his shirt and shorts and socks,
and no one has eaten breakfast yet.

I want to write a poem today, but first
I need to take my son to the eye doctor
to see if his eyes have improved since the
last time we visited, and after three hours
there at the doctor's, we are tired and hungry,
and then we find out my son needs glasses.

I want to write a poem today, but first
I need to pick up my daughter from school
because by the time we got home from the doctor's
office it was already two in the afternoon, so after
a quick late lunch, my son and I walk to the school,
stopping occasionally to look at the butterflies.

I want to write a poem today, but first
my daughter needs help with her spelling words,
sight words, and math homework; my son
can't find his big Easter egg toy that he just
has to have now; and everyone needs a little snack
after the long walk from school.

I want to write a poem today, but first
I need some coffee, and then my husband comes home
and we need to go to the store to pick up our daughter's
derby car kit, but the traffic is terrible, so we stop
for dinner at McDonald's, and then we go to
the eyeglass store to buy new glasses for our son.

I want to write a poem today, but first
I need to get my children ready for bed and read
them each a story, sing "Soft Kitty" to them, and kiss them
goodnight before I go downstairs to wash the dishes,
clean the kitchen, straighten up the living rooms, 
and make sure my daughter's backpack is ready for tomorrow.

I want to write a poem today, but first
I want to relax and watch a show with my husband
and cuddle on the couch, but after two episodes
it's already time to go upstairs to brush and floss
my teeth, get into my pajamas, slip under the bed covers,
read a few pages of my library book, and drift off to sleep.

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For the first day of National Poetry Writing Month, we were prompted to write a poem that instructs our readers on how to do something or not do something. I wrote my poem today about how not to write a poem. I hope you enjoy it.

NaPoWriMo 2019

Tomorrow begins NaPoWriMo 2019, writing 30 poems in 30 days! I'll be back tomorrow with my first poem of the year!