Reposted "the World According to Cosmos "(https://theworldaccordingtocosmos.com) SIgn-up! |
2024 Poetry Madness - April 1 to April 6 Poems https://wp.me/p7NAzO-2P4 I am again entering the annual April Poetry Month challenge. I will update this once a week and post the updates on Blog Lovin, Facebook, Fan Story, Instagram, Medium, Substack, Watt Pad and X. Comments are welcomed. Index April 1 PSH Ode to Durian WD Optimistic Laturnae WC Dew Drop Inn Sarang pabo love fool NaPoWrMo Easter Bunny Warm up March 31 NaPoWrMo April 1 Cage April 2 PSH The Words of the Year 1955 PSH WD Sad and happy days WC Dew Drop Inn Spring Time Flowers Blooming Love NaPoWrMo Ode to Coffee April 3 PSH Berkeley Mad Psychotic Pineapple Burns Sonnet PSH 2 AI Version Traditional Sonnet WD My Musical Street WC Dew Drop Inn NaPoWrMo The Parliament of Owls Decree Death to All Humans AV version the Parliament of Owls Decree Death to All Humans April 4 PSH Love Expressed Through Food WD Look at the Sky WC Dew Drop In Ending Shaving in Retirement NaPoWriMo It Can’t Happen Here April 5 PSH Cosmic Dog From Goa WD Tell Me No Lies WC Dew Drop Inn Making Baseball Great Again NaPoWriMo Only In SF April 6 PSH Visiting My Father's Grave Writers DIgest Meeting My Fate Writing Com Dew Drop Inn Daily RItual Drinks NaPoWrMo PNRCP Begin Poems April 1 Ode to Durian The infamous durian fruit is a strange phenomenon. Common in China, Southeast Asia, and India, and in Chinese, Southeast Asian, and Indian diaspora communities, It has such a powerful sour smell that it is banned in airline cabins. I first ate Durian in a rural town in Central Thailand my hasher friends dared me to eat it it was horrible at first the smell But if you can get beyond The awful, dirty socks, rotten, sour smell, The taste is pure heaven, Proof perhaps that God has a sense of humor? April 1, 2024: Poetry Writing Prompt from Suzanne Lummis This poetry writing prompt submitted by Suzanne Lummis: Evolve a poem that involves an exotic fruit, one fruit, and a town you’ve never visited, or else have distant memories of. The poem does not have to be About the fruit. It probably should Not be about the fruit. No one gives a fig about a fruit. But the fruit makes an Appearance. Extra points if it’s a Pomegranate. No need to mention Persephone, but if you do… It better be something we don’t already know. Writer’s Digest Optimistic Laturnae life more love with my wife standing by me love The lanturne is a five-line verse shaped like a Japanese lantern with a syllabic pattern of one, two, three, four, one. Writing Com Dew Drop Inn April 1—Be a fool in a poem! Sarangpabo – Korean Love Fool for You lovers at the beach When I first saw you In my dreams. You were the most beautiful woman In the world to me And still are. When you looked at me With love blazing From your dark brown Goo-goo eyes. sparks flew from heart to heart (이심초심 ishimchomshim) You hynotized, messemeried me Your love mojo working overtime Turning me into nothing but A 사랑 바보 Sarang pabo (love fool). Eight years later You walked off that bus Into my life, Becoming my wife, My soul mate. And yes, I am still your 사랑 바보Sarang pabo. And will remain under Your love spell Until the day I die. Translation into Korean (rough AI Version) Hangul: 처음 너를 보았을 때 꿈 속에서. 넌 세상에서 가장 아름다운 여자였어 내게 그리고 지금도 그런 너. 네가 나를 보며 사랑이 눈부시게 네 어두운 갈색 눈에서 불타오르는 모습. 마음에서 마음으로 불꽃이 튀었어 (이심초심 ishimchomshim) 넌 나를 최면에 걸었고, 날 사로잡았어 네 사랑의 마법이 야근을 하며 나를 사랑 바보로 만들었어. 8년 뒤 넌 그 버스에서 내게 다가왔어 내 삶 속으로, 내 아내가 되며, 내 영혼의 동반자가 되었어. 그리고 맞아, 나는 여전히 네 사랑 바보야. 네 사랑 주문 아래에 내가 죽을 때까지. Romanized Script: Cheoeum neoreul boasseul ttae Kkum sogeseo. Neon sesangeseo gajang areumdaun yeoja-eosseo Naege Geurigo jigeumdo geureon neo. Nega nareul bomyeo Salangi nunbusige Ne eoduun galssaek nun-eseo Bultao-reuneun moseup. Ma-eumeseo ma-eum-euro bulkkoch-i twieosseosseo (이심초심 ishimchomshim) Neon nareul choemyeon-e geol-eoss-eo, nal salojab-ass-eo Ne salang-ui mabeob-i yageun-eul hamyeo Naleul salang babo-lo mandeul-eoss-eo. anyeon dwi Neon geu beoseueseo naege dag-awass-eo Nae salm sog-eulo, Nae anae-ga doemyeon, Nae yeonghon-ui dongbanja-ga doeeoss-eo. Geuligo maj-a, Naneun yeojeonhi Ne salang babo-ya. Ne salang jumun alae-e Naega jugeul ttaekkaji. NaPoWrMo March 31 warm Up Easter Bunny Warning April 1 Cage Easter Bunny Warning president trump The Easter Bunny Had a warning He was tired Of being played the fool. Tired of being associated With low-life fake Christians Proclaiming that Donald Trump Is the next messiah. The Easter Bunny said, “Donald Trump Ain’t no Christian He ain’t no friend of mine. He is the antichrist The poster child For the seven deadly sins”. Donald Trump denounced The Easter Bunny. Saying on Truth Social, “The Easter Bunny is nothing But a low-life wanna-be thug, A real loser! An anti-fa, anti-American, BLM, communist, fascist Radical left-wing Marxist vermin thug, Part of the woke crowd, That is ruining our once-great country. That needs a Second Amendment remedy. Warm Up Cage One of the most terrible things Of the Former President’s last term Were the infamous Cages. Where children were ripped away From their parents or adult caregivers. Who were accused of being coyotes, And put into huge cages, Exposed to the hot desert temperatures. With limited food, internet, phones Medical care, translators, water Or access to other services. The apologists for Trump Claimed that the cages Did not exist! Just more liberal fake news And all that. Or it was the need To ensure that children Were not being trafficked To discourage the invading armies Of dangerous criminals Being organized in mythical Mass caravans of brown people. Or these were more Like Summer camp With happy campers! NOT A SINGLE WORD OF THAT WAS REMOTELY TRUE These cages were cages Children were housed there For months. Many were never reunited As the parents were deported Many have spent decades Trying to track down Their missing children. Now Trump is talking About massive detention camps He will set up If he is re-elected, Most likely they will be housed In tents exposed to the weather Just like cages. Immigrants including dreamers And those suspected of being illegals And other undesirables Antifa, BLM, and LGBTQ, Protestors, Muslims, “foreign terrorists” Criminal gang members And ultimately Jews Because Jews always End up in these Camps. All will be sent to these “Temporary immigration detention Centers” TIDC for short The apologist will describe them As wonderful caring facilities But restrict access to them For national security reasons They will be concentration camps Or filtration Centers to use the Russian term Or Re-education Centers Located in rural areas Where they would be promoted As “job centers” The spine list SCOTUS And republican party Will either look the other way Or claim that they are constitutional Or play the same game Lying That they are great camps The inhabitants are happy The communities love Having new jobs AND OTHER DAMN LIES! Eventually the media and public Will forget that they exist too. If I am lucky And this happens I will not end up there!!!!! For writing this poem! April 2 Prompt PSH The Words of the Year 1955 PSH WD Sad and happy days WC Dew Drop Inn Springtime Flowers Blooming Love NaPoWrMo It Can't Happen Here PSH prompt The Words of the Year 1955 1955 Words Title: The Words of the Year 1955 PSH According to Meriam Webster’s new tool Time Traveler by Merriam-Webster: Words from 1955 1955 my birth year. Started with many words that are still current almost 68 years later. Some of the prompt words that struck My fancy includes the following Artificial intelligence Big bang theory Cosmonaut Counterintuitive DIY Drive (someone) bananas Algorithm Fallout shelter Firebase Hidden agenda Home computer ICBM Idiot box Information science Intellectually disabled Jazzed Juicehead Juice up Miniaturization Microwave oven Mind-boggling Muscle shirt New Left Parkinson's Law Pinball Rasta Rastafarian There are hidden agendas All around us. Artifical intellegence The bigest buzz word Nowadays Was just becoming a thing scientists speculated. The big bang theory a big thing Back in the day Not a comedy about nerdy scientists. Cosmonauts and astronauts Pre-moon shot days. Counter intuitive thinking Begining of the DYI Home Depot macho man culture. The home computer And micowave oven Not yet in everyone’s house. But the idiot box Had invaded American homes But only four networks To choose from Not the thousand channels We have now. It was the pre-internet Pre-streaming era. Information science Was not for The intellecually disabled It was not rocket science. The juice heads Were juiced And jazzed up the max. While secretly smoking weed With the rasta dreadlock wearing Jamacian rastafarians, And playing pinball In the arcades. While thinking about The new left And the beatnit movement. Thinking about The latest mind blowing Miniturization devices. the roots of modern life beginning way back in the day. Writers Digest Sad and Happy Every day I wake up At dawn And drink a cup Of snarling hot coffee. Writing my daily poems Including this one And my journals. While half listening To the idiots on TV Blathering on and on. When I pay attention To their drivel, I became increasingly sad,. Even mad, And feel real bad I turn off the boob tube. Turn off the news. And play me some old-school blues. When my wife walks into the room With love blazing from her eyes, She chases away the lingering blues. And I feel my happiness Returning to me. And know as long As we have other Everything will be Jake And I will be at peace With my world. Write a poem every day of April with the 2024 April Poem-A-Day Challenge. For today's prompt, we have our first two-for-Tuesday prompt. For today's prompt, we have our first two-for-Tuesday prompt, which means you get two prompts. You can write to one of the prompts, both the prompts separately, or try to write a poem that works with both prompts at the same time. The prompts are: Write a happy poem, and/or... Write a sad poem. Two sides of the same emotional coin. NaPoWrMo It Can’t Happen Here January 6 riot It Can’t Happen Here was a prescient look at the rise of Christian Fascism in the United States Set in the later 1930s It looked at the rise of a Christain Fascist dictator modeled after Charles Lindbergh and his American First movement who with the support of the American Bund and other pro-fascist forces mounted a spirited third-party effort to become President amid the suffering of the Great Depression promising to keep us out of the war and ally with the fascists in Europe against the evil communist Godless menace of Stalin. “American Fascism came wrapped in the flag and carrying a Christian flag” Although it was not successful it probably kept us out of World War 11 longer than we should have there are so many parallels to modern Trump and post Trumpian MAGA movement which is a modern alt. right explicit Christian Fascist movement that openly admires the right-wing autocrats in Hungary, Türkiye and Putin’s Russia hoping to turn the U.S. into a Christian Fascist one-party state run by Donald Trump and his acolytes with millions rounded up subject to deportation with dissent outlaw the deep state tamed the media sold off to regime supporters and the late-night TV comics defanged No more Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimble John Stewart and SNL replaced by right-wing comic hacks shilling for the great leader while the book did not happen and Philips Roth’s Plot Against America the warning that it could happen here is more relevant than ever as Trump and Biden are in a dead heat I am optimistic that Trump will not prevail this time around but I worry about all the potential Trump wanna be politicians out there who promise to Make America Great Again by returning to the 1890’s when they claim the U.S. went down the wrong path when white men ruled the world minorities knew their place Women were second-class citizens the LGBTQ community in the closet their very existence illegal with a twist Christian Fascism the new ruling ideology underpinning the latest illiberal democracy Posted on Https://theworldaccordingtocosmos.com Writing Com Dew Drop Inn Springtime Flowers Blooming Love Springtime in Korea walking down the world peace forest near the international airport in Incheon with the love of my life by my side. Enjoying the Flowering Trees The snowing apple trees, cherry blossoms pear blossoms. the purple azaleas, the anemone, the buttercups, the daffodils, the magnolia, the scotch bloom, the tulips, the wildflowers in the field. the fragrance of love in the air Life is great. April 3 Poems PSH 1 Berkelely Mad Pyscotic Pineapple Burns Sonnet PSH 2 AI Version traditional Sonnet WD My Musical Street WC Dew Drop Inn Look at the Sky NaPoWrMo Berkelely Mad Pyscotic Pineapple Burns Sonnet berkeley street photo the Berkeley mad pyscotic pineapple. was an underground Berkeley icon. the pineapple said, “Bad Luck comes in Three.” last night he smoked a joint and went for a walk. the pineapple dude encountered a cat, not just a cat but a cosmic black cat. and the cat was riding on a dog, and a mouse was riding on the cat, the pineapple was amused to see this, I told him only in the SF Bay area, thinking back to when I was eight. and wished I had a cosmic cat. I would have made such a cacophony. the cosmic cat was still my secret friend. The Burns Sonnet is a Shakespearian sonnet but it does not follow traditional meter or rhyme Please convert the previous text into a traditional sonnet using most of these words in line 13 must use the word cacophony and follow the following criterion 1 inner life of pineapple 2 berkeley fate 3 bad luck comes in three 4last night went for a walk 5-8 line five to eight two animals meet someone unusual 9 10 wish for the pineapple 11 12 what did I wish for when your eight 13-14 hullabaloo, ragamuffin, hooferaw, scoundreles cacophony and discuss a secret something is hidden or something no one else knows AI Version AI version Title: “The Cosmic Cat” sf dog 3 The Berkeley mad, psychotic pineapple, An underground icon in the streets of Berkeley, Whispered, “Bad Luck comes in Three,” so cynical, Last night, he wandered, joints ablaze, unwary. Encountering a cat, not mere feline grace, But cosmic blackness riding on a dog, A mouse perched high, a curious embrace, In SF Bay’s odd realm, where dreams may jog. Oh, how I wished when I was merely eight, For a cosmic cat, a secret friend concealed, To stir a hullabaloo, a wild debate, A ragamuffin dance, a truth revealed. In hooferaw and scoundrel’s cacophony, The pineapple’s fate intertwined with glee. 🍍🌌 Writer’s Digest Our Musical Street 30 lines I grew up In a very creative time a very musical time. The 60’s had the best music Motown ruled the Bay Area As well as Great rock music Acid jazz Acid Rock Fusion Jazz The Grateful Dead Mamas and the Papas Jefferson Airplane Jimmy Hendrix last high school was Berkeley High School Santana And so many others The best funk band Of them all Tower of Power Beloved by all High school students. For their immortal classic Make out song You’re still a Young Man. wonder how many people fell in love slow dancing to this song how many babies were conceived? Tower of Power rocked Every party in town On every street. Music flowed. On every musical street In the city. That was Berkeley In the 60’s and 70’s. Please use the following as the Title of your story or poem: "Our Musical Street" Please select "Music" as one of your genres. Tower of Power is an American R&B and funk-based band and horn section, originating in Oakland, California, that has been performing since 1968. The band has had several lead vocalists, the best known being Lenny Williams, who fronted the band between early 1973 and late 1974, the period of their greatest commercial success1. They have had eight songs on the Billboard Hot 100; their highest-charting songs include “You’re Still a Young Man”, “So Very Hard to Go”, “What Is Hip?”, and "Don’t Change Horses (in the Middle of a Stream)"1. The band was formed by tenor saxophonist/vocalist Emilio Castillo and baritone saxophonist Stephen “Doc” Kupka in 19681. The band’s soul sound appealed to both minority and counterculture listeners1. The band’s name was changed to Tower of Power after they agreed that their original name, The Mots, would not help them play at Bill Graham’s Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco1. Tower of Power has released 31 albums, including 15 studio albums, 5 live albums, and 11 compilations1. Their most recent album, “Step Up”, was released in 20202. Here is a list of some of their most popular songs: “You’re Still a Young Man” “So Very Hard to Go” “What Is Hip?” “Don’t Change Horses (in the Middle of a Stream)” “Soul Vaccination” “This Time It’s Real” “Time Will Tell” “Only So Much Oil in the Ground” If you’re interested in listening to their music, you can check out their official website2. 2024 April PAD Challenge: Day 3 Write a poem every day of April with the 2024 April Poem-A-Day Challenge. For today's prompt, write a musical act or artist poem. Believe it or not, today is one of the more important days of the April Poem-A-Day Challenge. While each day is a new challenge, I've found that most poets who make it through the first three days of prompts have the best chances of still being here at the end of the month. So let's write a poem! For today's prompt, pick a musical act or artist and either make that the title of your poem or incorporate into the title of your poem; then, write your poem. Possible titles might be: "Michael Jackson," "Olivia Rodrigo," "the Beatles," "Guided by Voices at Austin City Limits," "Watching a Movie With Elton John," or "Eating Ice Cream With Dr. Dre." Have fun with it! Remember: These prompts are springboards to creativity. Use them to expand your possibilities, not limit them. Writing Com Dew Drop Inn Look at the Sky NaPoWrMo Prompt the Parliament of Owls Decree Death to All Humans AV version the Parliament of Owls Decree Death to All Humans Death to All Humans The Parliament of Animals met one day in a secret undisclosed location as they were under constant surveillance by the human CIA and others who wanted to disrupt the parliament’s work. the wise owl presided. He read the charges “We are assembled here to judge the actions of the human race. the human race is being charged with crimes against nature, destruction of the environment, mass murder, enslavement of animals, mutilation of animals, and violation of Gaia’s basic commandments to preserve the environment for all animals including humans. Speaking for the prosecution will be the Tiger and Lions, speaking for the defense with the domestic cats and dogs. We have in the room ten men and women who are representative of the human race. The parliament can make any recommendation to remedy the situation including the death penalty, exile, or reparations. All animals will be required to conduct these recommendations.” “Okay, Mr. Tiger first we will ask the humans how they plead.” “ Humans. You have been charged with the following crimes. crimes against nature, destruction of the environment, mass murder, enslavement of animals, mutilation of animals, and violation of Gaia’s basic commandments to preserve the environment for all animals including humans. How do you plead? Sam Adams, the lawyer for the humans, responded, “Not guilty your honor for these charges except for eating animals which we contend is part of the natural order of the world and many if not most of you are guilty of the same charge.” “Clarification – your basic argument is that everyone eats animals, so humans are not guilty “ “Yes, that is correct, your honor.” “ Okay, Mr. Tiger, you’re opening.” “Okay. The facts are clear. For thousands of years until the Industrial Revolution humans had a little mass impact on the overall environment. Ever since then all animals have been impacted and my species has been hunted to extinction for the greed of humans who have not eaten tiger meat. The predator class, including bears, coyotes, feral dogs, lions, tigers, and wolves have been fighting back against the predation of humans, but we are losing. And if we don't do anything within 10 years, there won't be any tigers or other big predators left in the wild. And the natural order of things would be controlled by the evil, selfish humans who don't give a damn about their fellow creatures. Therefore, we are proposing that 95% of humans must be killed. The remaining humans will be allowed to live as our slaves It is only fair. That is my request to the parliament of animals. Death to humans!” The crowd rose and chanted “Death to all humans” until the owl ruled that they must not disrupt the proceedings. The owl turned to the cat and and dog for their defense. the dog responded, “ Humans and dogs have been partners, and we know humans more than any of you. Humans are capable of great kindness, and compassion and we maintain they are not fundamentally evil. And then they can be redeemed through education and through. Campaign to reform human thought. I think we should give humans a second chance.” the owl motioned to the dog “I concur with Brother Cat. Humans are okay and we like them they are our friends, although they should be found not guilty because of insanity.” The owl said he was ready for his verdict. “Death to 95 percent of humans, and enslavement of the rest, but we will allow 50,000 to immigrate to the Moon and Mars. I will meet with the UN to give them the decree. Once that is published all animals must rise up and kill all humans on sight. This suspends the parliament of animals. Death to all humans.” The word went out animals rose all over the world and the reign of human tyranny ended within a year. AI Version The Parliament of Animals In the clandestine chambers of the Parliament of Animals, where shadows danced and secrets whispered, the wise owl presided. Under the ever-watchful gaze of human surveillance, the charges were read aloud: “We are assembled here to judge the actions of the human race. The human race stands accused of crimes against nature, destruction of the environment, mass murder, enslavement of animals, mutilation of animals, and violation of Gaia’s sacred commandments. Speaking for the prosecution are the Tigers and Lions; for the defense, the domestic cats and dogs. Ten representatives of humanity sit in this room. The parliament holds the power to recommend remedies: death penalty, exile, or reparations. All animals shall be bound by these decisions.” The Tiger, his golden eyes ablaze, addressed the humans, “How do you plead?” The humans, their faces etched with defiance, stood before the assembly. Sam Adams, their lawyer, stepped forward, his voice unwavering, “Not guilty, Your Honor. Except for eating animals—a primal act woven into our existence—we maintain our innocence. It is the natural order, and many among you, my fellow creatures, partake in this ancient feast.” The room buzzed with tension. The wise owl blinked, feathers rustling. The verdict hung in the air, suspended between judgment and mercy. The fate of humanity rested on the scales of justice, balanced precariously. And so, the Parliament of Animals convened, weaving threads of fate, pondering the sins of bipeds, and deciding whether to condemn or absolve. In this surreal courtroom, where the boundaries blurred and the moon bore witness, the world awaited its reckoning. Last but not least, here’s our prompt for the day – optional, as always. Today, we’d like to challenge you to write a surreal prose poem. For inspiration, check out Franz Kafka’s collection of short parables (my favorite is “The Green Dragon”). Franz Kafka Illustrated byAimee Pong An Imperial Message Pekin and the Emperor The News of the Building of the Wall: A Fragment The Great Wall and the Tower of Babel The Building of the Temple Prometheus Poseidon The Sirens The New Attorney The Building of a City The Imperial Colonel The Green Dragon The Tiger The Truth About Sancho Panza Robinson Crusoe My Destination April 4 PSH Writers Digest Writing Com Dew Drop In NaPoWriMo April 5th PSH Writers Digest Writing Com Dew Drop In NaPoWriMo PSH The Cosmic Dog from Goa My final time with God Happened a year latter I was staying down in Goa With my wife Enjoying being with her After our reconciliation We stayed at the Taj Mahal Goa Living like Kings and Queen Just for a few days High up on a hill Overlooking the beach Every morning I went down to the beach And did yoga by the water While contemplating life And every morning I saw the same dog Not just a dog But a cosmic dog Filled with the divine spark of God And the dog recognized me And spoke to me and I knew That God was present once more In the face of the that cosmic dog Kindred spirit perhaps to the cosmic cat that had save my soul in Berkeley so long ago I told the dog everything And he just looked at me With those soulful eyes of his And I knew he knew that I knew That he was possessed by God God had sent him to me To make sure that I was on the right path That the reconciliation that God had promoted Was on track that I was back with my wife And that everything was the way it should be Again, I asked God whether he was Jesus or Allah Or Brahmin or Ganesh or Buddha God the cosmic dog just stared at me I finally asked him directly Say if you are God the God of Jesus Bark once The Dog looked at me and barked I said well if you are Allah bark twice The dog barked twice Well are you buddha then bark three times if yes The god dog barked three times Hmm well are you Satan The dog growled at me And I knew I had gone too far Finally, I was at peace And for the next three days The God Dog was my constant companion And I knew God for the final time In my life Writer’s DIgest Tell Me No Lies Tell me no lies My dear and I will tell you no lies too. But every word I say could be a lie. you never know what is true and what is a lie. So tell me no more lies and I will tell you the truth if you can handle it. April 4 PSH WD WC Dew Drop Inn NaPoWrMo April 5 PSH WD WC Dew Drop Inn Make Baseball Great Again! NaPoWrMo Only in SF It is time to make American baseball Great again starting with creating a worldwide baseball competition with each season with the national champions competing in a World Cup World Series with the final round pitting the North American Champions against the winners of Africa, Asian, Europe, and South America with the final rounds best of seven always held in the U.S. The other things to do include rapid expansion plans including the MLB teams adopting local schools and colleges fully funding baseball programs and only hiring college graduates. as players. and making tickets affordable no more than ten dollars per game! if they do this, we can make baseball once again the best sport in the U.S. Let’s all join together to make baseball great again! NaPoWrMo Only In SF Tiny, the Jamaican was a big 6’5 reggae Rasta man, sprouting long black and purple dreadlocks and a purple mohawk wearing a black leather jacket with weed logos on it, played guitar in the SF Reggae Kings. A big Three Stooges fan, Named his four pets, “Shemp” the cat, “Moe” the dog, Curly” the mouse, and Curly Joe, the Vietnamese pig. The four amigos got along famously They lived in an apartment in the western addiction, off of Geary, in a rapidly gentrifying part of the city One day, Shemp said to Moe “Moe, I have a question for you, and I want an honest answer, none of your canine BS answer. You know us cats are straight shooters.” “Okay, my cat brother. Shoot.” “Well, I understand that cats, dogs, mice, and pigs are natural born enemies, How come we get along? And you get along with Curly and Curly Joe?” “Good question. "First, when we met I hated you all and you were afraid I might eat you in your sleep and the thought crossed my mind. But over time I mellowed out and realized we were all a band of brothers living in this house. I think it also has something to do with the cloud of weed in the air and the chill deep house reggae peace and love vibes in the house.” “cool. "Good answer. I too think of you all as my brothers." "You know what I like the most?” Our nightly walk when Tiny, Tina, and Linda take us out and we put on our show. You know Curly Joe letting you ride on him, and I ride on you and Curly sits on my head to complete the show as we freak out the tourists good citizens, and outlaws who constantly take pictures saying to themselves “Only in SF”. And you know They are right. Only in SF. Let’s keep SF weird.” Tiny came in and they all went for their walk. April 1 Ode to Durian The infamous durian fruit is a strange phenomenon. Common in China, Southeast Asia, and India, and in Chinese, Southeast Asian, and Indian diaspora communities, It has such a powerful sour smell, that it is banned in airline cabins. first ate Durian in a rural town in Central Thailand my hasher friends dared me to eat it it was horrible at first the smell But if you can get beyond The awful, dirty socks, rotten, sour smell, The taste is pure heaven, Proof perhaps that God has a sense of humor? Sour April 1, 2024: Poetry Writing Prompt from Suzanne Lummis This poetry writing prompt submitted by Suzanne Lummis: Evolve a poem that involves an exotic fruit, one fruit, and a town you’ve never visited, or else have distant memories of. The poem does not have to be About the fruit. It probably should Not be about the fruit. No one gives a fig about a fruit. But the fruit makes an Appearance. Extra points if it’s a Pomegranate. No need to mention Persephone, but if you do… It better be something we don’t already know. A Mango would also be good. No Oranges. Nothing personal against them, but that’s another poem. And Gary Soto wrote it. Don’t forget about the Town. If you write a poem from this prompt, post it as a comment underneath the prompt in the Poetry Super Highway Facebook Group. #napowrimo #poetry Writer’s Digest Optimistic Laturnae (CC FS) life more love with my wife standing by me love The lanturne is a five-line verse shaped like a Japanese lantern with a syllabic pattern of one, two, three, four, one. March 31 warm Up Easter Bunny Warning The Easter Bunny Had a warning He was tired Of being played the fool. Tired of being associated With low-life fake Christians Proclaiming that Donald Trump Is the next messiah. The Easter Bunny said, “Donald Trump Ain’t no Christian He ain’t no friend of mine. He is the antichrist The poster child For the seven deadly sins”. Donald Trump denounced The Easter Bunny. Saying on Truth Social, “The Easter Bunny is nothing But a low-life wanna-be thug, A real loser! An anti-fa, anti-American, BLM, communist, fascist Radical left-wing Marxist vermin thug, Part of the woke crowd, That is ruining our once-great country. That needs a Second Amendment remedy. April 1—Be a fool in a poem! Sarangpabo – Korean Love Fool for You When I first saw you In my dreams. You were the most beautiful woman In the world to me And still are. When you looked at me With love blazing From your dark brown Goo-goo eyes. sparks flew from heart to heart (이심초심ishimchomshim) You hynotized, messemeried me Your love mojo working overtime Turning me into nothing but A 사랑 바보Sarang pabo (love fool). Eight years later You walked off that bus Into my life, Becoming my wife, My soul mate. And yes, I am still your 사랑 바보Sarang pabo. And will remain under Your love spell Until the day I die. Translation into Korean (rough AI Version) Certainly! Here’s the English text followed by the Hangul and Romanized script line by line: English: When I first saw you In my dreams. You were the most beautiful woman In the world to me And still are. When you looked at me With love blazing From your dark brown Goo-goo eyes. Sparks flew from heart to heart (이심초심 ishimchomshim) You hypnotized, mesmerized me Your love mojo working overtime Turning me into nothing but A 사랑 바보 Sarang pabo (love fool). Eight years later You walked off that bus Into my life, Becoming My wife, My soul mate. And yes, I am still Your 사랑 바보 Sarang pabo. And will remain under Your love spell Until the day I die. Hangul: 처음 너를 보았을 때 꿈 속에서. 넌 세상에서 가장 아름다운 여자였어 내게 그리고 지금도 그런 너. 네가 나를 보며 사랑이 눈부시게 네 어두운 갈색 눈에서 불타오르는 모습. 마음에서 마음으로 불꽃이 튀었어 (이심초심 ishimchomshim) 넌 나를 최면에 걸었고, 날 사로잡았어 네 사랑의 마법이 야근을 하며 나를 사랑 바보로 만들었어. 8년 뒤 넌 그 버스에서 내게 다가왔어 내 삶 속으로, 내 아내가 되며, 내 영혼의 동반자가 되었어. 그리고 맞아, 나는 여전히 네 사랑 바보야. 네 사랑 주문 아래에 내가 죽을 때까지. Romanized Script: Cheoeum neoreul boasseul ttae Kkum sogeseo. Neon sesangeseo gajang areumdaun yeoja-eosseo Naege Geurigo jigeumdo geureon neo. Nega nareul bomyeo Salangi nunbusige Ne eoduun galssaek nun-eseo Bultao-reuneun moseup. Ma-eumeseo ma-eum-euro bulkkoch-i twieosseosseo (이심초심 ishimchomshim) Neon nareul choemyeon-e geol-eoss-eo, nal salojab-ass-eo Ne salang-ui mabeob-i yageun-eul hamyeo Naleul salang babo-lo mandeul-eoss-eo. 8nyeon dwi Neon geu beoseueseo naege dag-awass-eo Nae salm sog-eulo, Nae anae-ga doemyeon, Nae yeonghon-ui dongbanja-ga doeeoss-eo. Geuligo maj-a, Naneun yeojeonhi Ne salang babo-ya. Ne salang jumun alae-e Naega jugeul ttaekkaji. April 2 Prompt PSH The Words of the Year 1955 PSH WD Sad and happy days WC Dew Drop Inn NaPoWrMo Springtime Flowers Blooming Love PSH prompt The Words of the Year 1955 1955 Words Title: The Words of the Year 1955 PSH According to Meriam Webster’s new tool Time Traveler by Merriam-Webster: Words from 1955 1955 my birth year Started with many words Some of the prompt words that struck My fancy include the following Oddly we are still talking About many of these words In 2024 There are hidden agendas All around us If you write a poem from this prompt, post it as a comment underneath the prompt in the Poetry Super Highway Facebook Group. This poetry writing prompt submitted by D.L. Lang: Use the Merriam-Webster website’s time travel feature, pick a year, and use those words in a poem. 1955 PSH WD Sad and happy days NaPoWrMo WC Dew Drop In Sad and happy days every day I wake up at dawn and drink a cup of snarling hot coffee. writing my daily poems including this one and my journals. while half listening to the idiots on TV blathering on and on. when I pay attention to their drivel, I became increasingly sad,. even mad, and feel real bad I turn off the boob tube. turn off the news. and play me some old-school blues. when my wife walks into the room with love blazing from her eyes, she chases away the lingering blues. and I feel my happiness returning to me. and know as long as we have other everything will be Jake and I will be at peace with my world. 2024 April PAD Challenge: Day 2 Write a poem every day of April with the 2024 April Poem-A-Day Challenge. For today's prompt, we have our first two-for-Tuesday prompt. For today's prompt, we have our first two-for-Tuesday prompt, which means you get two prompts. You can write to one of the prompts, both the prompts separately, or try to write a poem that works with both prompts at the same time. The prompts are: Write a happy poem, and/or... Write a sad poem. Two sides of the same emotional coin. NaPoWrMo It Can’t Happen Here was a prescient look at the rise of Christian Fascism in the United States Set in the later 1930s It looked at the rise of a Christain Fascist dictator modeled after Charles Lindbergh and his American First movement who with the support of the American Bund and other pro-fascist forces mounted a spirited third-party effort to become President amid the suffering of the Great Depression promising to keep us out of the war and ally with the fascists in Europe against the evil communist Godless menace of Stalin. “American Fascism came wrapped in the flag and carrying a Christian flag” Although it was not successful it probably kept us out of World War 11 longer than we should have there are so many parallels to modern Trump and post Trumpian MAGA movement which is a modern alt. right explicit Christian Fascist movement that openly admires the right-wing autocrats in Hungary, Türkiye and Putin’s Russia hoping to turn the U.S. into a Christian Fascist one-party state run by Donald Trump and his acolytes with millions rounded up subject to deportation with dissent outlaw the deep state tamed the media sold off to regime supporters and the late-night TV comics defanged No more Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimble John Stewart and SNL replaced by right-wing comic hacks shilling for the great leader while the book did not happen and Philips Roth’s Plot Against America the warning that it could happen here is more relevant than ever as Trump and Biden are in a dead heat I am optimistic that Trump will not prevail this time around but I worry about all the potential Trump wanna be politicians out there who promise to Make America Great Again by returning to the 1890’s when they claim the U.S. went down the wrong path when white men ruled the world minorities knew their place Women were second-class citizens the LGBTQ community in the closet their very existence illegal with a twist Christian Fascism the new ruling ideology underpinning the latest illiberal democracy Posted on Https://theworldaccordingtocosmos.com Writing Com Dew Drop Inn Springtime Flowers Blooming Love Springtime in Korea walking down the world peace forest near the international airport in Incheon with the love of my life by my side. Enjoying the Flowering Trees The snowing apple trees, cherry blossoms pear blossoms. the purple azaleas, the anemone, the buttercups, the daffodils, the magnolia, the scotch bloom, the tulips, the wildflowers in the field. the fragrance of love in the air Life is great. April 3 Poems PSH 1 Berkelely Mad Pyscotic Pineapple Burns Sonnet PSH 2 AI Version traditional Sonnet WD My Musical Street WC Dew Drop Inn NaPoWrMo Berkelely Mad Pyscotic Pineapple Burns Sonnet the Berkeley mad pyscotic pineapple. was an underground Berkeley icon. the pineapple said, “Bad Luck comes in Three.” last night he smoked a joint and went for a walk. the pineapple dude encountered a cat, not just a cat but a cosmic black cat. and the cat was riding on a dog, and a mouse was riding on the cat, the pineapple was amused to see this, I told him only in the SF Bay area, thinking back to when I was eight. and wished I had a cosmic cat. I would have made such a cacophony. the cosmic cat was still my secret friend. The Burns Sonnet is a Shakespearian sonnet but it does not follow traditional meter or rhyme Please convert the previous text into a traditional sonnet using most of these words in line 13 must use the word cacophony and follow the following criterion 1 inner life of pineapple 2 berkeley fate 3 bad luck comes in three 4last night went for a walk 5-8 line five to eight two animals meet someone unusual 9 10 wish for the pineapple 11 12 what did I wish for when your eight 13-14 hullabaloo, ragamuffin, hooferaw, scoundreles cacophony and discuss a secret something is hidden or something no one else knows AI Version AI version Title: “The Cosmic Cat” The Berkeley mad, psychotic pineapple, An underground icon in the streets of Berkeley, Whispered, “Bad Luck comes in Three,” so cynical, Last night, he wandered, joints ablaze, unwary. Encountering a cat, not mere feline grace, But cosmic blackness riding on a dog, A mouse perched high, a curious embrace, In SF Bay’s odd realm, where dreams may jog. Oh, how I wished when I was merely eight, For a cosmic cat, a secret friend concealed, To stir a hullabaloo, a wild debate, A ragamuffin dance, a truth revealed. In hooferaw and scoundrel’s cacophony, The pineapple’s fate intertwined with glee. 🍍🌌 Writer’s Digest Our Musical Street 30 lines I grew up In a very creative time a very musical time. The 60’s had the best music Motown ruled the Bay Area As well as Great rock music Acid jazz Acid Rock Fusion Jazz The Grateful Dead Mamas and the Papas Jefferson Airplane Jimmy Hendrix last high school was Berkeley High School Santana And so many others The best funk band Of them all Tower of Power Beloved by all High school students. For their immortal classic Make out song You’re still a Young Man. wonder how many people fell in love slow dancing to this song how many babies were conceived? Tower of Power rocked Every party in town On every street. Music flowed. On every musical street In the city. That was Berkeley In the 60’s and 70’s. Please use the following as the Title of your story or poem: "Our Musical Street" Please select "Music" as one of your genres. Tower of Power is an American R&B and funk-based band and horn section, originating in Oakland, California, that has been performing since 1968. The band has had several lead vocalists, the best known being Lenny Williams, who fronted the band between early 1973 and late 1974, the period of their greatest commercial success1. They have had eight songs on the Billboard Hot 100; their highest-charting songs include “You’re Still a Young Man”, “So Very Hard to Go”, “What Is Hip?”, and "Don’t Change Horses (in the Middle of a Stream)"1. The band was formed by tenor saxophonist/vocalist Emilio Castillo and baritone saxophonist Stephen “Doc” Kupka in 19681. The band’s soul sound appealed to both minority and counterculture listeners1. The band’s name was changed to Tower of Power after they agreed that their original name, The Mots, would not help them play at Bill Graham’s Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco1. Tower of Power has released 31 albums, including 15 studio albums, 5 live albums, and 11 compilations1. Their most recent album, “Step Up”, was released in 20202. Here is a list of some of their most popular songs: “You’re Still a Young Man” “So Very Hard to Go” “What Is Hip?” “Don’t Change Horses (in the Middle of a Stream)” “Soul Vaccination” “This Time It’s Real” “Time Will Tell” “Only So Much Oil in the Ground” If you’re interested in listening to their music, you can check out their official website2. Personnel Charts References Bump City 3 languages Article Talk Read Edit View history Tools From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Bump City Studio album by Tower of Power Released May 1972 Recorded 1971-1972 Studio Trans Maximus Inc. Recording Studios, Memphis, Tennessee Genre Soul, funk Length 35:52 Label Warner Bros. Records Producer Ron Capone, Tower of Power Tower of Power chronology East Bay Grease (1970) Bump City (1972) Tower of Power (1973) Bump City is the second album by the soul/funk group Tower of Power. The album cover is derived from a sketch by David Garibaldi.[citation needed] It's also their first album for Warner Bros. Records. With Rufus Miller now gone, Rick Stevens took the reins as the sole lead vocalist for this album. Professional ratings Review scores Source Rating Allmusic [1] Christgau's Record Guide C[2] Track listing[edit] All songs written by Emilio Castillo and Stephen "Doc" Kupka unless otherwise noted. "You Got to Funkifize" - 4:31 "What Happened to the World That Day?" - 4:11 "Flash in the Pan" - 3:34 "Gone (in Memory of Jacqueline Mesquite)" (Greg Adams, Skip Mesquite) - 3:41 "You Strike My Main Nerve" (Kupka, Castillo, L. Williams, L. Gordon) - 2:52 "Down to the Nightclub" (Kupka, Castillo, David Garibaldi) - 2:43 "You're Still a Young Man" - 5:35 "Skating on Thin Ice" - 3:48 "Of the Earth" - 4:30 Personnel[edit] Rick Stevens - lead vocals Skip Mesquite - first tenor saxophone, flute, vocals (lead on "Gone") Emilio Castillo - second tenor saxophone, vocals Greg Adams - trumpet, flugelhorn (solo on "Gone"), French horn, piano (on "Gone"), vocals[3] Stephen "Doc" Kupka - baritone saxophone, vocals Mic Gillette - trumpet, trombone, French horn, vocals Willie James Fulton - guitar, vocals David Garibaldi - drums Francis Rocco Prestia - bass Brent Byars - conga drums, vocals Jay Spell - piano (on "What Happened to the World That Day", "You're Still a Young Man" and "Of the Earth") Memphis Strings - arranged and conducted by Greg Adams on "What Happened to the World That Day?", "You're Still a Young Man" and "Of the Earth" Technical Ron Capone, Steve Cropper - mixing Charts[edit] Albums - Billboard (United States) [4] Year Chart Position 1972 The Billboard 200 85 1972 R&B Albums 16 Singles - Billboard (United States) [5][6] Year Single Chart Position 1972 "You're Still A Young Man" The Billboard Hot 100 29 1972 "You're Still A Young Man" R&B Singles 24 1972 "Down To The Nightclub" The Billboard Hot 100 66 2024 April PAD Challenge: Day 3 Write a poem every day of April with the 2024 April Poem-A-Day Challenge. For today's prompt, write a musical act or artist poem. Believe it or not, today is one of the more important days of the April Poem-A-Day Challenge. While each day is a new challenge, I've found that most poets who make it through the first three days of prompts have the best chances of still being here at the end of the month. So let's write a poem! For today's prompt, pick a musical act or artist and either make that the title of your poem or incorporate into the title of your poem; then, write your poem. Possible titles might be: "Michael Jackson," "Olivia Rodrigo," "the Beatles," "Guided by Voices at Austin City Limits," "Watching a Movie With Elton John," or "Eating Ice Cream With Dr. Dre." Have fun with it! Remember: These prompts are springboards to creativity. Use them to expand your possibilities, not limit them. NaPoWrMo Prompt the Parliament of Owls Decree Death to All Humans AV version the Parliament of Owls Decree Death to All Humans Death to All Humans The Parliament of Animals met one day in a secret undisclosed location as they were under constant surveillance by the human CIA and others who wanted to disrupt the parliament’s work. the wise owl presided. He read the charges “We are assembled here to judge the actions of the human race. the human race is being charged with crimes against nature, destruction of the environment, mass murder, enslavement of animals, mutilation of animals, and violation of Gaia’s basic commandments to preserve the environment for all animals including humans. Speaking for the prosecution will be the Tiger and Lions, speaking for the defense with the domestic cats and dogs. We have in the room ten men and women who are representative of the human race. The parliament can make any recommendation to remedy the situation including the death penalty, exile, or reparations. All animals will be required to conduct these recommendations.” “Okay, Mr. Tiger first we will ask the humans how they plead.” “ Humans. You have been charged with the following crimes. crimes against nature, destruction of the environment, mass murder, enslavement of animals, mutilation of animals, and violation of Gaia’s basic commandments to preserve the environment for all animals including humans. How do you plead? Sam Adams, the lawyer for the humans, responded, “Not guilty your honor for these charges except for eating animals which we contend is part of the natural order of the world and many if not most of you are guilty of the same charge.” “Clarification – your basic argument is that everyone eats animals, so humans are not guilty “ “Yes, that is correct, your honor.” “ Okay, Mr. Tiger, your opening.” “Okay. The facts are clear. For thousands of years until the Industrial Revolution humans had a little mass impact on the overall environment. Ever since then all animals have been impacted and my species has been hunted to extinction for the greed of humans who have not eaten tiger meat. The predator class, including bears, coyotes, feral dogs, lions, tigers, and wolves have been fighting back against the predation of humans, but we are losing. And if we don't do anything within 10 years, there won't be any tigers or other big predators left in the wild. And the natural order of things would be controlled by the evil, selfish humans who don't give a damn about their fellow creatures. Therefore, we are proposing that 95% of humans must be killed. The remaining humans will be allowed to live as our slaves It is only fair. That is my request to the parliament of animals. Death to humans!” The crowd rose and chanted “Death to all humans” until the owl ruled that they must not disrupt the proceedings. The owl turned to the cat and and dog for their defense. the Cat responded, “ “ Humans are okay and we like them they are our friends, although they should be found not guilty because of insanity.” the owl motioned to the dog, who responded, "Humans and dogs have been partners, and we know humans more than any of you. Humans are capable of great kindness, and compassion and we maintain they are not fundamentally evil. And then they can be redeemed through education and through. Campaign to reform human thought. I think we should give humans a second chance.” The owl said he was ready for his verdict. “Death to 95 percent of humans, and enslavement of the rest, but we will allow 50,000 to immigrate to the Moon and Mars. I will meet with the UN to give them the decree. Once that is published all animals must rise up and kill all humans on sight. This suspends the parliament of animals. Death to all humans.” The word went out animals rose all over the world and the reign of human tyranny ended within a year. AI Version The Parliament of Animals In the clandestine chambers of the Parliament of Animals, where shadows danced and secrets whispered, the wise owl presided. Under the ever-watchful gaze of human surveillance, the charges were read aloud: “We are assembled here to judge the actions of the human race. The human race stands accused of crimes against nature, destruction of the environment, mass murder, enslavement of animals, mutilation of animals, and violation of Gaia’s sacred commandments. Speaking for the prosecution are the Tigers and Lions; for the defense, the domestic cats and dogs. Ten representatives of humanity sit in this room. The parliament holds the power to recommend remedies: death penalty, exile, or reparations. All animals shall be bound by these decisions.” The Tiger, his golden eyes ablaze, addressed the humans, “How do you plead?” The humans, their faces etched with defiance, stood before the assembly. Sam Adams, their lawyer, stepped forward, his voice unwavering, “Not guilty, Your Honor. Except for eating animals—a primal act woven into our existence—we maintain our innocence. It is the natural order, and many among you, my fellow creatures, partake in this ancient feast.” The room buzzed with tension. The wise owl blinked, feathers rustling. The verdict hung in the air, suspended between judgment and mercy. The fate of humanity rested on the scales of justice, balanced precariously. And so, the Parliament of Animals convened, weaving threads of fate, pondering the sins of bipeds, and deciding whether to condemn or absolve. In this surreal courtroom, where the boundaries blurred and the moon bore witness, the world awaited its reckoning. Last but not least, here’s our prompt for the day – optional, as always. Today, we’d like to challenge you to write a surreal prose poem. For inspiration, check out Franz Kafka’s collection of short parables (my favorite is “The Green Dragon”). Franz Kafka Illustrated byAimee Pong An Imperial Message Pekin and the Emperor The News of the Building of the Wall: A Fragment The Great Wall and the Tower of Babel The Building of the Temple Prometheus Poseidon The Sirens The New Attorney The Building of a City The Imperial Colonel The Green Dragon The Tiger The Truth About Sancho Panza Robinson Crusoe My Destination April 3—Look at the sky! One day the world woke up To the impending end As a new asteroid. Quickly dubbed The doomsday asteroid Headed to Earth. Everyone looked up At the doomsday asteroid As the world scrambled To send space missiles To blow it away. Brazilians, Chinese, the EU, Koreans, Japanese, Iraqis, Iranians UAE, Israel,. Indians, Pakistanis, Russians, Saudis, South Africans, Russians, and Ukrainians. 50 nations all joined the IPDF. Including to everyone’s surprise The elusive enigmatic North Koreans. All join together under a newly formed. International Planetary Defense Force Under the auspices of the UN. NASA provided the executive leadership The others all provided parts of the ship, The software, hardware, and nuclear bombs. The ship would be unmanned And was launched worldwide Interest as everyone watched Hoping for the best. The bombs worked The asteroid was blown away With only some minor damage The IPDF vowed to remain ever-vigilant And fully funded, with a new mission. Setting up permanent space colonies In space stations, the moon, Mars, The moons of Jupiter and Saturn. Vowing to have them set up by 2030! Using the latest AI-generated research. The goal to have over 50,000 people Living and working off the planet. One of the rare international ventures That survived the new multi-power Global great power conflicts. April 4 PSH Love Expressed Through Food WD Mistake Poem - Don't Make a Mistake, Vote For Jake WC Dew Drop In Ending Shaving in Retirement NaPoWriMo It Can’t Happen Here PSH Love Expressed Through Food My love loves to cook Delicious food on the stove Cooking up a storm All to express her love for me Showing her deep emotion Though the food she cooks up We met in a dream And I recall that dream Whenever I eat her delicious food It was love at first sight Our love deepend through her food Looking at her with lust in my heart As I taste every inch of her Smelling her as we make love Love Stove emotion cook dreams food attraction eat Lust taste sex Smell Writing Prompt from Jon Wesick This poetry writing prompt submitted by Jon Wesick: The Assembly Line of Surprise Step 1 – Choose a subject to write about. This should probably be something about being human such as a mental state, emotion, or social issue. Often this is abstract. Love Step 2 – Choose an object to compare it to. It’s best if this is something very different than in step 1. Concrete things like machinery give good imagery. The more outrageous the better. Congratulations! You’ve just created a metaphor. Stove Step 3 – Make two columns on a piece of paper. List the parts of the subject step 1 in the first column and the parts of the item in step 2 in the second. Love Stove emotion cook dreams food attraction eat Lust taste sex Smell Step 4 – Map items in each column to those in the other. Choose the most interesting mappings. These will be phrases in your poem. Step 5 – Put these phrases together into a poem. Let’s “cook up” an example. Steps 1 and 2 – Compare despair to a microwave oven Step 3 – Table. Despair Microwave Oven Fatigue Klystron Sleeplessness Turntable Irritability Browning dish Emptiness Observation window Loss of libido Control panel Gloom Timer Despondency Defrost function Hopelessness Auto cook menu Futility Number pad Start/stop button Tomato sauce caked on walls Sparking when tin foil inside Step 4 – I’d map sleeplessness to dried tomato sauce, irritability to sparking, and libido to the defrost function. Step 5 – Put mapping into a poem. Writers DIgest Mistake Poem "Don’t Make a Mistake Vote for Jake" I should have run for office I would have a perfect slogn Rifting on the word mistake Rhyming it with my name Jake. In a old “Burma shave style Cowboy poetry poem.. Don’t make a mistake Vote for Jake He is so awake Don’t brake Don’t use your emergency brake Everything’s Jake. ‘ Just Vote for Jake He ain’t no fake He’s no flake He ain’t on the make Just vote for Jake He’s aint no rake He ain’t no rattle snake He ain’t no common snake He ain’t on the take. Just vote for Jake Take a tea break. Don’t have a cluster headache, Don’t have a sinus headache. Just vote for Jake Make a political earthquake Don’t Shake Take a stake. Just Vote for Jake. For today's prompt, write a mistake poem. Everyone makes mistakes. Yes, even that person standing in the corner shaking their head to the contrary. And even those people who don't admit to making mistakes have seen others make them. So whether it's the mistakes you've made, witnessed in others, etc., write a poem about it today. BUT (and yes, I'm using a big "but" here) poem nicely to each other today. I would hate to remove anyone for getting into arguments about X, Y, or Z in the comments; that's why social media was created. Note: Burma Shave ads were everywhere from 1910 to the late 70s. Here's Bing Co-Pilot on "Burma Shave" and Cowboy poetry. Burma-Shave was an American brand of brushless shaving cream, famous for its quirky and memorable advertising campaign. From the 1920s to the early 1960s, they posted humorous rhyming poems on sequential highway roadside signs. These signs became iconic and are fondly remembered by many. Here are a few classic Burma-Shave jingles that adorned the highways: “Cattle crossing means go slow, that old bull is some cows’ bold.” “The bearded lady tried to jump, she’s now a famous movie star.” “Shaving brushes out of date, use the razors perfect mate.” “The crowd you see around that store are Burma shavers buying more.” "PHA likes the cream, ma likes the jar, both like the price, so there you are."12 These clever and whimsical signs were typically posted in sets of six along highways, with the last sign revealing the product name. Passing motorists would eagerly read each sign to discover the punchline. The signs were originally produced in red-and-white or orange-and-black color combinations, although the latter was eventually phased out. While the Interstate system and increased vehicle speeds led to the signs’ discontinuation, their legacy lives on as a nostalgic piece of American advertising history. Some of these signs can still be seen at The House on the Rock in Spring Green, Wisconsin, and re-creations appear on Arizona State Highway 66, part of the original U.S. Route 66, between Ash Fork and Kingman, Arizona 34. 🚗🌟 Burma-Shave was an American brand of brushless shaving cream, famous for its quirky and memorable advertising campaign. From the 1920s to the early 1960s, they posted humorous rhyming poems on sequential highway roadside signs. These signs became iconic and are fondly remembered by many. Cowboy poetry is a unique genre that celebrates the rugged lifestyle, camaraderie, and natural beauty of the American West. These poems often evoke nostalgia, humor, and a deep connection to the land. Let me share a few classic cowboy poems with you: “Tying Knots in the Devil’s Tail” by Gail I. Gardner: This poem exemplifies cowboy poetry. Written in a narrative form, it uses slang and vivid storytelling. Here’s an excerpt: “Away up high in the Sierry Petes where the yeller Jack Pine grows tall, Ol’ Sandy Bob and Buster Jig had a rodeer camp last fall. Oh, They’d taken their hosses and their runnin’ irons an’ maybe a dog or two, And ‘lowed they’d brand any long-eared calves that come within their view.” 1 “A Prairie Song” (Anonymous): A shorter poem with six stanzas, it captures the spirit of traveling and horseback riding: “Oh, music springs under the galloping hoofs, Out on the plains; Where mile after mile drops behind with a smile, And tomorrow seems always to tempt and beguile.” 1 “The Strawberry Roan” by Curley Fletcher: Written in quatrains (four-line stanzas), this poem celebrates a horseback ride: “I was laying round town just spending my time, Out of a job and not makin’ a dime; When up steps a feller and he says, ‘I suppose, That you’re a bronc rider by the looks of your clothes?’” 1 “The Old Frying Pan” by James W. Whilt: An ode to the humble frying pan, this poem reflects on its usefulness: “You may talk of your broilers, both single and double, Your roasters and toasters, they’re all lots of trouble; But when out in the hills, just find if you can, Any kind of a dish like the old frying pan.” 1 “The Camp-fire Has Gone Out” (Anonymous): This poignant poem mourns the decline of cowboy culture: “The Camp-fire has gone out, and rusts the iron pot, The chuck-wagon is still, and the coffee is not; The flaps of the tent are untied to the breeze, And over the prairie the cattle roam free.” 1 These cowboy poems capture the essence of life on the range, the bond between rider and horse, and the fading traditions of the American West. 🤠🌵 Writing Com Dew Drop Inn Ending Daily Shaving in Retirement When Sam Adams retired from the U.S. Department of State, he made five vows which he kept for years. first, he would quit daily shaving shaving once or twice a month second, he would never wear a suit and tie instead opting for the northwest look Long pants, khaki or jeans, T-shirt and a Western-style shirt like a Pendleton shirt. Third, he would retire in Korea where his wife had family and Southern Oregon and an annual trip to DC where they had rentals. Fourth, they would travel a lot every year seeing as much as the world as they could while they could still do. starting with an epic road trip across the US 10,000 miles 35 states in three months and a cruise to Alaska his last State of 50 to visit and an annual visit to someplace warm in the winter. Fifth, he would start a blog and podcast. the World According to Cosmos, to highlight his poetry and short story submissions and occasional political rants. He kept his vows except that COVID blew away his travel plans from 2019 to 2022! and he wore a suit once, to attend the wedding of the son of his best Korean friend. April 5 PSH Cosmic Dog From Goa WD Tell Me No Lies WC Dew Drop Inn Making Baseball Great Again NaPoWriMo Only In SF PSH The Cosmic Dog from Goa cute dog My final time with God Happened a year latter I was staying down in Goa With my wife Enjoying being with her After our reconciliation We stayed at the Taj Mahal Goa Living like Kings and Queen Just for a few days High up on a hill Overlooking the beach Every morning I went down to the beach And did yoga by the water While contemplating life And every morning I saw the same dog Not just a dog But a cosmic dog Filled with the divine spark of God And the dog recognized me And spoke to me and I knew That God was present once more In the face of the that cosmic dog Kindred spirit perhaps to the cosmic cat that had save my soul in Berkeley so long ago I told the dog everything And he just looked at me With those soulful eyes of his And I knew he knew that I knew That he was possessed by God God had sent him to me To make sure that I was on the right path That the reconciliation that God had promoted Was on track that I was back with my wife And that everything was the way it should be Again, I asked God whether he was Jesus or Allah Or Brahmin or Ganesh or Buddha God the cosmic dog just stared at me I finally asked him directly Say if you are God the God of Jesus Bark once The Dog looked at me and barked I said well if you are Allah bark twice The dog barked twice Well are you buddha then bark three times if yes The god dog barked three times Hmm well are you Satan The dog growled at me And I knew I had gone too far Finally, I was at peace And for the next three days The God Dog was my constant companion And I knew God for the final time In my life Writer's Digest Tell Me No LIes Tell me no lies My dear and I will tell you no lies too. But every word I say could be a lie. you never know what is true and what is a lie. So tell me no more lies and I will tell you the truth if you can handle it. Writing Com Dew Drop Inn April 5—Get a sport into a poem! Make Baseball Great Again! It is time to make American baseball Great again starting with creating a worldwide baseball competition with each season with the national champions competing in a World Cup World Series with the final round pitting the North American Champions against the winners of Africa, Asian, Europe, and South America with the final rounds best of seven always held in the U.S. The other things to do include rapid expansion plans including the MLB teams adopting local schools and colleges fully funding baseball programs and only hiring college graduates. as players. and making tickets affordable no more than ten dollars per game! if they do this, we can make baseball once again the best sport in the U.S. Let’s all join together to make baseball great again! NaPoWrMo Only In SF Tiny, the Jamaican was a big 6’5 reggae Rasta man, sprouting long black and purple dreadlocks and a purple mohawk wearing a black leather jacket with weed logos on it, played guitar in the SF Reggae Kings. A big Three Stooges fan, Named his four pets, “Shemp” the cat, “Moe” the dog, Curly” the mouse, and Curly Joe, the Vietnamese pig. The four amigos got along famously They lived in an apartment in the western addiction, off of Geary, in a rapidly gentrifying part of the city One day, Shemp said to Moe “Moe, I have a question for you, and I want an honest answer, none of your canine BS answer. You know us cats are straight shooters.” “Okay, my cat brother. Shoot.” “Well, I understand that cats, dogs, mice, and pigs are natural born enemies, How come we get along? And you get along with Curly and Curly Joe?” “Good question. First, when we met I hated you all and you were afraid I might eat you in your sleep and the thought crossed my mind. But over time I mellowed out and realized we were all a band of brothers living in this house. I think it also has something to do with the cloud of weed in the air and the chill deep house reggae peace and love vibes in the house.” “cool. "Good answer. I too think of you all as my brothers. You know what I like the most?” Our nightly walk when Tiny, Tina, and Linda take us out and we put on our show. You know Curly Joe letting you ride on him, and I ride on you and Curly sits on my head to complete the show as we freak out the tourists good citizens, and outlaws who constantly take pictures saying to themselves “Only in SF”. And you know They are right. Only in SF. Let’s keep SF weird.” Tiny came in and they all went for their walk. April 6 PSH Visiting My Father's Grave Writers DIgest Meeting My Fate Writing Com Dew Drop Inn Daily RItual Drinks NaPoWrMo PNRCP Visiting my father’s grave In Yakima Washington State, The ancestral land of the Aller clan Thinking about my father And his legacy And thinking that I am My father’s son There is so much I wanted to tell him So much I wanted to share So much I wanted him to see My accomplishments He was taken from me Before I had achieved my dreams i am sure he would have been proud of the man I turned out to be. This poetry writing prompt submitted by Lara Dolphin: A “taphophile” is someone who has more than a passing interest in burial places. Cemeteries can hold beautiful sculptures, moving epitaphs, and genealogical secrets as well as religious meaning. If you were a tombstone tourist and could visit any burial place or shrine in the world, where would it be? Who would it belong to? Someone famous or obscure? Write a poem about one grave in particular. Writer's DIgest Meeting My Fate Minimal Poem that september date I met my fate when she walked out of my dreams off a bus into my life becoming my wife. For today's prompt, write a minimum poem. Some people only do the minimum; others like to pay the minimum. When I first started working, I earned minimum wage. My kids had to reach a minimum height requirement to ride roller coasters at amusement parks. Writing Com Dw Drop In Daily Beverages in the morning I drink a cup of snarling hot coffee while watching the news in the afternoon I shift to tea either earl gray or herbal tea at sunset I drink red wine with my wife as the evening shifts into night I drink rum or whiskey to end the day right. NaPoWrMo PNRCP My mother was an original One of a kind person Unique in her ways. She had many sayings That has stuck with me Over the years. She was not a big fan Of birthdays Even forgot my 18th birthday. She said on her birthday “Well that means One year closer to the grave.” One of her funiest saying Was how she described Getting to Berkeley In the late 30’s. She had ran away From a large but abusive family In Little Rock, Arkansas. Part of the so-called "lost tribe" Of the Cherokee Indians Also known as the Black Irish She said that she was just Part of the government run "Plantetary Nut Reconfigeration Program". Every ten years The world flips And all the nuts Roll down here And end up in California. Here's some info on the Lost Tribe of the Cherokees. There are only about 50,000 left. According to Bing Co-Pilot, "The Lost Tribe of the Cherokees, also known as the Black Dutch or Black Irish, is estimated to number around 9,000 in Arkansas and approximately 500 more in southern Missouri. These individuals seek recognition as a tribe after years of investigation. The federal Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) has been diligently working on their recognition petition for nine years1. Interestingly, some theories propose a connection between the Cherokee people and the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. Genetic studies have even labeled the Cherokees as a Middle Eastern-North African population, suggesting this intriguing possibility23. While the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma does not consider this group to be legitimate, their quest for recognition continues, and their history remains a fascinating chapter in Native American heritage. 🌳🔍 TBC next week The End |