Ask a Question . . .

Besides the Napowrimo website itself, I also like to go ask the bibliomancy oracle questions at http://bibliomancyoracle.tumblr.com/askoracle. It's also kind of wonderful: you empty your mind, and then you have the option of asking a question or just being open, you push the big green button, and voilà, a literary snippet appears and you make of it what you will.

This morning I asked the oracle a question from my earlier morning poem: why wake in all this skin, these memories?

And the oracle answered: don't stay too long. 

Ask a Question . . .

don't stay too long

on this burning planet

hissed the headlines. we dove

hand in hand to a chillier ocean

bone swinging, head swapping,

brain melting deep to the skybang.

don't stay too long

in this skin said the oracle

hopping out of it I found

the ways. nose to fog,

eyelash to fireplace,

belly to the children's ear.

don't wait too long

to speak said the waiting words

so we slowdanced

with newold and fireswallow

rhymebosom, woodwisdom,

groovecrazy lovethistle swans.

don't wait too long

for the scream said the memory

we searched. bookcases tumbling

we fled, flew, thrilled

still I stand. not too long

not too short. just over there

morning

This morning (again, technically yesterday morning), I reveled in the words and images that were beginning poetry month for me.

morning

why are my feet on the ceiling?

why do I float around pushing buttons, blue, red, orange

why do I kiss my fingers, ache for my mother, act dumb, dumb, dumb?

why wake in all this skin, these memories?

why walk back the days?

how do I go back to quiet?

boom, boom, whenever the static goes silent

the morning moon splashing intrusion

my fingers lizarding the walls

play on my playground for me, please, while I—

walk on my back like a child massage, please, while I—

funnel the world into the echo room, hot mangoes,

the air is only sounds on my tongue

Napowrimo 2018, Day 0

It's April of 2018. I love April, I come alive in April, I write poems all month long. I usually try to write at least one poem a day that responds to the prompts at the wonderful http://www.napowrimo.net.

I also usually write some ghazals, some landays, some sonnets, some forms I make up, some things about my body, some things about my mother and father . . .  Last year I planned to focus on my feet, the ground they've walked on, what they do. I might try to do more of that this year. Also maybe write some world-building poems? We'll see what comes up. Usually if I like a particular prompt or new form that gets introduced I'll come back to it in subsequent days.

This morning, which was technically yesterday morning, March 31st, I was lying in bed in the morning and found the prompt for day one. Wrote this poem. I'll say below what the prompt was.

*****

you

too gold and green to live

too big to go around

too sparkly to ignore

I

take you out

dance in you

want you back

you

too thick and rich not to touch

too handmedown not to breathe

too wrinkled to matter

I

gave you away

handed you off

drove in the other direction

you

on someone else's hips

in some other woman's closet

dancing without me in Oakland

I

have nothing left to wear

nothing left to shimmy in

nothing left to say

****

[The prompt was to write a love poem to an inanimate object.]