Tag Archives: Poemtober

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PF: Poemtober

This year I’ve been trying again to write poems in response to the Inktober drawing prompts. I’ve only written to about half of the prompts so far, but hope to play more this weekend. Some of the prompts are quite challenging at first glance, and it can be interesting to see where they lead. Here are a few from the past two weeks:

Day #2: Scurry

Why the constant scurry?
Trying to outpace worry?
So fast. Too fast.
Life gets blurry.
Slow down. Take time.
Less rush. Less flurry.

©Molly Hogan

Day # 4 :scallop

October Wondering

How does the moon
with such precision
carve opalescent scallop
from the inky fabric
of an autumn night?

©Molly Hogan

Day #6 Bouquet

Within the chrysalis
caterpillar transforms
from many-legged thing
to a bouquet
of petalled wings

©Molly Hogan

Day #14 empty

Some Days Are Just Like That…

Everything
feels empty
What’s missing
pulls and tugs
at the heart

©Molly Hogan

If you’re interested in trying out these prompts, here’s the list:

This week’s Poetry Friday Roundup is hosted by Matt Forrest Esenwine at his blog, Radio, Rhythm & Rhyme. He’s sharing exciting news about his newest book and an original poem as well.

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PF:#Poemtober: A haiku and a cherita

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As I drafted this post, it struck me that most of the poems I’ve written and shared recently seem to be a bit dark. Honestly, I don’t think they reflect my state of mind! With that disclaimer,  I’m sharing my #Poemtober responses  for “dizzy” and for “pattern.” As always, I’m grateful for the prompts and challenges that encourage me to write regularly. 

buffeted by daily news
dizzy with dismay
hope hides in shadows

©Molly Hogan, 2019

 

One dull thud

Three wispy red feathers
pattern the smudged windowpane

one brilliant cardinal
dims and cools on the ground
the silence reverberates

©Molly Hogan, 2019

This week’s Poetry Friday Roundup is hosted by the gracious and talented Irene Latham at her blog, Live Your Poem. Make sure to drop by and fill up with some poetry!

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Conference Week Infects My Poetry

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Conference Week

A bounty of PTA-donated
tempting treats
fills baskets and bowls
in the Teacher’s Room.
I pick a pack of Teddy Grahams.
Back in my classroom,
I relish biting off the heads
of each cheerful little bear.

Molly Hogan ©2019

Ok, I actually do enjoy conferences, but I truly do not enjoy the week of planning, teaching and late nights of conferencing combined. What a week! With so many late nights, I’ve fallen a bit behind on #Poemtober, but here are a few of my recent efforts.

Ash

After the volcano
of his rage,
she picks her way
through the ash,
wary of embers
eager to ignite
a new
conflagration.

Molly Hogan ©2019

Legend

Legend tells
of a teacher
who discovered the secret
of balancing
work and home
and kept it.

I don’t believe it.

©Molly Hogan, 2019

And I revisited the prompt “build” to pair with my daughter’s illustration:

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#Inktober sketch by Adeline Schneider

Build

Let’s build a tower
above the sea
high, in the sky,
an eagle’s aerie.
We’ll live each day,
wild and free,
whilst unheeded, the surf
works her treachery.

©Molly Hogan, 2019

Oh, my! These are cheerful, aren’t they?  lol

This week’s Poetry Friday Roundup is hosted by Karen Edmisten. Stop by to check out all the poetry goodness.

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Autumn Storm

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It’s been another hit-or-miss week working with #Inktober/#Poemtober. I’ve really liked knowing the prompts are there, but sometimes the inspiration hasn’t been. Isn’t it weird how some words can feel “dead” while others seem to brim with possibility? And those same “dead” words might easily reanimate at a different time or place, when seen through a different lens?

At any rate, this past weekend, my daughter mentioned that she’d been participating in #Inktober. Yesterday, she shared her entry for “wild” with me:

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It, together with the arrival of a fierce storm, inspired this poem.

Autumn Storm

outside the wild wind roars
leaves swirl in tornado torrents
the storm prowls like a lion
lashing the earth with mighty paws

Molly Hogan ©2019

Now that the storm has passed, there are far more leaves on the ground than in the trees, but to date, this fall has been particularly spectacular. Time and again, I’ve been stopped in my tracks by the beauty of autumn in New England.

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brilliant baubles
leaves ornament the trees
fall’s parting gift

Molly Hogan © 2019

I hope your days are also filled with beauty.

 

This week’s Poetry Friday Roundup is hosted by Jama Rattigan at her amazing blog, Jama’s Alphabet Soup. Make sure to stop by and see what Jama’s serving up this week. It’s sure to be delicious!

 

 

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#Poemtober Day 12: Dragon

 

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Autumnal Conflagration

flicker, flutter
fire, flame
autumn embers
kindle bright
as if a roaring rush
of dragon’s breath
has brushed the landscape
igniting, brightening
lighting with flares
of crimson maple and golden oak
leaves crackling with color
piercing smoky grey skies
until even the river
is ablaze

©Molly Hogan, 2019 (draft)

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#Poemtober

downloadImage result for inktober 2019Once again, most of the writing I’ve been doing lately has been quick responses to prompts. Among other things,  I’ve been semi-participating in this month’s Poemtober. That means that I’ve tried to write to the word prompt each day, with wildly varying results. Here are my responses for the prompts “swing” and “husky.”

In October
the balance swings
from “on top of it”
to “overwhelmed”
in the blink
of an eye

©Molly Hogan, 2019

In the shadowed field
beneath glowing hunter’s moon
corn stalks rustle
a haunting, husky tune
winter’s coming…
coming soon…

©Molly Hogan, 2019

This week’s Poetry Friday Roundup is hosted by Catherine Flynn, at her blog, Reading to the Core. Catherine reminds us of the power of gratitude and shares, among other things, a wonderful poem “Let’s Remake the World with Words.”