Today I have delved into the AWF NaPoWriMo archives for a quick read. I have participated in NaPoWriMo since I came back to writing in 2013, (which was also the year Maureen started the dedicated website). Some of the NaPo poems from 2013-15 are lost on an old laptop, which is sad and a lesson in backing up.
Today’s prompt is about the beliefs held around the number 13. Number 13 is Mr. G’s favourite number, his birthday and also the number of his theatre seat last night!
As always for the full post, click the day.
Our featured participant today is Manja Mexi Moving, where the dull/precious thing prompt for Day Twelve gave rise to a sly and supple poem.
Today’s poetry-related video, in honor of the supposed unluckiness and general spookiness of the number 13, features Jack Prelutsky’s poem “The Witch.”
Our prompt for the day takes its cue from Prelutsky’s poem, as well as this poem by Dean Young, called “Belief in Magic.” Today, we’d like to challenge you to write a poem about something mysterious and spooky!
NaPo Process Notes
I read Manja Mexi Movie’s poem Significantly drab and explored her website.
Then I watched the resource video
and read Belief in Magic by Dean Young.
Sometimes exploring the resources brings other writing/research elements to the preparation process. Today, I have just followed the pre-prompt instructions. Sometimes reading poetry brings a full mind and other times just an acceptance. I think my brain is tired and overloaded (with things other than poetry).
On Writing
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I knew I wanted to write mysterious. This week there was lots of coverage about Black Holes. It is fascinating. Here starts the research.
Katie Bouman developed the algorithm which has made it possible for us to see the first image of a black hole (2019).
The black hole, which is “unseeable” to the naked eye, measures 40 billion km across, or three million times the size of the Earth
I watched the TED talk, knowing two years later we have seen this image of a black hole. Parts which fascinated me include;
How small can we see?/ We would need a telescope the size of the Earth./
I read these articles BBC Katie Bouman: The woman behind the first black hole image. Which include video footage and it was the 2nd video – the one showing the first images of a black hole which I used as a starting point for my writing.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-47873592
I envisaged writing about the science, or Katie Bouman, but after watching this https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/science-environment-47884028/the-first-ever-picture-of-a-black-hole I settled on using found text.
I couldn’t find a transcript so spent a while replaying the video whilst typing text. From this I played. Starting with an erasure/black out (seems appropriate) form. Most of the narration comes from Prof. Heino Falcke.
My original poem was 3 stanzas long – it was then condensed to one and I also rearranged the order of certain lines, to work better as a poem. The entire poem is only 6 lines long, so my snippet is just 1 line/quote – a great one for mysterious/spooky. I could definitely freewrite from this given line. It is called Black Out.
In the shadow where light disappears
awritersfountain 