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Today’s featured participant is Sunra Rainz, who provides a moving response to Day 17’s canine prompt.
Our featured online journal for the day is Waccamaw. In their newest issue, I’ll point you to Elizabeth Muscari’s poem “Cannoli,” and John A. Nieves’ “They Named Us All John/Juan.”
Today’s prompt – based on Faisal Mohyuddin’s poem “Five Answers to the Same Question.” Today, I’d like to challenge you to write your own poem that provides five answers to the same question – without ever specifically identifying the question that is being answered.
You Were Always Animal-Human is sad and striking. A poem in which two prompts have been cleverly intertwined!
I read the recommended poems in Waccamaw: Cannoli by Elizabeth Muscari, a powerful poem.
We’re sisters, which is to say we carry the same
sour inheritance in our bodies and only one of us
speaks of it.
I shrug to show her the way grief sieves me into silence.
It is an incredible poem.
Then I read They Named Us All John/Juan by John A. Nieves. I can’t even manage to explain how this poem unravels me, but to suggest it does, should be enough!
Wars and craftsmanship
had marked his hands—little stains and lines
crocheted across the creases time had slowly
grown.
I love the concept of today’s prompt, I haven’t read Faisal Mohyuddin’s poem yet as I want to write to the instructions first. It was also great to see some of Napowrimo Nina’s Challenge prompts getting shared on Twitter.
I spent some time scribbling questions. I have yet to decide a starting point, so I will come back later to drop a line or two.
on Pexels.com
The next day…
I found my question and started composing 5 answers. I was really conscious of not writing in first person, or second. When I finished, I changed the title (originally it was the question) and then I realised that every stanza was far stronger without the first line, as they were placeholders for the question really. So I stripped the poem back further.
I know I have written to the prompt rather than a question I want/need to answer. One day the question will appear and when it does, I will be sure to answer it five times!
Be open.
Imagine the mirror.
Extract from Day 18 Poem.
awritersfountain 