Poetry challenges

These are ideas for monthly poetry challenges. Matthew Heiman came up with most of them and then I edited them a little, adding and subtracting a few words, here and there. They are for our Big Bend Poets group.

1. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
2. Alcohol, prescription and street drugs: good and bad effects

3. Comical stories of a friend, a pet, or a friend’s pet

4. The social divide in our country and/or around the world

5. Gravity’s effects on your day to day life

6. Religion’s effects on you and whether or not you understand it

7. Music’s ability to make all aspects of your life feel different

8. The organization of your mind and how it works

9. A battle worth fighting

10. The rainbows of life

11. What makes you, you

12. Will we see light of the new day?

13. What is class warfare and how does it affect us?

14. Privacy

15. Marriage, married life, divorce, or living single

16. Is there more to life than what we can experience, perceive or understand?

17. Health and well-being (physical, mental and emotional)

18. Is America the best country?

19. Can we ever see the mind of the creator?

20. Desire

21. Mother Nature

22. Will love find us?

23. Emotions

24. The natural beauty of things

25. Will they end free speech in America?

26. Will life end when you die?

27. Can we change the world with our writings?

28. Power: the different types and how they affect us in daily life as well as the long run

29. Is there more to life than just existence?

30. Will freedom come to an end in our country?

31. Can poetry keep the world free?

32. Is the violence of the world coming to America?

33. Where did the spark of Creation come from?

34. If we are alone, can we find true peace?

Kicking Citizen’s United to the Curb

My country’s a wreck,

So what do I do?

They blame Obama,

But they have no clue!

Barack, I know

You’re giving your all

To heal this country

From its great fall.

So many years

Of war and strife,

Trillions of debt,

So you spend your life

Cleaning it up,

The mistakes made

By former leaders,

The war in Iraq,

The money bleeders.

The rich get richer,

So we pay more.

It’s got to stop,

And you couldn’t do more.

But, now, I see,

You have indeed,

Kicking Citizen’s United

To the curb, where it should be.

Let us all

Pull together.

Get the word out.

It’s now or never.

Stop injustice

In its tracks.

Make real the promises,

End the silence.

It can be done.

It can be done.

Fired up!

Ready to go!

Lick

Bawl foul flock flip yawn yet irk leak

Rile flow smoothe sight moat squal

Mile earl laid eerie stab few quill beer

Mile near Nile beak seer swat mew

Right if fall eek slink sweat what spear

Weed imbue fault float wheel rot knock

Slow mat mark mole mute insipid start

Steep peep swipe sweet swoon foot

Jug big luck leery mutt rid mellow wit

Meat tight neat mitt knit vilify beat blink

Cough quit clink cripe few ex wood

Mull butt socks rule hood huge lick

Yuck

Crumble why stop held wrong meander

Life realm instigate withhold into

Nice entail rude sure lease tight not

Quite laud reap wall wipe sing mouth

Veer calliope X-ray zip vow eat endear

Psyche avalanche sight swallow even

Yet yikes yellow ick eel ask kick read

Might follow mike slight fight fall muck

Into reich resist walk wallow bite ride

Ill ink white road meek slink confide is

Smite marsh mall mock wide fear flick

Abba mar much sweet scar feet tool

March ball beauty rib swear wack meal

Stipend weird walk flight smear watch

Mean slug flick mill swill feel wobble

Squawk ember slot powerful sleek

Punch fleet much switch cower yuck

Hoof

Mack yore love yet teak yell mood pit

Yes poop shorts you sick rearrange

Yikes create dresser street ambulance

Building get tree highway scenery

Laughing sort cloud saint sift stab yet

Written book ate restaurant slow slew

Parking slick start football yonder slot

Sticker tick stack under racket shoe cry

Ting softer cracker shirt slot clock yet

Hat strange clue ack light muck move

Rocket moo Yule crock soot mate roof

Matter moon yellow permanent rain

Peepers trolley pool pepper sleeve pic

Pencil socket cubit stool marker hoof

Mine

Piece loud sift mean rowdy large

Apple lean arrange aim bored ending

Leave tube saint below render made

Orb mark mend elbow sob puff tub

Bubble soothe stab arbor sound till

Labrador follow found bobble marble

Roar arc moor ocular might soccer elf

Leaf find quite paper proof still mine

The Path to Peace

Grieving in silence,

I hear the sound,

Of all the people

Crying out.

The innocent man

Is killed in the street.

The infant child,

Is blown off his feet.

I want to tell

You how I feel,

But I’m afraid it won’t

Help to heal

All the hurt,

The dangerous woe,

The pain and torment

From our foes.

Wouldn’t you

Like to be

Free of stress,

Feeling free?

Oh, the time

Has certainly come

To shut the door

On death that roams.

We must find

A middle way

That works for all,

Or we will pay.

All of us

Are at risk.

The war will come

With guns and fists.

I don’t want

To see the end.

I want us all

To be friends.

So, let us not

Criticize.

Let us love

All girls and guys.

We can be

The best of friends

If we try

To make amends.

Our World Is Falling Apart

There seems to be much hatred brewing, all over the world.  Here in America, we seem more divided than ever before. It seems things are almost at, or even past, the breaking point. Many die in the streets. Many are murdered by law enforcement officers. Many cry out for justice, that seems too long in coming. Many, including myself, are appalled at the decisions that are made in Washington, that don’t seem to represent the people. Republicans are hostile towards everything liberal. Democrats are hostile towards anything conservative. Both parties jump on any chance to stick one to their opponents. The murders in Charleston, and the defense of the rebel flag. Marriage equality, and the battle for religious liberty. ISIS, Al Queda, and all the terrorist attacks. People joke on Facebook about killing other people who have opposing views or lifestyles that differ from theirs. Always, it seems things are coming to a head. If we don’t find some way to soothe all the tensions, I am afraid that our country is going to break out into a civil war. When leaders try to appease one group that is offended, they offend the other group. Is there any way out of this mess? How do we move towards peace? How can we find a middle ground that will work for everyone? Is that even possible? Some think we are moving towards the end of the world. It may be the end of us, at least, if we don’t do something soon.

Maneuver

Story blind heifer boo type tripe

Caught taught rot apple ring sting

Blame aim lame tame came you

Ape tell melt hell ate rate do your

Label never when fight cable yonder

Cleave coo route yell well tell stipend

Real maneuver cling roof onto why

Wheel read clear queer rear rowdy

Cloudy clue might moor roar raid aid

Mall tall lull make rake cake quite my

Soot suit sweet mar war swear rude

Tool mull swallow claw swoon saber

Sweater follow quail search scale clip

Swipe manner peach cater maid mite

Experiments of the Mind

Would you like to know

Where I am, at any given moment?

Wouldn’t it be interesting,

To get inside my head?

Perhaps, not,

For I am a boring soul,

Sometimes.

But, as kind of a scientific experiment,

A moral goal,

An artistic challenge.

Wouldn’t it be cool,

To get inside someone’s head?

Poems, essays, even fiction,

Do reveal something about ourselves,

But we are in control

Of what is revealed,

For the most part.

What if we surrendered all control?

What if we simply

Let it all out,

Let it flow,

Without any filter?

Is that possible?

Is it permissible?

Is it moral?

Is it good?

Perhaps,

Some may say,

Some of these questions

Are not relavent,

Are not pertinent,

Are not interesting,

Are not “scientific”.

But what are we,

If not moral beings?

What is art,

If it has no moral goal?

Perhaps,

We could argue,

That any process,

Which reveals information,

Is valuable, moral and good.

But is that true?

I would like to know,

As this is a great concern of mine.

Where do we go from here?