Today’s new word: maypop n. 1. the edible fruit of the passionflower, Passiflora incarnata, of the southern U.S. 2. the plant itself. 3. South Midland and Southern U.S. May apple. National Poetry Writing Month prompt: Write your own dramatic monologue. It doesn’t have to be quite as serious as Browning or Shakespeare, of course, butContinue reading “M is for maypop- Poem: Seer”
Tag Archives: word of the day
K is for kayfabe-Poem: The Art of Kayfabe
Today’s new word: kayfabe n. 1. (in professional wrestling) the fact or convention of presenting staged performances as genuine or authentic. National Poetry Writing Month prompt: Write a poem about a dull thing that you own, and why (and how) you love it. Alternatively, what would it mean to you to give away or destroyContinue reading “K is for kayfabe-Poem: The Art of Kayfabe”
J is for jequirity bean and jumbies- Poem: Origins
Today’s new word: jequirity bean (Abrus precatorius) n. 1. the poisonous scarlet and black seed of the rosary pea often used for beads jumbie n. a type of mythological spirit or demon in the folklore of some Caribbean countries National Poetry Writing Month prompt: Write a poem of origin. Where are you from? Not justContinue reading “J is for jequirity bean and jumbies- Poem: Origins”
I is for ipseity- Poem: Whatever It Is
Today’s new word: ipseity n. selfhood; individual identity. National Poetry Writing Month prompt: Write a poem that starts from a regional phrase, particularly one to describe a weather phenomenon. Writer’s Digest April PAD (poem a day) challenge: Write a lone poem. Perhaps the poem is about a solitary wanderer or person who just prefers to goContinue reading “I is for ipseity- Poem: Whatever It Is”
H is for horripilation- Poem: Things that are love/ Things that are not love
Today’s new word: horripilation n. a bristling of the hair on the skin from cold, fear, etc.; goose bumps. National Poetry Writing Month prompt: Write your own Sei Shonagon-style list of “things.” The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon Writer’s Digest April PAD (poem a day) challenge: Write a love poem. All you need is love.Continue reading “H is for horripilation- Poem: Things that are love/ Things that are not love”
G is for grig- Poem: The Horror Show
Today’s new word: grig n. 1. a cricket or grasshopper. 2. a small or young eel. 3. a lively person. National Poetry Writing Month prompt: Think about the argot of a particular job or profession, and see how you can incorporate it into a metaphor that governs or drives your poem. The provided list ofContinue reading “G is for grig- Poem: The Horror Show”
F is for fainéant
Today’s new word: fainéant n. an idler. adj. idle; indolent. National Poetry Writing Month prompt: Write a poem that emphasizes the power of “if,” of the woulds and coulds and shoulds of the world. Writer’s Digest April PAD (poem a day) challenge: “After (blank),” replace the blank with a word or phrase, make the newContinue reading “F is for fainéant”
E is for eleemosynary- Poem:Donations Eaten by Bureaucracy
Today’s new word: eleemosynary adj. 1. of or relating to alms, charity, or charitable donations; charitable. 2. derived from or provided by charity. 3. dependent on or supported by charity. National Poetry Writing Month prompt: “Write a poem that incorporates at least one of the following: (1) the villanelle form, (2) lines taken from anContinue reading “E is for eleemosynary- Poem:Donations Eaten by Bureaucracy”
D is for dysphemism
Today’s new word: dysphemism n. 1. the substitution of a harsh, disparaging, or unpleasant expression for a more neutral one. 2. an expression so substituted, as “cancer stick” for “cigarette.” National Poetry Writing Month prompt: Write your own sad poem, but one that achieves sadness through simplicity. Writer’s Digest April PAD (poem a day) challenge:Continue reading “D is for dysphemism”
C is for cathect- Poem:Call of the King Fisher
Today’s new word: cathect vt. to invest with mental or emotional energy National Poetry Writing Month prompt: Write something that involves a story or action that unfolds over an appreciable length of time. Writer’s Digest April PAD (poem a day) challenge: Write an animal poem. The poem could be about an animal. Or it couldContinue reading “C is for cathect- Poem:Call of the King Fisher”
Experience Writing 