National Poetry Month - April 2012


As I am beginning to think about writing 30 poems in 30 days for National Poetry Month (April, 2014). I checked some writing prompts and found this one on "The Book of Kells"
http://ofkells.blogspot.com/2008/04/30-writing-prompts-for-national-poetry.html

"Take a 1-2 page poem from a book and re-type it backwards—from the very last word in the poem all the way to the very first, keeping the lines the same lengths as they are in the book. Use this as the starting point of a poem, picking out the word formations that are particularly interesting to you."

I then took the poem "Praying" by Mary Oliver (one of my favorite poets and one my favorite poems) and came up with this original (or semi-original) poem:

Tongue-tied

Speak my voice
in silence and thanks.

This is an elaborate doorway
of words, another contest
for the tongue-tied poet.

Patch small stones together
while a few weeds turn blue
in the vacant lot and
the iris demands attention.