W3 Prompt #207: Wea’ve Written Weekly

Intro

Dear friends,

Welcome to our W3 Poetry Prompt, which goes live on Wednesdays at The Skeptic’s Kaddish.

You may click here for a fuller explanation of W3; but here’s the ‘tldr’ version:

Part I

The main ingredient of W3 is a weekly poem written by a Poet of the Week (PoW), which participants read before participating in the prompt.

Part II

The second ingredient is a writing guideline (or two) provided by the PoW. Guidelines may include, but are not limited to: word counts, poetic forms, inclusion of specific words, and use of particular poetic devices.

Part III

After five days, when the prompt closes, the PoW shall select one participant’s poem as the W3 prompt for the following week, and its author becomes the next PoW.

Simple enough, right?

Kindly note: All entries for the W3 poetry prompt must be the original work of the submitting author. AI-generated poetry is not permitted.

Okie dokie ~ Let’s do this thing!

I. The prompt poem:

‘Serenity’ ~ a poem by Sally

From the time I was young, I had trouble waiting
Always-late-people? So irritating!
Delayed planes and buses — very frustrating
I wished I could be easygoing!

Yes, I was impatient — but wanted to change
So I started to pray (does that sound somewhat strange?)
I thought that I knew what God could/would arrange
Truth is — I asked without knowing

Well, God sent me teachers — one at a time
For a total of eight — tiny, helpless, sublime
This slow learner experienced shift paradigm
While all of my children were growing

Sereneness is seeing the blue of the sky
Feeling the sun, watching bees fly
Being in moments ‘stead of letting them by
Not going faster, but slowing

So I learned to slow down from my children eight
Little knowing, indeed, what was my next fate
Aging parents, dementia, at the next gate
No regrets — just love overflowing

For eight I witnessed their very first day
For two I was present as they passed away
Each one a miracle in its own way
Listen — do you hear the wind blowing?

II. Sally’s prompt: Inspired by a poet

I invite you to spend some time with the poets who stay with you—the ones who shape how we read, write, and see.

Choose one or more of the following:

Write a poem in honor of, or with a nod to, another poet. You can even name them in your title, like Hats Off to Mother Goose or The Road Traveled with Robert Frost.

Borrow a single line from a favorite poet and weave it into your poem. Just one line—see where it takes you.

Try writing in the style of a poet you admire. A Shakespearean sonnet, no capitals for e.e. cummings, or a small, vivid moment in the spirit of William Carlos Williams.

Keep your poem to 20 lines or fewer.

Let yourself play a little—echo, bend, or reimagine what inspires you.

III. Submit: Click on ‘Mister Linky’ below

In order to participate and share a poem, open up this blog post, outside of the WordPress reader. At the bottom, just below these words, you will see a small rectangular graphic with the words ‘Mr Linky’. Click on that to submit.

Submissions are open for 5 days, until Monday, Apr. 20, 10:00 AM (GMT+2)

Last week’s W3 poem

This week’s W3 prompt poem (above), composed by Sally, was written in response to last week’s W3 prompt poem, which Nigel wrote:

‘Layered’ ~ a poem by Nigel Byng

I hide.
Not merely the flaws
or the fact that I snore,
for everyone does,
but I hide.
Blow away the dusty façade and
without trying too hard, man
you’d encounter the noise.
Go a litter deeper
If you’re truly a seeker
You’d find poise.
But I hide.
For at my core
I’m always seeking more
of what is best in humanity.
And that exposes me
to the worst of us, dare I say, our hatred and savagery.
I’m way too gentle for that,
So I hide. #Appreciation #Community #CreativeWriting #Inspiration #Poem #Poet #Poetry #Poets #Prompt #W3