A Guided Tour of My Writing Space, by Ed Kline

A Guided Tour of my Writing Space

April 5, 2020

When you enter, the first thing you’ll spy

is the perfect writing center:

comfy chair, ideal for napping,

an array of pens so broad you

could spend an entire afternoon

selecting just the right one,

a laptop, with easy access to the entire 

world wide web for research or inspiration,

and paper blank as my mind.

Sit yourself down at my spotless desk

and gaze out the window – for endless hours.

Watch the people pass by, watch them stop

to gaze at the thistles, or wait for their dogs

to smell the roses - 

watch them and wonder

about their stories and their histories,

their pasts and their presence;

tumble them around in your imagination

without writing a single word.

On your right, the office opens onto the living room.

The cat stretches lazily in her tree;

the dog sprawls on the couch, snoring lightly.

You can hear the laughter of my wife and daughter,

engaged in some silly game

or bit of foolishness on the internet.

Ignore them.

Ignore the pull of their lightness and joy.

There is work to be done here at this clean, blank desk,

with these useless pens and captivating window.

Don’t let them distract you from the left. Yes!

To your left, you’ll see my precious vault

of good ideas,

sealed with a steel bolted,

multi-combination lock,

bio-chemical ID

with both face

and fingerprint recognition

so that casual passersby can’t get at them;

if only I had a head for numbers,

if only I could put my thumb on why

that screen won’t recognize me,

those ideas wouldn’t be

safe and sound from me too.

Unanswered Prayers, by MacKenzie Hood

April 4th 

Sometimes I still talk to You,

As if I’m still in Your presence.

Whispering into the abyss of night,

Praying for a response, a sign that You’re there. 

Can You hear me?

Do You hear my cries, my unanswered questions?

I wonder if You are just as lost, if You, too,

Are stranded in the middle of a reckless sea,

An unsteady raft being thrown side to side by mighty waves,

With a thundering storm looming overhead

Hopeless and scared, and no destination in sight. 

Are You here with me?

I see You in every sunrise

And in the stars that I’ve never truly admired for their simplistic beauty

I see Your soul moving within others, 

Within me. 

You are everywhere 

Except right here next to me, and I hate it. 

When I pray, I find that it’s not to God anymore,

But to You.

And I’m hoping that You’ll answer.

Amen.

To the Quiet Cities, by Audrey Bunce

April 4, 2020

To the quiet cities

And the empty subways

To the once-sparkling skylines

That have now gone dark

To the world of people

Living indoors

And on the edge of their seat

Look at the way

Sunlight reflects 

On puddles of fresh rain

Did it always shine like that? 

Remember the sound of applause

A thousand feet sharing the same floor

When six feet apart

Was a foreign concept

And we packed ourselves tightly and

With reckless abandon

Into trains and concert halls and movie theaters

How could we not see it then? 

We did not recognize 

The simple wonder 

Of countless voices speaking at once

A sea of faces filling the sidewalks

Spilling out onto the street

And now we are islands

Solitary and afraid

Weathering a storm that seems to have no end

Perhaps not alone

But lonely nonetheless

Writing Prompt for Day 5

Write a poem that takes your reader on a guided tour. This could be a guided tour of a real place that means something to you, of a historical place, an imaginary place, or even an idea or emotion.

Saying Hello, by Savannah Richmond-Breeding

Dear Dad,

I’m saying hello, but you don’t have to reply

I know you won’t 

From the beginning, I knew that I didn’t know you

I still don’t 

Will you tell me what I did wrong? 

I hope you can

Was it something I said?

I will take it back

Was it something I did?

I can fix it

Will you come back? The way you were before?

I promise to make everything right

Will you say hello to me?

I know you won’t

Yours,

Me

A Recipe for Being a Good Person, by MacKenzie Hood

April 3

First you will need to reach deep inside

And find some human decency. 

Then put the needs of others before your own 

And understand the world is not yours to take.

Do not be blinded by your ignorance. 

Open your eyes to those surrounding you,

For you swim in murky waters, 

Unaware that you are drowning.

Dear Feet, by Ed Kline

Dear Feet

April 4, 2020

Just wanted to say thanks

for all the miles lately.

Car’s been parked,

bike’s got a flat,

but we’ve put plenty

of road behind us anyways.

Without you,

I’d fall over –

but, seriously folks,

without you,

I would have missed

a billion blossoms

in light spring rain,

or that golden lab

chasing the geese in the park.

I would have missed

the chubby cheeked cackle

of that kid on his big wheel.

We go back a long way,

you and I,

and I’ve never thanked you

for all that kickball

or putting up with my

feeble attempts

with a skateboard.

I ignored all your help

during 12 hour shifts

waiting tables and

never really appreciated

your tireless tread

on weekend hikes.

But now, in these

long empty days,

when my world

could be confined to

living room, dining room,

bedroom, yard,

you have given me space,

you have given me freedom,

you have given me an open ending.

Thanks.

Writing Prompt for Day 4

Write a poem in the form of an open letter (or an open letter in the form of a poem). As with any open letter, the audience is up to you. It may be a person you know, you wish you knew, an animal, or even an abstract idea.

The Playlist of Her Life, by Lillian Lawrence

The Playlist of Her Life

She is searching for a place

“Where the Skies are Blue,”

Making life seem like one

“Big Parade.”

But what if she just has a

“Flashed Junk Mind,”

Her waking thoughts filled with

“Lonesome Dreams,”

A flower waiting to 

“Bloom.”

Her confident facade is one big

“White Lie.”

She longs to venture to

“The Ends of the Earth,”

But instead daydreams 

“On the Train Ride Home,”

Constantly searching for a place

“Where the Skies are Blue.”

Quoted Artists: The Lumineers, Lord Huron, The Paper Kites

The Ugliest Bread Recipe, by Savannah Richmond-Breeding

The Ugliest Bread Recipe

Introduce a bowl and

Mix the following ingredients

Flour to prime

And

Thyme to rhyme

Add a little sugar if you so desire, but

Never forget to salt your concoction

Don’t forget to include water

Until now, you probably don’t realise that this bread is bogus

Go back and read down

Let your mixture rise up with the addition of

Yeast