So I am getting caught up on some things I missed from poetry month, and thanks to my new friend Jennifer Bullis, I have discovered some really ingenious poetry prompts from Rachel McKibbens. I was inspired to give it a shot by Jennifer’s post here. Now, honestly I don’t usually like most of the prompts I find out there. It takes someone with real imagination to get me going, and I like the fact that Rachel and Jennifer are all about breaking the rules, because in the end it’s about the poem not the rules, right?
Having said this, while I enjoyed doing this particular prompt, I confess that the resulting “poem,” while fun to create (I did break the rules a bit), was not a success, in that I will probably never post it beyond this page. I can see how it’s a great way to produce some intriguing non sequiturs, and will try some more of Rachel’s prompts.
Hey, sometimes we need the workout, the stretching, the training before the event, and so I will not be too hard on myself. Now that the pressure is off, and nobody is expecting you to write a poem a day, why don’t you go back to some of the NaPoWriMo sites and see what gets your juices flowing? Here, by the way is Jennifer’s much better result with the same exercise.
On a purely technical note, does it bother anyone that these links show up in a slightly darker black rather than the old fashioned blue? I’ve been highlighting and turning them blue because to me links don’t show up noticeably enough on this blog theme. Am I just being old fashioned?
Questions for God and the Dead
4:00 AM Conversations by the Instant Coffee Machine at
Rest Stop 41.Why do men grow hair on their necks?
Hopefully on a bookshelf that isn’t dusty.Why did Tiger, king of the Tom Cats, get done in by a passing car?
The smile of Robert Redford.Who stopped to help me the night I hit the deer, and why did they dissapear?
Classic Rock, Billy Joel and the Beetles.Why did you wait until my bags were packed before you said, “I’m sorry?”
A pee jar for my prostate.Why did you create light before its source?
Sticks and Stones and puppy dog tails.What kept your feet nailed to the floor at the bottom of the stairs, when you knew I was in danger up there?
The witch holding a poisoned apple. Prince Charming with a glass slipper. Gepetto and a wooden boy.Why did you visit my aunts in their dreams, telling them you were happy, but never your baby boy?
Three Cold Beers, one Italian Red, two gin and tonics with lime, and a visit to the Emerald Isle.
David J. Bauman 
I dunno, Dave–I don’t think there’s any topping a poem with the subtitle “4:00 AM Conversations by the Instant Coffee Machine at Rest Stop 41.” That heading pulls all those non-sequiturs together darn nicely. Reading this makes me want to try again!
On the technical note, I do like the bolder link text. Do you mind my asking how you did that? The links on my blog are almost invisible, but I didn’t think there was a way to alter the text (unless I pony up for the deluxe version of my theme). Thanks!
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Thank you, dear! The subtitle seemed appropriate. I’m glad you liked it.
As for the links, I would simply highlight them in edit and change the text color to blue. How do they appeaer to you in this post? Are they distinguishable?
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I checked the appearance of the links in 3 different browsers. They’re distinguishable in Internet Explorer, but even more distinct in Google Chrome and Firefox.
And thanks for the tip; now I know how to make my links more visible, too!
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Thanks for taking the browser research time. I just hadn’t done that yet. I guess the old fashioned blue links are still preferable to most of the bloggers I know. 🙂
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P.S. Now, I just need to get myself a new avatar. Criminy.
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I don’t mind black, but blue is easier to read.
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Yes, unfortunately they used to make them blue automatically. It might be just my theme, but when I look at this on my phone, it does still show them in blue, so perhaps it matters what browser is used. In any case, I’ll probably just do the extra work of highlighting and changing the text blue for links, until I find a comparable theme.
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Perhaps it’s the large glass of Scotch, but, the whole poem makes perfect sense. 🙂
Seriously… I like it.
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Well, the gin does help here too. I do like some of the images. 🙂 Glad this weird poem has gathered a few fans. Thanks, John!
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