From Writer's Digest PAD Challenge:
For today’s prompt, write a future poem. The future is a never ending well of worry for some. Others harbor a great deal of optimism. Still others see a mixture of awesome flying cars and terrifying robot overlords. Regardless of your outlook, I hope there’s a poem in your very near future.
Remember: These prompts are just springboards; you have the freedom to jump in any direction you want. In other words, it’s more important to a new poem than to stick to the prompt.
Here's an older piece, with a vision for the future:
ReplyDeleteDESERTIONS
These are not the people I meant to write about.
Already they've betrayed the poem, as they've betrayed each other,
She with those swarthy lazzaroni, he with the tenor
Who could have coaxed tears with an aria in the third act,
But he pushed it too far, with all those quavers, mordents,
Pralltrillers. Did they plan this? What were they after?
How much sex does she want? I would have given it to her,
But after the overture, and it would have been my dance.
Next time they sign in: the vaudeville comics, the succubus,
The gamine with the Percherons who does the union organizing,
The costume designers, the mustachioed muscle men,
the lip synch guy, the Bangkok pussy girls.
From here on out, everyone has to audition.
They'll pick up what I tell them, and when.
This is a bit beyond me--like you're speaking a foreigh language.
DeleteI feel like I just read a review for some show in a foreign country that I wasn’t an audience member. Interesting. Would love to know the name of the show.
DeleteStrange poem, even for you. I agree with Tasha. This one is beyond me. Maybe I can't see the future. LOL
Deleteyea 12 people populated
ReplyDeletePennsylvania
together they began
to wander aimlessly
up and down mountains
through forest and stream
in search of survivors
of germ warfare
they were the cockroaches
of the country
they wore no masks
immune to all about them
they marched on mindlessly
Hitting West Virginia
in the Spring
So, they ventured on
Lean n mean
eating little
limited to any
fare they could find
they meandered
through towns and tiptoed
around watching and waiting
for life and leads
to survivors in the land
they found a few
and joined together
tight and united
together to form
something new and nebulous...
I really like this one.
DeleteGood story well told.
DeleteA story of survival and hope. I like it.
DeleteI like it. It's almost like an outline of a story too.
DeleteOkay, so I didn't do better today. I wrote nothing at all. Here's an old one with sort of the theme:
ReplyDeleteFOR CERTAIN
I am uncertain what will happen
tomorrow, if I will wake up cold
or if I will want to eat breakfast.
I do not know if my car will be stolen
while I sleep or if a thief will come
through my window and steal my worthless
record albums, ancient stereo.
If I want absolute certainty,
I can not even know if the moon
will bring tides or if the sun will rise
tomorrow. "Now I lay me down to
sleep I pray the Lord my soul to keep."
To hell with my soul, I want to know
things, like, will I lose my memories
when I get old? I want to know when
my heart will not hurt each time it beats,
and if my lover loves me, flawed,
yet capable of love for him, flawed
as he is also. I can protect
myself from many things, club on my
steering wheel, burglar alarm at home.
I can put a gun under my head,
a condom on my lover's cock, but
I wear nothing to protect my heart.
I leave my windows open at night.
I need the breeze over my naked
body. I'll take my chances with thieves.
Interesting poem complex in its interweaving.
DeleteHow do we protect our heart? I agree with all of it.
DeleteNever saw this one. Love it.
ReplyDeleteQuestions and Answers for the Future
ReplyDeleteThe Future, is it so vast?
For as soon as I think of it
It becomes present, then past.
The Future, can anyone find a cure?
When in times such as these,
Heart, mind, body, are unsure!
The Future, will there be sorrow?
Whom I love, or who loves me,
There’s no guarantee of tomorrow!
The Future, will there be joy?
Chocolate, wine, music, children,
Celebrations of life with foy.
The Future, where is it found lying?
It’s here, whether I lie living
And still here, if I lie dying,
The Future, shall I think ahh or blah?
I shall finish my buildings!
I shall wear my bra!
This is an interesting poem, how did I miss commenting before? I like your choices of things to comment on, and the originality of the poem. The last two lines are a bit obscure, but effective
Deletegreat poem, ad original thoughts. I was a little puzzled over the last two lines, but they are effective.
DeleteSo Future is a bra wearing female ready to build! I am imagining a cross between Mother Nature and Lady Liberty and a 60’s flower child - forging forward leaving a landscape behind her and a blank canvas in front of her.
DeleteYes. Finish every project you've started before you start one more! LOL. That should take you far into the future.
DeleteThe future isn’t random
ReplyDeleteRain
comes down
the same way now.
Controlled and predictable
I miss the random old days.
Age
slowly
unfolds the same.
with vaccines and medicines.
I miss the random old days.
Go
explore.
Is done no more.
Limited scenes and places.
I miss the random old days.
But
we are
safe and alive.
Far and away from the earth.
I miss the random old days.
Very nice, I like the repetition of the last line, it works well with this poem.
DeleteYes, the repetition is very effective. And like a comment on another poem, sometimes running amok is preferable to safe and alive.
DeleteSands of Time
ReplyDeleteTime is a construct
humans need to help make
order, and yet, it seems
to follow no rules.
The future becomes
the past with regularity
yet unpredictability.
This is most annoying;
the future slips slyly by
when I'm not paying
attention, so now I'm
grasping onto every
grain of time before it
sifts through my fingers.
I like the poem and the part about losing time and forgetting to post. Lol.
DeleteI do love "every / grain of time". Nice play on words.
DeleteWrote this yesterday and then got distracted and forgot to post it. Hoping for comments!
ReplyDeleteVery good. I like 2nd verse, especially “grasping onto every grain of time”! This is how I feel wuthbevery passing day!
ReplyDeleteMe too, isn't it interesting how precious time can bbecome with the threat of ending?
ReplyDelete