PAD Challenge - Day 30

From Robert Lee Brewer:

For today’s prompt, take the phrase “The (blank),” replace the blank with a word or phrase, make the new phrase the title of your poem, and then, write your poem. Possible titles could include: “The Poets,” “The Good Guys,” “The Bad Guys,” “The Last Thing She Said,” and so on.

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NOTE FROM VICTORIA: Can you believe this crappy prompt? Next year, we do our own. Well, maybe include his and then our own as a option.  And on a lighter note, WE ARE DONE!!!! Since this is Sunday we will pick up with our weekly prompts next Sunday. Do you y'all want to do a weekly "Edit session" as well, or make it part of the Sunday prompts, alternate between new and edit?

PAD Challenge - Day 29

From Robert Lee Brewer:

For today’s prompt, write a metric poem. Most of the world uses the metric system to measure things out; not so much in the States. But there are meters and liters, and the occasional millimeters. Also, poetry uses metrics (the study of meter in poetry). And metrics, in a general sense, can measure various things by a common denominator–even inches and/or teaspoons.

PAD Challenge - Day 28

From Robert Lee Brewer:

For today’s prompt, write a poem about a smell. Similar to Day 6’s prompt about writing a poem about a sound, today’s prompt involves thinking about the various good and bad smells that fill the world. Pick one smell (or a variety, I suppose), and write a poem.

PAD Challenge - Day 27

From Robert Lee Brewer:

Today is Poem in Your Pocket Day; so carry around a poem in your pocket today. Or roll like me and carry a poem in your pocket every day.

For today’s prompt, use at least 3 of the following 6 words in your poem (using a word or two in your title is fine); for extra credit, try using all 6:

• pest
• crack
• ramble
• hiccup
• wince
• festoon

PAD Challenge - Day 26

From Robert Lee Brewer:

For today’s prompt, write a regret poem. Most people regret some action they’ve taken over the years, whether it’s saying the wrong thing, making the wrong choice, or putting off something for a tomorrow that never comes. Write about your own regrets, or the regrets of others (this is a great opportunity to write a persona poem).

PAD Challenge - Day 25

From Robert Lee Brewer:

It’s time for that final two-for-Tuesday prompt of April. Regulars probably already know what the prompt is. Here are the two prompts for today:

• Write a love poem. The poem could be about lovers, but also the love of family, love between friends, or even loving your job, chocolate, or music. Or…
• Write an anti-love poem. Maybe you’re a hater; that’s fine. We’ve got the anti-love poem prompt for you.

PAD Challenge - Day 24

From Robert Lee Brewer:

For today’s prompt, write a faith poem. For some people, faith means religion. For others, faith means trusting in science and mathematics. Still others, think George Michael’s “Faith” just as some immediately conjure up Faith Hill. Regardless of where you put your faith (or don’t), today’s poem gives you an opportunity to express yourself.

That said, just a quick reminder: Be respectful of each other. It’s my one rule, and I have faith that y’all can handle it.

PAD Challenge - Day 23

From Robert Lee Brewer:

For today’s prompt, take the phrase “Last (blank),” replace the blank with a word or phrase, make the new phrase the title of your poem, and then, write your poem. Possible titles include: “Last Starfighter,” “Last Unicorn,” “Last Day of Summer,” “Last Cookie in the Cookie Jar,” and so on.

PAD Challenge - Day 22

From Robert Lee Brewer:

For today’s prompt, write a fable poem. A fable is a story that conveys a moral, usually told with animal characters.

PAD Challenge - Day 21

From Robert Lee Brewer:

For today’s prompt, pick an object (any object), make it the title of your poem, and then, write your poem. Possible titles could include: “Toothbrush,” “Rake,” “Pilot G2 Premium Gel Roller Pen,” or any number of other objective titles. Have fun with it.

PAD Challenge - Day 20

From Robert Lee Brewer:

After today, we’ll be 67% of the way through this challenge. Only 10 days to go! 

For today’s prompt, write a task poem. The task can be some glorious duty, or it can be a seemingly small and insignificant job. Or the poem can take someone to task. It’s your task to figure it out and write it.

PAD Challenge - Day 19

From Robert Lee Brewer:

For today’s prompt, write a memory poem. Pick a memory, any memory. It can be a significant event, but sometimes there are beautiful insignificant moments (that ironically are very significant–quite the paradox). Mine your memories to come up with something good today.

PAD Challenge - Day 18

From Robert Lee Brewer:

Somehow we’re already on our third Two-for-Tuesday of the month; time is flying.

Here are the two prompts for today:

• Write a life poem. The poem could be about the miracle of life, the complexity of life, the game of Life, or anything else that means life for you. Or…
• Write a death poem. For most organisms, life leads to death. So this should be as full of possibility as the life poem.

PAD Challenge - Day 17

From Robert Lee Brewer:

Today is a special day for so many reasons, but one in the poetic realm is that today is International Haiku Poetry Day. It always falls on April 17, because of National Poetry Month and the 17 syllables in many (though not all) haiku. This year is extra special because the year is ’17 as well. 

 For today’s prompt, write a dance poem. The poem can be about the process of dancing or just somehow incorporate or reference dancing in the poem. There are so many styles of dance out there and even more occasions for dancing: school dances, daddy-daughter dances, wedding dances, people who dance when they are happy, people who dance when they are sad, people who dance in large groups, and those who dance alone. And, of course, there are so who just won’t dance for anything.

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Note from Victoria: Maybe we should make this a double challenge and do a haiku as well as the "dance" poem.

PAD Challenge - Day 16

From Robert Lee Brewer:

If we were running uphill for the first half of the challenge, we’d be running downhill from here on out. I know writing is a different process, but yeah, we’re getting through this month. Let’s keep it going!

For today’s prompt, take the phrase “(blank) System,” replace the blank with a word or phrase, make the new phrase the title of your poem, and then, write your poem. Possible titles could include: “Weather System,” “Solar System,” “Writing System,” “Ecological System,” or any number of other takes on systems.

PAD Challenge - Day 15

From Robert Lee Brewer:

We’ve officially made it to the half-way point of this challenge, which means two things: 1. I’ve got Bon Jovi’s “Living on a Prayer” song playing in my head; and 2. I should share the link to the poem finder tool for this blog (click to continue). Just use the Writer drop down to find your name and search for poems posted on the site so far (can also cross reference by year/day).

For today’s prompt, write a “one time” poem. This poem could be about a once in a lifetime experience. Or it could be about something a person wants to try just one time (good or bad). Or take it where you will–as always.

PAD Challenge - Day 14

From Robert Lee Brewer:

I never like sharing bad news, but I’m especially not fond of sharing family news. Marie Elena Good shared on Facebook that Andrea Heiberg, a member of the Poetic Asides family, died of cancer on Monday. Like so many on the street, she was an uplifting and poetic voice for so many other poets. She will be missed.

For today’s prompt, pick a popular saying and make that the title of your poem; then, write your poem. Some possible titles might include: “Blood Is Thicker Than Water,” “You Can’t Judge a Book By Its Cover,” “More Than You Can Shake a Stick At,” and so many others. Click here if you want more ideas.

PAD Challenge - Day 13

From Robert Lee Brewer:

Recently, I recorded a “selfie” poem for my publisher Press 53. Click here to watch me recite “the silence between us” from my collection Solving the World’s Problems.

For today’s prompt, write a family poem. It could be about your family, someone else’s family, a big family, a small family. It could be about one person in the family or a group picture. Your call. Just write that poem.

PAD Challenge - Day 12

From Robert Lee Brewer:

Quick comment on comments: I don’t know that this will fix all problems related to commenting, but multiple poets have confirmed that some specific words seem to be keeping their poems from posting. Once they removed the words, the poems posted. Voila! So I looked into it, and there is a banned words/symbols list–to help block common spam language like profane words and specific drug names, but also words like “nude,” “sex,” “loan,” “debt,” and “thx.” Also, some weird symbols and the term “url.” If that helps anyone, great. If not, please let me know at robert.brewer@fwmedia.com. 

For today’s prompt, write a guilty poem. The poem can be written from the perspective of someone who is (or feels) guilty, or it can be about someone (or something) else that’s guilty. But guilty of what? Cheating on a test? Or a spouse? Or a diet? Only you know, and only your poem can reveal the truth.

PAD Challenge - Day 11

From Robert Lee Brewer:

If you want to learn a little more about me, that’s easy to do. Dustin Brookshire is sharing poet profiles on his blog this month, and recently posted a profile of me. 

Today is our second Tuesday of the month, which means it’s Two-for-Tuesday day. 

Here are the two prompts for today: 

• Write a sonnet. (Click here if you need a refresher on sonnets.) I know some folks will say a writing a form is not a prompt, but I often use forms to prompt me into poems. And I know that some folks will say they hate traditional forms. Soooo, the other prompt is to… 
• Write an anti-form poem. Write about your dislike of poetic forms. Let it all out.

PAD Challenge - Day 10

From Robert Lee Brewer:

Well, we just made it in from Austin. 18 hours, but we’re back home, and the kids are all sleeping in their beds.

Yay! For today’s prompt, write a travel poem. Your poem can be about the process of traveling, planning to travel, vicariously traveling through television programs, or however else you’d like to take this prompt.

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Note from Victoria: After today we are 1/3 of the way there!!! Wahoo!!!

PAD Challenge - Day 9

From Robert Lee Brewer:

"Well, I survived my 10K yesterday and did my final reads in Austin. Later this morning, Tammy and I will be hitting the road to drive back to Atlanta! 

 For today’s prompt, take the phrase “So (blank),” replace the blank with a word or phrase, make the new phrase the title of your poem, and then, write your poem. Possible titles could include: “So Cool,” “So Stupid,” “So Not What I Would’ve Done,” “So Sweet,” or so many other possibilities."

PAD Challenge - Day 8

From Robert Lee Brewer:

Wish me luck! I’m going to run a 10K later this morning in Austin, Texas (not affiliated with the Austin International Poetry Festival). If I go silent for Day 9, something went horribly wrong during the race. 

 For today’s prompt, write a panic poem. There are any number of things a person can panic about, including severe weather, military invasions, or what to wear to an event. And while some may be more life or death than others, that feeling of panic is just as real for a person who has to get up and speak in front of a crowd of smiling strangers as it is for a person hiding in the basement of their house as a tornado approaches.

PAD Challenge - Day 7

From Robert Lee Brewer:

It doesn’t feel like it, but we’re already a week into this year’s challenge. Poem on. 

For today’s prompt, write a discovery poem. This poem could be about making a discovery; it could be about something discovered (by someone or something else); or something you’d like to discover. I can’t wait to discover what new poems poets will create.

PAD Challenge - Day 6

From Robert Lee Brewer:

New day, new city. We’ve made it to Austin–just in time to write a new poem. 

For today’s prompt, write a poem about a sound. The poem could be about a small sound, a loud sound, a happy sound, or a creepy sound. And yes, music sounds count as well.

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Note from Victoria: This prompt immediately brought too many songs to my mind. "... the sound of the men working on the chain gang." "the sound of silence." "stop children what's that sound?" Sometimes it's hard to sort out memory in order to create something new.

PAD Challenge - Day 5

From Robert Lee Brewer:

This is the 10th annual April Poem-A-Day Challenge. During the first one, Tammy and I had to hunt down (and pay for) Internet access in a “cyber cafe” (located in an arcade) to post the prompt and poem. Now, we’re in New Orleans (on our way to Austin for the Austin International Poetry Festival), and we have free wifi. We’ve come a long way since 2008. Now, let’s poem! 

 For today’s prompt, pick an element (like from the periodic table), make it the title of your poem (or part of the title), and then, write the poem. Anything goes from hydrogen to oganesson.

PAD Challenge - Day 4

From Robert Lee Brewer:

Today is our first Tuesday of the month. If this is your first poem-a-day rodeo, then I have a special treat for you today, because I do Two-for-Tuesday prompts for these challenges. You can write to one prompt; write to the other; or try to do both. Totally up to you.  

Here are the two prompts for today: 

• Write a beginning poem. And, of course, when something begins, it often signals something else ending. Soooo, the other prompt is to… 
• Write an ending poem. Poem about something ending.

PAD Challenge - Day 3

From Robert Lee Brewer:

I’ve found over the years that most people who can make it through three days have the stamina to keep poeming for 30. So let’s get through this together! For today’s prompt, take the phrase “(blank) of Love,” replace the blank with a word or phrase, make the new phrase the title of your poem, and then, write your poem. Possible titles could include: “Water Bottle of Love,” “Smart Phone of Love,” “Toothbrush of Love,” “Tweet of Love,” or any number of blanks of love. I actually kind of love this prompt and am surprised I’ve never done it before.

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Note from Victoria... Thanks, RLBrewer, now I have this song stuck in my head and the only phrase I can think of is "Pompatus of Love."

PAD Challenge - Day 2

From Robert Lee Brewer's PAD Challenge:

Okay, the first day is in the books, and it was a lot of fun. But we’ve got plenty of poeming left to go.For today’s prompt, write a “not today” poem. Maybe it’s normal to give in to outside pressures, but not today. Or maybe you’re usually very disciplined in your health and wellness habits, but not today. Or maybe you struggle to write poems, but not today.

PAD Challenge - Day 1

From Robert Lee Brewer:
"Let’s get this poeming party started.

For today’s prompt, write a reminiscing poem. In my mind, this means a poem that remembers something (a moment, a relationship, etc.). The poem could be kind of nostalgic or sharing lessons learned. But for those new to these challenges, you should know that I consider these prompts open to interpretation–so if you have another take, go for it."