National Poetry Month: April 20, 2015

Today, I challenge to write a poem that states the things you know. For example, “The sky is blue” or “Pizza is my favorite food” or “The world’s smallest squid is Parateuthis tunicata. Each line can be a separate statement, or you can run them together. The things you “know,” of course, might be facts, or they might be a little bit more like beliefs. Hopefully, this prompt will let your poem be grounded in specific facts, while also providing room for more abstract themes and ideas.

Day 20:

What I know

Like trees,

we should root ourselves

into the earth, snuggling deep,

but not forgetting to reach

our limbs high into the air,

stepping on tiptoe if need be,

but stretching up, up

to reach clouds water-laden,

then cradling them

with abundant love

so rain washes down upon us,

wetting our hair and skin,

nourishing our bodies,

filling us

until that clean fire

comes to burn

us away to ash.