Category: Prompts
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AprPAD Day 12 – A Haibun
12 April: The rain stopped about mid-morning. We jumped in the car for a drive. On a country road. On the South Downs near Beachy Head. Past the Jack and Jill windmills. Views straight toward France. The wind off the sea here strips the chalk hills bare, bald as a golf ball, except for…
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AprPAD Day 11
The Future is Sunny I’m geared for Thursday. Sunny, says the weatherman. Bright as primroses. Just get me past noon, I say. Past this dirge of rain that sops the bark on trees, and drips like a toddler’s nose. Sun at noon, beams the weatherman. What a joker, wearing sunglasses. I see that our…
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AprPAD Day 10
Viva la Vida He’s pointing across the street, leaving his forensics all over the windowpane that I cleaned until my shoulder disowned me. Up there. Can’t you see it? He’s jabbing at the window. Look, up on Bob’s roof. Right by the TV aerial. I should be able to see it, the trees are…
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AprPAD Day 8
Badder and Badder She drowned in a floral-scented bath, my broad-smiling, drunk auntie who loved to dance – her little feet were as light as popped corn, but my broad-smiling, drunk auntie was drawn to ugly old men with their callused-hand glances. The bad ones, she said, just get badder and badder. Note:…
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AprPAD Day 7
Internalising Even the sun shines blind. I live inside clouds, some days. Embrace the mist and blur, but you can shine in the dark if you stick to basics. Don’t overthink. I inhale the deep woods. Wild garlic. Pluck at a violin string. Try. Listen to your internal quiet. I can’t always take in…
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AprPAD Day 6.2
II. for NaPoWriMo “working with line breaks” Bread Knives Should Be Air-Dried I dried Mum’s old silver with the Moselle River. Dried her crystal with Chartres. The Loire Valley has a hole in it — my husband dried the bread knife with that one. I collect tea towels — dishtowels. From our holidays. I collect…
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AprPAD Day 6.1
I. for AprPAD “Food” and NaPoWriMo “A study in line breaks” Apple Take an apple eternal temptation of the human beast it strikes shame and melancholy Eat an apple and you’ll be hugging your privates it’ll send you off shopping for cover Here, have my apple painters bleed for them painters starve for a…
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AprPAD Day 5.1 NaPoWriMo
The Brugge Fish Market The poor arrive from evening mass, fluid as water, they pour into the market. It’s late doors, after hours, orders of the church, but not ’til 8:00. After the best is gone, perfection is sold. Atlantic. Baltic. Whole and fillets. Fish gone soft and eyes gone milk as the chipped…
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AprPAD Day 5
Platform Number 4 Legs crossed like the number 4, he reads a book, sets a backpack at his feet. Eats rolled lettuces that drip red sauce. Home is wherever he removes his shoes. Intelligent eyes, and a face like old lava. There are some people you just beg to know. It’s National Poetry Writing…
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AprPAD Day 4.1 Pantoum
A Case for Cake (a Pantoum) It was a party, after all, a clown, raspberries and noise. I can still taste the cake. I can still see the red balloons. A clown, raspberries and noise, and we ate on pink paper plates. I can still see the red balloons. The clown had flipflop feet.…
It's Still Life 