Tag Archives: poetry

The 2024 24-hour Poetry Marathon

So, 20 minutes ago, I began the process of attempting my 7th 24-hour The Poetry Marathon.

It’s an annual event which attracts foolish or brave or whacky or focused or whatever poets from all over the world who commit to writing a poem an hour, one an hour, for 24 hours.

This, as I said, will be my 7th time doing this. Why subject myself? Because previous incarnations have produced some wonderful wonderful poems (several of which made it into my full length poetry collection published by Friendly Street Poets last year). Others have been published elsewhere & yet others from previous marathons are ready to go for the next potential collection.

That is my goal for today — to crank out another dozen or so good poems, 1 or 2 great ones & a few that could be improved with work to flesh out my next idea.

You’d think I’d be getting better at it, but, no. I feel the least prepared of any year so far. Sure I have some snacks, some healthy food, lots of coffee, a rough idea of the poems that I might like to write … but I’ve had a long long day today & no mid-afternoon nap & I’m worried I may not make it all the way through as previously.

This is just a wee note to remind myself that, it’s okay to call quits if I do not feel like I’ll make it. It’s JAG. Just. A. Game. A very fun challenging game, but still, just a game.

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As with previous years I’m only going to post excerpts of poems here so I can use them/submit them to those competitions/journals that count even personal webpages as PUBLISHED.

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(Hour 01) 10.30-11.30pm. TEXT PROMPT: Write a poem about a dream you had without ever indicating that it was a dream in the poem or title. 

 the last : endless : beach

the sun is setting : endlessly : i know it’s a setting sun : not a rising one : the same way i know : my soul : is slowly : drifting : into this mist : with every step : one drop : one step

*****

(Hour 02) 11.30-12.30am. TEXT PROMPT, Write a poem set in the past, that still incorporates modern technology in some capacity. For example you could write a poem set in Victorian times but with dating apps. 

time travelling while sitting still, scared

Rueben, the kids, the dog & I
huddlecrowd in the corner 
of an old slowtumbling down cottage
(it could almost be a cave)

*****

(Hour 03) 12.30-01.30am. TEXT PROMPT, write a poem that starts and ends with something someone else said, real or imagined. 

creed

we’ve still : got to live : capital L life : not merely survive : life is to be spent : not to be saved : no good trying to hide : amongst our own aloneness : we’ve got to stick to it : stick it up : them : us : ourselves :

*****

(Hour 04) 01.30-02.30am. TEXT PROMPT Write a poem using a one or two regional or personal references that only someone from your region or from your family might fully understand. Do not explain the reference within the poem.

my hat, it has three corners

when Rueben started 
very quietly, first humming, 
then outright singing
doing the actions as well

Mein Hut, der hat drei Ecken,
drei Ecken hat mein Hut.
Und hätt er nicht drei Ecken,
so wär’s auch nicht mein Hut.

*****

(Hour 05) 02.30-03.30am. COMBINED Image Prompts: [Hour 4: Bench covered in snow; Hour 5: Japanese auto-repair artwork]

dust-breaths 

want them out of there : straightaway : tell them : swallowing the dust : could be : really bad for their breathing : without telling them : what i think the dust : actually is

*****

(Hour 06) 03.30-04.30am. TEXT PROMPT, What if you reflections were real and you could enter them? Write a poem exploring some aspect of that idea.

beneath the reflection 

how they’ve turned 
from inveterate squealers
to silent film stars

testimony both to 
their terror of discovery 
& will to survive 

*****

(Hour 07) 04.30-05.30am. MUSIC PROMPT: Listen to this clip of The Swan performed by Yo-Yo Ma and Kathryn Stott and then write a poem. If you are not connecting to the music you could try writing a poem about a swan.

swan song

a sickly black swan
races across the water

in terrible slow motion
gradually gaining grace 
with each tiptoed tap

*****

(Hour 08) 05.30-06.30am. TEXT PROMPT: Every year involves at least one prompt that encourages poets to try to use a specific poetic form. This year write an acrostic poem. 

Bonus: poem presented in all its full-scale glory

DROPPED THE SKY 

Days pass 
Relentless
Overwhelming 
Paranoia
Pricks
Everyone’s 
Dreams

Technically 
Humanity
Exists still

So we
Keep on
Yanking chains

*****

(Hour 09) 06.30-07.30am. TEXT PROMPT: Think of a word you use a lot. Write a poem where at the very least every stanza begins with this word. There should be at least three stanzas, ideally more.

in water

water : tumblergrumbler : death ray deflector : magic marker : wonderdrug of the new millennium 

water : breathe of life : liquor of living : succour of nature : paramour of the planet : queen of quintessence

water : bane of bugs : enemy of invaders : preventer of pyschosis

*****

(Hour 10) 07.30-08.30am. TEXT PROMPT: Write a poem that contains fantasy elements.

Bonus: poem presented in all its full-scale glory

Rueben’s Big Plan

Stella has asked me if
— partly to distract me I think
partly cos she’s deeply concerned
at how little I’ve spoken since
Ryan & her rescued me —
I’ve had any good dreams lately.
I haven’t — but I tell her a fantasy
that’s been playing in my head:

Where I ride a pod like Ryan did
right back to the bug’s mother ship
work my way inside & figure out
how to reprogram every craft & send
them all back to their home system.
I’d follow on my star-powered sailing ship
right back down the warp tunnel
or multidimensional worm hole
that brought them so unwelcome here.
Before addressing their hive queens
or whatever & convince never to attack
another civilisation ever again.

Only when I finished my tall tale
did I realise I hadn’t mentioned
bringing mum (or any of the other
billions of sentient earth beings)
back to life & now I’m worried
Stella’s going to worry about just
what that says about me …

*****

(Hour 11) 08.30-09.30am. TEXT PROMPT: “Do you remember the first poem you ever wrote? Rewrite it with the knowledge, skills and perspective you have now.”

Konking two tasks with one stone here as every day for the past 2 months I’ve been creating a haiku-esque snapshot of the land around me. Today this tiny poem is gonna serve double duty.

16 June, haiku

rusty metal gate, leaning
morning mist veils the vineyard
— i drift beyond


Inspired by 2 lines of one of the earliest poems I remember writing.

“As I lean upon this gate
My mind sees things
Both small & great
Into mist disappearing”

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(Hour 12) 09.30-10.30am. TEXT PROMPT: Write a poem that uses at least five of the following ten words. You can choose all ten if you’d like: Wave : Sneakers : Yell : Stew : Linger : Ginkgo : Soft : Math : Sliver : Magazine

another argument i cannot hope to win

i.
Stella waves me over : what are you doing : this isn’t a safe place : to linger : we gotta go : shhh she tells me : even though : i was far from : yelling : we’ve got to take Ginkgo : what’s a ginkgo : she holds up : a silver name tag : GINKGO 

*****

(Hour 13) 10.30-11.30am. TEXT PROMPT: “Write a poem that makes generous use of any one of the following figures of speech: Hyperbole, Onomatopoeia or Oxymoron.”

Bonus: poem presented in all its full-scale glory

Address of the Bugs

Stella’s question from the other day
About dreams has had me wondering
Why did the bugs never address us
Like they always do in Hollywood movies
To keep my mind occupied as we walktrudge
I’ve begun writing my own
Address of the Bugs

Although this might surprise you
The silence of the universe is deafening
One variable however is constant
Our chaos is controlled
Our kindness, cruel
We do not arrive accidentally on purpose
It is fairly obvious, an open secret
Your species is going nowhere

Your only alternative
Only choice, only option
Is pretty ugly
You must disappear in a quiet roar
Your screams must be silent
You are as dead walking
Your absence from the galaxy
Will not be conspicuous
But a bittersweet loud whisper

*****

(Hour 14) 11.30am-12.30pm.  TEXT PROMPT: Write a poem about dancing.

lessons in dance

we promenade : circle left : then circle right : do-si-do again : we shoot the star : slip the clutch : box the gnat : spin the top : walk & dodge : slide thru : tag the line : scoot up & scoot back : making up silly little moves : until we’re all : just kinda standing still : in a group hug : which lasts a long time

til Jake says : I’m hungry : & we all laugh : & move on

*****

(Hour 15) 12.30pm-13.30pm. BOTH PROMPTS: Write a poem about satisfaction – it could be about the concept as a whole or a memory of that feeling + bare trees & silver skies

Bonus: poem presented in all its full-scale glory

success

silently we sail : at what feels like : supersonic speed : compared to our previous plodding pace : along the silverblack : highway : the only sound : the soft shiffle : of six soft tyres : shushing swiftly

at the moment : all five of us : are currently cycling : the ground is flat : the work easy : we feel free : fast : like birds on the breeze : beneath skeletal trees : devoid of leaves

& me : contentment : seeping from me : like honey

i don’t look at Stella : there : is : no : need

*****

(Hour 16) 13.30pm-14.30pm. VISUAL PROMPT: the prompts for Hour 16 pr do not really suit my project so I have gone back to the image from Hour 13. Stone circles.

claw circles

approaching : the creek : feels like invading : next door neighbour’s bedroom : see what seem to be : 3 foot prints : hoof prints : impressions

…

it takes a moment to process : but then : understanding

i might well be : the first human alive : to see the claw prints : of our intergalactic bug : exterminators

*****

(Hour 17) 14.30pm-15.30pm. TEXT PROMPT: Write a poem about a long walk.

Are you kidding me? My entire project is about a long walk. Hahaha. I’ll tweak it a little.

double trouble

i’m tired of walking, Katie complains
we’ve walked for weeks, Jake adds
it’s been about 3 hours
& we’ve carried you
for most of that
but i’ll ask Ryan & see
his response is : predictable
the more often we stop
the less fast we’ll get there

nevertheless we stopp
& almost immediately
those previously boneweary brats
begin a rather surreal game
of silent cat & mouse
which shouldn’t be possible
with just the two of them
yet somehow is & leaves me
confused whether to
laugh scream cry or join in

*****

(Hour 18) 15.30pm-16.30pm. TEXT PROMPT: Every year I challenge poets to write a poem about a subject most poets don’t write about. This year I’m asking for poems about kitchens.

quiet time

the little ones : are outside : running endless circles : after complaining of being tired : we’ve stopped : so they can rest : i almost shouted at them : to sit down : be still : & shut up : but managed to : get a grip on my crazy : before it escaped : the best way to control damage : is before anything : is broken

instead i said : gonna go see if i can scrounge some food : so : no kids in the kitchen : but can already tell : there’s nothing much here : to cook : which is fine : really : just need some quiet time : to think : perhaps to cry

when i notice : the calendar on the fridge : photo of a clown bike : 3 kooky clowns : all riding this dodgy bike : all facing different ways : which reminds me : of seeing a circus : once : where the whole troupe : piled on top : (well piled with precision) : onto one big bloke : acting as the bike-riding base : upon a super-strengthened bicycle : & suddenly : i am cooking something : even if we won’t be able to eat it

*****

(Hour 19) 16.30pm-17.30pm. TEXT PROMPT: Choose the title of a book you haven’t read (yet) as the title for a poem.

the motion of the body through space

i’m not a big believer : in fate : or at least : i didn’t think i was : until : part way through my pondering : & mental sketches : Stella bursts in : fit for a fight

says : we should stay here a few days : my look asks why : i think this place used to be a b’n’b : i’ve found a storage room : with lots of/ : sounds great : i say : cutting her off

before she can react to my rudeness : jump up : bustle outside : for while she was talking : i notice : on the floor : in the adjoining wet room : at least a dozen : boots & shoes : of very differing sizes

the kids don’t like walking : not even so much : don’t : as they’re small : little legged : they can’t : they tire : we can carry them : but then : we tire

their bodies don’t move : as easily as mine : through the space that surrounds them : even as mine : moves swiftly towards : a huge shed : with three large sliding doors

this is going to be a problem : given how far : we are supposed to be trying : to go

all doors are locked : but if this owner : was anything like my father : gaze around : there : in that seemingly : discarded rubber boo

keys : unlock : look in

maybe fate & i : are at last : becoming acquainted


title borrowed from Lionel Shriver

*****

(Hour 20) 17.30pm-18.30pm. VISUAL PROMPT: Write a poem about home, metaphorically, actually, or spiritually.

lights on

i.
this once rich earth
home to bustling
lifeforms of all kinds
big small ugly & us
                 long gone…

ii.
no longer have one
just empty buildings
where once we lived
all that made it home
                 long gone…

iii.
an idea of afterwards
a potential safeplace
on a hidden corner
of an unknown map
                 still there?

[just a quick simple one to enable me 40 minutes respite]

*****

(Hour 21) 18.30pm-19.30pm. TEXT PROMPT: Write a poem about love that is not romantic.

twinge

after 2 days : solid soldering : alone in the shed : mostly alone : (Rueben popped his head in unexpectedly once : & is now pledged to secrecy) : i return : knowing tomorrow : will be the day : of my great reveal : to see Jake : asleep like a lizard : on Stella’s lap : Rueben reading Katie a storybook : found in one of the many : upstairs bedrooms : the multiple pairs of boots : definitely : revelatory : & i feel a twinge : & a tingle : deep in my chest : i never thought i’d know again : after dad’s death

*****

(Hour 22) 19.30pm-20.30pm. TEXT PROMPT: Write a poem about fighting sleep.

lights off

far too many hours
spent fighting sleep

after Ryan revealed
his many-wheeled contraption

after all — why was i angry
it was indeed a clever fix

something we could all
play a part operating

able to carry food, supplies
tired kids, creature comforts

fast, non-mechanical
essentially silent & so

virtually undetectable
to the bugs’ sensor systems

decided far better to stop
fighting sleep now

so i have the energy
to fight Ryan tomorrow

— at least, for a little while

*****

(Hour 23) 20.30pm-21.30pm. TEXT PROMPT: Write a poem titled Tender, Tender.

Tender, ten der (vishes)

Softly my German godmother
whispers gently to me that
she will grant me twice-five wishes

Either that or a greek unit of soft religious
beggars will soon pay a visit to me
neither makes that much sense

& to be honest …i’m kinda too tired to care 🤩

*****

(Hour 24) 21.30pm-22.30pm. TEXT PROMPT: Write a poem about wishes.

the wish trap

right now — don’t want
to wish for anything

too much rides on it
too much — heartache

wishes are for softer times
when minds can — wander

ours need to be
— steel trap strong

just to — survive

Was gonna just write a soft little wishy washy wish poem (easy to do at the end of an exhausting day, but glad I didn’t). Finding the opposite way in [using one of my 2 main characters] created a darker more interesting poem I’m quite happy with as a starting point for future tweaking.

Day 30 — carbon footprints + footprints in clay

Always relieved when this month is over (I am pretty tired, pun intended, see below. It’s been hectic with extra commitments, several deadlines, & added responsibilities). That said, I’ve got a good swag of poems from the past 30 days (not all of them uploaded here). & I’m pleased with many of them. I really want to see if I can assemble a chapbook’s worth (at least) as writing about this topic feels like the most important thing to be talking about. I still have many poems titled, semi drafted, half-researched, a line or two of, the basic idea for, etc … & will continue to work on developing them & refining the ones I’ve got. 

Too often, I feel I’ve been bogged down in doom & gloom about the issue (which is partly what the inactivists want) so reading more optimistic books this year has been helpful.

This final one has been in my head a while (I always try & leave one I’ve thought about a lot till last so it’s not as exhausting) … this one was dictated as I drove to work this morning & I kinda like how it is in this rough state though it might get tweaked in future versions.

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prints & treads 

okay petrochemical fossil fuel industry : i’m happy to talk about my : personal carbon footprint. i’m happy to : recycle : eat no meat : drive less : take less/no overseas flights : plant more trees : & so on : but if you seriously think : the world is gonna be changed : by a few : well-meaning : people advocating : personal responsibility : while you roar round : the world : continuing to extract in ever desperate ventures : in ever destructive ways : & continue : operating : scot-free : continue : the same thing you’ve been doing : for the past hundred years : then you are deluded

yes : i’ll keep working on my personal footprint : because i know it’s the right thing : for me to do : (for me : others can make up their own minds) : but i’m gonna : keep talking to them about it : keep engaging : keep asking questions : but likewise i’m gonna nag away at : my politicians more : email policy makers : lobby shareholders : to divest : attend protests : & whatever else : feels necessary

but mostly : attacking you : you goddamm greedy heartless sons of bitches : to keep : calling you out : about hypocritically : trying to foist : guilt : & responsibility : back on us : the consumers of your pollution : when you cynically : shut down better : cheaper : cleaner alternatives : so you can : continue your : obscene exploitation : & challenging you : about your tread marks : at the cavalcade of tread marks : you cause : because otherwise : the thousands & thousands & thousands & thousands of treads : tracks : marks : & maulings : caused by : the tyres : powering your tiring old : business model : will obliterate : my tiny footprints : in a heart beat

*****

Day 30 — TIL i learnt about the first early human tracks discovered in North Africa

85 footprints

100,000 years ago
Late Pleistocene
last Ice Age

rounded heels
short toe marks
arched indentations

five adults & children 
walked a rocky shoreline 
Homo sapiens : modern humans

gathering food from the sea?
just passing through? 
fleeing trouble?

unlike me — their 
sea level rise still 
generations away

Day 29 — 6% deflection + water bombing

Today’s poem is a mixture of quotation, paraphrase, & commentary on something one inactivist denier actually said. Presumably, with a straight face. A straight cold callous inhuman face.

*****

wet feet

should the West Antarctic Ice Sheet actually do 
what the scientists threaten — & slip off into the sea  
— is it really be the end-of-the-world calamity they contend

even if the sea rose 6 metres — it would only reclaim 
about 42,000 square kilometres of coastline
where roughly about 400 million people currently live

that sounds quite a lot of people — but hardly 
all humanity — less than 6% of world population
which is to say — 94% of us need not fear — inundation 

after all — it’s simply an equivalent number of people 
to the entire population of the US & UK — combined
a mere drop in the ocean — you might wryly remark

*****

Day 30 — TIL i learnt we’re bombing the ocean

hot water

year after year 
we’re setting 
ocean heat records 

last year alone
they absorbed 
eight Hiroshima 

atomic bombs 
detonating 
every second 

of every day

— nearly seven
hundred
thousand
every day

— five million
a week

— a Quarter.
Of a. Billion.
Bomb’s. Worth.
Every. Year.

* 480 a minute / 28 800 an hour / 691 200 a day / 4 838 400 a week / 251 596 800 a year

Day 28 — hard to take it seriously + sand

Working on poems about each of the IPCC Assessment Reports as well as the various Protocols that have been signed. This shows how unserious some of these conversations really are. There was much discussion over a single sentence. The balance of evidence suggests human influence on global climate. The debate over this sentence lasted well over several hours & various alternatives were proposed. This poem is non-factual fly-on-the-wall dialogue of that event.

*****

IPCC Madrid 1995 — the Saudis take the piss

Saudi Arabia : I’m sorry, “balance of evidence” is far too strong.

Suggestion : “appreciable” 
Saudi Arabia : No.

Suggestion : “detectable” 
Saudi Arabia : No.

Suggestion : “measurable” 
Saudi Arabia : No.

Suggestion : “noticeable perceptible observable” 
Saudi Arabia : No. No. No. 

Suggestion : You sure you’re not just being difficult because your vast oil reserves are threatened by action on Climate Change. 
Saudi Arabia :

Suggestion : “quantifiable” 
Saudi Arabia : No.

pause

Suggestion : “unmistakable” 
Saudi Arabia : Now, you’re just mocking us.

UK delegate : “discernible”

spontaneous applause

Saudi Arabia : That will be acceptable.

“The balance of evidence suggests a discernible human influence on global climate.” 

FFS. Discernible has connotations of barely perceptible. Appreciable on the other hand is large or important enough to be noticed. 

And, this was for the summary. The bit the politicians & journalists read. Not the detailed stuff the scientists engaged in. 

And so, by relentless tiny paper cuts, the world burns.

*****

Day 28 — TIL about sand

a sandalous praxis

despite boasting the world’s largest driest sand desert
Saudi Arabia imports Aussie sand to fuel its construction craze 

— perhaps we should’ve sanctioned our sand sales
till the Saudi spokesman saw sense (by the sea shore)

Day 27 — soft denial + shrinking rivers

As I wrote yesterday, climate denial is growing more sophisticated as the science is becoming more & more accepted. Inactivists are changing their modus operandi from outright denial to more subtle tactics — downplaying — deflecting — dividing — delaying — & despair-mongering. The poem I was playing with yesterday has, as I predicted, fragmented into more manageable pieces. This poem is a result of that (& is the first in suite of poems about the above-mentioned topics).

The Poetic Factoid started with a fun pun (one of my favourites) but sadly went in a more sombre direction than I had intended following some research.

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the softening of denial

i.
even hard core : denial becomes unviable : when relentless evidence : piles up : of extreme weather events : daily impact them : via : headlines & news feeds : social media & tv screens : as well as real time : beyond the windows : in their : backyards & gardens : over the fence : down the road : next door : the next state : friends & family in other parts of the country : overseas : round the world : even the fates : of complete strangers : poorer : differently hued : cultured : begin : to impact 


*****

Day 27 — TIL about the shrinking Nile

more than an Egyptian river

60 feet 
60 feet every year 
so shrinks the delta shoreline  

50 percent
50 per cent over the current century
the standard deviation the flow likely to increase by

doubling the likelihood of flooding
doubling the likelihood of drought

increasing water scarcity
endangering food security

does that make it a zero-sum loss
or a double zero-sum gain

either way, won’t be long before we say
— De Nile was a river in Egypt 

Day 26 — deflecting the wind + the real threat to birds 

Ironically (cynically?) the more savvy climate deniers are changing their modus operandi moving from outright denial to more subtle tactics including — downplaying — deflecting — dividing — delaying — & despair-mongering. I’m working on a poem which attempts to address this, but it’s a challenging (& vast) topic so the poem may yet fragment into more manageable pieces.

That said, today’s poem explores an aspect of one popular type of deflection.

*****

birds of a feather deflect together 

Prominent deniers & numerous tear-jerking memes
express concern for the catastrophic killing fields
beneath the insidious weapons that are wind turbines.

Almost a billion birds are killed annually by these 
concrete & glass monsters/ I’m sorry I read that wrong
those numbers refer to buildings. Let me check the data: 

Ahhh here it is 175 million// Dammit that’s power lines. 
72 million// nope those are poisoned by misapplied pesticides. 
6.6 million perish by// hitting communications towers; 

Hang on, I’m surrounded by too many bits of paper.
The correct one is here somewhere — ahhh, almost 1 million birds 
die in// ah no, bugger, oil & gas industry fluid waste pits.

I’m sure I read it somewhere, just hang on please. Here it is.
Land-based wind turbines kill between 214,000 & 573,000 birds annually.
Not insignificant, but a small fraction compared with the estimated 

 1.4 billion to 3.7 billion bird deaths caused by pet cats
— & I don’t hear shrill claims to close the feline industry

*These numbers are taken from US statistics

*****

Day 26 — TI Reiterate the obvious

the true bird-killer

of course : the inconvenient reality is : climate change : global warming : is the absolute biggest threat : for hundreds of migratory bird species : devastating birds : from every habitat : many of which : are already stressed : by habitat loss : invasive species : & other environmental threats — this is already happening : & will only : continue : to exacerbate : as temps : rise

Day 25 — declaration & current live conflicts

How many Anzac Day poems can I write during NaPoWriMo? The theme of “climate change” overlayed on “Anzac Day” is challenging. I like the poem. It’s a first draft. My brain is pretty much fudge. 

And the Poetic Factoid poem that was gonna be wow-kapow! short & simple … has ballooned out of control & may now be the beginning of a suite of 28 poems. Though not tonight. 

*****

declaration

By continuing to megalomaniacally pursue 
corporate profit over planetary health 
fossil fuel companies have declared 
(& are continuing to declare)                    ! War !
with every new extreme extractive 
project they announce using
ever riskier technologies

They are declaring  ! War ! on the arctic 
on the Amazon, on Antartica too before long 
! War ! on far off out-of-the-way places
on our own backyards

! War ! on the oceans (in countless ways)
on freshwater supplies everywhere
rivers, groundwater, aquifers 
on our drinking water
on the atmosphere

! War ! 
on nature
on trees, forests, wetlands
on every living creature

on us

they have declared  !! WAR !! 

only we — refuse to admit — they have 

*****

Day 25 — TIL about the 28 LIVE conflicts in the world right now
(20 odd more than I presumed)

too many conflicts 

1. The Argument 
as we solemnly remember our participation 
in wars dating back 114 years plus
it’s probably productive to pause a moment
& realise there are currently 
28 live conflicts around the world
                                                         right now

some you will have heard of 
israel’s annexing of palestine perhaps
russia’s invasion of ukraine
syria, afghanistan, myanmar, iraq
et cetera et cetera et cetera 

my initial concept for this poem
was to write haiku length
potted histories of 5 or 6 
current conflicts in the world — this before
realising there were so so many

i mean i thought i was relatively 
up to date with what’s going on. 
i wasn’t. i would’ve score half. on a test.
maybe. but this poem is already too long
so instead all i’m going to do
is list all 28 conflicts. as they appear.
on the global conflict tracker website
& request you to take the time
to read each one. perhaps even
visit the site to learn more.  

(& keep your eyes out, for my
potted history suite, forthcoming)

2.
i. Americas
Criminal Violence in Mexico
Instability in the Northern Triangle
Instability in Haiti
Venezuela Crisis

ii. Asia
Instability in Afghanistan
Territorial Disputes in the South China Sea
North Korea Crisis
Instability in Pakistan
Conflict Between India and Pakistan
Confrontation Over Taiwan
Civil War in Myanmar

iii. Europe and Eurasia
War in Ukraine
Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict

iv. Middle East and North Africa
Conflict in Syria
Instability in Iraq
Instability in Lebanon
Conflict Between Turkey and Armed Kurdish Groups
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Civil Conflict in Libya
War in Yemen
Civil War in Sudan
Violent Extremism in the Sahel
Confrontation With Iran

v. Sub-Saharan Africa
Conflict in the Central African Republic
Conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Instability in South Sudan
Conflict With Al-Shabaab in Somalia
Conflict in Ethiopia

Day 24 — a scientist speaks + gargoyles respond

Irony aplenty in today’s topic as the poems take a decided shift (I think they’re going to anyway) away from what’s been before. You’ll understand why at the end of this poem …

*****

Runaway Gargoyle

There is : general scientific agreement : that the most : likely manner : in which mankind : is influencing the global climate : is through carbon dioxide release : from the burning of fossil fuels : there are : some : potentially catastrophic events : that must be considered : rainfall might get heavier : in some regions : other places might turn to desert : some countries : would have their : agricultural output : reduced : or destroyed : man has a window : before the need : for hard decisions : regarding changes : in energy strategies : become critical : once the effects are measurable : they might not be : reversible

so spake : highly respected : senior scientist : James F. Black : waaay back in the 70’s : (words his : formatting mine)

the twist in the tail : the kick in the pants : the punch in the gut : the knife in the heart : the stab in the back : the sell the whole damn world down the river just for greed’s & profits’ sake :

is that Black : was a lead scientist : for fossil fuel giant Exxon : but rather than : heeding its own scientists’ warnings : it : & every petrochemical company since : has waged the most aggressive : PR deny & deflect campaign : snow job : contesting the scientific evidence : using all their : (not inconsiderable) : wealth & power : to lobby : purchase politicians : stymy global protocols : & to block : absolutely anything : & everything : even to the point : of purchasing : green competitors & technologies : only to shut them down : repressing : every : single : thing : (i repeat trying not to get hysterical) : aimed at curbing : their carbon polluting : cash cow : which is slowly : (& more & more so : swiftly) : killing : our : only : home

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Day 24 — TIL about the original gargoyles

irony overload

knowing : what i know now : that fact that : exxonmobile’s original company : vacuum oil : used a gargoyle : as its logo : portrays : next : level : irony

given people : once believed : gargoyles protect : the buildings : they guard  — not pillage them : that they could : ward off evil spirits — not rape the planet & poison the air

some christian legends : state : gargoyles are : monsters : that attack people

& aside from keeping water : off of buildings : on churches : they supposedly : remind sinners : of the terror of evil : gargoyles : were meant to : shake you : quake you : make you : fear : hell & the devil

all of which : seem eminently reasonable : emotions to feel : about the richest : most immoral : entities : the world : has ever known

Day 23 — Marlowe MashUp + History

In the past week I’ve read the same poem in three different anthologies. It’s unusual for me to have read so many anthologies during NaPoWriMo (normally it might only be one or even none, I tend to prefer volumes by a single poet) but I’ve felt a stronger desire for variety this month — & anthologies definitely give you that. Except in regards to this poem. I took it as a sign. 

Today’s poem is a tweak on the Shakespeare focus I usually have on this day. It is a reworked version of Marlowe’s, The Passionate Shepherd to His Love. 

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The Passionate Capitalist to His Doom

Come frack with me and be my doom, 
And we will all the world’s riches groom, 
Those Valleys, groves, hills, and fields, 
Woods, or steepy mountain yields. 

And we will tear up every rock, 
Strip the Shepherd from his flock, 
Pump our waste into River waters 
& so Create infertility in our daughters.

Poison aquifers, ramp up your ire, 
Enable tap water to be lit on fire: 
And if these pursuits fill you not with gloom, 
Come frack with me, and cause our doom. 

Capitalist Bastards shall rip and plunder 
Turn the world utterly asunder: 
If these delights in thy mind do bloom, 
Then frack with me, and cause our doom.

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Day 23 – TIL  some things about Christopher Marlowe

Marlowe: A Potted History 

Marlowe’s nickname was Kit
& like a more modern KITT
was a Knight Rider who served 
as one of the Virgin Queen’s spies ;
a shadowy flight into the dangerous 
world of a man who did not exist.

Was once arrested for counterfeiting 
coins in Holland ; a crime punishable 
by death, but … nothing happened.

Some say : he should’ve been
executed for his terrible
translations of ancient verse
particularly Ovid’s book 
of love pomes , Amores.

Symbolically killed in 1593
cos Bill Shaxpere no longer 
had time to be both him
                                         & himself 

Day 22 — calefaction + comfort zones

Too often, my first drafts while researching topics are a bit heavy-handed, a bit dry. This one I like because it’s more ethereal. More elegant. I probably shouldn’t post it in its entirety. But I must: I like it. And the Poetic Factoid is just fun.

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The Horse-Powered Apocalypse 

She doesn’t rustle branches.
Hair doesn’t ruffle.
She doesn’t arch up like a wave.
Earth doesn’t tremble.

She is subtle, predatory.
Something almost unholy.
She sneaks, thief-like
but ends by committing assault.

She is vital, active, brutal.
Kills more every year than guns.
Yet we rarely consider her.
We scoff at and scorn her.

She is extreme. She is coming
Correction.       She.   Is.   Here.

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Day 22 — TIL about comfort zones

rift valley thermostat

as a general rule
our genes love heat
preferring desert 
island paradises
to ice-covered 
coldilocks zones

the majority of times 
when we can choose 
how our air is conditioned 
preferred temperature 
is a low humidity 22°c

a combination 
that closely resembles
humanity’s east 
african birthplace 
where we first walked 
hundreds of thousands 
of years ago