National Poetry Writing Month Day 1

Create Art Podcast

What is National Poetry Writing Month?

Welcome, art enthusiasts and wordsmiths alike, to another episode of Create Art Podcast! We are diving headfirst into the enchanting world of poetry as we celebrate National Poetry Writing Month (NaPoWriMo). This annual event, which takes place every April, encourages poets and aspiring writers around the globe to embrace their creativity and commit to writing a poem each day for the entire month.

The Beauty of National Poetry Writing Month:

NaPoWriMo, similar to its prose-centric counterpart National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), celebrates the written word and the boundless creativity that can flow when one dedicates oneself to a daily practice. Poets of all levels of expertise are invited to take part, from seasoned wordsmiths to those just dipping their toes into the vast ocean of verse.

Create Art Podcast has always been a haven for artists to share their creative processes, and NaPoWriMo offers a unique opportunity for poets to reflect on their craft. With a daily commitment to producing poetry, participants discover new facets of their writing style, experiment with various forms, and explore uncharted emotional territories.

Prompt for today

Today, we’d like to challenge you to write – without consulting the book – a poem that recounts the plot, or some portion of the plot, of a novel that you remember having liked but that you haven’t read in a long time.

Poem for Today

Waking to a new life

1 April 24

Based on Metamorphosis from Franz Kafka

It was a day in June, 2014

I woke up bleary eyed on a couch

Much like other nights, but I heard some noises around me

Noises that weren’t the Redline El

Noises that weren’t police sirens

Noises that weren’t cars honking

An unknown body laid next to me

I heard their breathing

The snores seemed familiar from long ago

Like I had laid with this person before

But I didn’t know who it was

And I sprung up

Something inside me said there should be more sounds

The daylight had broken

The heat of the day started

And I was somewhere I didn’t remember

The air smelled different

There seemed to be more space

As my eyes grew accustomed to the dim light peeking through

I looked over the coffee table

And saw two babies

Gurgling, happy, warm and fed

Gently waking up, small yawns, gripping at invisible animals

The person beside me was a lover from the past

This wasn’t my studio on the north side of Chicago

But I didn’t know where I was

And a small cry broke the silence

And a cat strolled past casually, calmly

My instincts took over

And I walked to the baby crying

Hushed them, cuddled them

And my past lover quietly watched the baby and I

Her eyes piercing through the fog

And welcoming me back into the world

That we had created

The baby was tiny, fit on my forearm, needed a new diaper

And I took them over to the table

A table filled with diapers and wipes

And like an expert I quietly changed the child

And as I changed them, they grasped for my pinky

Enclosed their fist around it

And smiled a gas filled smile towards me

Switching out the soiled diaper for a new one

Wiping the genitals the right way

Cleaning this child and caring for them

Hearing the slight murmur of approval from my old lover

I got a bottle of milk from a fridge I had never opened

I was a father in that moment

And ever since

And when I go to sleep each night

I don’t fear the monsters that flooded my dreams from eons ago

I fear that this is the dream

And when I wake

I’ll be in that bedbug infested studio

Waking alone

Drinking coffee, smoking cigarettes, reluctantly doing my morning chores

And losing out on this dream from which I hope to never wake

Sign Up for the Create Art Podcast Newsletter

timothybrien.substack.com

Reach Out To The Podcast

To reach out to me, email [e-mail] I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let's start that conversation.

• Email: [e-mail]
• YouTube Channel: Create Art Podcast YT Channel
• IG: @createartpodcast
• Twitter: @createartpod

Special Message

If you have found value in this podcast, please share it with a friend as that is the best way to discover new podcasts. I want this to be a 5-star podcast in your eyes so let me know what you would like to see.

Speaking about sharing with a friend, check out my other podcast Find A Podcast About where I help you outsmart the algorithm and find your next binge-worthy podcast. You can find that podcast at findapodcastabout.xyz.

I am trying to utilize YouTube more, so make sure to check out my YouTube Channel to see me doing the episodes right in front of you.