February Poetry Project: Week 4 Prompts
Hello, Poetry Friday friends.It's the last week of the February Poetry Project.I always have a mix of feelings as we head into the final days of this writing practice. If I've managed to draft a poem every day, there's a sense of accomplishment. There's the exhiliration of seeing the finish line ahead! But there's also a bit of sadness, knowing that our community of poets won't be meeting so frequently until February rolls around again.
Are you thinking, “What is this poetry project of which you speak, Laura?” Read about this year’s project here. And there is background on this project — now in its ninth year! — at this post.
2021 Theme: Bodies
Read more about this theme at my Week 1 project post here.Every day, a member of the project shares a prompt related to our theme. With their permission, I am posting those prompts here on my blog, for those who’d like to follow along with the project. Your daily task is to write a poem based on that day’s body-inspired prompt. The point of this exercise is to practice the habit of writing regularly, even if it’s just for one month.
For those of you following along, the last week’s prompts are in this post. Feel free to post your poetic responses in the comments.
Ready for the next set of prompts?
DAY 22: Monday, February 22, 2021Prompt by Diane Mayr (Share with permission)If we look at the body, we also have to look at the malfunctioning of it, and, efforts at remediation. I recently read an article that mentioned quack medicine and I went looking for a little history. I found this page, which includes scans of quack medicine ads and labels.I won't vouch for the accuracy of the written portion, but I found the ads and labels leading me off in a hundred different directions. It may provide you with poetry fodder. I hope so, but if not, with the US death toll reaching 500,000+, maybe it's time for a poem about vaccination.https://www.historyonthenet.com/.../8-quackery/index.html
DAY 23: Tuesday, February 23, 2021Prompt by Kathy MazurowskiSo far, we have had so many great prompts that have taken us places and back to memories. Today’s prompt is Procedural Memory. Maybe it could be riding a bike or tying your shoes. I was inspired by a new-for-me poetry book by Jane Yolen,Sister Fox’s Field Guide to the Writing Life. See the poem "Finger Memory."
Procedural memory is a form of long-term memory that enables people to learn and execute tasks. It has been described as a kind of implicit memory: Unlike when a person recalls facts or images, someone using procedural memory may not be consciously aware that it's being accessed.Check out this article about Procedural Memory.
DAY 24: Wednesday, February 24, 2021Prompt by Lisa Vihos (Shared with permission)Photo by Jimi Jo M. Friedman (Shared with permission)Today's prompt is inspired by an image called "Winged Woman," by a friend of mine, artist Jimi Jo M Friedman.Look for bodies (could be people, animals, mythical beings, or angels) in unexpected places in nature: in clouds, trees, water, flowers, rocks, mountains, valleys, hills, or....???Write a poem about what you find.
DAY 25: Thursday, February 25, 2021Prompt by Randi Sonenshine (Shared with permission)
There’s more to this photo than meets the eye!Octopuses (not octopi!) are the masters of camouflage, not only matching the color of their skin to their surroundings, but also the texture (like the one disguised as coral in the photo). Engineers have even developed 3-D technology for “soft robots” by studying this phenomenon.For your prompt today, perhaps think about the ways we try to blend in, or how we use our bodies for defense, or even about tricks of the eye. Maybe even think about other animal bodies that are unique, wacky, or extraordinary in some way.