Monthly Archives: December 2009

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Thank You

Thank You

Since it is the close of another year, I thought I would post my thoughts today.

First of all, I want to say “thank you” to the readers of Raven’s Wing Poetry. Many of you who have visited RWP since its inception in 2008 have watched me emerge and grow as a poet. You have been honest with me about my work, and that honesty has helped me strive to write better and better. I have come a long way since the first poem on this blog, and I will continue to challenge myself and grow further as a poet with each new work that I write.
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New Year’s Day

Shotgun Blast by Shane Gorski
Shotgun Blast by Shane Gorski

This poem was written for Read Write Poem Prompt #107: Lighting the Way. We were given the above picture as a prompt for this week’s poem.

I have to apologize ahead of time: this poem is rather long. Also, I only wrote about the picture in the final part of the poem. But this poem was inspired by three things: 1) a poem I wrote back in 2008, “Modern Day Jeremiah in Six Sentences”; and two songs by U2, 2) “The Wanderer” and 3) “New Year’s Day” (hence the title of this poem). This poem takes off from and expands on the viewpoint of the speaker in the poem from 2008. I see this is a work about transformation, and appropriate, as we are about to embark on another year. What will we make of it?

Oh, and I hope you enjoy reading it.

– Nicole
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I. New Year’s Eve, daytime

I go out walking
under intersecting and parallel lines, messengers
carrying thunderbolt rivers through their black
and metal insides. Across these thin wire men,
a scattered army of sneaks join laced hands and
hang in pairs. These are the names of the dead in
black, white, and red sweatshop leather. Listen
in the wind, above the crack of bright blue cold in the
daylight, and you will hear them: Michael. Levon. Keisha.
Marcus. Darrell. Patricia. James. I look for ashes to write
my words, to wail angry scriptures in
charcoal rain over my head. God answers me instead with
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Poetry Super Highway Worldwide Open Reading: January 10, 2010

From PSH’s website:

“Worldwide Open Reading
Sunday, January 10 2010 @ 2:00 pm PDT/5:00 pm EDT
Call in and read your poetry, open mic style. No content or style restrictions. Share details about your local poetry community with our listeners. We want to hear you!

Our Live events are hosted through BlogTalk Radio and can be accessed during the event by visiting http://blogtalkradio.com/psh and clicking on the “Click to Listen” button.

You can listen to the shows through your web browser as well as call in and ask questions live through by dialing (646) 716-7362 during the live broadcast.”
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Literally, poets from all over the world have read on these broadcasts. You know yours truly will be dialing in and reading. I encourage any poet who wants to and who can read to join in!

To check out Poetry Super Highway or find out more, visit:

http://poetrysuperhighway.com/PoetLinks.html

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Ashes

Sylvia Plath
Sylvia Plath, courtesy of Wikipedia

NEW! You can listen to this poem on Podbean.

This was written for Read Write Poem Prompt #106: Repeat After Me.. Sylvia Plath was my inspiration for this poem, in which I chose to use one of Rethabile’s suggestions for this prompt, repeating an idea. Mine is almost a refrain I think, or variations on a theme. I hope you enjoy the read.

-Nicole

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It’s easy,
a burning half-morning light,
so faint that candles cannot even
make love with it lest they disturb the
shadow of amber that it drops onto the wall. And the
pen – there’s a certain rhythm to the
scribble and the scratch, the
hip-hop beat in ancient form
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Litany to a Melancholic

Wordle from Read Write Poem Prompt #105

This poem was written for Read Write Poem Prompt # 105: Borrowed Words.

NEW! You can listen to this poem on Podbean.

The words led me to write a poem involving one of my hometowns, Middletown, Ohio. One of my goals for 2010 is to finish a small book of poems about the small town, especially those that were formed and/or grew as the result of manufacturing plants. The poems strung together will tell the story of the town through the eyes of a few key characters. This poem will (hopefully) end up in that book.

So here you go. And as always, enjoy.

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Forget that the moon is sliced by the
violence of wire smiles that dangle from
pole to pole. I know you – you notice
these things. Like how
each telephone pole itself is a
victim of modern slaughter, their dead, polished wooden husks
standing on display like
conquered corpses to line this
backwoods Appian Way. Like how
the stalks of corn bend their backs in
submission to the wind and nod their spiked blond heads
towards the city – and you might think Continue reading →

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December Edition of Poetry Super Highway Wordwide Open Reading Online Now!

The December Edition of Poetry Super Highway Worldwide Open Reading is online now! I read my poem “I, Too, Say Amen” on the show, and other poets from Orange County, CA, Newark, NJ, Sioux St. Marie, Canada, Columbia, SC, New South Wales, Australia, Santa Monica, CA, Birmingham, AL and Saskatchewan, Canada read their pieces on the show.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/psh/2009/12/06/december-2009-worldwide-open-reading.

The next show is scheduled for Sunday, January 10, 2010 @ 2:00 PM Pacific/5:00 PM Eastern. For more information, see the PSH Live website.

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Rachel Reid Features at Writer’s Block First Draft, Friday, December 18, 2009

This month’s Writer’s Block is featuring Columbus poet and WB’s own Rachel Reid.

As First Draft host Joanna Schroeder puts it, Rachel “is a Cleveland native who attended her first poetry reading in 1997 and has been hooked ever since. After moving to Columbus in 2004, Rachel Reid became a regular at the Writers’ Block poetry night and has been known ever since as a local poet, salsa dancer, and crowd-pleasing emcee… When Rachel shares her work, the experience of listening is like watching a flock of white doves take flight – it is unexpected, entrancing, and unforgetable.”

Her feature, as always, will be followed by the traditional First Draft open mic.

For those not familiar with the night, First Draft is a poetry night where new poems and new poets are always welcome. Cover is $3 for the night. Come on out and share your *new* poetry — and be prepared for an awesome feature!

For more info about Writer’s Block’s First Draft Night, check out:

http://writersblockpoetry.rewritingovid.net/FirstDraftOpenMic.php

http://community.livejournal.com/wbpoetry

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