Tag Archives: ohio
Protected: NaPoWriMo Poem #11: Transition to Exit
Protected: NaPoWriMo Poem #10: Bones
NaPoWriMo Poem #9: Untitled Cleave, 4/14/10
| it’s the way | you blame me |
| your breath | like regret |
| smells like | broken whiskey and overdue bills |
| poor white trash | dropping from the smokestacks |
| that makes me suck in | draw in |
| mine | my belly like an empty church |
| Marlboro wind | full of the God that left us |
| magazine cowboys | that I still look for |
| I know that your arms | angels rescued from Greek tragedies |
| are made of barbed wire | Cassandra’s lips runneth over |
|
so that my fingers |
can give you apologies in unspent paychecks |
| can dance with pencils | burn everything that we’ve crucified |
| and charcoal | but they cannot make the magic |
| you tried to make this our home | that we so desperately need |
| I make mine | out of the imprint of your daddy’s shadow |
| inside sketch paper | and the shed skin of erasers |
| that is made out of mirrors | where his last name should be |
| the creek knows | you consult |
| that polluted goddess full of stink and junk | the Oracle of Steelville |
| she told me | to find |
| that there are steel screams | the crooked remains of a life gone to seed |
| rippling in sine waves | prayers |
| under your skin where | blueprints for our exodus |
| muscle should be | I look in the mirror |
| this is the poison | I see Agamemnon |
| fabulous and modern | as a woman |
| I’m sorry | I still smell the smoke in your hair |
| if you don’t like my mirror – I | build pyramids |
| just reflect | how the sun will never see |
| what’s around me | our escape |
Written 4/14/10
© 2010 Nicole Nicholson. All Rights Reserved.
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This poem, a cleave, was written for NaPoWriMo #14: You Want Me to Write a What? over at Read Write Poem. Yes, it’s my prompt. I figured it just wouldn’t be right if I didn’t write for it.
This is in the same vein of some small town poems I’ve already written, for example “Litany to a Melancholic” and “The Creek”. The speaker in “The Creek” is a teenaged girl growing up in a “white trash” area of the same town and is raised by a single mother. She has aspirations of being an artist, and is very talented at illustration. She appears again in this poem — she is speaking in the left hand poem, and her mother is speaking in the right hand poem.
I hope you enjoyed this poem (or shall we say, 3-in-1 poem).
-Nicole
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Stumble It!
Litany to a Melancholic
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
First Draft Poetry Night @ Writer’s Block, Saturday, November 15
Writer’s Block is holding its First Draft Poetry Night on Saturday, November 15 at 8:00 PM at Kafe Kerouac, 2250 N. High Street, Columbus, Ohio. Admission is $3. This is a night to read new poems only and is hosted by WB’s only Joanna Schroeder.
Joanna says that “instead of our usual feature, we are going to do a theme show for political poetry. If you have new work that you’ve written in the aftermath of the election, bring it on. If you have older work, bring it out and we can switch up readers to give it a new spin! It will be a red, white, and blue extravaganza – and will include new work sent across the ocean by WB ex-pat John Troyer.
We will also have the traditional First Draft Open Mic, where new poems and new poets are encouraged to hit the stage! Come early, as parking will be limited! See you there!”
Say That Again Poetry Night – Friday, November 14
Say That Again will be happening on Friday, November 14, 2008, 8:00 PM, at the Urban Spirit Coffee SHop, Ltd. in Columbus, OH.
Admission for the night is $8.00 and includes appetizers, a raffle ticket for some very exciting door prizes and great poetry.
The featured poet of this night is Miss Barbara Fant of Columbus (originally from Youngstown). According to Say That Again’s host, Kim Hight, Miss Fant “will leave you amazed!!” Poets are also encouraged to bring their best work out for open mic and merchandise if any to sell.
The doors open at 7:30pm. The Urban-Spirit Coffee Shop, ltd. will be open until 8pm for your perusal. You can find out more about the shop at www.Urban-Spirit.com
Urban Spirit Coffee Shop is located at 893 E. Long Street. You can find a map and directions here.
To see the hot card for the event, click on the pictures below:
Excalibur
This is a poem written off of another prompt on Scott Woods’ journal. Today’s prompt: write a poem that is a letter to an old teacher. Enjoy.
-Nicole
Dear Mr. Kinney: thank you for giving
me Excalibur – the knowledge of great words
and how to use them. You showed the living
soul of advanced vocabulary heard Continue reading
Columbus Arts Festival Poetry Slam
I am participating in the Columbus Arts Festival Poetry Slam on Saturday! The slam will be happening on Saturday, June 7, between 8:00 P.M. and 10:00 P.M. at the Poetry Corner, which is at the corner of Cleveland Avenue and Gay Street, right across the street from the Columbus College of Art and Design in downtown Columbus. Admission is free for the festival. So if you’re in Columbus, come out Saturday night and watch me get my slam on! And for that matter, come out for the poets at the Poetry Corner too (various performance times Friday, Saturday, and Sunday). It should prove to be an awesome weekend of poetry!
-Nicole
2008 Rust Belt Poetry Slam!
Reposted from my e-mail. – Nicole
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Next weekend is the 2008 Rust Belt Poetry Slam!
http://www.rustbeltpoetryslam.com
Here are…
Top Ten Reasons You Should Come To The 2008 Rust Belt Poetry Slam: Continue reading
Middletown, Ohio
It happened in Middletown.
It could happen in any steel mill town.
Strike.
Men and women
Strike,
And money flies out the window.
Honorable hands that did honorable work
Must find something else honorable
To do.
The town teeters on a paper’s edge
As a second wave sure thing -
ARMCO jobs, my man -
Is poised to be buried under a
Third wave tsunami
That could take out
A small town
Like Middletown.
Written 4/29/08
© 2008 Nicole Nicholson. All Rights Reserved.
An Open Mic Virgin No More!
In my introduction when I first started this blog, I said I would share the occasional personal experience or insight. In this vein, I will talk about my first open mic experience.
This past Wednesday, my fiance and I attended our first poetry open mic night. I’d had an idea to find open mic poetry events around Central Ohio, observe what goes on, and then when I felt a little less chicken, I would get up there and read myself. This one, courtesy of Writer’s Block Poetry, is held every Wednesday night at 8:00 PM at Kafe Kerouac in the Ohio State North Campus area in Columbus. Continue reading
