The Hero

The Slob is the form of our forlorn fate...
For he has been forged in the fires of favor
In the eyes of the fevered masses.
A wart is easier than a flower
To gaze at long, for there is no hope.
It is easier to give up, and not long...
To give into lascivious pleasure.
Does one need to be a millionaire?
Or can one be a simple Master
Smithing in iron and welds.
Making a Master's purse,
Modest, and nourishing?
Does great riches or great poverty
Follow from expertise?
Or can a middle class fortune arise?
For, it is either the slob,
Or the King, there is no middle...
No, that is what they have told us.

An Idea for a TV Show: The Day Keeps Repeating

You know, I thought long and hard about this scenario. I wouldn't commit any crime. Not because I wouldn't get away with it. But, because it's just not something I'd want to do. I mean, what can you do about this, though? You day trade a stock, it changes the whole market because you day traded that stock. The more complexity you add to that stock, the more unknowns you create. You bet on an app, then it changes minutely different sequences, and then it might influence a player to make a mistake to make you lose a future bet that day. How would you maximize your money? If, I found the stock was always the same, the players always scored the same touchdown, I'd make at least a couple thousand dollars, and buy a plane ticket every day, and travel all over the world. Meet a specific girl, and court her every day, and make her like a sort of wife, and just tell her the secret---that'd be my way of courting her---and we'd just go off and have a lot of fun. I'd travel all over the world with her, and if I were in a third world country, I wouldn't fear getting shot, because the most they could do was torture me for a few hours, and I'd be back living the next day. I'd also read a lot of books. Just, read books. No movies, just books. I'd memorize a lot of poetry, and historical events. And practice my keyboard. Days I feel like being antisocial, I'd just read a book. That'd be a good TV show. It'd have to be a TV show, the guy just lives the same day over and over again, and just goes all over the world, having mishaps, adventures, seeing the world, the first few episodes would be how he'd find a way to maximize $2.30 in his bank account, and get his girlfriend, but she'd be a regular. That'd also be a hook on the show, is the character wouldn't do anything unethical, within the bounds of what he already knew was going to happen. That'd kind of be the moral, is a discussion on ethics. How to live well, even though there are no consequences.

Hellbound Housewife. The Bible is Made Up Part 2 | Divine Inspiration is Ridiculous (+ General and Special Revelation). YouTube, 2026. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M90QpOLf5dA

General Revelation

The beauty of Sine and Cosine,
How it turns the angle,
Creates the curve, and founds
All our higher math...
How does this work,
Except there is a God?
Also, why does doing this,
Produce logic, that satisfies
Innumerable measurements?
Why does knowing a square,
Get us to understand exponents?
Understand this, and you understand,
The foundations of the universe are laid.
That is why, I see design,
And God's General Revelation.

Special Revelation

The peace of a Christian is beautiful,
They wander here and there,
Their civilization is one of peace,
And love, and property.
There is a chemical overflow
In them, produced by their Angels...
Niagra Falls swells in them,
So does the love of their mate.
So does a poem, or a movie
Or a song. There is something innocent
About Christians, that I impress upon you...
That is the special revelation.

Theories of Divine Inspiration

It is not that a Prophet heard word for word,
But that a Prophet saw.
And seeing men, in their tragic course,
Dishonor what is true and good,
They led themselves to calamity.
So, the prophet warned them,
Looking at Moses' Law,
Or Jesus', and formed an interpretation
Of where our present course of history was going.
And if the sinner does not turn back,
There it shall go... to where the stars and moon and sun go black.

Christianity is Man Made

Yes, Christianity is man made.
Men heard Christ, and interpreted Him.
Men wrote the Bible, based on what they saw.
Men Saw God in the wilderness with Moses.
Men Saw God's judgment when Babylon broke down the walls.
For, if it weren't man made, it would be without a witness...
We need to perceive God, for Him to be real.
Multiples of us, need to see Him,
And sense Him, and then we know...
Wisdom proceeds from its patterns.
And we tell others, "There is a God
"And seek Him, you shall find Him."
That is all the Bible is.

Christianity Does not Prove the Bible

Nay, Christianity does not prove much.
As Jesus said, "Let them be one,
"So the world may know."
Yet, we are not one. So the world cannot know.

The Bible Does not Prove Christianity

The Bible is proven from artefacts in Egypt,
And artefacts in Canaan, and artefacts
In Mesopotamia. It is proven from Witnesses,
To be confirmed as witness.
That is where the Bible cannot prove anything,
Save it witnessed God's Son, and God's Power,
And it did. And that is why the Bible does not prove anything,
Save that it is built on the first principles of witness.
On the testimony of Two or Three, His Law shall be established.

Answering an Atheist

So, the Bible is a document, that is a witness testimony of God’s interaction with the Hebrew People. Every chapter has some historical provenance—like artefacts that are talked about in Joshua or Kings, can be dug up in Israel. Same thing with the Gospel, it’s a corroborated Witness account. We know that through first century Church Fathers who accounted the chain of witness.

Is it inspired? Well, to put it bluntly, the Law in the Old Testament was given by God, to Moses. It was developed by Abraham, in Mesopotamia, went to Egypt, where from Egypt, they left and went into Canaan. And they established a Kingdom, called Israel. So, the Law is given, and it prophesied the Fall of Jerusalem, the Atonement of Christ—in Abraham, the Passover and also the Corban Law—and it told you the reason for this, was sin. If Israel sinned, these things would happen. So, the Prophets, knowing the Law, interpreted it, and made poetry, based on the punishments of the Law, and its interpretations as they witnessed Jerusalem being besieged by their enemies. Sometimes taking inspiration from the surrounding religions, sort of as an ancient apologetics. So, that’s really what the Bible is, is it takes the Law, and sees people are sinning, and interprets the punishments for those sins, in order to cause people to repent, and therefore not be punished.

So, the Bible is divinely inspired, it’s the rewards and punishments for living either Godly or Ungodly.

Stenographer. That’s true. A stenographer will account everything in a courtroom. Not just what people say. But, I’d say it’s not God’s voice they’re audibly hearing. Prophet means “Interpreter.” But, when Nebuchadnezzar was besieging Jerusalem, the Prophets wrote what they witnessed. And some of those prophecies, will come true in the Eschaton. Some of those prophecies were fulfilled by Alexander the Great and Cambyses II. God establishes the Word of His servant. Because the prophecy is a declaration of God’s Wrath on the world.

Well, -2 and 2 can both be answers for x. If there’s multiple dimensions to a problem, it can have multiple correct answers. “I say, and not God”, Paul also says “Let each be fully convinced.” Meaning, there’s multiple dimensions to the truth, what’s true for one person, isn’t always true for another. So long as it’s not sinful.

Actually, scripture is not incorrect. I’ve done a lot of research on this… every claim in the Bible is backed up by some archeology. The gospels are either directly from witnesses, or one person removed. So, you know… I wouldn’t believe if that weren’t true.

Biblical interpretation is easy. Once you know the story of the Prophets, it becomes very clear. It’s not hard to interpret, it’s just a lot of people use some form of bibliomancy to interpret it. And that’s just ignoring the very real thing it’s actually saying. It’s the same interpretation I’ve heard Catholics use, as Baptists and Presbyterians.

The Old Testament is God’s casebook. It’s the sentence, and the ordinance. The New Testament, is Jesus paying the price to get us off that punishment. So, they’re both divinely inspired. The one, is to reveal sin, and to tell you why and how it’s punished. The second is to tell you how you’re saved, and what to do now that you are.

The bible came from Christianity, and Christianity came from Christ. Therefore, the Bible came from Christ. Astute point of view. That’s actually why the Bible is so compelling, is it’s like a riddle. Buddha, Confucius, Pythagoras, Muhammad, they’re pretty straight forward. Jesus, and the Bible, it’s very dense, and you have to turn it in your mind and keep turning it. It never yields easy answers. That’s why I believe it. It’s just very tough, to get a straight, one dimensional answer on anything. Unlike everything else. If used right, it produces better understanding of how the world works and how to endure suffering, and be at peace.

I don’t think that’s the argument, though, for General Revelation. It’s something more along the lines, of we know right from wrong inherently, and we know when we study physics or algebra or something, there’s some design to the universe. I’ve had very in depth discussions with some very smart men about this… I have no idea how sine and cosine could work, if there wasn’t a God to make it work. Like, why does that work? You just see the interconnection of that—that’s the foundation of all higher math—and then how intricately everything else weaves together. It’s hard for me to say there’s no design. When I study the elements, by Euclid, I just see winks in there. That’s general revelation. Or, in the moral ground, how we all know we’d rather have joy, love and peace rather than sadness, hate and strife. It’s just how we’re wired. And God’s Being provides love, joy and peace, in His followers. It just follows them. That’s really the evidence in a nutshell. It’s obvious, and it makes atheism look foolish, when you look at what it presents as evidence, when its own philosophers debase reason, even nullifying all first principles. It’s so obvious that God is real, and the Moral Law of the Bible makes sense, when you understand why it is.

Walking Through a Fairy World

A fairy world alighted---
'tis in your very yard---
The hare, not a rabbit,
Stood up, when I called.
It listened, and its tiny ears
It wiggled its good nose.
'twas a beautiful thing
A truly beautiful thing
Now everyone shall know.

Then, upon the park,
The angle shade was there,
A caterpillar crawled,
And that I had to share.
An alien thing it seemed,
Just like the hare,
So different, and unique
Yet it is the way of wear.

Then the squirrel,
Was talking in the trees
It cried, how it cried
And my dad, like it disturbed me
Saw it for the first time
And it caused my dad to fear,
The squirrels cry from their knots
I have seen it twice a month for four years.

Then, alas, the climax of my walk,
Four mule deer, a herd
Crossed my leafy path.
My dad had looked for bluebirds
For I had seen them just that morn,
But, there, four females and a fawn
Rustled the leaves from eating corn.

It was like an ancient world,
So fairy and so fae,
It was beautiful, beautiful,
This walk I took today.

Thanks and Grace

Upon the trail,
The leaves are embers,
The walnuts and acorns fallen;
The leaves smell like bourbon,
And I thank You God,
For my life.

I am like heaven's journalist,
In my poverty,
A monk in a cloister,
And enjoying my rich foods...
I shall eat the finest of the grain and flour.

And here I tell of Antichrist,
A man as wise as Emerson on Montaigne,
As beautiful as James Dean and looks like 
Marcus Junius Brutus:
And like Julius Caesar, can forge Fortune;
He can pick the lock.
For in the German Fairy Tale,
A chest is searched for, then it is found, and a key is forged.

And I thank God, that in a chess match
He would flank me on my King's Side;
The battle would be fierce, 
Many casualties in the war.
And there, we'd draw in threefold repetition.
For that is all I could do.
To win, would give me the world
To lose, to be given to torments.

Thus, I thank the LORD,
For all his rich kindness toward me.
I have my faith, I have my friends and family,
I have my allies, I have my food and drink.
And, I have my work, this heavenly journalism
Telling of the Heavenly Politics of our day.

Prompts

Youngblood Poetry. 8 BEST POETRY WRITING EXERCISES!!!. YouTube, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Atzk6Gk6RpY

Books First and Last

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."
Said Moses as he transcribed Genesis from Sumerian texts
Handed down by his ancestors, Jacob, Abraham, and Isaac.
I wonder, as I often do, if there is a beginning or an end?
There is a beginning, but for a truly saved soul, there is no end.
Thus, for us, our end is this, as St. John wrote:
"The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen."

Stream of Consciousness

All love regret, forgive nothing in yourself but your love is eternal
Love saves all, regrets flee, everything is safe for one who believes.
Regret nothing, not at all,
Love the LORD your God and all will be His fault.

Poem in the Manner Of a Poet

Alas! "Murderer, Adulterer, Sabbath breaker
"Truce Breaker!" The mad Poet levied against my God.
"Did His people truly murder, or did He tell them not to use the sword?
"Did He make an adulterous live, or did He show mercy to us all?
"Did He break the Sabbath, or teach us to rest from our own good deeds?
"Did He bear false witness, or did He know that all day long His words would be twisted wrong?"

"Yet, you do know, the gods are our inventions?
"What we feel, is only what we make it.
"That is all the gods are," is what the mad poet said.
"An angel sits in every grotto, and at every lake,
"Yet, to worship them is dull.
"Men feel what is common, from a waterfall.
"Yet, when man cannot feel, and when the feelings dull,
"The angels, the angels, for a man, all have gone,"

"Do you know, that each man must create his own
"Faith to hold? Do you know? Or be enslaved by
"Another man?" said the mad poet.
"Know this, I am slave to sin, and all my load
"Is borne from having known where I have wounded.
"Like a Camel, like a Lion, like a Child,
"I have borne, I have torn, I have mourned.
"Yet, I have no system of which to make
"For I need the fires of other men...
"And one man, God-Man, Christ Jesus."

Haiku Stanza

I know now, that war
Is evil in all its forms.
Yet, war must be fought.

For, suffering would
Grow intense for all mankind
If war was abstained.

The child dashed to
Pieces by a bomb, or sword,
The woman thrust through

The old man shot dead
Or the men on battlefields
That is war. Let none

Delude you, or make
It glorious seem. War is
This, murder, plunder

Robbery, rape, death
The child, elderly, man
Woman, prophet, priest

Good, bad, and the gray;
All are slain on wartime's field
Cities starved, if they

Do not yield; water
Runs as blood; oceans swallow
Men, shipwrecks, gallows.

Therefore, do not war
Unless the child may be
Slain. Do not wage war.

5 Word Synonym Swap: Love, Truth, Good, Evil, God

We must desire our Creator more than our meat;
More than our fae feelings.
For, what is found in reason, is the substance of being
For all things must be either be, or not be.
There are pleasures in making others feel pleasure,
And there is pain in making others feel pain;
When you act in accordance with the most benefit
You make all around you feel more pleasure than pain:
Thus, what is in reason must become an existential awakening
To what is on the outside. Yet, no philosopher has ever
Transcended that bound, and have created internal worlds
Being their own creator... thus breaking all law.

Write an Ekphrasis Poem

A globe sits upon my desk;
The equator sticker pulled off.
There, old Russian Continents are found.
Old worlds on an old globe.
I imagine the Queen being angry
For damaging the sphere---
Who is the queen?
Merely the phantoms of my dreams.
And there, the cyan, tan, magenta, and sea green
Countries, with the crisp font,
And white oceans, the islands in the pacific,
The names I will never know the whole of:
And she said, "I will reveal the whole world to you"
As punishment for being a child.
Thus, she took my world away,
And cast me some place new.

Random Prompt

My brother, as we walked up the trail,
You inspire me, my brother, I am frail.
We walked through the trail
Over the pills and rocks...
Was it just that my authority was threatened?
Or was it a divine word from God?
Thus, was I paranoid? Or was I Just?
A conductor along a trail,
Yet Sirach says I was not.

Did I just divine, or did God cause the words to land?
No, there is no force over it,
It is just my word association, understand.
For, there in my head, the words fit to this song:
We all, we all, we all will do this
Therefore, do not move along.
No, I saw my foot was weakened,
On the way back my ankle nearly sprained:
I saw my body was frail,
I saw you my brother heaving,
I saw the there the lady, and hailed.
For, if you wished to go one way or the other
I, I would follow, for I am your favorite lover.
Family, thy truth in fortune might:
Do not divine, for the subconscious makes things right.
For words, they merely bring to mind
A thought or a prayer...
No, Sirach said, Sirach said, do not blaze the trail.
If the path is dangerous, if the body is weak:
Keep your eyes ever in front of you
And you shall have the chaff sifted from the wheat.

Store Product Persona

I am a red, Coca-Cola
Brandon is my holda,
I'm gonna get him drunk
Off my sweet liquid gum.
Oh, I'm so dangerous,
I'm the sweetest and not the safest;
Drink me with caution all
For a little soda is a good haul.
Drink a little sweet,
But not too much, for it's unique.
Pleasures in small quantities
Are not surfeiting you know?
So, drink a little soda, but not to excess glut.

Featured

Prompts (2027 Book Preview)

Danielle Langin. 8 super inspiring poetry prompts!!. YouTube, 2025. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UVLo6gD4sc

Common Activity

The Knight upon the board
Eyes the bishop.
Dark square bishop,
The Knight's L.
Warfare, white and black.
The priest preaches his homilies
Subtly reminding the King of why
He goes to war...
The Knight compassing him;
The Queen is a tyrant
Burning the pawns,
Thrusting them into combat.
En Passant, side swiped by the soldiers'
Blade, thrust forward,
The fortresses espied,
The king retreats to it.
My finger feels the glazed wood;
The smell of the woods from the box
Like pine. Warfare on an eight by eight
Board is acceptable to me.

Write From the Perspective of an Inanimate Object

Am I this Pinocchio doll,
With the shoe unglued,
Falling off my foot?
When will I become a real boy?
I sit on the shelf, and ponder:
I come from a collection of them;
Some large, some small.
My nose a wooden triangle---
Does it grow? I know not.
I wish I knew... for I am driven mad
By ignorance.

Write a Poem from the First and Last Line of a Poem

"My first thought was, he lied in every word,"
Said Childe Harold upon his exodus.
Down flew the warriors, the scorpions come!
The whole world heard the Trumpet sound.
There he was, and I am here, you are there,
You go around and round, and I remain idle.
I tried my best, but I saw him behest
And blew. "Childe Harold to the Dark Tower came."

Dialogue with Another Poem

Am I pinochio, or Childe Harold
Sitting upon the liar's chair...
Or am I valuable sitting here,
Or sitting there?
Am I crazy, or am I sound?
I know not, nor if I'm renown.
On and on we go,
The women talk of Michelangelo,---
Am I Prufrock, or am I Death,
Am I Smerdis, or am I a mess?
Or am I a humble poet wise
Who simply wrote his poesy wild?

Poem From the Future to the Future

"I know not what you do,
"Or who you are.
"Only that I regret you.
"I am poor,
"And filled with doubts.
"Why did you have to try to shout?
"I have painful silence in my breast:
"I lay in prison, and wish for death."

I say to you,
"My friend, if you are so cowardly,
"Suffer a little for your hourly
"Wage, which you have bought.
"You either don't give up, or have no love.
"Push a little further still,
"Fate is not real, and God may still heal."

Ten Words I Love

My Aegis is righteousness;
My mien is amorous love.
I need real freedom.
My friend is Jesus, and His forgiveness is good,

Word of the Day

Have---
Out of 1 million words
In the English Language,
This simple word
Was the one chosen by a random prompt.
Have---

I'll have you soon;
I hope.

Use Words that Have Opposite Meanings

Truncated is my expectations;
Enlarged is my desire.
Infinite are my loves;
Infinitesimal is my apathy.
Life is bitter;
Death is sweet.
War is peace;
Freedom is slavery.
Long live what is already dead.
American Aloha,
The 22nd Amendment allows a third term...
For Democracy Trumps a Constitution.

Creative Writing Club. List of Poetry Prompts. YouTube, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUPXf8JwsgU

Write a Poem About the Changing Seasons, and the Imagery they Invoke

Daffodils, Bluebells, Red Buds, Anemones, Mayapples, Geraniums
Such a season as this, sleepy trees make their buds and awaken.
Roses, Honeysuckle, Squash Flowers, Tiger Lilies, Chicories,
A beautiful warmth, is Summer, the trees green, oaks, maples, hickories.
Sunflowers, Holly Flowers, Aster Flowers, Hibiscus and then the Phlox finally wilt.
The trees are fire, the junipers and cedars have their berries and sprigs.
Holly Berries, Rose Hips, Bare Trees and Icy Lakes,
There is a cool in winter, the evergreens with white glaze.

Describe a surreal or imaginary place using surreal imagery: The Faerie Wedding

The napkins were velvet,
Bound by strings of pearls
With diamonds sparkling in gold inlay.
The plates porcelain and crystal with gold leaf.
The cutlery vermeil, and supped
On figs, and grapes, and strawberries,
Smoked Salmon and Salami.
Two Eagles, a mating pair
Flew over the feast,
And a mockingbird sung in a cedar.
The children wore their brooch in hair
With diamond crust; the maidens in their silk dress.
The Fairy King, jovial, alighted on every table
To light the incense and off he flew in his three piece suit.
The tea kettle a silver pot, with golden legs...
Ambrosia, nectar, fruits of life.
The fae people, when finished with their meal
Tossed their plates into pits,
Where there, a rainbow fire
Sparkled, and consumed.

Craft a Poem that Explores Love in All its Forms

I enter into you, and feel you.
You feel me inside.
We bear a child,
And we together raise her,
And give her happiness.
Then, when she is grown
We find each other's company
Happy, and are filled with joy.
Then, when one of us dies,
For we will grow old,
We have love enough for everyone we meet.

Write a Tribute to Someone Who has Deeply Influenced My Life

Mr. Neifert, you raised me.
I am bone of your bone, flesh of your flesh.
I have the teeth to prove it.
You kept me sheltered
So I could do something great.
Not so I could conquer worlds
But I conquered myself.

Create a Poem that Captures the Essence of a Favorite Childhood Memory

Pappy, and Grandma, at your house I am safe.
I swim in the shallow pool, I kick my legs:
I am Godzilla fighting a tugboat.
The army men get knocked into the water,
The rubber snake a sea monster
And the rubber shark, too.

Write a Poem About the Beauty of the Night Sky and the Stars

Spring there are no constellations.
David is hidden in the West.
The Triune has yet to appear.
The Virgin and Bear are hid.
Goliath is slain, he does not appear.
Just a void of newness.

Explore the Themes of Resilience and Overcoming Challenges in a Poem

Once upon a time, there was a boy who could imagine anything.
And set to proof, he imagined all he could, and thought,
"I know, I shall make imagination my job."
Thus, he used his imagination every day, all his life.
Yet, there were thieves, robbers, murderers, scounderals
Outlaws, sheriffs, kings, even some gods if you knew
Who were against him in all that he did.
Thus, they came to him, and started altering
His world, just to prevent him from attaining his goal.
They changed his books, they changed his nation's laws
They changed his religion, they even changed the color of his eyes
From blue to green one day---for when he was sad
His seas would turn green, and this was how it was.
Thus, they went to war, just so this boy would be oppressed;
For he could imagine anything, you know?
They were jealous of this ability.
Then, one day, a great army surrounded his city.
And the King of the Army came, with grand pomp and splendor
And said, "Let me see the prince who resides here.
"Let me see him, the one who has caused great calamity upon the Earth."
Thus, they took the boy from his house, and drug him into the streets.
The boy looked guilty in the eyes of all the men who surrounded him
And he finally met his day. Yet, the Boy smiled, and his eyes glistened.
They tortured him for thirty years, in the dungeons of their chambers.
He was sad, pained, in something like hell.
All because he could imagine anything.
And for eternity they tortured him in that dungeon it seemed.
Then they took him out, when he was old and gray
And his visage beautiful.
And they twisted his heart to such evil desires:
And he destroyed all he touched, for they poisoned him with hate.
All because he could imagine anything.
They wanted him to rule the world,
And be strong and a champion.
That they made him, turning his frail body into a chisel.
And he destroyed, from East to West, now the General
Leading the war.
Do you think this just?

Write a Poem Inspired By a Piece of Artwork or Photograph

Little girl, looking up at your grandpa,
As he reads Martyr's Mirror.
His old, Socrates like face,
Bald, and bearded, and gray;
Happy, little cherub look up,
Smartly framed by the book
And his right arm.
Just a cherub face,
So happy. Peace.

Describe a Journey of a River, from its Source to the Sea, using Personification

The great grasshopper dug, fluttering, making Otsego Lake
And there he drug his body down, where another great grasshopper
Dug, from Elmora. The two met in Sunbury,
The one a male and the other a female.
And there they nested and laid their eggs.
Only one egg survived and hatched, and thus, he also drug his body
Down to the Chesapeake Bay.
A mighty rain came, and filled it all up with water.
And it was called the River of the Muddy People since;
For people lived there, where the three great grasshoppers
Drug their bellies, and carved it out a mile wide;
And the people sloughed through the banks
To make pottery from the Red Clay.

Craft a Poem about the Power and Significance of Words and Language

Modern Mythographers doubt, why do there need to be gods?
Why can't the Greeks and East Indians be seen as fiction?
We have no soul, and no imagination.
Does there need to be belief, to make a mythology?
Or can we just freely create now?
Does every fancy need to become a religion?
Or can we simply live, and understand,
By the power of the tongue?
Know I am a Christian Man, and very European.
I know one myth to be true, but why can't the countless
Others be enjoyed? More importantly,
Why can't the true myths of the world be enjoyed, too?
Can we not understand, even without believing?
For so many believe, without understanding.

Charles R. Smith Jr.. 3 Quick Poetry Prompts. YouTube, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJa_abG6aRc

Objects in My Room

Sits, my famed hexagonal fish tank---
Famed? Is it famed? Someday soon, maybe.
The blue and salmon afghans knit by my Mimi.
The Chess Table, it sits within three borders
One with alternating slanted parallelograms
Carpented by a friend of the family, named Robert Haefer Sr.
The big purple vase sits, with plastic stems and flowers
An inheritance from my Nanny.
Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane hangs
With a palm leaf from palm sunday behind it;
An Old Family Heirloom handed down by my Nana.
Behind me, as I sit on my Olive Green La-Z-Boy
Rocking steadily and relaxed,
Are portraits, paintings and a needlepoint of Norman Rockwell
Knit by my Aunt Bob-Bob, from a Magazine.
Such is the wealth of the lower middle class in America.

A Lot of Alliteration

Tip to me the truth, and take my tantrum to task;
Too many trials have taken to my temples
And try to triturate the thronging thump
I tell you the truth... tell me the truth.
Too tall is the triumph, too tormented are my tongues
Of telling truth. Yet, tell truth, and take my toil
Truly,---treasures will start to trickle from towers of tales.

Color Swatches

The sable boy told his truth,
And took the greige sword
And slit the Chok, drawing dragon's blood
Ichor from its veins.
Ponceau rays flooded the sky
As the clouds, with streaks of gamboge
Lighting from the outline of the sun,
Broke, in that moment.
Lovat was the environs around the world
Until the clouds brake.
And then, all was bright again.

Lyric Lab Poetry. Poetry Prompts for Groups & Workshops. YouTube, 2025. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaLP62MoX_E

Write About Heartbreak, in Unconnected Verse

Failure, he is inferior in quality, but a much better person.
The girl of my dreams catches me urinating on the park path.
5,000,000 true words, 12,300 pages, nobody cares.
Spat in the mouth for caring too much---so I swallowed.
I did the right thing, but nobody applauded. Rather, they sighed.
People I knew for my entire life hate me now for what I did as a child.
Likewise, everyone loved me as a child---when I was cruel---but not now that I am better.
Anneken sat in prison for 50 years, her entire life burned. She was then drowned. She just had different beliefs.
A little dog that had 5 homes, when he wanted to go back to his best, he was told no.
A good woman in a retirement home, contracted MRSA and was thrust against the headboard as her socks were put on.
A good nation, under God, elected a tyrant.

Cento

The women come and go, talking of Michelangelo,
And I, I took the path less travelled.
Call me Ishmael,
"My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings
"Look on my mighty works and despair!"
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
Anneken was put in prison for 50 years, her property burned, and she was drowned.
Prufrock "I grow old ... I grow old ...
"I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled.
"We have lingered in the chambers of the sea
"By sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown
"Till human voices wake us, and we drown."

Call and Response

I cried to her,
"Who art thou, to call me?"
She responded,
"Thou art Romeo, and I thy Juliet:
"We danced the dance, and never met again.
"I take the High Road, and You Take the Low Road;
"In our dreams we met...
"Only in our dreams."

Emily Butler. How To Write a Poem (with prompts!). YouTube, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HE3mEValKIo

Interesting Fact

Sin, according to a clay tablet
Made during the reign of Nabonidus,
Was raised to the top of the pantheon.
To worship Sin, one must
Send their virgin daughters
To the Temple, to be deflowered.
Nobody liked this---
For as his name, "Sin"
It is abborant to humankind.
Thus, Cyrus used the distress
To subtly enter Babylon,
And slay the nobles.
As the Bible said He would,
200 years prior.

Concept + Setting

Bel stands in his place---
The beautiful virgin there
Bare chested, the foul man
Found her. He made love.
Daniel was repulsed,
And prayed to God.
Bel fell, and his priests
Were then discovered;
Those who ate the food
Offered to the idol.
There was no power.
It was all man.

Noun + Noun + Emotion

Daniel prayed in the house
Toward the East, where Zion
His Bride, awaited.
She was beautiful,
Tall, cherry hair,
Her mouth like apples.
He would never have her
In this world...
Thus, he awaited.

Use Words with Only the Verbs from a Poem

I spread my news,
And followed the Shepherd...
I a sheep---I asked
To go to pasture,
And the Shepherd will say,
"You have."

Habit Breaking

Two lizards were on a rug,
All they wanted was to have a hug...
One a girl, the other a boy
And then he climbed to have a hump.

Pocket of Poetry. Let's Write Poetry! // Poem Prompts & Exercises to Get You Writing. YouTube, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHmh2IVDflI

Write a Haiku

My dad sits in front
Of our fish tank. Wonder fills his
Brow. Innocent plaid.

Rhyme Scheme AABBC

Wooden cherries sit
Upon the tree's stick;
The samaras fall
And so 'tis autumn.
Leaves; walnuts ferment.

Write in Iambic Pentameter

The leaves will smell like musk of maiden's scent.
The road I walk, it seems as heaven sent.
The trees all have their leaves of fire-green.
I cheer at last when Sycamores are seen:
Their bark is white and gray, the fruit is barbed;
I walk on yonder path, and wander far.

The Smell of my First Heartbreak

A school cafeteria's medicinal odor
Was that day I lost my first.
Like being in the hospital wing
Where the cafeteria wafts of cheap food
Cooking, a thousand ways, unpleasant
Bland, but not too unpleasant.
Broccoli, bad pizza, stale desserts,
Jell-o, dull chocolates and fruit cups.
It was healthy though, the amputation
Of a possible gangrene, which could
Have rotted me away at my core.

Write About the Taste of a Childhood Memory

Blue Raspberry... Blueberry lollipops...
Jawbreakers, Baby Bottle Pops.
Giant Candy Canes, and Candy Cigarettes.
Jewelry Candy and my it was the best.
Pleasures all the time, and the taste of Lucky Charms;
Trix Cereal and Kix and also Captain Crunch I chomped.

Color of Someone I Know

When I think of myself, what color I am,
I think the Purple of a Rainbow,
And let all understand.
It is not gay, nor queer, nor any such thing.
It is just colors are my favorite sort of thing.
For it is a Promise to Noah and is from God,
I was destroyed only once, so one day will find love.

Oli Vine. Writing & Poetry Prompts for Beating Writers Block. YouTube, 2025. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHfH8SHymYA

How Do You Honor the Parts of Yourself that Might Need Tending

A melty cheeseburger,
A quart of Green Tea,
A Coca-Cola,
A 2005 Toyota Corolla,
Haddock cooked in lemon-wine butter sauce,
Steamed peas with salt and butter,
White rice,
Things to read, and stuff to do,
A Charcuterie Board with thirty hors d'oeuvres,
Scallops, Shrimp, Fried Rice, Beef, Chicken and Mixed Vegetables---
Enjoy life and be thankful.
For if depression wells in the body,
And you have done no wrong,
Say to God,"I am thankful you count me worthy to suffer."
For, that is the missing ingredient to life.
We are counted worthy to suffer.
Not all we suffer, is a test from God,
But is rather Sin in a fallen world.
On and one we go,
This neglected part of our religion---
The Monk feels painful depression,
He hallucinates Hellfire in his parish,
The objects move in his room,
He has intrusive thoughts,
He is poor and called insane.
All to suffer for the greater things:
The gold in heaven's courts.

Write a Letter to Someone Who Has Impacted Me Deeply

Dear,
Ms. K____

Thank you for the knowledge you gifted me
In my English class.
Every drop I have savored.
Yet, understand,
You demanded too much.
People have limits, understand...
I may have been a genius,
And you may have not understood me...
But I listened to every word you told me.
It is in my memory, and indelible.
Yet, when the car is lodged too close,
And there is nowhere to move,
Though you tell me, "Move"
Sometimes I must trust my better judgment.
For I am not a tightrope walker, understand?
I never could, and would lose my balance.

Use the Phrase "I Almost Forgot I Was Alive" and Reflect on an Experience

A cheddar cracker, it seems so obscure.
To eat it, seems so normal.
It seems so mundane.
Yet, to have pleasure while eating
Is a gift... it is unfair, American audience,
To take it without contemplation.
Be thankful for every moment,
For you almost forget that you are alive
While in your decadent prosperity.
Expectations, lead to poor decisions,
Which lead to expecting tomorrow
And not savoring today.
No... enjoy the moment now,
I must,
For I almost forget I am alive
When I take it for granted.
Every thing you have, is more than a gift.
Don't be so shallow to seek more---
Enjoy the quiet life you live.
A cheddar cracker, it is yours to eat in that moment,
And you might think, "Well I can have this any time?"
You can lose it so quickly, do you not understand?
Every moment is riddled with risks...
Every choice the same.
Be thankful every moment,
And it lifts the depression, and augments the mind,
And it makes everything good.

Write About Something You Lost and What You've Found in Its Place

I lost my youth, don't you know?
Where is it?
It is gone---
Traded for ancient wisdom that disappears.
It is a vapor, and dissipates.
What is known, is not found
Though you search for it.
It is gone...
Remember it therefore.
Keep track of the wisdom you have learned.
For if you lose the letters you cherished on the page,
Store them in your heart.

Imagine Your Heart is a House; What Does Each Room Hold?

Secret chambers of the soul:
My Bedroom is where I never grow old.
My Latrine the place I store my violent pains.
My Livingroom where I find love again.
My Kitchen where I make delights; thoughts which combine to form my sight.
My Basement where I store my fears.
My Hallways where I connect the years.

Describe a Sunset without Using the Words "Orange, Pink or Red"

Sun, descend in golden light,
Illumined like gold in a silver room.
The citrine orb falls, fiery and like an egg.
The robin's eggshell cracked,
The yolk turning amber, then carnelian,
The clay dirt, like martian soil,
Illumined like a male firefly.
The Green Grass pearlescent, both green and burgundy
The trees of autumn in October chill.

Write a Poem that Takes Place Entirely in a Dream

A blue apple upon a tree---
It tastes like nothing you'd ever seen.
Like an apple, but a little more tart,
Like a fig, but with a Honey Crisp heart.
Sweet, like a grape, but not quite so---
More like a cherry but don't you know?
Apple crumble in the mouth
The skin shooting juices, makes me shout:
It was the only happy dream,
That and when my loved ones visit me.
Dreams are vile, like a fruit of sin---
I'd rather never dream again.
For this one treasure I have stored,
There is pain, and violence, and sex much more.

Describe an Object in my Room/ Write a Love Letter from a Ghost

The moonlight looked like satin upon a marble plinth,
And there she lay, naked.
Yet, we decided not to move the carnal bounds.
Again, the moonlight hit the shades,
And I thought there she stood in her gown---
No, 'twas only a shirt of mine;
Yet it made my heart skip a valve.
Yet I could hear tinkle from behind:

"I the shade who haunts thy dreams,
"The one whom thou lay with carnally,
"Sing to you, to yield no praise,
"I thy great strife am ever vain;
"For you could have a real woman's breast
"But instead you have what is second best.
"It is I, the shade, in your dreamy mare,
"The one who haunts you and makes you scared.
"To be rid of me, you shan't one day...
"I thy giant soul, am the price you pay."

Imagine You're A Tree Silently Observing the World Around You

I am an Oak with an Ear---
Come tell me your secrets.
I listen, and shall never tell them to anyone.
Just tell me, I'll listen, so you can forget.
Just tell me.

Imagine You Could Taste Time

As a child, life tasted like Banana Candy.
As a youth, life tasted like mint leaf right off the stalk.
As a teenager, life tasted like McDonald's Cheeseburgers.
As a young adult, life tasted like Chili Con Carne.
As an middle aged adult, though, if I must say, life tastes like
Salted Roast Beef, with Carrots in Cinnamon Ginger Garlic Broth, and Sweet Rice Curry.

Write a Poem Only Using Questions

Why is there no moral truth?
Why is there not a God?
Why is math not real?
Why is humor offensive?
Why is there no being?
How can a boy become a girl?
Why are meat, bread and milk bad?
Why is all pleasure sinful?
Why don't people trust their spouses?
Why is faith a means to gaining riches?
Why is suffering considered punishment?
Why is every thought owned?
Why do democracies fail?
Why is the world rejoicing?

Write a Poem that Only Has Five Words Per Line and Fits on a Stick Not

Do I despair right now?
My body is in pain.
But my heart is satisfied.
I did not do wrong;
I only chased my goal.
Ought I suffer to survive?
No, I would rather die.

Write About Myself

I'm a 37 year old.
I live with my dad.
I have no job, beside writing.
I don't get paid.
But, I will have two and a third
Dollars in a week
Made from my books.
My body is pained.
And I must understand:
I suffer for doing what is right.

Write About Someone Else

She's 27 years old.
Lives with her mom.
Has no job, beside writing.
Doesn't get paid
But will have 5 dollars
In a week
Made from her books.
Her body is pained.
But, she must understand:
She suffers for doing what is right.

Write About Anything

A sugar sand does not sweeten
The coffee much---
One sand, for every sorrow
And the cup shall be sweeter than honey.
Drink a cup, and quaff it
The bitter is sweet.
Like chocolate is bitter
So is coffee,
The best tastes in life
Are salted, sweetened, and buttered bitters;
Eat a grain of sugar for every sorrow
The heart will be joyful.
Be happy in the bitter moments---
Have sands of sugar in those moments.
And you will be sweet;
That is all that matters.

Youngblood Poetry. 8 BEST POETRY WRITING EXERCISES!!!. YouTube, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Atzk6Gk6RpY

Books First and Last

Stream of Consciousness

Poem in the Manner Of a Poet

Alas! "Murderer, Adulterer, Sabbath breaker
"Truce Breaker!" The mad Poet levied against my God.
"Did His people truly murder, or did He tell them not to use the sword?
"Did He make an adulteress live, or did He show mercy to us all?
"Did He break the Sabbath, or teach us to rest from our own good deeds?
"Did He bear false witness, or did He know that all day long His words would be twisted wrong?"