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Poetry Friday: Spooktober

I've been immersed in poetry and verse in the past couple of weeks - first in a Novel in Verse virtual workshop led by the amazing Nikki Grimes and Padma Venkatraman, then in my own work as I dived in deep to apply all the insights and tips that I took away from that experience. 

Poems arrived in my inbox this week, via the Academy of American Poets newsletter featuring a selection of poems for Indigenous Peoples' Day. 

I particularly loved the poem by Rainy Dawn Ortiz that starts:

Something Else.
Some one else
Some where else

That place is here,
In my home,
We are here.

You can read the rest of the poem and learn more about the poet here. 

One of the things I love about being a part of Poetry Friday is the inspiration to play with different poetic forms. Thoughts about poetic forms were milling around in my mind when they bumped into Inktober, an annual event in which illustrators create a drawing each day during the month of October. Sparks flew and an idea was born. I searched online and found an Inktober prompt list that I liked, and resolved to have a spooky, poetic month that I'm calling Spooktober. I'm writing a poem a day, one for each of the prompts in my chosen Inktober list. 

A list of 31 creative prompts compiled by @dqykdesign, @laura.m.duimitriu, @adesignerlife_ The prompts are: Moth, pumpkin, ghost, skull, mask, tarot, cat, moon, galaxy, beetle, hat, wand, potion, spellbook, snake, crow, mouse, poison, wings, eyes, cauldron, witch/wizard, bat, demon, spell, elf, gravestone, owl, spider web, vampire, Halloween


I decided to use this as a chance to practice with a few specific poetic forms, so (almost) every poem I write for the prompts will either be a haiku, a senryu or a tanka. Each Friday during October, I'll share the poems I've written in the previous week. So, here are my poems for week one of Spooktober. I hope they give you some spooky fun!

Poem 1: Moth Night-navigator This is not the lunar light You seek. Porch light off. © 2021, Elisabeth Norton

Poem 2: Pumpkins October’s party dress: Bright orange polka dots On background of brown and green. © 2021, Elisabeth Norton

Poem 3: Ghost House to house they go Trick-or-treating in a row. Parent counts five heads Kelly, Yasmin, Derrick, Fred. Does anyone know that ghost? © 2021, Elisabeth Norton

Picture of a skeleton without a head. Poem 4: Skull “Don’t lose your head,” Everyone said. But I did! Have you seen my skull? © 2021, Elisabeth Norton

Picture of a friendly-looking one-eyed monster. Poem 5: Mask When others dress up My costume and mask come off. Halloween secret! © 2021, Elisabeth Norton

Picture of two ghosts holding trick or treat bags. Poem 6: Tarot We’re here to predict: If our future brings us treats, Yours is free of tricks! © 2021, Elisabeth Norton

Poem 7: Cat Slinking past bushes, Stalking, crouching, springing, pounce! One gold leaf, subdued. © 2021, Elisabeth Norton

Poem 8: Moon Waxing crescent glows Against the inky darkness, Smiles down on autumn. © 2021, Elisabeth Norton


Our host for Poetry Friday this week is Irene Latham over at Live Your Poem. Hop over to her corner of the internet for today's roundup of poetic goodness!

(all ilustrations from Pixabay. Licence Free for Commercial Use/No Attribution Required. Links to individual clipart: Skeleton Ghost Monster)

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Comments

  1. PattiBuffOctober 8, 2021 at 9:58 AM

    Love this, Elisabeth!

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    Replies
    1. ElisabethOctober 8, 2021 at 10:27 AM

      Thanks Patti! I'm having a lot of fun with these.

      Delete
  2. Linda MitchellOctober 8, 2021 at 11:26 AM

    Elizabeth, these are fantastic! How fun. What a way to bring some levity into the day. I love #3. Counting heads on Halloween is tricky when you have lots of kids. Made me laugh. I think you have a great collection started!

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    Replies
    1. ElisabethOctober 20, 2021 at 1:57 PM

      Thanks Linda! Some of the prompts are challenging but I'm having fun trying to figure out how to make them fun and kid-friendly.

      Delete
  3. Irene LathamOctober 8, 2021 at 4:14 PM

    Oh that smiling moon... wow, you're off to a great start for the month. Keep going, keep going!

    ReplyDelete
  4. jamaOctober 8, 2021 at 4:57 PM

    What fun, love all of these. Looking forward to more of your Spooktober shares. :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Janice ScullyOctober 8, 2021 at 5:13 PM

    These are lovely, Elizabeth! The Mask poem is funny. I think Haiku are perfect for Halloween, often spooky and illusive.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Linda BOctober 9, 2021 at 3:03 PM

    I love the feistiness of the Ortiz poem, Elisabeth, "We are something else"! And your 'spooktober' poems are awesome- those polka dot pumpkins, does anyone know that ghost?, and one gold leaf subdued - everyone packs a smile! Happy weekend!

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    1. ElisabethOctober 20, 2021 at 2:01 PM

      I liked that assertion of presence in the Ortiz poem as well. Thanks for the comments on the spooktober poems!

      Delete
  7. Heidi MordhorstOctober 9, 2021 at 4:23 PM

    Elisabeth, it looks like you have set yourself a serious challenge which is also very doable! I like number 5 the best, and I love the way you've formatted these. Are the illustrations your own? Very cute!

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    Replies
    1. ElisabethOctober 9, 2021 at 5:14 PM

      Thanks for your comments Heidi! I'm having fun with this even as I struggle to write the next poem :-D. The illustrations are from Pixabay (the credits are at the bottom of the post, including links to the pages for each). I thought they were a fun way to illustrate some of the poems.

      Delete
  8. RuthOctober 9, 2021 at 5:46 PM

    Thanks for all of this! I clicked through and read the rest of Rainy Dawn Ortiz's poem, and then enjoyed yours too!

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  9. Susan T.October 9, 2021 at 5:53 PM

    Those haiku are so much fun! Yay. The "porch light off" made me laugh.

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    1. ElisabethOctober 20, 2021 at 2:01 PM

      I'm glad you enjoyed them and that it gave you a laugh.

      Delete
  10. Mary LeeOctober 10, 2021 at 3:33 PM

    I love them all, but Mask made me laugh out loud!

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    Replies
    1. ElisabethOctober 20, 2021 at 2:02 PM

      I couldn't ask for a better result - thanks Mary Lee!

      Delete
  11. Carol VarsalonaOctober 11, 2021 at 5:11 AM

    I see that you are having so much fun with inktober prompts, Elisabeth. The last two resonate with me. Thanks for Ortiz's poem. It is such an important one for this holiday.
    "Native People,
    Indigenous to this land"

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ElisabethOctober 20, 2021 at 2:02 PM

      I agree Carol - I'm glad you enjoyed Ortiz's poem. Thanks for your comments about my poems as well.

      Delete
  12. Denise KrebsOctober 11, 2021 at 2:27 PM

    Elisabeth, I like your spooktober list you found, and the playful way you are engaging with the words. I love the pumpkin polka dots!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ElisabethOctober 20, 2021 at 2:03 PM

      Thanks! I'm having fun trying to come up with creative interpretations of the prompts.

      Delete
  13. Bridget MageeOctober 11, 2021 at 7:50 PM

    These are all fa-boo-lous, Elisabeth. I especially like Pumpkins...you squashed the party dress. ;)

    ReplyDelete

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