Podcasts about my history

In this podcast episode, the speaker shares his personal journey of quitting THC, explaining his reasons, the gradual process over several years, and the impacts on his life. He recounts his history with THC, from early recreational use to daily dependence for sleep aid during medical school and residency. The speaker emphasizes that he does not oppose cannabis, recognizing its medicinal value, but wanted to overcome his dependency. He details his method of reducing THC use through vaping and CBD alternatives, ultimately leading to his last use in January 2025. Alongside his personal story, he discusses the benefits and potential negative impacts of THC and other cannabinoids, offering insights into who might consider quitting and why.   Cannabis, THC & Quitting Cannabis (Marijuana) — NIDA overview: https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/cannabis-marijuana Cannabis Use Disorder — NCBI Bookshelf (StatPearls): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK538131/   Sleep, REM & Withdrawal Cannabis and sleep architecture — systematic review (PubMed): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40967124/ Effects of cannabinoids on sleep — review (PMC): https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8116407/   Non-Intoxicating Cannabinoids Mentioned CBD + anxiety — systematic review (PMC): https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11595441/   CBG — acute effects + cognition (PMC): https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11246434/ THCV — overview/commentary (PubMed): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33526143/ CBC — therapeutic potential review (PMC): https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11493452/   Potency: Concentrates Marijuana Concentrates — NIDA DrugFacts PDF: https://nida.nih.gov/sites/default/files/df-marijuana-concentrates.pdf   Supplements Mentioned Omega-3 Fatty Acids — NIH ODS (Consumer): https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Omega3FattyAcids-Consumer/ Vitamin D — NIH ODS (Consumer): https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-Consumer/   Show Notes 00:00 Introduction: Why I Quit THC 02:18 My History with THC 06:10 Transition to Medical Use 13:53 The Quitting Process 20:11 Benefits and Challenges of Quitting 25:07 Thoughts on THC and Other Cannabinoids 33:25 Conclusion and Final Thoughts   The Hart2Heart podcast is hosted by family physician Dr. Michael Hart, who is dedicated to cutting through the noise and uncovering the most effective strategies for optimizing health, longevity, and peak performance. This podcast dives deep into evidence-based approaches to hormone balance, peptides, sleep optimization, nutrition, psychedelics, supplements, exercise protocols, leveraging sunlight, and de-prescribing pharmaceuticals — using medications only when absolutely necessary. Beyond health science, we explore the intersection of public health and politics, exposing how policy decisions shape our health landscape and what actionable steps people can take to reclaim control over their well-being. Guests range from out-of-the-box thinking physicians such as Dr. Casey Means (author of "Good Energy") and Dr. Roger Sehult (Medcram lectures) to public health experts such as Dr. Jay Bhattacharya (Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Dr. Marty Mckary  (Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and high-profile names such as  Zuby and Mark Sisson (Primal Blueprint and Primal Kitchen). If you're ready to take control of your health and performance, this podcast is for you.We cut through the jargon and deliver practical, no-BS advice that you can implement in your daily life, empowering you to make positive changes for your well-being.   Connect with Dr. Mike Hart Instagram: @drmikehart Twitter: @drmikehart Facebook: @drmikehart  

In this podcast episode, we call out a dishonest company called Winx Wheels, which continues to deceive riders and violate the biker code by stealing content from creators like myself and others.  I have retained evidence and proof in the form of video ads they've run and email communications I've had with them. Who is Winx Wheels? Winx Wheels is aggressively pushing cheap bicycle and motorcycle products through social media ads. You've probably seen them pop up in your Facebook or Instagram feed. They claim to be a company that supports the motorcycle community—but their actions say otherwise. SUPPORT US AND SHOP IN THE OFFICIAL LAW ABIDING BIKER STORE Here's what makes them dishonest: They hide their true identity.  No legit address. No real names. No transparency. They've repeatedly stolen intellectual property.  Including copyrighted segments of my YouTube videos, without permission. They fake legitimacy. Their website shows they're “featured” on unknown publications—one of which is a bicycle company in Canada and another from the UK no one's heard of. My History with Winx Wheels It started in 2022… That's when they first ripped segments from one of my YouTube videos to promote their own products. I found out through you—our amazing biker community. Several of you reached out with links to their ads. Big thanks to all of you who took the time to alert me! I issued a cease and desist, and they removed posted video ad before I had to take legal actions.. But unfortunately, they've continued to do it again… and again. It's like telling your kid not to do something, and they just keep doing it with empty apologies. CHECK OUT OUR HUNDREDS OF FREE HELPFUL VIDEOS ON OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL AND SUBSCRIBE! The Latest Violation (And Why I'm Speaking Out Now) Once again, thanks to the biker community, I was alerted to a recent Facebook ad from Winx Wheels where they blatantly stole my IP. They took clips from one of my Butt Buffer seat cushion review videos (a product we proudly carry in the Law Abiding Biker Store) and twisted the content to promote their cheap knockoff padded shorts. What they did: Used my face, voice, and riding footage from the Law Abiding Biker™ YouTube channel. Added their own Winx Wheels watermark on MY video content. Took my statements out of context to make it look like I was endorsing their product. This is a serious violation of copyright laws. I've turned the matter over to my attorney and have officially notified Winkx Wheels that I would be exposing their unethical tactics publicly. NEW FREE VIDEO RELEASED:

Join Dr. Clancy  and Mary Kay Kusner, as they discuss guidance for clinicians with their patients on the benefits of doulas for end-of-life.  CME Credit Available:  https://uiowa.cloud-cme.com/course/courseoverview?P=0&EID=74698  Host: Gerard Clancy, MD Senior Associate Dean for External Affairs Professor of Psychiatry and Emergency Medicine University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine Guest: Mary Kay Kusner, MA, RCWP Pastor, Certified Death Doula Financial Disclosures:  Dr. Gerard Clancy, his guests, and the members of the Rounding@IOWA planning committee have disclosed no relevant financial relationships . Nurse: The University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine designates this activity for a maximum of 0.75 ANCC contact hour. Physician: The University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine designates this enduring material for a maximum of 0.75 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditTM. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. Other Health Care Providers: A certificate of completion will be available after successful completion of the course. (It is the responsibility of licensees to determine if this continuing education activity meets the requirements of their professional licensure board.) References/Resources:  Si Qi Yoong, (2022) Death doulas as supportive companions in end-of-life care: A scoping review, Palliative Medicine, Volume 36, Issue 5, https://doi.org/10.1177/02692163221080659 (2022) Are Death Doula Trainings Substantial Enough? https://deathgriefandbelief.com/death-doula-training-programs/2022 Iani L, De Vincenzo F, Maruelli A, Chochinov HM, Ragghianti M, Durante S and Lombardo L (2020) Dignity Therapy Helps Terminally Ill Patients Maintain a Sense of Peace: Early Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial, Frontiers in Psychology, Volume 11 https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01468 Rawlings, Tieman, Miller-Lewis, Swetenham (2019) What role do Death Doulas play in end-of-life care? A systematic review, Health and Social Care in the Community, Vol 27, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.12660 (2023) A Brief But Spectacular take on living like we're dying, PBS NewsHour https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pw8ibvPM6kI (2017) Being Mortal, Frontline, PBS https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/documentary/being-mortal/ (2016) AARP: Checklist for My Family: A Guide to My History, Financial Plans, and Final Wishes, Second Edition https://www.aarp.org/entertainment/books/bookstore/home-family-caregiving/info-2016/checklist-for-my-family.html

Every day you are writing your story. Every situation, every decision, is adding a sentence, a page, or a chapter to the book of your life. In this message, Everyone has made a mess of their lives at some point or another. But God doesn't waste pain. If you'll surrender your story to Him, He'll turn your scars into sermons. He'll turn your breakdowns into breakthroughs. Pastor Jamie Nunnally shares how your mess can become your message. 1. Your story is history.Guilt says "what I did was bad." Shame says "who I am is bad." But God says "What I did and who I am has made you brand new."Christian, God has not only forgiven, but forgotten your sin.Isaiah 43:25 NLT To blot or wipe out in Hebrew is to "obliterate or exterminate."The blood of Jesus isn't just white-out that covers your sin—it's an eraser that completely removes it. 1 John 1:9 Honesty with God is the first step to healing from God. Shame grows in the dark, so bring it out into the light. Admit it, quit it, forget it. 2. Your story is His story.When talking about your past, your pain is not the headline—His power is.Romans 8:28 Don't glorify your pain; glorify God through your pain. 3. Your story is ministry.Your past can help someone's future. Ministry isn't just what happens on a stage at church; it's what happens when you sit with someone in the middle of their storm.2 Corinthians 1:3-4The ministry you're called to often comes from the mess you went through.The most powerful ministry tool you have is probably not your preaching, but your past. 4. Your story is prophecy.The Bible says God is no respecter of persons, so when you share what God has done for you, you are prophesying what He will do for someone else.2 Corinthians 1:10 NIV On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver usIf He did it before, He'll do it again!Your testimony is God's promise for someone else's problem. When you testify, you prophesy! 5. Your story is victory.Revelation 12:11 NKJVYou get to help God defeat His enemy with your testimony. 6. Your story is a journey.Your story isn't over—its still happening. 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 NLTWhen we stop short of finishing the story, we come away with the wrong conclusion. Don't write someone off while God is still writing their story. The very thing you think disqualifies you—your brokenness, your past, your mess—is the very thing God can use to bring beauty and healing to others. It's time to stop hiding the chapters of your life that you hate, and start letting God use them. Someone's healing is on the other side of your honesty. Let Him turn your mess into your message. Have your surrendered your story to the Lord?

Alicia explores the completely revamped ProAdvisor Academy, breaking down the new certification paths, training modules, and enhanced features available to QuickBooks ProAdvisors. She provides a detailed walkthrough of the six available certifications, including the new Intuit Bookkeeping certification, and explains how the point system ties into ProAdvisor benefits like premium support and third-party discounts. The episode offers valuable insights into test-taking strategies, certification requirements, and how to leverage the new Learn section to fill knowledge gaps without pursuing full certification.SponsorsCoefficient - https://uqb.promo/coefficient MediaBooks - https://uqb.promo/mediabooksRedmond Academy - https://uqb.promo/redmond(00:00) - Welcome to the Unofficial QuickBooks Accountants Podcast (01:01) - Accessing ProAdvisor Academy (01:45) - ProAdvisor Academy Overview (02:33) - Foundation Certifications (03:41) - Intuit Bookkeeping Certification (10:32) - Certification Levels 1 and 2 (20:17) - Desktop Certification (22:06) - ProAdvisor Academy Learn Section (22:53) - My History and Badges (29:31) - Conclusion and Final Thoughts Send your Questions/Comments (we could read/answer them on air) ask@uqapodcast.comLinks/Apps Mentioned in this episode:ProAdvisor Academy: https://www.firmofthefuture.com/quickbooks-proadvisor/exploring-the-new-quickbooks-proadvisor-academy/Insightful Accountant deep dive article: https://insightfulaccountant.com/in-the-news/people-and-business/exploring-the-new-quickbooks-proadvisor-academy-certification-and-training-reinvented/Free virtual conference to prepare for QuickBooks Online Certification Level 1 in December: https://proadvisor.training.intuit.com/dec2024vcon/Alicia's QBO Advanced class on Nov 26, http://royl.ws/QBO-Advanced?affiliate=5393907Sign up to Earmark to earn free CPE for listening to this podcasthttps://www.earmark.app/onboarding

Content warning: child sexual assault, child rape, statutory rape, incest, sexual abuse, cultic abuse, religious abuse, narcissistic abuse, assault, physical, emotional, mental, and financial abuse. Jessica Willis-Fisher is a singer-songwriter living in Nashville, Tennessee. Her childhood as the eldest of twelve siblings and member of a family band was marked by great tumult and abuse, despite spending several years in the public eye. Jessica would eventually free herself and deal with all that came next: coming to terms with her abuse, navigating the media, working to see her abuser imprisoned, and healing from the harm. The Broken Cycle Media has immense gratitude for Jessica's time, energy, and all the awareness she is bringing with this conversation to intrafamilial abuse. Jessica's website: https://jessicawillisfisher.com/ Jessica's song, “My History:” https://jessicawillisfisher.com/brand-new-day-lp/ Unspeakable: Surviving My Childhood and Finding My Voice - https://jessicawillisfisher.com/book/ A Little Bit Culty feat. Jessica: https://alittlebitculty.com/episode/behind-the-reality-jessica-willis-fisher-on-her-childhood-abuse For more resources and a list of related non-profit organizations, please visit http://www.somethingwaswrong.com/resources Sources: Fisher, Jessica Willis. “My History.” Brand New Day LP, Bard Craft Records, 2022, Track 6. https://jessicawillisfisher.com/brand-new-day-lp/ Baker, K. C. (2017, July 11). Former TLC Star Toby Willis Pleads Guilty to Child Rape and Receives 40-Year Sentence. People Magazine. https://people.com/crime/tlc-toby-willis-guilty-plea-child-rape/ 

Want to know more about mortgages and how to hack the system? Here are my Top 10 Tips! 00:00 – Intro 00:30 – My History with Mortgages 08:31 – My Top Ten Tips For Mortgage Success 09:43 – #1 Mortgage Size 10:22 – #2 Get Rid of it Before Retirement 11:59 – #3 Understand Your Down-Payment 15:54 – #4 Credit Score 17:33 – #5 Avoid ARMs  18:59 – #6 Recoup Closing Costs 19:52 – #7 Keep Equity as Equity 21:03 – #8 Refinance When it Makes Sense 25:51 – #9 Automate Extra Payments 27:04 – #10 Don't Go Backwards Today's Story is about Jay's experiences with mortgages and what he has learned along the way - including how Dave Ramsey's advice didn't quite work for him. Let us know what your experiences have been with mortgages in the comments. The Main Topic goes over Jay's Top 10 Tips for Mortgage Success. If you ever plan on having a mortgage you need to know these tips. If you have a tip we should have added, please leave us a comment! Please don't forget to like, share, and subscribe! Doing so helps us grow and share HopeFilled financial wisdom. We release a new full episode every Tuesday!  Disclaimer: This podcast serves as educational entertainment only. Any and all opinions relating to real estate, law, taxes, insurance, and/or securities investing that may be contained within this podcast should not be interpreted or implemented as recommendations nor advice. The opinions related to these topics – especially those regulated by state and/or federal entities – should never be taken as replacement for advice from a competent, licensed professional. HopeFilled Financial Coaching is not liable for any individual acting on any understanding of topics directly or indirectly related to real estate, legal practice, taxes, insurance, or investing even if an individual in question changed their understanding after listening to this podcast. All listeners are entirely responsible for seeking advice from licensed professionals before taking any action of their own. Our Website: HopeFilledFinancial.com  Music: "Take Me Higher" by Jahzzar Music Copyright License: This music is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b... or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.

The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command. White House calls videos of Biden's public malfunctions 'cheap fakes'. Donald Trump commands 18-point lead over Joe Biden in Iowa. Morgan Freeman explains why he detests Black History month. "My History is American History"

This episode is the second part and wrap-up of my postpartum body recomposition journey. I'm sharing more about my personal journey and what it took to maintain consistency. If your goal is body recomposition or fat loss, this episode covers how you must be in a caloric deficit, following the laws of energy balance, and staying consistent to see results. The number one reason I succeeded in my journey is that I never questioned if I was doing the right thing. My strategy always focused on energy balance and muscle maintenance, and I never thought I was doing it wrong. I'm sharing why my strategy and experience are the foundation of my coaching method.   Connect with Hope: Follow on Instagram  Join my email list Check out my website   Resources & Links: Episode 29, 3 Components of Successful Body Recomposition Episode 18, My Postpartum Body Recomposition Journey So Far & The Power of Choice Episode 8, 3 Pillars of a Sustainable Diet + PEC Plates & 2-Mac-Snacks Episode 1, My History with the Paleo Diet & 3 Major Changes to My Nutrition Philosophy 7 Days of Simple Meals eBook 30-Minute Nutrition Consultation  The Hopewell Approach Course 1:1 Nutrition Coaching Hopewell Health recipes   Make sure to hit subscribe so you never miss an episode!

Charles Barkley Threatens Black Trump Voters, DRAMA On The 'Queer Eye' Set, and a deeper dive into MY History and WHY I think and believe the way I do! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I'm excited to share my thrilling story of how I managed to break into New York Fashion Week not once, not twice, but three times. I was a young woman determined to land a job in the fashion industry, and I'll take you through my hilarious and outrageous attempts to get in. From trying to con my way past security to hacking my way in with an old QR code, I tried it all. Along the way, I encountered some of the biggest names in fashion and even checked in celebrities like Beyonce and Jessica Biel. But getting into Fashion Week was only half the battle. Listen in as I recount my firsthand experience of the glamour and excitement of the runway shows. ▶︎ Watch the Video Podcast Here! 00:42 — Intro 01:22 — My History of Breaking into Fashion Week 02:04 — Break In #1 06:59 — Break In #2 08:31 — Break In #3 20 :01 — Looking Back Resources: The Tents Documentary on Fashion Week The Doers Portal Team AP Consulting Team AP Resource Shop The Roundtable Freebies _____ Into it? Subscribe/Follow/Rate the podcast wherever you are listening (from one entrepreneur to another, we know how important this is right?!) Subscribe to the Team AP Consulting YouTube Channel! And make sure you take your Archetype quiz to unlock loads of free content tailored to you + your business. Follow us on IG here! And check out all the other bomb podcasts from Fast Forward Productions right here. Get more from Ashli over on this side and leave your listener voicemails at the link below --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unfiltered-entrepreneur/message

Into the third week of Fantasy Fund Manager, the interest is still growing as over 3500 users have joined the fun with a critical education driver behind the initiative. Corion Capital's Garreth Montano and Chris Clarke from Money Better joined BizNews' Stuart Lowman. The most brought-in stock for the week was Richemont, which also made it the most-owned share in the game. Gareth put this down to the weakening rand, which might have also played the antithetical part in Capitec being the most sold-off share. The developers have also worked hard with the My History tab launched in-app. This addition allows users to keep track of any weekly trades and performance. If you still want to play the game, register at www.fantasyfundmanager.co.za and compete in the weekly and monthly prizes—thanks to our platinum sponsors Sharenet, Terebinth Capital, ClucasGray Asset Management, and Money Better. Remember to subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss an episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jessica Willis Fisher is Americana singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and author of a bestselling memoir “Unspeakable: Surviving My Childhood and Finding My Voice”. Jessica is the eldest daughter in a family of 14 which was headed by an extremely controlling, abusive, violent and domineering father who is now serving a prison sentence of 40 years on 4 counts of child rape. The darker reality was far from the wholesome All-American Christian musical family persona depicted in their reality TV show or their stint on America's Got Talent. But Jessica found the courage to find her voice, share her story and do deep healing work; some of which has been channeled into music and her critically acclaimed debut solo album “Brand New Day”, a song of which is played at the end of this episode.We also discuss:Jessica's childhood abuse & her father's arrestNarcissism, sociopathy, cults, high control groups Healing from trauma & getting out of survival modeJessica's husband & the remarkable power of love in healing Moving forward & post-traumatic growthAre we friends on socials yet? If not, come and say hello through the links below! InstagramTikTokYouTubeWebsiteConnect with Jessica here: Instagram YouTubeWebsiteThe featured song at the end of the episode is "My History" which is available here on YouTube.Music by: Flood (Instrumental) by RYYZN https://soundcloud.com/ryyznCreative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0

History of National Poetry Writing Month National Poetry Writing Month (also known as NaPoWriMo) is a creative writing project held annually in April in which participants attempt to write a poem each day for one month. NaPoWriMo coincides with National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada. This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month), she started writing a poem a day for the month of April back in 2003, posting the poems on her blog. When other people started writing poems for April and posting them on their own blogs, Maureen linked to them. After a few years, so many people were doing NaPoWriMo that Maureen decided to launch an independent website for the project. My History with National Poetry Writing Month I started writing poetry in 1988 after I had been exposed to T.S. Elliot in my honors English class in high school. In 1992 I started reading my poetry publicly at Espresso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. While living in Rockford Illinois I published my first book of poetry Throwing Yourself at the Ground and Missing in 2007 followed by Postcards From Someone You Don't Know in 2008 Wisdom From the Sack in 2010 and Shaving Crop Circles In My Chest Hair in 2017. You can get copies of all of these books in my merch section. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021. What I am doing differently for Poetry Month For 2023 I am not going to be just writing poems in April, I will be writing poems all year round. Also, since I will be writing all year round, I am using a different source for my prompts. There is a blog called Think Written and you can find it here. I will also be performing these works at Katora Coffee House here in Fredericksburg Virginia on their Friday Night Snaps Open Mic Poetry reading. Some of the podcast episodes you will hear will be a live recording of me reading the poem to a live audience, other times I will be reading it in the comfort of my home studio. I do plan on posting my work to the NaPoWriMo site and interacting with the poets there and see if they want to read their work on this podcast. Todays Poetry Prompt I'd like to challenge you to write a palinode – a poem in which you retract a view or sentiment expressed in an earlier poem. For example, you might pick a poem you drafted earlier in the month and write a poem that contradicts or troubles it. This could be an interesting way to start working on a series of related poems. Alternatively, you could play around with the idea of a palinode by writing a poem in which the speaker says something like “I take it back” or otherwise abandons a prior position within the single poem.  At One Time  30 April 2023  You used to be important to me  I even let you seep into my world  Mine  The world of words  That I crafted for others  And let you reside for one or two works  I looked to you to provide guidance and called you Papa  I wanted to be the ideal son  I don't know when I felt that I should  And most normal families  According to your third trophy wife  Are set up that way  And she said that because  I told you not to come unannounced  I gave you restrictions  To protect my mental health  To protect the family I cocreated  I told you both not to send anything without checking  And you could not abide  You could not follow directions  You could not honor my life  So you were discarded  I won't speak your name in my house  I won't call you Papa  Or father or friend or mentor  Especially after the one call you did receive  At a time when I knew you wouldn't be home  And I left the last message  You would ever receive from me  You were renamed sperm donor  Which is what you were  But you were so much more  You were my tormentor  You instilled the hatred of my body  My mind  My choices  You instilled that I shouldn't ever be satisfied with myself  Which is not the same as never being satisfied with the status quo  I have to lie to my children  And beg their forgiveness later in life  When they find out you didn't die  When I vaguely mentioned that you did  No details  Just death  Because you are dead to me  But you still live in me  And the hatred I have felt of myself  Reminds me of your hold  Your influence  But the victory comes  When the day you will actually die  And I won't fear you showing up at my door  Ad having to explain to my children who the person  I won't let in the house   Standing on the porch  Waiting to infect  The poison  The poison you injected into me  They may ask who that person is  And again I will lie to them  It's just easier this way  Then describing your sickness  So I do thank you for one thing  And that is being the photo negative  I don't ever want to be  Other than that  I'll see you in hell  And that is what you mean to me  Sign Up for the Create Art Podcast Newsletter Or Subscribe Here Reaching Out To The Podcast To reach out to me, email timothy@createartpodcast.com I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let's start that conversation. Email: timothy@createartpodcast.com YouTube Channel: Create Art Podcast YT Channel IG: @createartpodcast Twitter: @createartpod Special Message If you have found value in this podcast please feel free to share it with a friend as that is the best way to find new podcasts. I want this to be a 5-star podcast in your eyes so let me know what you would like to see. Speaking about sharing with a friend, check out my other podcast Find A Podcast About where I help you outsmart the algorithm and find your next binge-worthy podcast. . You can find that podcast at findapodcastabout.xyz.

History of National Poetry Writing Month National Poetry Writing Month (also known as NaPoWriMo) is a creative writing project held annually in April in which participants attempt to write a poem each day for one month. NaPoWriMo coincides with National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada. This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month), she started writing a poem a day for the month of April back in 2003, posting the poems on her blog. When other people started writing poems for April and posting them on their own blogs, Maureen linked to them. After a few years, so many people were doing NaPoWriMo that Maureen decided to launch an independent website for the project. My History with National Poetry Writing Month I started writing poetry in 1988 after I had been exposed to T.S. Elliot in my honors English class in high school. In 1992 I started reading my poetry publicly at Espresso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. While living in Rockford Illinois I published my first book of poetry Throwing Yourself at the Ground and Missing in 2007 followed by Postcards From Someone You Don't Know in 2008 Wisdom From the Sack in 2010 and Shaving Crop Circles In My Chest Hair in 2017. You can get copies of all of these books in my merch section. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021. What I am doing differently for Poetry Month For 2023 I am not going to be just writing poems in April, I will be writing poems all year round. Also, since I will be writing all year round, I am using a different source for my prompts. There is a blog called Think Written and you can find it here. I will also be performing these works at Katora Coffee House here in Fredericksburg Virginia on their Friday Night Snaps Open Mic Poetry reading. Some of the podcast episodes you will hear will be a live recording of me reading the poem to a live audience, other times I will be reading it in the comfort of my home studio. I do plan on posting my work to the NaPoWriMo site and interacting with the poets there and see if they want to read their work on this podcast. Todays Poetry Prompt Now, write your own two-part poem that focuses on a food or type of meal. At some point in the poem, describe the food or meal as if it were a specific kind of person. Give the food/meal at least one line of spoken dialogue.    Thanksgiving Dinner  29 April 2023  I never really thought about this meal when I was younger  We always drove the hour that took forever  No rest stops unless you call pissing in the corn fields a rest stop  We always left before dawn  And were lucky to return with our lives  We would eat freshly slaughtered ham  Nothing tasted sweeter  The mashed potatoes not from a box  Was chunky and gritty smashed rather than mashed  With all the cousins in their bare house  And each year a James Bond flick on the background  The cigarettes overflowed in the ashtray  The beers and wine were flowing, even for the kids  I'd like to say I tasted my first beer there  But then I'd be lying to you  Just like all the lies of “yeah we are good to drive”  Before the days of MADD and knowing better  One day I stopped going  Could have been because my folks found god  He was hiding out in the churches  That met when I was watching wrestling  And we as a family turned away   I didn't really get that feeling again  Yes, there was destructive activities  That I can see from the safety of time  “I didn't let you die during those days  Yes, there was the accident one year before the times of DUI's  Yes, there was the car on fire that you passed without a care  But I didn't let you die  I kept you as safe as I could for something else”  When I lived alone  With the roommates and on the 33rd floor above the Lake   The diner that I had frequented was open  Taking in others like me  Without friends or a family  And on the TV, still black and white  A game of hockey played quietly  While the others were munching on turkey  I became engrossed   And that was when  I decided the next year to hold a feast  But unknown to me what the next year would bring  I was alone in my apartment   I had finally escaped the crowds  Making a meal for two  In a studio barely big enough for one  In case there was a knock at the door  There was none  But the next year was different  I had stepped out and allowed myself to feel  To become attached to those who enlightened me  On being a human  On being open and vulnerable  And that year I had a few friends over   Who had nowhere else to go  And we dined like kings  “I am preparing you for a much better feast  A feast that you can share with family and friends  A family you created  And friends who were true”  And so, one year of cooking and clamoring  There I was  A Husband and father of three mentor to a nephew  And friends who brought friends to feast  We dined on duck  And other delicacies  We left a spot open for anyone who had nowhere to go  And my children sat there and asked  Why the empty spot  And we said together  “That spot is for me  That spot represents the chair that I once sat at  Alone in my studio  That chair represents those who couldn't make it to a home”  With confused looks no more questions came  And a small wish was born that day  A wish that they wouldn't have to carry that tradition forward  A wish that one day I wouldn't either  A wish that the past could be forgiven  And a wish for a better year ahead  Sign Up for the Create Art Podcast Newsletter Or Subscribe Here Reaching Out To The Podcast To reach out to me, email timothy@createartpodcast.com I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let's start that conversation. Email: timothy@createartpodcast.com YouTube Channel: Create Art Podcast YT Channel IG: @createartpodcast Twitter: @createartpod Special Message If you have found value in this podcast please feel free to share it with a friend as that is the best way to find new podcasts. I want this to be a 5-star podcast in your eyes so let me know what you would like to see. Speaking about sharing with a friend, check out my other podcast Find A Podcast About where I help you outsmart the algorithm and find your next binge-worthy podcast. . You can find that podcast at findapodcastabout.xyz.

History of National Poetry Writing Month National Poetry Writing Month (also known as NaPoWriMo) is a creative writing project held annually in April in which participants attempt to write a poem each day for one month. NaPoWriMo coincides with National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada. This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month), she started writing a poem a day for the month of April back in 2003, posting the poems on her blog. When other people started writing poems for April and posting them on their own blogs, Maureen linked to them. After a few years, so many people were doing NaPoWriMo that Maureen decided to launch an independent website for the project. My History with National Poetry Writing Month I started writing poetry in 1988 after I had been exposed to T.S. Elliot in my honors English class in high school. In 1992 I started reading my poetry publicly at Espresso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. While living in Rockford Illinois I published my first book of poetry Throwing Yourself at the Ground and Missing in 2007 followed by Postcards From Someone You Don't Know in 2008 Wisdom From the Sack in 2010 and Shaving Crop Circles In My Chest Hair in 2017. You can get copies of all of these books in my merch section. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021. What I am doing differently for Poetry Month For 2023 I am not going to be just writing poems in April, I will be writing poems all year round. Also, since I will be writing all year round, I am using a different source for my prompts. There is a blog called Think Written and you can find it here. I will also be performing these works at Katora Coffee House here in Fredericksburg Virginia on their Friday Night Snaps Open Mic Poetry reading. Some of the podcast episodes you will hear will be a live recording of me reading the poem to a live audience, other times I will be reading it in the comfort of my home studio. I do plan on posting my work to the NaPoWriMo site and interacting with the poets there and see if they want to read their work on this podcast. Todays Poetry Prompt Today, I challenge you to write your own index poem. You could start with found language from an actual index, or you could invent an index  (actual index used from It's Not All In Your Head by Patricia Ferrell PHD)    Indexing A Diagnosis  28 April 2023  Multiple Sclerosis (MS)  Acceptance 43-46 but I was 48 when I finally got the diagnosis and even today, I don't fully accept it, and for sure when I was 43-46 I sure as fuck didn't so who was supposed to tell me to accept it when there was nothing to accept  Anger 10-11 Let me tell you, I have been angry for more than those two years, I have been angry at this insidious condition for what feels a lifetime, and I don't think at 10 or 11 I was that angry  Anxiety 71-96 oh great I have that to look forward to, at least I'll live to 96, but then how does this book know that, oh wait is it the level of anxiety on a 100-point scale, well that seems about right each and every day that ends with a Y  Attitude 197-198 I don't have one, I am just frustrated with people's ignorance and bullshit, if you want attitude I'll give you attitude  Bike rides 196-197 Yes, I have a stationary one in my mancave, it's great for collecting dust, hanging clothes, for looking like I care for my body.   Children 57-59 every prayer I say to a god I don't believe in or recognize is that they don't get this and if they do then what I will do to the gods that allowed this  Cognitive Impairment 3-5, 64-66 are you talking about the time I was pouring beers for the sperm donors party when he wanted to be an elected official or are you talking about all the cigarette smoke I inhaled because it wasn't the right time to quit or are you talking about how many times I have to reread a line to remember that I read that line.   CNS Components 6-10 is that a new Canadian free streaming service, will they teach us Americans the correct way to make poutine or play hockey or to just be nice, no? How about a Canadian stereo system, no? Well, I know what a CNC lathe is, am I close?   Coping Strategies 173-199 I thought I knew how to cope, but now I want this tattooed to my chest, written backwards so I can read it in the mirror and when I take off my shirt people can ask me what is carved there. Humor is a hell of a drug  Sign Up for the Create Art Podcast Newsletter Or Subscribe Here Reaching Out To The Podcast To reach out to me, email timothy@createartpodcast.com I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let's start that conversation. Email: timothy@createartpodcast.com YouTube Channel: Create Art Podcast YT Channel IG: @createartpodcast Twitter: @createartpod Special Message If you have found value in this podcast please feel free to share it with a friend as that is the best way to find new podcasts. I want this to be a 5-star podcast in your eyes so let me know what you would like to see. Speaking about sharing with a friend, check out my other podcast Find A Podcast About where I help you outsmart the algorithm and find your next binge-worthy podcast. . You can find that podcast at findapodcastabout.xyz.

History of National Poetry Writing Month National Poetry Writing Month (also known as NaPoWriMo) is a creative writing project held annually in April in which participants attempt to write a poem each day for one month. NaPoWriMo coincides with National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada. This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month), she started writing a poem a day for the month of April back in 2003, posting the poems on her blog. When other people started writing poems for April and posting them on their own blogs, Maureen linked to them. After a few years, so many people were doing NaPoWriMo that Maureen decided to launch an independent website for the project. My History with National Poetry Writing Month I started writing poetry in 1988 after I had been exposed to T.S. Elliot in my honors English class in high school. In 1992 I started reading my poetry publicly at Espresso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. While living in Rockford Illinois I published my first book of poetry Throwing Yourself at the Ground and Missing in 2007 followed by Postcards From Someone You Don't Know in 2008 Wisdom From the Sack in 2010 and Shaving Crop Circles In My Chest Hair in 2017. You can get copies of all of these books in my merch section. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021. What I am doing differently for Poetry Month For 2023 I am not going to be just writing poems in April, I will be writing poems all year round. Also, since I will be writing all year round, I am using a different source for my prompts. There is a blog called Think Written and you can find it here. I will also be performing these works at Katora Coffee House here in Fredericksburg Virginia on their Friday Night Snaps Open Mic Poetry reading. Some of the podcast episodes you will hear will be a live recording of me reading the poem to a live audience, other times I will be reading it in the comfort of my home studio. I do plan on posting my work to the NaPoWriMo site and interacting with the poets there and see if they want to read their work on this podcast. Todays Poetry Prompt Today, begin by reading Bernadette Mayer's poem “The Lobelias of Fear.” Now write your own poem titled “The ________ of ________,” where the first blank is a very particular kind of plant or animal, and the second blank is an abstract noun. The poem should contain at least one simile that plays on double meanings or otherwise doesn't quite make “sense,” and describe things or beings from very different times or places as co-existing in the same space.   The Vulture of Tolerance  27 April 2023  It doesn't matter who we are  Or where we came from  Or what religion we subscribe to  How much money we made  How many people's lives we have positively impacted  There is no difference in party allegiance  Or Nationality  Gender or sexual orientation  If your socks match  If you are wearing underwear or prefer to go commando  If there is dirt under your fingernails  Or callouses on your palms  Or glitter nail polish that you let your children apply  If you are obese  Or suffer from a chronic disorder  Or suffer from too much of the chronic  Once your body is laid out in a field  You all taste the same to them  And no, you don't taste like chicken  You are their food  And all that makes you, matters little to them  Your dreams and aspirations are just seasoning  They don't care at all about anything you have done  You are what's for dinner   Dark meat, light meat   Meat is meat  And when you are as ugly as they are  An easy meal is like going to the drive thru for them  So, cheer up  Be their happy meal  And make sure not to carry plastic toys in your pockets  Choking hazard ya know  Wouldn't want to be the next meal  Sign Up for the Create Art Podcast Newsletter Or Subscribe Here Reaching Out To The Podcast To reach out to me, email timothy@createartpodcast.com I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let's start that conversation. Email: timothy@createartpodcast.com YouTube Channel: Create Art Podcast YT Channel IG: @createartpodcast Twitter: @createartpod Special Message If you have found value in this podcast please feel free to share it with a friend as that is the best way to find new podcasts. I want this to be a 5-star podcast in your eyes so let me know what you would like to see. Speaking about sharing with a friend, check out my other podcast Find A Podcast About where I help you outsmart the algorithm and find your next binge-worthy podcast. . You can find that podcast at findapodcastabout.xyz.

History of National Poetry Writing Month National Poetry Writing Month (also known as NaPoWriMo) is a creative writing project held annually in April in which participants attempt to write a poem each day for one month. NaPoWriMo coincides with National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada. This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month), she started writing a poem a day for the month of April back in 2003, posting the poems on her blog. When other people started writing poems for April and posting them on their own blogs, Maureen linked to them. After a few years, so many people were doing NaPoWriMo that Maureen decided to launch an independent website for the project. My History with National Poetry Writing Month I started writing poetry in 1988 after I had been exposed to T.S. Elliot in my honors English class in high school. In 1992 I started reading my poetry publicly at Espresso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. While living in Rockford Illinois I published my first book of poetry Throwing Yourself at the Ground and Missing in 2007 followed by Postcards From Someone You Don't Know in 2008 Wisdom From the Sack in 2010 and Shaving Crop Circles In My Chest Hair in 2017. You can get copies of all of these books in my merch section. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021. What I am doing differently for Poetry Month For 2023 I am not going to be just writing poems in April, I will be writing poems all year round. Also, since I will be writing all year round, I am using a different source for my prompts. There is a blog called Think Written and you can find it here. I will also be performing these works at Katora Coffee House here in Fredericksburg Virginia on their Friday Night Snaps Open Mic Poetry reading. Some of the podcast episodes you will hear will be a live recording of me reading the poem to a live audience, other times I will be reading it in the comfort of my home studio. I do plan on posting my work to the NaPoWriMo site and interacting with the poets there and see if they want to read their work on this podcast. Todays Poetry Prompt prompt for the day asks you to write a portrait poem that focuses on or plays with the meaning of the subject's name. This could be a self-portrait, a portrait of a family member or close friend, or even a portrait of a famous or historical person.    Defined By A Name  26 April 2023  How can I honor a god that doesn't honor me back  It's not that I don't believe, simply I don't believe as you do  My idea is less personal and more expansive  But stick with coloring in the lines  It's what you really want to do  I wasn't there being Paul's bunk mate  It's not my fault that he hijacked your religion  That guy was a two fer part Jewish and part Greek  So, I hope he can make a great falafel gyro  Hold the pork  You may think I am rich  And I have some student loans to show you  You may think I am masculine  And my ex-boyfriends will tell you the same  I like to shock people's perceptions  That's why I took on my nickname  I am strong and nerdy  I am so many contradictions  An Anarchist in Libertarian clothes  From blue-collar 80-hour work weeks to two flights of stairs commute  Have fun unspooling my threads  Sign Up for the Create Art Podcast Newsletter Or Subscribe Here Reaching Out To The Podcast To reach out to me, email timothy@createartpodcast.com I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let's start that conversation. Email: timothy@createartpodcast.com YouTube Channel: Create Art Podcast YT Channel IG: @createartpodcast Twitter: @createartpod Special Message If you have found value in this podcast please feel free to share it with a friend as that is the best way to find new podcasts. I want this to be a 5-star podcast in your eyes so let me know what you would like to see. Speaking about sharing with a friend, check out my other podcast Find A Podcast About where I help you outsmart the algorithm and find your next binge-worthy podcast. . You can find that podcast at findapodcastabout.xyz.

History of National Poetry Writing Month National Poetry Writing Month (also known as NaPoWriMo) is a creative writing project held annually in April in which participants attempt to write a poem each day for one month. NaPoWriMo coincides with National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada. This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month), she started writing a poem a day for the month of April back in 2003, posting the poems on her blog. When other people started writing poems for April and posting them on their own blogs, Maureen linked to them. After a few years, so many people were doing NaPoWriMo that Maureen decided to launch an independent website for the project. My History with National Poetry Writing Month I started writing poetry in 1988 after I had been exposed to T.S. Elliot in my honors English class in high school. In 1992 I started reading my poetry publicly at Espresso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. While living in Rockford Illinois I published my first book of poetry Throwing Yourself at the Ground and Missing in 2007 followed by Postcards From Someone You Don't Know in 2008 Wisdom From the Sack in 2010 and Shaving Crop Circles In My Chest Hair in 2017. You can get copies of all of these books in my merch section. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021. What I am doing differently for Poetry Month For 2023 I am not going to be just writing poems in April, I will be writing poems all year round. Also, since I will be writing all year round, I am using a different source for my prompts. There is a blog called Think Written and you can find it here. I will also be performing these works at Katora Coffee House here in Fredericksburg Virginia on their Friday Night Snaps Open Mic Poetry reading. Some of the podcast episodes you will hear will be a live recording of me reading the poem to a live audience, other times I will be reading it in the comfort of my home studio. I do plan on posting my work to the NaPoWriMo site and interacting with the poets there and see if they want to read their work on this podcast. Todays Poetry Prompt Today's prompt challenges you to also write a love poem, one that names at least one flower, contains one parenthetical statement, and in which at least some lines break in unusual places.   Giving Love Another Try  25 April 2023  I wasn't content   With being   Alone  But I wasn't interested  In sharing  Everything  I wasn't content  With the  Life  But I wasn't interested  In starting   Over  I wasn't content  With the  Past  But I wasn't interested  In rehashing  Us  I wasn't content  With the  Situation  But I wasn't interested  In developing   Feelings  (I found contentment in your eyes, I found interest in your smile I found tulips where you walked))  You didn't want  Just another  Body  But you did  Try to  Love  You didn't want  This to   Fail  But you did  Rely on  Defenses  You didn't want  Me to   Escape  But you did  Honor my  Freedom  (You found where I hid my heart, You found a way to trust me You found daisies to put everywhere)  We weren't sure  About our   Compatibility  But we tried  To make  It  We weren't sure  About being  Dependent  But we tried  With open  Minds  We weren't sure  About our   Lasting  But we tried  And are  Trying  (We were met with scoffs, We sometimes scoffed at ourselves we planted a family)  We weren't sure but we tried  You didn't want but you did  I wasn't content but I wasn't interested   (And so far, it's the journey   That we needed to be on  Together)  Sign Up for the Create Art Podcast Newsletter Or Subscribe Here Reaching Out To The Podcast To reach out to me, email timothy@createartpodcast.com I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let's start that conversation. Email: timothy@createartpodcast.com YouTube Channel: Create Art Podcast YT Channel IG: @createartpodcast Twitter: @createartpod Special Message If you have found value in this podcast please feel free to share it with a friend as that is the best way to find new podcasts. I want this to be a 5-star podcast in your eyes so let me know what you would like to see. Speaking about sharing with a friend, check out my other podcast Find A Podcast About where I help you outsmart the algorithm and find your next binge-worthy podcast. . You can find that podcast at findapodcastabout.xyz.

History of National Poetry Writing Month National Poetry Writing Month (also known as NaPoWriMo) is a creative writing project held annually in April in which participants attempt to write a poem each day for one month. NaPoWriMo coincides with National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada. This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month), she started writing a poem a day for the month of April back in 2003, posting the poems on her blog. When other people started writing poems for April and posting them on their own blogs, Maureen linked to them. After a few years, so many people were doing NaPoWriMo that Maureen decided to launch an independent website for the project. My History with National Poetry Writing Month I started writing poetry in 1988 after I had been exposed to T.S. Elliot in my honors English class in high school. In 1992 I started reading my poetry publicly at Espresso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. While living in Rockford Illinois I published my first book of poetry Throwing Yourself at the Ground and Missing in 2007 followed by Postcards From Someone You Don't Know in 2008 Wisdom From the Sack in 2010 and Shaving Crop Circles In My Chest Hair in 2017. You can get copies of all of these books in my merch section. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021. What I am doing differently for Poetry Month For 2023 I am not going to be just writing poems in April, I will be writing poems all year round. Also, since I will be writing all year round, I am using a different source for my prompts. There is a blog called Think Written and you can find it here. I will also be performing these works at Katora Coffee House here in Fredericksburg Virginia on their Friday Night Snaps Open Mic Poetry reading. Some of the podcast episodes you will hear will be a live recording of me reading the poem to a live audience, other times I will be reading it in the comfort of my home studio. I do plan on posting my work to the NaPoWriMo site and interacting with the poets there and see if they want to read their work on this podcast. Todays Poetry Prompt I'd like to challenge you to write a poem in the form of a review. But not a review of a book or a movie of a restaurant. Instead, I challenge you to write a poetic review of something that isn't normally reviewed. For example, your mother-in-law, the moon, or the year you were ten years old.  2 Stars  24 April 2023  Not a big fan of 2020  I rated that year at zero stars  If I could have, I would have gone into the negative numbers   but your system doesn't allow for that  Someone is upper management needs to know what happened  I usually like to give years the benefit of the doubt  And think about them from a different perspective  But 2020 was worse than 2016  And that is saying something  So I decided that maybe I was being a bit harsh   And I gave 2020 1 star in 2021  There were a lot of lessons learned in that year  Things seemed to be getting better  I could find toilet paper everywhere I went  I am talking 2 ply  And the ads for bidets didn't interest me anymore  Kids were back in school   The talk of mass extinction was quashed  And except for that one day in January  Things were okay, not normal but okay  In 2022 I kept my 1-star rating of 2020  Because it seems we still haven't learned the lessons  We needed to learn to prevent another 2020 from happening  And we were 2 years out  I mean come on folks  I know some of our family trees don't fork  But at least lets really look at what happened   And not do the same shit all over again  At some points it looked like we were going to go back  And then I would have had to go back down to zero stars  So here we are in 2023  I have to say I am not recommending 2020 under any circumstances  However, I am raising my rating to 2 stars  We got through it, and we are here right now  A bit smarter  A bit larger  And all in the comfort of our homes  If we are lucky enough to be able to have a stay-at-home job  We praised the essential workers  Until the next headline came by  We praised some of our elected officials  Until they were found making backdoor deals as usual  Some of us have even found our true calling  And left the world of bosses behind  I don't plan on shopping here for future years  Nor can I recommend shopping here for the future  Look what we are leaving the young with  The four horsemen on red bull and bottom shelf vodka   I won't be here for the hangover that's coming  Sign Up for the Create Art Podcast Newsletter Or Subscribe Here Reaching Out To The Podcast To reach out to me, email timothy@createartpodcast.com I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let's start that conversation. Email: timothy@createartpodcast.com YouTube Channel: Create Art Podcast YT Channel IG: @createartpodcast Twitter: @createartpod [podcast_subscribe id="207"] Special Message If you have found value in this podcast please feel free to share it with a friend as that is the best way to find new podcasts. I want this to be a 5-star podcast in your eyes so let me know what you would like to see. Speaking about sharing with a friend, check out my other podcast Find A Podcast About where I help you outsmart the algorithm and find your next binge-worthy podcast. . You can find that podcast at findapodcastabout.xyz.

History of National Poetry Writing Month National Poetry Writing Month (also known as NaPoWriMo) is a creative writing project held annually in April in which participants attempt to write a poem each day for one month. NaPoWriMo coincides with National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada. This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month), she started writing a poem a day for the month of April back in 2003, posting the poems on her blog. When other people started writing poems for April and posting them on their own blogs, Maureen linked to them. After a few years, so many people were doing NaPoWriMo that Maureen decided to launch an independent website for the project. My History with National Poetry Writing Month I started writing poetry in 1988 after I had been exposed to T.S. Elliot in my honors English class in high school. In 1992 I started reading my poetry publicly at Espresso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. While living in Rockford Illinois I published my first book of poetry Throwing Yourself at the Ground and Missing in 2007 followed by Postcards From Someone You Don't Know in 2008 Wisdom From the Sack in 2010 and Shaving Crop Circles In My Chest Hair in 2017. You can get copies of all of these books in my merch section. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021. What I am doing differently for Poetry Month For 2023 I am not going to be just writing poems in April, I will be writing poems all year round. Also, since I will be writing all year round, I am using a different source for my prompts. There is a blog called Think Written and you can find it here. I will also be performing these works at Katora Coffee House here in Fredericksburg Virginia on their Friday Night Snaps Open Mic Poetry reading. Some of the podcast episodes you will hear will be a live recording of me reading the poem to a live audience, other times I will be reading it in the comfort of my home studio. I do plan on posting my work to the NaPoWriMo site and interacting with the poets there and see if they want to read their work on this podcast. Todays Poetry Prompt Now, cast your mind back to your own childhood and write a poem about something that scared you – or was used to scare you – and which still haunts you (if only a little bit) today.  Summer Nightmare  19 April 2023  The heat had settled in for the season  We were sweltering although the sun had gone down hours ago  When building the house  It was decided not to have central air or a basement  Our neighborhood was rumored to have been built on a gravesite  For the indigenous population  It was the type of rumor to keep kids in at night  But some rumors need to be heeded  It was another night of sweating  With the hum of fans that put us to sleep  I knew I was dreaming  Only to wake up to the sound of a broken window  I peered over to my window  The drapes were opened when they should have been shut  And a figure was standing outside  Readying what appeared to be a bow and arrow  I heard a swoosh and then a thud in the wall   Right above my stomach  And then I sprang up  Breaking the shaft of the arrow  And ran to my parents' room  I forgot about the fan in my startled state  And ran right through the fan  Slicing up my knee and leg  Waking my father who took me to the bathroom  We cleaned off the blood in the tub  And I frantically told him what happened  I had awakened everyone in the house  As we turned on the light in my bedroom  We found the window intact  The drapes pulled back  But no broken shaft  Just two arrowheads lodged into the wall  Right above where I slept  My father thought I had planted the arrowheads  As one could find them easily in our neighborhood  And decided to yell at me for breaking his sleep  Telling me this was all in my wild imagination  When we moved away years later  The arrowheads I recovered from that night  Were lost in the move  But I still can feel the figure pursuing me  And I always make sure the drapes are closed   Sign Up for the Create Art Podcast Newsletter Or Subscribe Here Reaching Out To The Podcast To reach out to me, email timothy@createartpodcast.com I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let's start that conversation. Email: timothy@createartpodcast.com YouTube Channel: Create Art Podcast YT Channel IG: @createartpodcast Twitter: @createartpod Special Message If you have found value in this podcast please feel free to share it with a friend as that is the best way to find new podcasts. I want this to be a 5-star podcast in your eyes so let me know what you would like to see. Speaking about sharing with a friend, check out my other podcast Find A Podcast About where I help you outsmart the algorithm and find your next binge-worthy podcast. . You can find that podcast at findapodcastabout.xyz.

History of National Poetry Writing Month National Poetry Writing Month (also known as NaPoWriMo) is a creative writing project held annually in April in which participants attempt to write a poem each day for one month. NaPoWriMo coincides with National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada. This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month), she started writing a poem a day for the month of April back in 2003, posting the poems on her blog. When other people started writing poems for April and posting them on their own blogs, Maureen linked to them. After a few years, so many people were doing NaPoWriMo that Maureen decided to launch an independent website for the project. My History with National Poetry Writing Month I started writing poetry in 1988 after I had been exposed to T.S. Elliot in my honors English class in high school. In 1992 I started reading my poetry publicly at Espresso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. While living in Rockford Illinois I published my first book of poetry Throwing Yourself at the Ground and Missing in 2007 followed by Postcards From Someone You Don't Know in 2008 Wisdom From the Sack in 2010 and Shaving Crop Circles In My Chest Hair in 2017. You can get copies of all of these books in my merch section. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021. What I am doing differently for Poetry Month For 2023 I am not going to be just writing poems in April, I will be writing poems all year round. Also, since I will be writing all year round, I am using a different source for my prompts. There is a blog called Think Written and you can find it here. I will also be performing these works at Katora Coffee House here in Fredericksburg Virginia on their Friday Night Snaps Open Mic Poetry reading. Some of the podcast episodes you will hear will be a live recording of me reading the poem to a live audience, other times I will be reading it in the comfort of my home studio. I do plan on posting my work to the NaPoWriMo site and interacting with the poets there and see if they want to read their work on this podcast. Todays Poetry Prompt Cafeteria: Create a poem inspired by the people who might be eating lunch in a cafeteria at school or at a hospital.  Chicken Enchilada   17 April 2023  I was back in Illinois  Not my hometown or the city I adopted  But a small-town dependent on the base  I had just puddle-jumped from St. Louis  When in processing was done  And I had raised my hand when asked   Who was a musician  I was whisked away to a special squadron  A small group of us who raised our hands  Stood in the day room of the squadron  We were given rooms   And a tour of our new temporary home  We were told to drop off our luggage  And return later that afternoon  So, we all silently went to our rooms  I knew at that time to pack lightly  To tread lightly on this Earth  And as I opened the door to my new home  My new roommate was not there  Heading back down to the dining facility  I wanted to have a few moments of solitude    I'd just spent 6 weeks living with 50 other soon-to-be men  And my sociability jar had been exhausted  Working my way through the food line  Looking over my shoulder  Waiting for a training instructor to slip in behind me  And scare the shit out of me  My head was on a swivel   I grabbed the bare essentials for lunch  Not wanting to draw attention to myself  I crawled into an empty booth  Breathed deeply and went to work on the food  I tasted my food  It had been weeks of rushing to shove groceries down my throat  But now I had nowhere to be, no one to answer to for a few minutes  I savored each bite  It was at that time I was overcome with a feeling of certitude  I felt that the decision was right  It had been one of the first times I felt this way  And the food cemented my feeling  I am not sure how long I sat alone in that booth  Others came and went without much fanfare  My comrades in basic training found me  And we all sat quietly   Deep in thought  Living like the kings we told ourselves we were  Sign Up for the Create Art Podcast Newsletter Or Subscribe Here Reaching Out To The Podcast To reach out to me, email timothy@createartpodcast.com I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let's start that conversation. Email: timothy@createartpodcast.com YouTube Channel: Create Art Podcast YT Channel IG: @createartpodcast Twitter: @createartpod [podcast_subscribe id="207"] Special Message If you have found value in this podcast please feel free to share it with a friend as that is the best way to find new podcasts. I want this to be a 5-star podcast in your eyes so let me know what you would like to see. Speaking about sharing with a friend, check out my other podcast Find A Podcast About where I help you outsmart the algorithm and find your next binge-worthy podcast. Yo

History of National Poetry Writing Month National Poetry Writing Month (also known as NaPoWriMo) is a creative writing project held annually in April in which participants attempt to write a poem each day for one month. NaPoWriMo coincides with National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada. This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month), she started writing a poem a day for the month of April back in 2003, posting the poems on her blog. When other people started writing poems for April and posting them on their own blogs, Maureen linked to them. After a few years, so many people were doing NaPoWriMo that Maureen decided to launch an independent website for the project. My History with National Poetry Writing Month I started writing poetry in 1988 after I had been exposed to T.S. Elliot in my honors English class in high school. In 1992 I started reading my poetry publicly at Espresso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. While living in Rockford Illinois I published my first book of poetry Throwing Yourself at the Ground and Missing in 2007 followed by Postcards From Someone You Don't Know in 2008 Wisdom From the Sack in 2010 and Shaving Crop Circles In My Chest Hair in 2017. You can get copies of all of these books in my merch section. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021. What I am doing differently for Poetry Month For 2023 I am not going to be just writing poems in April, I will be writing poems all year round. Also, since I will be writing all year round, I am using a different source for my prompts. There is a blog called Think Written and you can find it here. I will also be performing these works at Katora Coffee House here in Fredericksburg Virginia on their Friday Night Snaps Open Mic Poetry reading. Some of the podcast episodes you will hear will be a live recording of me reading the poem to a live audience, other times I will be reading it in the comfort of my home studio. I do plan on posting my work to the NaPoWriMo site and interacting with the poets there and see if they want to read their work on this podcast. Todays Poetry Prompt Signs of the Times: How has a place you are familiar with changed over the past 10 years?  Pacifying Uptown  14 April 2023  I lived in this neighborhood for a year or so  Top floor, facing south, seeing Wrigley Field from a distance  Two blocks from the Green Mill  And the Red Line El  Someone in the neighborhood had rescue greyhounds  They would walk them around  Stop for coffee and water at the local Starbucks  The one that had a drive by when I was with my girl at the time  A great Mexican restaurant that was open late  Due to all the bars in the area  Grabbing my first real horchata   And just steps from Montrose Beach  But I moved away  To be with my wife  To start a new life  But I can't let go of the place  So I signed up for the Uptown Facebook group  And I get notifications daily  The Uptown Theater that had been closed for decades  Being revamped and reopened  Meaning that the bookstore next door  Had to clean up its act or move out  That bookstore stank of cigarettes and cat piss   Is no longer there  Not able to get enough Chantix to quit their habit  Not able to keep up with the bigger bookstores   That closed down before I left  I miss this place  Even though I wasn't there that long  Moving through the crowds  And having my doc just a few blocks away  Having my dentist who played the rat Packs greatest hits  And picked up conversations started months in-between visits  I didn't have to drive anywhere  Even to get groceries  Jewel, pronounced with an S at the end  Again, was mere steps away  But now they have changed the feeling  They have changed the stores  The rents have gone through the roof  Now there is no one there I know  The shops don't have the same feel  Even the thugs that did the drive by have moved away to the burbs  I'd never move my family back there  It would be cost prohibitive  It would be safer than when I lived there  But it isn't the same space  It isn't as special as it used to be  Its tame and expensive  And the reason why I lived there   Was not for safety, was not for being tame  I wanted to have excitement  I wanted to have stories to tell  I wanted different things than I do now  Sign Up for the Create Art Podcast Newsletter Or Subscribe Here Reaching Out To The Podcast To reach out to me, email timothy@createartpodcast.com I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let's start that conversation. Email: timothy@createartpodcast.com YouTube Channel: Create Art Podcast YT Channel IG: @createartpodcast Twitter: @createartpod Special Message If you have found value in this podcast please feel free to share it with a friend as that is the best way to find new podcasts. I want this to be a 5-star podcast in your eyes so let me know what you would like to see. Speaking about sharing with a friend, check out my other podcast Find A Podcast About where I help you outsmart the algorithm and find your next binge-worthy podcast. You can find that podcast at findapodcastabout.xyz.

History of National Poetry Writing Month National Poetry Writing Month (also known as NaPoWriMo) is a creative writing project held annually in April in which participants attempt to write a poem each day for one month. NaPoWriMo coincides with National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada. This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month), she started writing a poem a day for the month of April back in 2003, posting the poems on her blog. When other people started writing poems for April and posting them on their own blogs, Maureen linked to them. After a few years, so many people were doing NaPoWriMo that Maureen decided to launch an independent website for the project. My History with National Poetry Writing Month I started writing poetry in 1988 after I had been exposed to T.S. Elliot in my honors English class in high school. In 1992 I started reading my poetry publicly at Espresso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. While living in Rockford Illinois I published my first book of poetry Throwing Yourself at the Ground and Missing in 2007 followed by Postcards From Someone You Don't Know in 2008 Wisdom From the Sack in 2010 and Shaving Crop Circles In My Chest Hair in 2017. You can get copies of all of these books in my merch section. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021. What I am doing differently for Poetry Month For 2023 I am not going to be just writing poems in April, I will be writing poems all year round. Also, since I will be writing all year round, I am using a different source for my prompts. There is a blog called Think Written and you can find it here. I will also be performing these works at Katora Coffee House here in Fredericksburg Virginia on their Friday Night Snaps Open Mic Poetry reading. Some of the podcast episodes you will hear will be a live recording of me reading the poem to a live audience, other times I will be reading it in the comfort of my home studio. I do plan on posting my work to the NaPoWriMo site and interacting with the poets there and see if they want to read their work on this podcast. Todays Poetry Prompt First Car: Write an ode to your first car  Old Baby Blue  13 April 2023  You did run like a scolded dawg  That Marine was right  To think I could have purchased my mid-life crisis car with busted rings  For the same price as you  I wouldn't have been able to sleep in that car  Nor could I fall asleep at the wheel  And safely get through Bloomington Illinois  Changing highways in the middle of the night  The stereo system I bought for you   Cost more than what you were worth  And you reminded me when it rained  And the DIY sunroof flooded and collected fish  I drove you to escape from where I was  I drove you to Texas to escape where I came from  I drove you until something flashier caught my eye  And then I sold you for a motorcycle  Because I had only crashed 2 other motorcycles in my life  So that seemed like a fair trade  You never started up again  When all the paperwork was done  And your new owner took possession   You refused to be traded away  And as I crashed another motorcycle  There you stood stoically in the parking lot  Reminding me that I would still have transportation  Hoping I would come to my senses and take you back  But no, I was young back then  And flashy new things, which was everything  Took my attention away from you  And I bought a shiny new red compact car  It looked like a clown car when I stepped out of it  And that car drove me away from Texas  From you  From the memories we made  Sometimes I seek out your relatives  I look at what others have done with your kind  And I miss our days together  You were protecting me  Me fixing another alternator for you  Changing your oil from inside the cab  Hearing that 302 engine roar  Wishing it was in a Mustang  But was resigned to hauling around my possessions  You were my first old baby blue  And I'll never forget your shag carpet interior,   your tinted moon windows   The swiveling captain chairs  And the fish tank turned sunroof  Sign Up for the Create Art Podcast Newsletter Or Subscribe Here Reaching Out To The Podcast To reach out to me, email timothy@createartpodcast.com I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let's start that conversation. Email: timothy@createartpodcast.com YouTube Channel: Create Art Podcast YT Channel IG: @createartpodcast Twitter: @createartpod Special Message If you have found value in this podcast please feel free to share it with a friend as that is the best way to find new podcasts. I want this to be a 5-star podcast in your eyes so let me know what you would like to see. Speaking about sharing with a friend, check out my other podcast Find A Podcast About where I help you outsmart the algorithm and find your next binge-worthy podcast. You can find that podcast at findapodcastabout.xyz.

History of National Poetry Writing Month National Poetry Writing Month (also known as NaPoWriMo) is a creative writing project held annually in April in which participants attempt to write a poem each day for one month. NaPoWriMo coincides with National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada. This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month), she started writing a poem a day for the month of April back in 2003, posting the poems on her blog. When other people started writing poems for April and posting them on their own blogs, Maureen linked to them. After a few years, so many people were doing NaPoWriMo that Maureen decided to launch an independent website for the project. My History with National Poetry Writing Month I started writing poetry in 1988 after I had been exposed to T.S. Elliot in my honors English class in high school. In 1992 I started reading my poetry publicly at Espresso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. While living in Rockford Illinois I published my first book of poetry Throwing Yourself at the Ground and Missing in 2007 followed by Postcards From Someone You Don't Know in 2008 Wisdom From the Sack in 2010 and Shaving Crop Circles In My Chest Hair in 2017. You can get copies of all of these books in my merch section. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021. What I am doing differently for Poetry Month For 2023 I am not going to be just writing poems in April, I will be writing poems all year round. Also, since I will be writing all year round, I am using a different source for my prompts. There is a blog called Think Written and you can find it here. I will also be performing these works at Katora Coffee House here in Fredericksburg Virginia on their Friday Night Snaps Open Mic Poetry reading. Some of the podcast episodes you will hear will be a live recording of me reading the poem to a live audience, other times I will be reading it in the comfort of my home studio. I do plan on posting my work to the NaPoWriMo site and interacting with the poets there and see if they want to read their work on this podcast. Todays Poetry Prompt Fast Food: Write a poem about fast food restaurants and experiences.  After The Casino  11 April 2023  Driving through the fog of West Virginia  Taking the backroads because my car can't do 75  Before everyone and their brother had cell phone coverage   We both struggled to keep our eyes open  We should have probably grabbed some food on the way out of the casino  We had both won a tidy sum that paid for the trip and the rent for the next two months  We didn't notice when we crossed back into Virginia  Because at night, most states look the same  With the last cigarette tossed out of the window  And a few hours until we arrived at home  We pulled over at a gas station and Waffle House  Conjoined at the hip   The sun was still a few hours away  We entered the gas station and purchased our brand of addiction  Relived ourselves in the grimy bathroom  And found a seat in the empty restaurant  The sounds of the bells and whistles  From the plethora of machines drowned out the waitress  And it took longer than it should have to take our order  All three of us were tired  But only 1 was being paid to be here  And it wasn't my passenger and I  My passenger stated his order   as I was downing the first cup of coffee  Then it was my turn to interact  Mindlessly I ordered breakfast and some soup  The waitress appeared to me  Muttered crackers?  And thinking she was referring to us  Two white boys in the middle of the night  Driving a car in need of serious repair  Smelling of smoke and speaking loudly  We both broke out in laughter  The waitress asked what was so funny  I replied you called us crackers  No, crackers for your soup is what I asked  You boys look a little rough tonight how far have you got to go  We let her know and talked to her till the sun rose  We were well fed  Energized from the copious amount of coffee  Ready to take on the final leg of the journey  And to this day, when either of us hears the word crackers  We are transported to that night  Somewhere between West Virginia and home  Sign Up for the Create Art Podcast Newsletter Or Subscribe Here Reaching Out To The Podcast To reach out to me, email timothy@createartpodcast.com I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let's start that conversation. Email: timothy@createartpodcast.com YouTube Channel: Create Art Podcast YT Channel IG: @createartpodcast Twitter: @createartpod Special Message If you have found value in this podcast please feel free to share it with a friend as that is the best way to find new podcasts. I want this to be a 5-star podcast in your eyes so let me know what you would like to see. Speaking about sharing with a friend, check out my other podcast Find A Podcast About where I help you outsmart the algorithm and find your next binge-worthy podcast. You can find that podcast at findapodcastabout.xyz.

History of National Poetry Writing Month National Poetry Writing Month (also known as NaPoWriMo) is a creative writing project held annually in April in which participants attempt to write a poem each day for one month. NaPoWriMo coincides with National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada. This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month), she started writing a poem a day for the month of April back in 2003, posting the poems on her blog. When other people started writing poems for April and posting them on their own blogs, Maureen linked to them. After a few years, so many people were doing NaPoWriMo that Maureen decided to launch an independent website for the project. My History with National Poetry Writing Month I started writing poetry in 1988 after I had been exposed to T.S. Elliot in my honors English class in high school. In 1992 I started reading my poetry publicly at Espresso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. While living in Rockford Illinois I published my first book of poetry Throwing Yourself at the Ground and Missing in 2007 followed by Postcards From Someone You Don't Know in 2008 Wisdom From the Sack in 2010 and Shaving Crop Circles In My Chest Hair in 2017. You can get copies of all of these books in my merch section. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021. What I am doing differently for Poetry Month For 2023 I am not going to be just writing poems in April, I will be writing poems all year round. Also, since I will be writing all year round, I am using a different source for my prompts. There is a blog called Think Written and you can find it here. I will also be performing these works at Katora Coffee House here in Fredericksburg Virginia on their Friday Night Snaps Open Mic Poetry reading. Some of the podcast episodes you will hear will be a live recording of me reading the poem to a live audience, other times I will be reading it in the comfort of my home studio. I do plan on posting my work to the NaPoWriMo site and interacting with the poets there and see if they want to read their work on this podcast. Todays Poetry Prompt Weirder Than Fiction: Think of the most unbelievable moment in your life and write a poem about the experience.  Just Passing Through  11 April 2023  I had just got on the last bus headed for home  It was dark, and cold, and since the windows were tinted   I felt blind to the outside world  My carryon was in my lap  Turning on the overhead light  I noticed that the passenger next to me was reading  I pulled out my borrowed copy of a book  The author isn't important  Someone I should have been enjoying  But this was not a good book to start with  When my seatmate heard my yawn for the fifth time in 10 minutes  He asked me what I was reading  When I showed him, he asked if was it my first time with this author  Yes it was and I wasn't enjoying it at all was my response  I let him know it was a borrowed book from a friend who thought I'd dig it  But it just wasn't working for me  The passenger opened his carryon bag   Handed me another book by the same author  Here read this, it moves faster than the one you have  I tried to politely decline since my stop was in 5 hours  If you don't finish take it with you   You can give it to me the next time you see me  I thought this was preposterous but accepted is offer  So, I read with amazement for 5 hours until my stop  As I got up to leave, I tried to hand the book back to him  He said nope, give it to me when we see each other again  I offered to pay for the book  Again, he declined and said to give it back when we see each other  Taking the book to the place at that time I called home  My mother told me she wanted no books  From Satanists in her house  She wanted to throw it out or burn it  But I let her know it was on loan and it was expected to be returned  She said I had met a devil on the bus  I said I had met a human  Causing the trip home to be contentious   Two years later I found myself on another bus  Again, the last one out of the station  I made sure to bring the borrowed book  And just like that, he was there  I sat next to him and held out the book  He smiled and said great you are ready for book two in the series  He took the book I borrowed and replaced it with the new one  I asked when he wanted it back  He just closed his eyes and fell asleep  I haven't been on many cross-country busses since then  But I always keep the copy he gave me in case  Sign Up for the Create Art Podcast Newsletter Or Subscribe Here Reaching Out To The Podcast To reach out to me, email timothy@createartpodcast.com I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let's start that conversation. Email: timothy@createartpodcast.com YouTube Channel: Create Art Podcast YT Channel IG: @createartpodcast Twitter: @createartpod Special Message If you have found value in this podcast please feel free to share it with a friend as that is the best way to find new podcasts. I want this to be a 5-star podcast in your eyes so let me know what you would like to see. Speaking about sharing with a friend, check out my other podcast Find A Podcast About where I help you outsmart the algorithm and find your next binge-worthy podcast. You can find that podcast at findapodcastabout.xyz.

History of National Poetry Writing Month National Poetry Writing Month (also known as NaPoWriMo) is a creative writing project held annually in April in which participants attempt to write a poem each day for one month. NaPoWriMo coincides with National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada. This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month), she started writing a poem a day for the month of April back in 2003, posting the poems on her blog. When other people started writing poems for April and posting them on their own blogs, Maureen linked to them. After a few years, so many people were doing NaPoWriMo that Maureen decided to launch an independent website for the project. My History with National Poetry Writing Month I started writing poetry in 1988 after I had been exposed to T.S. Elliot in my honors English class in high school. In 1992 I started reading my poetry publicly at Espresso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. While living in Rockford Illinois I published my first book of poetry Throwing Yourself at the Ground and Missing in 2007 followed by Postcards From Someone You Don't Know in 2008 Wisdom From the Sack in 2010 and Shaving Crop Circles In My Chest Hair in 2017. You can get copies of all of these books in my merch section. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021. What I am doing differently for Poetry Month For 2023 I am not going to be just writing poems in April, I will be writing poems all year round. Also, since I will be writing all year round, I am using a different source for my prompts. There is a blog called Think Written and you can find it here. I will also be performing these works at Katora Coffee House here in Fredericksburg Virginia on their Friday Night Snaps Open Mic Poetry reading. Some of the podcast episodes you will hear will be a live recording of me reading the poem to a live audience, other times I will be reading it in the comfort of my home studio. I do plan on posting my work to the NaPoWriMo site and interacting with the poets there and see if they want to read their work on this podcast. Todays Poetry Prompt Sound of Silence: Take some inspiration from the classic Simon & Garfunkel song and describe what silence sounds like.  No Thing 10 April 2023  Laying down, ready for sleep  The fan is set for high (even in the winter)  And the music is set for introspection through jazz  Drowning out the usual high-pitched squeal that has become my swan song  I am prepared to enter the ethereal lands  Being alone with my thoughts  Is the quickest way to insanity  The voices that plagued my mother  Descend with vengeance  Ready to eliminate any respite shown me  Nightly I sonically excavate  The landscapes of my awake and sleeping mind  Reliving mistakes I have made  And paying for them dearly  In ways only my mind can torture me  One moment would be nice  To be able to turn off the thoughts and dreams  To not think, fear, be anxious  Just that total blankness of a new sheet of paper  Or an empty canvas  I do not afford myself such luxuries  But to have that one moment  Where nothing comes in or goes out  Would only fuel the idea  That my brain is flawed  That the internal demons   Who wanted to silence this voice   Have won the war against me  There will be no peace in our time  Sign Up for the Create Art Podcast Newsletter Or Subscribe Here Reaching Out To The Podcast To reach out to me, email timothy@createartpodcast.com I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let's start that conversation. Email: timothy@createartpodcast.com YouTube Channel: Create Art Podcast YT Channel IG: @createartpodcast Twitter: @createartpod Special Message If you have found value in this podcast please feel free to share it with a friend as that is the best way to find new podcasts. I want this to be a 5-star podcast in your eyes so let me know what you would like to see. Speaking about sharing with a friend, check out my other podcast Find A Podcast About where I help you outsmart the algorithm and find your next binge-worthy podcast. You can find that podcast at findapodcastabout.xyz.

History of National Poetry Writing Month National Poetry Writing Month (also known as NaPoWriMo) is a creative writing project held annually in April in which participants attempt to write a poem each day for one month. NaPoWriMo coincides with National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada. This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month), she started writing a poem a day for the month of April back in 2003, posting the poems on her blog. When other people started writing poems for April and posting them on their own blogs, Maureen linked to them. After a few years, so many people were doing NaPoWriMo that Maureen decided to launch an independent website for the project. My History with National Poetry Writing Month I started writing poetry in 1988 after I had been exposed to T.S. Elliot in my honors English class in high school. In 1992 I started reading my poetry publicly at Espresso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. While living in Rockford Illinois I published my first book of poetry Throwing Yourself at the Ground and Missing in 2007 followed by Postcards From Someone You Don't Know in 2008 Wisdom From the Sack in 2010 and Shaving Crop Circles In My Chest Hair in 2017. You can get copies of all of these books in my merch section. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021. What I am doing differently for Poetry Month For 2023 I am not going to be just writing poems in April, I will be writing poems all year round. Also, since I will be writing all year round, I am using a different source for my prompts. There is a blog called Think Written and you can find it here. I will also be performing these works at Katora Coffee House here in Fredericksburg Virginia on their Friday Night Snaps Open Mic Poetry reading. Some of the podcast episodes you will hear will be a live recording of me reading the poem to a live audience, other times I will be reading it in the comfort of my home studio. I do plan on posting my work to the NaPoWriMo site and interacting with the poets there and see if they want to read their work on this podcast. Todays Poetry Prompt Weirder Than Fiction: Think of the most unbelievable moment in your life and write a poem about the experience.  Todays Poem Greyhound Pimpin  5 April 2023  The cheapest way to see the country  With people, you probably will never meet again  I was on the East Coast heading out west  To the city of Sun Phoenix to visit a friend  After pushing off the homeless guys  Begging for smoke or spare change at the depot  I got into the bus where all the seats are coach  Towards the back, near the bathrooms  The slight smell of antiseptic and piss soaked into the cloth seats  We pulled out of there  Just to stop again, and again, and again  Gaining more and more people   Dropping off others  The miles crawled by  We got to Atlanta that night  Time to switch busses  Time to find my bags  And tote them over to our new driver  The same bums begging for change followed us  Like there was an ATM on board  And naturally, we were all well off  Seeing the country the cheapest way possible  There was a couple already occupying the back seats  And I sat in front of them  The smell had changed from cleaner and piss  To sweet sweet rotgut  With a hint of patolli  So, I gave them my spare pack of smokes  And at each stop, we stood off from the others   And huffed our way to bliss  The driver came to the back more than once  Complaining about the smell and noise  I could play straight easily  But they were true amateurs  By the time we got to El Paso  The cops were waiting for them  As we left the bus for another round  They were taken in  And I puffed on a smoke a stones throw away  They waved goodbye  And I said till we meet again  I got back on that bus  And changed seats  Trying to outsmart the driver  When we were stopped at the border security station  I thought they were coming for me  They pulled off a few who looked darker  Than those in the land of the free  They didn't wave at me  And I didn't say goodbye  They were lost in that New Mexico sky  We pulled into Phoenix  The heat was still on high   The city didn't care if it was the middle of Fall or Summer  It was hot all the time  And there was my friend waiting in his Mercedes  The bums from Richmond and Atlanta followed us  And started to beg again  When they tried to wash his windows  He pulled out his gun  They scurried off like mice  And we headed to the nearest strip club  Sign Up for the Create Art Podcast Newsletter   Reaching Out To The Podcast To reach out to me, email timothy@createartpodcast.com I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let's start that conversation. Email: timothy@createartpodcast.com YouTube Channel: Create Art Podcast YT Channel IG: @createartpodcast Twitter: @createartpod Special Message If you have found value in this podcast please feel free to share it with a friend as that is the best way to find new podcasts. I want this to be a 5-star podcast in your eyes so let me know what you would like to see. Speaking about sharing with a friend, check out my other podcast Find A Podcast About where I help you outsmart the algorithm and find your next binge-worthy podcast. You can find that podcast at findapodcastabout.xyz.

History of National Poetry Writing Month National Poetry Writing Month (also known as NaPoWriMo) is a creative writing project held annually in April in which participants attempt to write a poem each day for one month. NaPoWriMo coincides with National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada. This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month), she started writing a poem a day for the month of April back in 2003, posting the poems on her blog. When other people started writing poems for April and posting them on their own blogs, Maureen linked to them. After a few years, so many people were doing NaPoWriMo that Maureen decided to launch an independent website for the project. My History with National Poetry Writing Month I started writing poetry in 1988 after I had been exposed to T.S. Elliot in my honors English class in high school. In 1992 I started reading my poetry publicly at Espresso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. While living in Rockford Illinois I published my first book of poetry Throwing Yourself at the Ground and Missing in 2007 followed by Postcards From Someone You Don't Know in 2008 Wisdom From the Sack in 2010 and Shaving Crop Circles In My Chest Hair in 2017. You can get copies of all of these books in my merch section. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021. What I am doing differently for Poetry Month For 2023 I am not going to be just writing poems in April, I will be writing poems all year round. Also, since I will be writing all year round, I am using a different source for my prompts. There is a blog called Think Written and you can find it here. I will also be performing these works at Katora Coffee House here in Fredericksburg Virginia on their Friday Night Snaps Open Mic Poetry reading. Some of the podcast episodes you will hear will be a live recording of me reading the poem to a live audience, other times I will be reading it in the comfort of my home studio. I do plan on posting my work to the NaPoWriMo site and interacting with the poets there and see if they want to read their work on this podcast. Todays Poetry Prompt People You Have Known: Make each line about different people you have met but lost contact with over the years. These could be old friends, passed-on family, etc.  Todays Poem No Longer In Communication  4 April 2023  To Jeff, you were the subject of my first attempt at poetry, four-line stanzas four stanzas long, all these words on paper and electrons floating throughout the universe hold the code that is you  To Katina, working with you at the movie theater was bliss, kissing you in the back of the shop with the lights off was magical, and hearing how you kept the baby of your rapist still angers me that you had to make that choice  Mike D, your family invited this stranger in, and for years you were that little brother that became successful, except you, couldn't put that bottle down, so I put you down, that's the way I detach and preserve my sanity  Kelly, the eyes are what I remember the most, the drunken nights and the way you brought other men to bed have been forgotten, but as you changed your ways and became a mother, your life was taken away, and now I can only guess where to send flowers  Mr. Hoppe, that stoic man, demanding that these rednecks produce a sound that the gods recognized our importance, you left for Arizona, I wanted to go with you, and I made it out there never to find you  Gordon Odegard Director, GOD for short, your breath stank of dog shit, but you inspired this kid to believe in something greater than religion, greater than science, you made me believe I could make a difference, and ensure that the audience could see the actors eyes  Albert, you probably wouldn't have been proud of my stereo setup, but you would be proud of the impact of my music collection on our nephew, you gave me the love of music, good music, and showed me how to sing while driving, I wanted to come to your funeral, but I was working 80 hour weeks and had no reliable transportation  Tommy, my hippie grade school pal, sneaking off to your house to listen to KISS records and play with your toys was the first time I ran away from home, your spasms and outbursts have a name now, and my daughter has them, I hope you are alive, but I am too afraid to find out  To she that cannot be named, I was in a bad spot, you took advantage of it without knowing what you were doing, I wasn't honest with you and to this day I am still not honest with others who wonder why we don't speak, you will probably never read this and that is fair I wasn't ready for a one night stand nor was I ready to be the lead singer of your brother's death metal math prog band  To the Lt Col who took a long stroll off a short pier, what you inspired in me keeps fueling my work, I won't stop until I can achieve half of what you have  To Moses, otherwise known as Mr. Heston, we don't have latrines in the Air Force, we have full-service restrooms and please tip the towel boy on your way out, by the way, guns do kill people and your legacy is tied to the fools you would not suffer when you were alive  Sign Up for the Create Art Podcast Newsletter   Reaching Out To The Podcast To reach out to me, email timothy@createartpodcast.com I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let's start that conversation. Email: timothy@createartpodcast.com YouTube Channel: Create Art Podcast YT Channel IG: @createartpodcast Twitter: @createartpod Special Message If you have found value in this podcast please feel free to share it with a friend as that is the best way to find new podcasts. I want this to be a 5-star podcast in your eyes so let me know what you would like to see. Speaking about sharing with a friend, check out my other podcast Find A Podcast About where I help you outsmart the algorithm and find your next binge-worthy podcast. You can find that podcast at findapodcastabout.xyz.

History of National Poetry Writing Month National Poetry Writing Month (also known as NaPoWriMo) is a creative writing project held annually in April in which participants attempt to write a poem each day for one month. NaPoWriMo coincides with National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada. This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month), she started writing a poem a day for the month of April back in 2003, posting the poems on her blog. When other people started writing poems for April and posting them on their own blogs, Maureen linked to them. After a few years, so many people were doing NaPoWriMo that Maureen decided to launch an independent website for the project. My History with National Poetry Writing Month I started writing poetry in 1988 after I had been exposed to T.S. Elliot in my honors English class in high school. In 1992 I started reading my poetry publicly at Espresso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. While living in Rockford Illinois I published my first book of poetry Throwing Yourself at the Ground and Missing in 2007 followed by Postcards From Someone You Don't Know in 2008 Wisdom From the Sack in 2010 and Shaving Crop Circles In My Chest Hair in 2017. You can get copies of all of these books in my merch section. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021. What I am doing differently for Poetry Month For 2023 I am not going to be just writing poems in April, I will be writing poems all year round. Also, since I will be writing all year round, I am using a different source for my prompts. There is a blog called Think Written and you can find it here. I will also be performing these works at Katora Coffee House here in Fredericksburg Virginia on their Friday Night Snaps Open Mic Poetry reading. Some of the podcast episodes you will hear will be a live recording of me reading the poem to a live audience, other times I will be reading it in the comfort of my home studio. I do plan on posting my work to the NaPoWriMo site and interacting with the poets there and see if they want to read their work on this podcast. Todays Poetry Prompt Dear Reader: What audience enjoys reading the type of poetry you like to write? Craft a note to your potential audience that addresses their biggest fears, hopes, and dreams.  Todays Poem Read with Caution  8 April 2023  You who are searching for a familiar voice  You who want to laugh at me and my mishaps  You who really like how I keep it real  You have no idea who I am  I give you a peek inside  But I gotta say I cleaned up the back room  If you suddenly drop in unexpected  You'd see something completely different  You think you know my political affiliation  But guess what kiddos, I am as loyal to them  As they are to me  Being an anarchist in libertarian clothes is hard to comprehend  I used to smoke cigs  And I talked about them forever  With a cup of joe and lusting after the dark-haired barista  The only problem is I was too shy to talk to her   I used to have a drink or three  And I just got dizzy and sick   There was no pontifications  That rattled the cages   I used to get high 13 times a day  I kept count at some point, I don't remember when   But now I can't partake  Because I love my pension and Retirment more than Mary  I drove around the country to visit friends  Now I can't stand to drive an hour to get to work  Traffic angers me more  Than injustice  If you knew me when I was fearless  If you knew me when I was invulnerable  If you knew me way back when  Then you know I was not any of those things  I've always been a teddy bear  I was the person who would be up at 3 in the morning  And you could call me and have me listen  But now, at 3 AM  I only get up to scare nightmares away  Sign Up for the Create Art Podcast Newsletter Or Subscribe Here Reaching Out To The Podcast To reach out to me, email timothy@createartpodcast.com I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let's start that conversation. Email: timothy@createartpodcast.com YouTube Channel: Create Art Podcast YT Channel IG: @createartpodcast Twitter: @createartpod Special Message If you have found value in this podcast please feel free to share it with a friend as that is the best way to find new podcasts. I want this to be a 5-star podcast in your eyes so let me know what you would like to see. Speaking about sharing with a friend, check out my other podcast Find A Podcast About where I help you outsmart the algorithm and find your next binge-worthy podcast. You can find that podcast at findapodcastabout.xyz.

History of National Poetry Writing Month National Poetry Writing Month (also known as NaPoWriMo) is a creative writing project held annually in April in which participants attempt to write a poem each day for one month. NaPoWriMo coincides with National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada. This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month), she started writing a poem a day for the month of April back in 2003, posting the poems on her blog. When other people started writing poems for April and posting them on their own blogs, Maureen linked to them. After a few years, so many people were doing NaPoWriMo that Maureen decided to launch an independent website for the project. My History with National Poetry Writing Month I started writing poetry in 1988 after I had been exposed to T.S. Elliot in my honors English class in high school. In 1992 I started reading my poetry publicly at Espresso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. While living in Rockford Illinois I published my first book of poetry Throwing Yourself at the Ground and Missing in 2007 followed by Postcards From Someone You Don't Know in 2008 Wisdom From the Sack in 2010 and Shaving Crop Circles In My Chest Hair in 2017. You can get copies of all of these books in my merch section. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021. What I am doing differently for Poetry Month For 2023 I am not going to be just writing poems in April, I will be writing poems all year round. Also, since I will be writing all year round, I am using a different source for my prompts. There is a blog called Think Written and you can find it here. I will also be performing these works at Katora Coffee House here in Fredericksburg Virginia on their Friday Night Snaps Open Mic Poetry reading. Some of the podcast episodes you will hear will be a live recording of me reading the poem to a live audience, other times I will be reading it in the comfort of my home studio. I do plan on posting my work to the NaPoWriMo site and interacting with the poets there and see if they want to read their work on this podcast. Todays Poetry Prompt Last Words: Use the last sentence from the nearest book as the inspiration for the first line of your poem. “And indeed, as he listened to the cries of joy rising from the town, Rieux remembered that such joy is always imperiled” The Plague by Camus Todays Poem Holding It In  3 April 2023  The ideas we don't share  The voices running through our heads   We dare not whisper to those around us  The weight of the wrongs we have committed in the name of love  The frustration of believing the inner dictator vs the creator  The need to spill our guts  When we know it will make us feel better  But we are too worried about how those outside our brains will react  The fear that finding out our truth is not shared by any other soul  Looking foolish is not the fashion statement we want to employ  Ridicule awaits when we emotionally expose ourselves  So, we drop trow and plant our butt cheeks against the window  My firewall is struggling not to be breached  But I don't really give a shit about your insecurities  Carrying the secrets of decades has improved my musculature  Also, it has caused microscopic cracks in all my bones  I pay the monthly garbage disposal fee  To my therapist   Hoping that no one is dumpster-diving through his notes  I have lugged all this baggage, so you don't have to be exposed  I kept it in a lead-lined case so the radiation wouldn't seep into your body  The glowing from within escaped out of the cracks of the case  And became my nightlight  Clutching the pain of all the years  Was the best coping mechanism as seen on TV  Being above the fray, refusing to break down  Or become flexible  Was the ideal I thought would work  Only to find it eating me up from the inside  And leaving me with few salvageable innards  My fear was that I was nothing without the pain  And I have found that the pain is what caused more pain  In this aching frame  So I release it  The torrent that has been encapsulated in my mind  It doesn't feel better, but it feels better to feel  And finding out that is what I was craving  That is what the hole in my soul was missing  Makes it easier to move on with today  And let the past die in peace  Sign Up for the Create Art Podcast Newsletter   Reaching Out To The Podcast To reach out to me, email timothy@createartpodcast.com I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let's start that conversation. Email: timothy@createartpodcast.com YouTube Channel: Create Art Podcast YT Channel IG: @createartpodcast Twitter: @createartpod Special Message If you have found value in this podcast please feel free to share it with a friend as that is the best way to find new podcasts. I want this to be a 5-star podcast in your eyes so let me know what you would like to see. Speaking about sharing with a friend, check out my other podcast Find A Podcast About where I help you outsmart the algorithm a

History of National Poetry Writing Month National Poetry Writing Month (also known as NaPoWriMo) is a creative writing project held annually in April in which participants attempt to write a poem each day for one month. NaPoWriMo coincides with National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada. This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month), she started writing a poem a day for the month of April back in 2003, posting the poems on her blog. When other people started writing poems for April and posting them on their own blogs, Maureen linked to them. After a few years, so many people were doing NaPoWriMo that Maureen decided to launch an independent website for the project. My History with National Poetry Writing Month I started writing poetry in 1988 after I had been exposed to T.S. Elliot in my honors English class in high school. In 1992 I started reading my poetry publicly at Espresso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. While living in Rockford Illinois I published my first book of poetry Throwing Yourself at the Ground and Missing in 2007 followed by Postcards From Someone You Don't Know in 2008 Wisdom From the Sack in 2010 and Shaving Crop Circles In My Chest Hair in 2017. You can get copies of all of these books in my merch section. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021. What I am doing differently for Poetry Month For 2023 I am not going to be just writing poems in April, I will be writing poems all year round. Also, since I will be writing all year round, I am using a different source for my prompts. There is a blog called Think Written and you can find it here. I will also be performing these works at Katora Coffee House here in Fredericksburg Virginia on their Friday Night Snaps Open Mic Poetry reading. Some of the podcast episodes you will hear will be a live recording of me reading the poem to a live audience, other times I will be reading it in the comfort of my home studio. I do plan on posting my work to the NaPoWriMo site and interacting with the poets there and see if they want to read their work on this podcast. Todays Poetry Prompt Last Words: Use the last sentence from the nearest book as the inspiration for the first line of your poem. “And indeed, as he listened to the cries of joy rising from the town, Rieux remembered that such joy is always imperiled” The Plague by Camus Todays Poem Joy is Always Imperiled 29 March 2023 Don't live in the warm glow of love  In the past it has left by the morning  That was the way I used to be  And then fatherhood happened  The smiles and gurgling of two babies  Changed my heart  I wanted to be around for more than my ten-year plan   I was able to overlook the few faults of my lover  And she was able to overlook mine  I've seen fatherhood calm other men  Make them look at the long game  And forget that it's not about them anymore  It's about what they brought into this world  It's about bringing a fresh mind into the collective unconsciousness  Sign Up for the Create Art Podcast Newsletter   Reaching Out To The Podcast To reach out to me, email timothy@createartpodcast.com I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let's start that conversation. Email: timothy@createartpodcast.com YouTube Channel: Create Art Podcast YT Channel IG: @createartpodcast Twitter: @createartpod Special Message If you have found value in this podcast please feel free to share it with a friend as that is the best way to find new podcasts. I want this to be a 5-star podcast in your eyes so let me know what you would like to see. Speaking about sharing with a friend, check out my other podcast Find A Podcast About where I help you outsmart the algorithm and find your next binge-worthy podcast. You can find that podcast at findapodcastabout.xyz.

History of National Poetry Writing Month National Poetry Writing Month (also known as NaPoWriMo) is a creative writing project held annually in April in which participants attempt to write a poem each day for one month. NaPoWriMo coincides with National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada. This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month), she started writing a poem a day for the month of April back in 2003, posting the poems on her blog. When other people started writing poems for April and posting them on their own blogs, Maureen linked to them. After a few years, so many people were doing NaPoWriMo that Maureen decided to launch an independent website for the project. My History with National Poetry Writing Month I started writing poetry in 1988 after I had been exposed to T.S. Elliot in my honors English class in high school. In 1992 I started reading my poetry publicly at Espresso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. While living in Rockford Illinois I published my first book of poetry Throwing Yourself at the Ground and Missing in 2007 followed by Postcards From Someone You Don't Know in 2008 Wisdom From the Sack in 2010 and Shaving Crop Circles In My Chest Hair in 2017. You can get copies of all of these books in my merch section. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021. What I am doing differently for Poetry Month For 2023 I am not going to be just writing poems in April, I will be writing poems all year round. Also, since I will be writing all year round, I am using a different source for my prompts. There is a blog called Think Written and you can find it here. I will also be performing these works at Katora Coffee House here in Fredericksburg Virginia on their Friday Night Snaps Open Mic Poetry reading. Some of the podcast episodes you will hear will be a live recording of me reading the poem to a live audience, other times I will be reading it in the comfort of my home studio. I do plan on posting my work to the NaPoWriMo site and interacting with the poets there and see if they want to read their work on this podcast. Todays Poetry Prompt Goodbyes: Write about a time in your life you said goodbye to someone – this could be as simple as ending a mundane phone conversation, or harder goodbyes to close friends, family members, or former partners. Todays Poem Closed Casket  22 March 2023    I can hear you from over 20 years of you rotting in the ground  I idolized you and believed in everything you said  I was selfish, greedy, self-centered  I was a mistake; I was lucky to be alive  If I had been born earlier, I would have died in your womb  Like another child did  Or you would have aborted me   if the voices in your head told you to  #3 husband wanted to get you in the ground  So he could move onto his next 2 conquests  That person couldn't even remember you said to have the lid closed  He has no Indigenous blood running through his veins  There was no medicine man that called me bright light  And no one dosed your coffee with PCP  The cologne that sperm donor wore, you weren't allergic to  You just knew that he was on the prowl  And wanted him to know that you knew  So I wasn't allowed to wear deodorant  And my sweaty pits smelled like the pot  Your oldest children smoked  When I saw you laying there with all that makeup on  I thanked the funeral director for their work  But I told him that it wasn't you  I should have told the preacher to revoke the post humorous   Membership in their church  But I let sperm donor have his day of celebration  And just so you know  Although you probably already knew  You weren't cold in the ground for a year  When he took his next bride  Who was so rich and smart   That he couldn't drain her accounts  And there I was, a babbling weeping self-centered man child  Breaking down, fist bumping your casket  Counting the minutes until my next cigarette  Climbing in the car to put you 6 feet under  Sperm donor didn't have the money for your headstone  And he never visited your grave with me  All those times I took the time to head back to the land of my torture  Replace plastic flowers and put trinkets that you treasured there  And not once did he come with me  You chose to end it all, and if you wondered if I missed you  I did, until the other night  When my child said she was self-centered, greedy, selfish and a mistake  I heard my voice in hers  And I knew then that I needed to smash that away  She is not you she is mine  and I no longer need you  Nor do I need your influence  Or your picture looking over me and my children  I won't think about you on the anniversary of your death  Nor will I remember you on Mother's Day anymore  You have finally and completely become dead to me  Just like the sperm donor  Just like my heroes  Just like my love of scrambled memories  Just like the putrid and deranged love you showed me  Sign Up for the Create Art Podcast Newsletter   Reaching Out To The Podcast To reach out to me, email timothy@createartpodcast.com I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let's start that conversation. Email: timothy@createartpodcast.com YouTube Channel: Create Art Podcast YT Channel IG: @createartpodcast Twitter: @createartpod Special Message If you have found value in this podcast please feel free to share it with a friend as that is the best way to find new podcasts. I want this to be a 5-star podcast in your eyes so let me know what you would like to see. Speaking about sharing with a friend, check out my other podcast Find A Podcast About where I help you outsmart the algorithm and find your next binge-worthy podcast. You can find that podcast at findapodcastabout.xyz.

History of National Poetry Writing Month National Poetry Writing Month (also known as NaPoWriMo) is a creative writing project held annually in April in which participants attempt to write a poem each day for one month. NaPoWriMo coincides with National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada. This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month), she started writing a poem a day for the month of April back in 2003, posting the poems on her blog. When other people started writing poems for April and posting them on their own blogs, Maureen linked to them. After a few years, so many people were doing NaPoWriMo that Maureen decided to launch an independent website for the project. My History with National Poetry Writing Month I started writing poetry in 1988 after I had been exposed to T.S. Elliot in my honors English class in high school. In 1992 I started reading my poetry publicly at Espresso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. While living in Rockford Illinois I published my first book of poetry Throwing Yourself at the Ground and Missing in 2007 followed by Postcards From Someone You Don't Know in 2008 Wisdom From the Sack in 2010 and Shaving Crop Circles In My Chest Hair in 2017. You can get copies of all of these books in my merch section. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021. What I am doing differently for Poetry Month For 2023 I am not going to be just writing poems in April, I will be writing poems all year round. Also, since I will be writing all year round, I am using a different source for my prompts. There is a blog called Think Written and you can find it here. I will also be performing these works at Katora Coffee House here in Fredericksburg Virginia on their Friday Night Snaps Open Mic Poetry reading. Some of the podcast episodes you will hear will be a live recording of me reading the poem to a live audience, other times I will be reading it in the comfort of my home studio. I do plan on posting my work to the NaPoWriMo site and interacting with the poets there and see if they want to read their work on this podcast. Todays Poetry Prompt Uncertainty: Think about a time in your life when you couldn't make a decision and write based on this. Todays Poem Two of Swords  3 Feb 2023  Mancave    When opening the deck for the first time  You couldn't wait to identify me  So, you tumbled out and landed on the ground first  Pushing aside all the other cards  You knew me before I knew me  I read the future of others  Gave them advice with your tutelage  But nothing for me  No vision of what was to come  Just the two of swords  And the reflection of indecision  Standing outside a hotel room  The night before we were to be wed  My soon-to-be betrothed was asleep, snoring  And me smoking and thinking about what was next  Do I grab a cab and never darken the commonwealth's door  Tell Old Dominion that it will not have my soul again  Yes, I stayed  Yes, I was wed to my betrothed  Yes, I added to the population  Yes, I voted blue to make us more purple  And on my weak and battered arm  I have placed you  My card of indecision  My card that holds me back  That feeds my insecurities  You are a part of me  Making me an expert of second-guessing  But you don't stop me like you used to  Or maybe I don't let you stop me  Maybe I give you some time   To dance in my insomnia  But your influence is short-lived  And I push forward   Finally, out of your grasp   Reaching Out To The Podcast To reach out to me, email timothy@createartpodcast.com I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let's start that conversation. Email: timothy@createartpodcast.com YouTube Channel: Create Art Podcast YT Channel IG: @createartpodcast Twitter: @createartpod Special Message If you have found value in this podcast please feel free to share it with a friend as that is the best way to find new podcasts. I want this to be a 5-star podcast in your eyes so let me know what you would like to see. Speaking about sharing with a friend, check out my other podcast Find A Podcast About where I help you outsmart the algorithm and find your next binge-worthy podcast. You can find that podcast at findapodcastabout.xyz.

History of National Poetry Writing Month National Poetry Writing Month (also known as NaPoWriMo) is a creative writing project held annually in April in which participants attempt to write a poem each day for one month. NaPoWriMo coincides with National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada. This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month), she started writing a poem a day for the month of April back in 2003, posting the poems on her blog. When other people started writing poems for April and posting them on their own blogs, Maureen linked to them. After a few years, so many people were doing NaPoWriMo that Maureen decided to launch an independent website for the project. My History with National Poetry Writing Month I started writing poetry in 1988 after I had been exposed to T.S. Elliot in my honors English class in high school. In 1992 I started reading my poetry publicly at Espresso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. While living in Rockford Illinois I published my first book of poetry Throwing Yourself at the Ground and Missing in 2007 followed by Postcards From Someone You Don't Know in 2008 Wisdom From the Sack in 2010 and Shaving Crop Circles In My Chest Hair in 2017. You can get copies of all of these books in my merch section. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021. What I am doing differently for Poetry Month For 2023 I am not going to be just writing poems in April, I will be writing poems all year round. Also, since I will be writing all year round, I am using a different source for my prompts. There is a blog called Think Written and you can find it here. I will also be performing these works at Katora Coffee House here in Fredericksburg Virginia on their Friday Night Snaps Open Mic Poetry reading. Some of the podcast episodes you will hear will be a live recording of me reading the poem to a live audience, other times I will be reading it in the comfort of my home studio. I do plan on posting my work to the NaPoWriMo site and interacting with the poets there and see if they want to read their work on this podcast. Todays Poetry Prompt Life Didn't Go As Planned: Write about a recent or memorable experience when nothing went according to plan.  Todays Poem The Last Time I Cried  14 March 2023    It wasn't too cold that day  My car was starting, sporadically  It was a Friday, and I was forgotten in the waiting room  The nurse had me type in my information  She was unable to hold a thought for more than five minutes  Then back to the waiting room of forgetting  The resident came in  Way younger than me  Way more handsome,   Probably was having a threesome that night  He wanted to get out of there  I wanted to get out of there  Friday at 4 PM, both of our minds were elsewhere  He brought in his teacher, the real doctor  His accent was probably not as thick as I perceived   Between the nurse, the resident and this doc  I am surprised any of them hadn't been sued or assaulted  And that's when they told me  Welcome to the world of MS  And they ushered me out  The receptionist had left an hour ago  So, the head nurse practitioner had to check me out  He was the only one with an ounce of kindness  I made it through the hospital in downtown Richmond  I had been here before  Had the ticking timebomb removed from my brain  And I remembered how shitty I was treated back then  And I wondered why I came back  Oh yeah, I'm a De Sade fan  The car didn't start.   I lit a cigarette  The car didn't start  I am not sure why I thought it would  I walked around the car  Smoking another cigarette  Underneath the sign that says don't  Just as I was about to call home  The car started  Driving up I95 on a Friday before Spring Break  There was a lot to time to contemplate  Making my way home  I said no, No, NO  5 years of frustration  5 years of MRI's MRA's, CT Scans  Spikes pressed 5 times in my back  Blood tests galore for every known disease  Finally understanding why so many things happened  Finally realizing that I was never lazy  Finally realizing that what was wrong had a name  It wasn't me all along  Making it through the front door  The children were asleep  The wife was on the couch  I knew we would be there for awhile  Talked till her yawns couldn't keep her eyes opened  And then we slept  Saturday with the children didn't cause the waterworks  It was when my wife got back from errands  That it all hit me  And my kids wonder why Papa doesn't cry  They've never seen it  And I know it's bad to think, but they may never  Even then I couldn't weep for myself in front of them  Retiring to our room  As she followed close by  I made it in, shut the door  And heard my dead mothers voice calling me selfish  And selfishly I cried  Reaching Out To The Podcast To reach out to me, email timothy@createartpodcast.com I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let's start that conversation. Email: timothy@createartpodcast.com YouTube Channel: Create Art Podcast YT Channel IG: @createartpodcast Twitter: @createartpod Special Message If you have found value in this podcast please feel free to share it with a friend as that is the best way to find new podcasts. I want this to be a 5-star podcast in your eyes so let me know what you would like to see. Speaking about sharing with a friend, check out my other podcast Find A Podcast About where I help you outsmart the algorithm and find your next binge-worthy podcast. You can find that podcast at findapodcastabout.xyz.

History of National Poetry Writing Month National Poetry Writing Month (also known as NaPoWriMo) is a creative writing project held annually in April in which participants attempt to write a poem each day for one month. NaPoWriMo coincides with National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada. This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month), she started writing a poem a day for the month of April back in 2003, posting the poems on her blog. When other people started writing poems for April and posting them on their own blogs, Maureen linked to them. After a few years, so many people were doing NaPoWriMo that Maureen decided to launch an independent website for the project. My History with National Poetry Writing Month I started writing poetry in 1988 after I had been exposed to T.S. Elliot in my honors English class in high school. In 1992 I started reading my poetry publicly at Espresso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. While living in Rockford Illinois I published my first book of poetry Throwing Yourself at the Ground and Missing in 2007 followed by Postcards From Someone You Don't Know in 2008 Wisdom From the Sack in 2010 and Shaving Crop Circles In My Chest Hair in 2017. You can get copies of all of these books in my merch section. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021. What I am doing differently for Poetry Month For 2023 I am not going to be just writing poems in April, I will be writing poems all year round. Also, since I will be writing all year round, I am using a different source for my prompts. There is a blog called Think Written and you can find it here. I will also be performing these works at Katora Coffee House here in Fredericksburg Virginia on their Friday Night Snaps Open Mic Poetry reading. Some of the podcast episodes you will hear will be a live recording of me reading the poem to a live audience, other times I will be reading it in the comfort of my home studio. I do plan on posting my work to the NaPoWriMo site and interacting with the poets there and see if they want to read their work on this podcast. Todays Poetry Prompt Stranger Conversations: Start the first line of your poem with a word or phrase from a recent passing conversation between you and someone you don't know.   Todays Poem The Insufficiency of Your Love  10 March 2023  The insufficiency of your love  Could have kept me alive longer  Raise your hand as high as you can  Now raise it higher  What the hell is that?  That is the insufficiency of your love  If you could have taken a moment  And thought about someone outside of your brain  Maybe just maybe you would have picked me  But you chose the most athletic kids to play ball with  Reminding me that although being last picked by you  Because no one else would pick me at all  Was what I should expect  When you taught me the meaning of trophy family  Without saying a word,  I embraced the role of being an embarrassment   I delved into the depths of De Sade and other of that denizen  Knowing I was stabbing your heart  Until I declared you dead to me  Your love and acceptance   Is no longer required or desired  Yes, that is my blood on that knife  The same one your silent partner chased me around the house with  Yes, these cuts are in cursive   So, I can remember them and lie to my children   Who can read what I wrote  I hear remnants of your voice in mine  Sometimes I just want to rip out my throat  And silence both of us  Sometimes when I look at this husk  I see a foggy glimpse of you  And smash my face against the mirror  The insufficiency of your love wasn't what killed me off  That was all my doing  I wouldn't give you the pleasure of thinking  That what you did caused this decision  I took myself out of the picture years ago  Ensuring whatever influenced your existence  Never saw the light of day again  It was easy, quick, and not a tear was shed  And when it was done  I put on my new skin  Replaced the diseased innards  Promptly forgot where I came from  And set my compass for elsewhere  Reaching Out To The Podcast To reach out to me, email timothy@createartpodcast.com I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let's start that conversation. Email: timothy@createartpodcast.com YouTube Channel: Create Art Podcast YT Channel IG: @createartpodcast Twitter: @createartpod Special Message If you have found value in this podcast please feel free to share it with a friend as that is the best way to find new podcasts. I want this to be a 5-star podcast in your eyes so let me know what you would like to see. Speaking about sharing with a friend, check out my other podcast Find A Podcast About where I help you outsmart the algorithm and find your nex

History of National Poetry Writing Month National Poetry Writing Month (also known as NaPoWriMo) is a creative writing project held annually in April in which participants attempt to write a poem each day for one month. NaPoWriMo coincides with National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada. This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month), she started writing a poem a day for the month of April back in 2003, posting the poems on her blog. When other people started writing poems for April and posting them on their own blogs, Maureen linked to them. After a few years, so many people were doing NaPoWriMo that Maureen decided to launch an independent website for the project. My History with National Poetry Writing Month I started writing poetry in 1988 after I had been exposed to T.S. Elliot in my honors English class in high school. In 1992 I started reading my poetry publicly at Espresso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. While living in Rockford Illinois I published my first book of poetry Throwing Yourself at the Ground and Missing in 2007 followed by Postcards From Someone You Don't Know in 2008 Wisdom From the Sack in 2010 and Shaving Crop Circles In My Chest Hair in 2017. You can get copies of all of these books in my merch section. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021. What I am doing differently for Poetry Month For 2023 I am not going to be just writing poems in April, I will be writing poems all year round. Also, since I will be writing all year round, I am using a different source for my prompts. There is a blog called Think Written and you can find it here. I will also be performing these works at Katora Coffee House here in Fredericksburg Virginia on their Friday Night Snaps Open Mic Poetry reading. Some of the podcast episodes you will hear will be a live recording of me reading the poem to a live audience, other times I will be reading it in the comfort of my home studio. I do plan on posting my work to the NaPoWriMo site and interacting with the poets there and see if they want to read their work on this podcast. Todays Poetry Prompt Misfits: How it feels when you don't belong in a group of others   Todays Poem The Wind Gets Cold Out Here  11 Jan 2023  Mancave  It was a few years back during a thanksgiving meal  Seated with over 100 folks in uniform  Many of them my clients  It was a work function, attendance was strongly recommended  So, walking through the food line they set up  Making nice with everyone   Sat with a group of clients  And just like that, as happens in dinner tables all across America  Someone was making cracks at Michelle Obama  Saying how they shouldn't let moneys wear such nice clothes  And no, it wasn't the drunk racist uncle that no one listens to  It was a white college educated professional woman  Who happened to be in uniform  Who happened to be my client  Who happened to be looking for work with the Feds  Excusing myself  Wasn't going to try and bash my head against the wall  As others in the group laughed along  Guess who she doesn't work for  And the next line I was going to write  Was going to have been  Guess who got blackballed  But then I thought  Am I that far removed from them  I took the next job  After I lost three clients in 6 months  One to cancer, who wouldn't admit defeat  One to a hold-up gone wrong on his last day of duty in front of his daughter  One who decided to take a long walk into a lake  I took that job to get away   To work with those that were told  To put kids in cages  And now their conscious got them better of them  And they were offing themselves in droves  The job was to make them feel better   And I get how they got into this mess  They had no future  No hope to achieve anything better  So, they signed themselves over  To uphold the law  And there I am, giving aid and comfort  To someone's enemy  To someone's nightmare  Will I be tried for war crimes  When it is my turn to cross over  Comforting those who do the things   That we won't do  Who we rage against  Who are following orders  I have empathy for them  But I'll never be in their club  Reaching Out To The Podcast To reach out to me, email timothy@createartpodcast.com I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let's start that conversation. Email: timothy@createartpodcast.com YouTube Channel: Create Art Podcast YT Channel IG: @createartpodcast Twitter: @createartpod   Special Message If you have found value in this podcast please feel free to share it with a friend as that is the best way to find new podcasts. I want this to be a 5-star podcast in your eyes so let me know what you would like to see. Speaking about sharing with a friend, check out my other podcast Find A Podcast About where I help you outsmart the algorithm and find your next binge-worthy podcast. You can find that podcast at findapodcastabout.xyz.

History of National Poetry Writing Month National Poetry Writing Month (also known as NaPoWriMo) is a creative writing project held annually in April in which participants attempt to write a poem each day for one month. NaPoWriMo coincides with National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada. This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month), she started writing a poem a day for the month of April back in 2003, posting the poems on her blog. When other people started writing poems for April and posting them on their own blogs, Maureen linked to them. After a few years, so many people were doing NaPoWriMo that Maureen decided to launch an independent website for the project. My History with National Poetry Writing Month I started writing poetry in 1988 after I had been exposed to T.S. Elliot in my honors English class in high school. In 1992 I started reading my poetry publicly at Espresso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. While living in Rockford Illinois I published my first book of poetry Throwing Yourself at the Ground and Missing in 2007 followed by Postcards From Someone You Don't Know in 2008 Wisdom From the Sack in 2010 and Shaving Crop Circles In My Chest Hair in 2017. You can get copies of all of these books in my merch section. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021. What I am doing differently for Poetry Month For 2023 I am not going to be just writing poems in April, I will be writing poems all year round. Also, since I will be writing all year round, I am using a different source for my prompts. There is a blog called Think Written and you can find it here. I will also be performing these works at Katora Coffee House here in Fredericksburg Virginia on their Friday Night Snaps Open Mic Poetry reading. Some of the podcast episodes you will hear will be a live recording of me reading the poem to a live audience, other times I will be reading it in the comfort of my home studio. I do plan on posting my work to the NaPoWriMo site and interacting with the poets there and see if they want to read their work on this podcast. Poetry Prompt I Used The Untouchable: Something that will always be out of reach Todays Poem Penetration 1 Jan 23, 2013 I look into your eyes Those pools of blue are so like mine Every morning I ask the same question Wanting to know what is going on behind the window   Your voice repeats things that your mother was too young to know about There was no way you would have heard those words and phrases from me I've done my best to try and forget the person who originally uttered them   But you can pick her out of a crowded picture from 1979 I want to save you the anguish she knew and caused I couldn't save her in the end And it was a tragic end Relying on everything being provided by The one who molested your children Cheated on you with the church secretary Demanded that we all attend that church 5 times a week Knowing what we knew Being the embarrassment of the congregation   I've taught my child to say fuck you to the President Put a middle finger up to the patriarchy and systemic racism When they try to grab her by the pussy She knows that she is not to stop stabbing until the knife won't come out of her attacker's chest, groin, brain, heart   She is to use the knives my mother chased my brother and I around the house with Screaming that we were possessed, and she would be taking the demons from our souls Even if it killed us   My daughter knows how to slay the demons of Diablo And those who put on the skin of humans She knows how to use her words to stab at my heart My gift to her was anger My gift to her was rage She knows how to wield it   I have no need to interrogate the people she will bring to our house Nor will I clean a rifle or a chainsaw in their presence Unless I am actually doing lawn work I have no need to intimidate in order to protect her She can take care of herself if the task is too large Then she knows when to bring me in, to finish   And here we are After another screaming match with her mother She is doing her best to look intimidating Her frown flexed Her gaze intense into my eyes Her breath shallow and quick And just as she cannot decipher my demeanor She has no idea I am actually in control of the situation just by sitting here quietly Motionlessly Emotionlessly She ponders how I can exude so much unfeeling, such detachment from humanity She doesn't know that I am scanning her for a crack A chink in her armor that I helped forge A way to see into her inner workings, her deep thoughts The dreams she refuses to elaborate on   She won't know until she reads this And even that would be a stroke of luck If she finds it and realizes it is about her She's a bit too much like her long dead grandmother And I am ignorant of my obscure grandfather So, there will be no repeating of N.N.B. I wish a reflection my Mother of choice   For now, I will stand by Looking deep into the eyes of my child Attempting to peer into her soul Attempting to steer her away from the paths we have generationally tread Reaching Out To The Podcast To reach out to me, email timothy@createartpodcast.com I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let's start that conversation. Email: timothy@createartpodcast.com YouTube Channel: Create Art Podcast YT Channel IG: @createartpodcast Twitter: @createartpod   Special Message If you have found value in this podcast please feel free to share it with a friend as that is the best way to find new podcasts. I want this to be a 5-star podcast in your eyes so let me know what you would like to see. Speaking about sharing with a friend, check out my other podcast Find A Podcast About where I help you outsmart the algorithm and find your next binge-worthy podcast. You can find that podcast at findapodcastabout.xyz.

History of National Poetry Writing Month National Poetry Writing Month (also known as NaPoWriMo) is a creative writing project held annually in April in which participants attempt to write a poem each day for one month. NaPoWriMo coincides with National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada. This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month), she started writing a poem a day for the month of April back in 2003, posting the poems on her blog. When other people started writing poems for April and posting them on their own blogs, Maureen linked to them. After a few years, so many people were doing NaPoWriMo that Maureen decided to launch an independent website for the project. My History with National Poetry Writing Month I started writing poetry in 1988 after I had been exposed to T.S. Elliot in my honors English class in high school. In 1992 I started reading my poetry publicly at Espresso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. While living in Rockford Illinois I published my first book of poetry Throwing Yourself at the Ground and Missing in 2007 followed by Postcards From Someone You Don't Know in 2008 Wisdom From the Sack in 2010 and Shaving Crop Circles In My Chest Hair in 2017. You can get copies of all of these books in my merch section. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021. What I am doing differently for Poetry Month For 2023 I am not going to be just writing poems in April, I will be writing poems all year round. Also, since I will be writing all year round, I am using a different source for my prompts. There is a blog called Think Written and you can find it here. I will also be performing these works at Katora Coffee House here in Fredericksburg Virginia on their Friday Night Snaps Open Mic Poetry reading. Some of the podcast episodes you will hear will be a live recording of me reading the poem to a live audience, other times I will be reading it in the comfort of my home studio. I do plan on posting my work to the NaPoWriMo site and interacting with the poets there and see if they want to read their work on this podcast. Todays Poetry Prompt No Prompt just write  Todays Poem Perspective  9 Jan 2023, 2103  Mancave  A 6-year-old shot their teacher on January 6th  It was the 2nd anniversary of those who send thoughts and prayers to gunshot victims  And storm the Capitol  And go to church on Sunday  And say they are patriots  And call people who jump when they hear a familiar crack in the air triggered snowflake libtards  A 6-year-old shot their teacher on January 6th  That teacher was in critical condition  That teacher was forgotten because of a football player who almost died on the field  The shooting didn't make the front page of a major newspaper  The prayers all went to the millionaire athlete  That teacher was probably underpaid  Probably skipped a few meals to provide supplies   For the kids in her class  Probably never handled a handgun themself  A 6-year-old shot their teacher on January 6th  The metal detectors were off that day  The ones that children, Fucking Children had to walk through without protest  Without thought as to why they had to   As the lawgivers in congress celebrated the removal and requirement  Of having to pass through the same detectors   That their lackeys' actions caused to make the detectors necessary  That's true patriotism right there folks    A 6-year-old shot their teacher on January 6th  And now they are in custody  And now they are given around-the-clock attention  And the question is where does a 6-year-old gets a handgun   And who taught the child to fire it  And who taught the child to use it in anger  And who taught the child   Who do we hold responsible  Who pays for the trauma of the ensuing lockdown  Where kids accept what they are told  Pretend you are dead, be quiet, and don't move  No matter how many shots are fired stay down  A 6-year-old shot their teacher on January 6th  A 74-year-old man-child in his Florida resort  Who instigated a riot  Who stole top secret documents  Who's crimes have been revealed time and time again  Sips his Diet Coke and munches on his big macs   Inflames the weak-minded  Love the ignorant  Love the children, as long as they satisfy his carnal needs  He walks free  A 6-year-old shot their teacher on January 6th  How many days have gone by  How many other teachers have been shot or assaulted  How many other insurrections in other countries need to happen to satiate old men's pride  I stand here, doing all I can not to cry  Here I stand a witness to a 14-year-old boy in a faraway land  Being shot and strapped to the front of a jeep  Paraded in front of his village as a warning  Did it happen on January 6th, I can't remember  Should we just accept this horrid portrayal of groundhogs' day  And relive another shooting every day  A 6-year-old shot their teacher on January 6th  And on January 13th my children must practice their lockdown drill  So that some inbred small dick asshat can clutch lustfully to his second amendment   An amendment he probably doesn't know by heart  An amendment that doesn't say what he thinks it says  A 6-year-old shot their teacher on January 6th  A 6-year-old shot their teacher on January 6th  A 6-year-old shot their teacher on January 6th  Let it sink in, let it permeate your brain  A 6-year-old shot their teacher   A 6-year-old shot   A 6-year-old   Reaching Out To The Podcast To reach out to me, email timothy@createartpodcast.com I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let's start that conversation. Email: timothy@createartpodcast.com YouTube Channel: Create Art Podcast YT Channel IG: @createartpodcast Twitter: @createartpod Special Message If you have found value in this podcast please feel free to share it with a friend as that is the best way to find new podcasts. I want this to be a 5-star podcast in your eyes so let me know what you would like to see. Speaking about sharing with a friend, check out my other podcast Find A Podcast About where I help you outsmart the algorithm and find your next binge-worthy podcast. You can find that podcast at findapodcastabout.xyz.

Outline of This Episode Huge annoucement! My History with Layout Boats Selecting the right layout boat for you Layout boat options and prices How to hide your layout boat Dogs and layout boats How much gear can you haul in a layout boat? What does it feel like to hunt in a layout boat? Shooting out of a layout boat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Colin Wright of Exile Lifestyle shares his history of stalking. Episode 1457: My History of Stalking by Colin Wright Colin Wright is a professional author and international speaker who co-founded a publishing company and travels full-time, moving to a new country every four months or so–that country determined by the votes of his readers! He also blogs. Colin's a minimalist in that he owns very few things and is careful in how he consumes. He tends to buy less, but invest in quality when he does, and trends toward the same in relationships, business endeavors, and just about everything else. He's left-handed, blue-eyed, scary good at Tetris, and can't cook. The original post is located here: https://exilelifestyle.com/history-stalking/ Visit Me Online at OLDPodcast.com Interested in advertising on the show? Visit https://www.advertisecast.com/OptimalRelationshipsDailyMarriageParenting Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Colin Wright of Exile Lifestyle shares his history of stalking. Episode 1457: My History of Stalking by Colin Wright Colin Wright is a professional author and international speaker who co-founded a publishing company and travels full-time, moving to a new country every four months or so–that country determined by the votes of his readers! He also blogs. Colin's a minimalist in that he owns very few things and is careful in how he consumes. He tends to buy less, but invest in quality when he does, and trends toward the same in relationships, business endeavors, and just about everything else. He's left-handed, blue-eyed, scary good at Tetris, and can't cook. The original post is located here: https://exilelifestyle.com/history-stalking/ Visit Me Online at OLDPodcast.com  Interested in advertising on the show? Visit https://www.advertisecast.com/OptimalRelationshipsDailyMarriageParenting Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

History of National Poetry Writing Month National Poetry Writing Month (also known as NaPoWriMo) is a creative writing project held annually in April in which participants attempt to write a poem each day for one month. NaPoWriMo coincides with the National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada. NaPoWriMo, or National Poetry Writing Month, is an annual project in which participating poets attempt to write a poem a day for the month of April. This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month), she started writing a poem a day for the month of April back in 2003, posting the poems on her blog. When other people started writing poems for April, and posting them on their own blogs, Maureen linked to them. After a few years, so many people were doing NaPoWriMo that Maureen decided to launch an independent website for the project. My History with National Poetry Writing Month I started writing poetry in 1988 after I had been exposed to T.S. Elliot in my honors English class in high school. In 1992 I started reading my poetry publicly at Espesso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. This continued for many years when I ran my own poetry reading at Cannova's in Loves Park Illinois and attended the poetry slams at The green Mill in Chicago Illinois. While living in Rockford Illinois I published my first book of poetry Throwing Yourself at the Ground and Missing in 2007 followed by Postcards From Someone You Don't Know in 2008 Wisdom From the Sack in 2010 and Shaving Crop Circles In My Chest Hair in 2017. You can get copies of all of these books in my merch section. In 2009 I started participating in National Poetry Writing Month which became the basis for my book Wisdom From the Sack and Shaving Crop Circles in My Chest Hair. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021. April 30th Poetry Prompt And now – our final (but still optional!) prompt. Today, I'd like to challenge you to write a cento. This is a poem that is made up of lines taken from other poems. If you'd like to dig into an in-depth example, here's John Ashbery's cento “The Dong with the Luminous Nose,” and here it is again, fully annotated to show where every line originated. A cento might seem like a complex undertaking – and one that requires you to have umpteen poetry books at your fingertips for reference – but you don't have to write a long one. And a good way to jump-start the process is to find an online curation of poems about a particular topic (or in a particular style), and then mine the poems for good lines to string together. You might look at the Poetry Foundation's collection of love poems, or its collection of poems by British romantic poets, or even its surprisingly expansive collection of poems about (American) football. April 30th Poem Not My Words  30 April 2022  1  Everybody knows that the boat is leaking  Everybody knows that the captain lied  Everybody got this broken feeling  Like their father or their dog just died  Everybody talking to their pockets  Everybody wants a box of chocolates  And a long stem rose  2  Those who have crossed      With direct eyes, to death's other Kingdom      Remember us-if at all-not as lost      Violent souls, but only      As the hollow men      The stuffed men.  3  Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight  Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,    2  Eyes I dare not meet in dreams      In death's dream kingdom      These do not appear:      There, the eyes are      Sunlight on a broken column      There, is a tree swinging      And voices are      In the wind's singing      More distant and more solemn      Than a fading star.  1  And everybody knows that the Plague is coming  Everybody knows that it's moving fast  Everybody knows that the naked man and woman  Are just a shining artifact of the past  2  Is it like this      In death's other kingdom      Waking alone      At the hour when we are      Trembling with tenderness      Lips that would kiss      Form prayers to broken stone.  3  though wise men at their end know dark is right,  Because their words had forked no lightning  2  In this last of meeting places      We grope together      And avoid speech      Gathered on this beach of the tumid river           Sightless, unless      The eyes reappear      As the perpetual star      Multifoliate rose  1  And everybody knows that it's now or never  Everybody knows that it's me or you  And everybody knows that you live forever  Ah, when you've done a line or two  3  Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,  And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,  2  Between the desire      And the spasm      Between the potency      And the existence      Between the essence      And the descent      Falls the Shadow  1  And everybody knows that you're in trouble  Everybody knows what you've been through  From the bloody cross on top of Calvary  To the beach of Malibu  3  And you, my father, there on the sad height,  Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.  2  In death's other kingdom      Waking alone      At the hour when we are      Trembling with tenderness      Lips that would kiss      Form prayers to broken stone.    1  Everybody knows the war is over  Everybody knows the good guys lost  Everybody knows the fight was fixed  The poor stay poor, the rich get rich  That's how it goes  3  Do not go gentle into that good night.  Rage, rage against the dying of the light.  2  This is the way the world ends      This is the way the world ends      This is the way the world ends      Not with a bang but a whimper.  Everybody Knows Leonard Cohen  The Hollow Men T.S. Elliot  Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night Dylan Thomas  Reaching Out To reach out to me, email timothy@createartpodcast.com I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let's start that conversation. Email: timothy@createartpodcast.com YouTube Channel: Create Art Podcast YT Channel IG: @createartpodcast Twitter: @createartpod

Jade describes herself as a spiritual midwife. She spent the first 20 years of her professional life building a consulting business. When her mother was diagnosed with cancer Jade redirected her timme and energy to support her mother. Following her mother's death Jade spent years grieving, healing and recalibratinng her life. She said goodbye to the Bay Area and goodbye to consulting. For the 20 years since then Jade has been deepening her spiritual practice and fine tuning herself as an instrument of healing in the death and dying process. Jade reminds us that healing is not a rush job. As she puts it “you cannot force the river.” In order to become an instrument of healing, Jade first had to let herself heal, and in order to let herself heal, she moved from the fast lane to the slower pace of the Big Island and asked the ocean to hold her grief. This conversation winds and circles back on itself many times, just like the process of grieving. Jade's Reading List & Resources:   AARP – Checklist for My Family: A Guide to My History, Financial Plans and Final Wishes; by Sally Balch Hurme, an Elder Law Attorney quoted frequently in NY Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, CNN, NPR, Kiplinger's Retirement Report. BJ MILLER, M.D. Ted Talks – What Really Matters at the End of Life https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?fr=mcafee&ei=UTF-8&p=ted+talks+youtube+bj+miller&type=E211US105G0#id=1&vid=68dfedc905fc29bab4f13e4ce08afdc0&action=click Ira Byock, nationally renown palliative care specialist, M.D. – The Four Things That Matter Most: A Book about Living https://irabyock.org/books/the-four-things-that-matter-most/ Atul Gawande, M.D. – Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End http://atulgawande.com/book/being-mortal/ Paul Kalanithi, M.D. – When Breath Becomes Air     https://www.amazon.com/When-Breath-Becomes-Paul-Kalanithi/dp/081298840X Katy Butler, award winning journalist - Knocking on Heaven's Door, The Art of Dying Well Joan Halifax, Founder and Director of Upaya Zen Center: Being with Dying: Cultivating Compassion & Wisdom in the Presence of Death. https://www.upaya.org/being-with-dying/ https://www.upaya.org/dox/Being_Dying.pdf Frank Ostaseski, visionary co- founder of SF Zen Hospice, Metta Institute - Five Invitations: Discovering What Death Can Teach Us About Living Fully. This book is an evocative and relevant guide that points to a radical path for transforming the way we live. https://fiveinvitations.com/   the secret teacher hiding in plain sight, helping us Cathy Wurzer, founder of End in Mind: A movement that advocates to shift the fear-based cultural conversation about loss, death, dying, and provides curated resources to families and communities.  https://www.endinmindproject.org/resources/ If you enjoyed this conversation, please leave a review in your podcast app. CancerTalks is a platform for anyone who has been touched by cancer. If you're moved to donate, please visit cancertalks.com/donate

History of National Poetry Writing Month National Poetry Writing Month (also known as NaPoWriMo) is a creative writing project held annually in April in which participants attempt to write a poem each day for one month. NaPoWriMo coincides with the National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada. NaPoWriMo, or National Poetry Writing Month, is an annual project in which participating poets attempt to write a poem a day for the month of April. This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month), she started writing a poem a day for the month of April back in 2003, posting the poems on her blog. When other people started writing poems for April, and posting them on their own blogs, Maureen linked to them. After a few years, so many people were doing NaPoWriMo that Maureen decided to launch an independent website for the project. My History with National Poetry Writing Month I started writing poetry in 1988 after I had been exposed to T.S. Elliot in my honors English class in high school. In 1992 I started reading my poetry publicly at Espesso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. This continued for many years when I ran my own poetry reading at Cannova's in Loves Park Illinois and attended the poetry slams at The green Mill in Chicago Illinois. While living in Rockford Illinois I published my first book of poetry Throwing Yourself at the Ground and Missing in 2007 followed by Postcards From Someone You Don't Know in 2008 Wisdom From the Sack in 2010 and Shaving Crop Circles In My Chest Hair in 2017. You can get copies of all of these books in my merch section. In 2009 I started participating in National Poetry Writing Month which became the basis for my book Wisdom From the Sack and Shaving Crop Circles in My Chest Hair. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021. April 29th Poetry Prompt And here's our prompt (optional, as always). In certain versions of the classic fairytale Sleeping Beauty, various fairies or witches are invited to a princess's christening, and bring her gifts. One fairy/witch, however, is not invited, and in revenge for the insult, lays a curse on the princess. Today, I'd like to challenge you to write a poem in which you muse on the gifts you received at birth — whether they are actual presents, like a teddy bear, or talents – like a good singing voice – or circumstances – like a kind older brother, as well as a “curse” you've lived with (your grandmother's insistence on giving you a new and completely creepy porcelain doll for every birthday, a bad singing voice, etc.). I hope you find this to be an inspiring avenue for poetic and self-exploration. April 29th Poem He Must be Born with It  29 April 2022  As I stand in the back of the room  Fiending for another smoke  I feel every emotion coming from the poets  Some of them are younger than my socks  Others share their experiences that I have no reference to  Yet I come back week after week  Like they say to do in the meetings  Where we just share our first names  I've always been able to empathize with most anyone  So much so I take on their struggle  Without being asked  Or wanted  Because I've felt since day 1  That I have to be the sacrificial lamb  Fending for myself  With parents who would rather drink  Than take care of their children  I stand outside, alone  Flicking ashes to the ground  Field stripping the butts  And the young poets come up to me  Asking how they did  Asking if I heard their latest piece  Quizzing me on their content  Giving them the wisdom that has been bestowed on me  Through years of searching  And I pass along to them the torch  Freshly lit with their energy and inquisitiveness  Praying they have a better life than what I was given  Knowing the predators that lurk just around the corner  I try to protect them and provide them  With an example of what I have done that works  And what I have done that doesn't  This is all I can give the next generations  The benefit of my experience  It's a precious gift that I wish I had been given  Or that I would have been open enough to receive  My spirit will be following up after I release these earthly bonds  I expect to see  A better world than what was left to me  Reaching Out To reach out to me, email timothy@createartpodcast.com I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let's start that conversation. Email: timothy@createartpodcast.com YouTube Channel: Create Art Podcast YT Channel IG: @createartpodcast Twitter: @createartpod

History of National Poetry Writing Month National Poetry Writing Month (also known as NaPoWriMo) is a creative writing project held annually in April in which participants attempt to write a poem each day for one month. NaPoWriMo coincides with the National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada. NaPoWriMo, or National Poetry Writing Month, is an annual project in which participating poets attempt to write a poem a day for the month of April. This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month), she started writing a poem a day for the month of April back in 2003, posting the poems on her blog. When other people started writing poems for April, and posting them on their own blogs, Maureen linked to them. After a few years, so many people were doing NaPoWriMo that Maureen decided to launch an independent website for the project. My History with National Poetry Writing Month I started writing poetry in 1988 after I had been exposed to T.S. Elliot in my honors English class in high school. In 1992 I started reading my poetry publicly at Espesso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. This continued for many years when I ran my own poetry reading at Cannova's in Loves Park Illinois and attended the poetry slams at The green Mill in Chicago Illinois. While living in Rockford Illinois I published my first book of poetry Throwing Yourself at the Ground and Missing in 2007 followed by Postcards From Someone You Don't Know in 2008 Wisdom From the Sack in 2010 and Shaving Crop Circles In My Chest Hair in 2017. You can get copies of all of these books in my merch section. In 2009 I started participating in National Poetry Writing Month which became the basis for my book Wisdom From the Sack and Shaving Crop Circles in My Chest Hair. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021. April 28th Poetry Prompt Today's (optional) prompt is to write a concrete poem. Like acrostic poems, concrete poems are a favorite for grade-school writing assignments, so this may not be your first time at the concrete-poem rodeo. In brief, a concrete poem is one in which the lines are shaped in a way that mimics the topic of the poem. For example, May Swenson's poem “Women” mimics curves, reinforcing the poem's references to motion, rocking horses, and even the shape of a woman's body. George Starbuck's “Sonnet in the Shape of a Potted Christmas Tree” is – you guessed it – a sonnet in the shape of a potted Christmas tree. Your concrete poem could be complexly-shaped, but relatively simple strategies can also be “concrete” —  like a poem involving a staircase where the length of the lines grows or shrinks over time, like an ascending (or descending) set of stairs. April 28th Poem Mug of Life  28 April 2022  Before everyone wakes up to start their day  You, my black pot of gold, spit and bubble and  Steam you way into my ears, I can smell your  Vapors as they waft from room to room and permeate   Each and every room in our house, I love the bitter  Feeling you give as you pour over my tongue washing  Away the dryness of the night's restorative dreams  The heft of a full mug of this elixir opens my eyes  And provides me comfort when I get ready for life  Sipping away mindlessly and feeling the energy fill me  Warmth of the liquid makes me smile, my kids know  Not to ask too much of me before I drain the  First cup of watery bitter love in my mug, quiet  Listening to the sounds of the birds and the rustle  Of the rabbits in the backyard is how I start my day   Reaching Out To reach out to me, email timothy@createartpodcast.com I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let's start that conversation. Email: timothy@createartpodcast.com YouTube Channel: Create Art Podcast YT Channel IG: @createartpodcast Twitter: @createartpod

History of National Poetry Writing Month National Poetry Writing Month (also known as NaPoWriMo) is a creative writing project held annually in April in which participants attempt to write a poem each day for one month. NaPoWriMo coincides with the National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada. NaPoWriMo, or National Poetry Writing Month, is an annual project in which participating poets attempt to write a poem a day for the month of April. This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month), she started writing a poem a day for the month of April back in 2003, posting the poems on her blog. When other people started writing poems for April, and posting them on their own blogs, Maureen linked to them. After a few years, so many people were doing NaPoWriMo that Maureen decided to launch an independent website for the project. My History with National Poetry Writing Month I started writing poetry in 1988 after I had been exposed to T.S. Elliot in my honors English class in high school. In 1992 I started reading my poetry publicly at Espesso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. This continued for many years when I ran my own poetry reading at Cannova's in Loves Park Illinois and attended the poetry slams at The green Mill in Chicago Illinois. While living in Rockford Illinois I published my first book of poetry Throwing Yourself at the Ground and Missing in 2007 followed by Postcards From Someone You Don't Know in 2008 Wisdom From the Sack in 2010 and Shaving Crop Circles In My Chest Hair in 2017. You can get copies of all of these books in my merch section. In 2009 I started participating in National Poetry Writing Month which became the basis for my book Wisdom From the Sack and Shaving Crop Circles in My Chest Hair. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021. April 26th Poetry Prompt And now for our daily prompt (optional, as always). A couple of days ago, we played around with hard-boiled similes. Today, I'd like to challenge you to write a poem that contains at least one of a different kind of simile – an epic simile. Also known as Homeric similes, these are basically extended similes that develop over multiple lines. Perhaps unsurprisingly, they have mainly been used in epic poems, typically as decorative elements that emphasize the dramatic nature of the subject (see, by way of illustration, this example from Milton's Paradise Lost). But you could write a complete poem that is just one lengthy, epic simile, relying on the surprising comparison of unlike things to carry the poem across. And if you're feeling especially cheeky, you could even write a poem in which the epic simile spends lines heroically and dramatically describing something that turns out to be quite prosaic. Whatever you decide to compare, I hope you have fun extending your simile(s) to epic lengths. April 26th Poem Lost Souls  26 April 2022  As rabbits dart from here to there  The foxes know their movements  The deer are stunned before they feel the bite of steel  As the hunters reload for the kill shot  If the prey could find a way to live in Zootopia  Then the predators would be unemployed, powerless, their biggest fear  Even size differences don't equalize the outcomes  This even the smallest carnivore knows the numbers game wins  Very few animals hunt their young  Almost none eat their progeny  And those that do, we deem them animalistic  Our sympathies are nowhere to be found  There is no rehabilitation, no redemption for these beasts  And if we can't consume them, they are laid to waste  Those who try to protect these species  Are seen as bleeding hearts  They are not taken seriously  We minimize them  And heaven forbid if their prey is tasty, or found to help our health  For then we will domesticate and annihilate  To the brink of extermination  Only to pat ourselves on the back   For saving them from our divine right  Oh how we are so humane   When dealing with those who act on their animalistic drives   Those who let the beast out and dine on their young  Do they not deserve the same disdain  We reserve for the most barbaric of the animal kingdom  Our religions tell us to forgive seventy times seven  Especially when the predator divines the holy to their herds  Reaching Out To reach out to me, email timothy@createartpodcast.com I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let's start that conversation. Email: timothy@createartpodcast.com YouTube Channel: Create Art Podcast YT Channel IG: @createartpodcast Twitter: @createartpod

History of National Poetry Writing Month National Poetry Writing Month (also known as NaPoWriMo) is a creative writing project held annually in April in which participants attempt to write a poem each day for one month. NaPoWriMo coincides with the National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada. NaPoWriMo, or National Poetry Writing Month, is an annual project in which participating poets attempt to write a poem a day for the month of April. This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month), she started writing a poem a day for the month of April back in 2003, posting the poems on her blog. When other people started writing poems for April, and posting them on their own blogs, Maureen linked to them. After a few years, so many people were doing NaPoWriMo that Maureen decided to launch an independent website for the project. My History with National Poetry Writing Month I started writing poetry in 1988 after I had been exposed to T.S. Elliot in my honors English class in high school. In 1992 I started reading my poetry publicly at Espesso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. This continued for many years when I ran my own poetry reading at Cannova's in Loves Park Illinois and attended the poetry slams at The green Mill in Chicago Illinois. While living in Rockford Illinois I published my first book of poetry Throwing Yourself at the Ground and Missing in 2007 followed by Postcards From Someone You Don't Know in 2008 Wisdom From the Sack in 2010 and Shaving Crop Circles In My Chest Hair in 2017. You can get copies of all of these books in my merch section. In 2009 I started participating in National Poetry Writing Month which became the basis for my book Wisdom From the Sack and Shaving Crop Circles in My Chest Hair. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021. April 27th Poetry Prompt Last but not least, here's our (optional) prompt. Today, I'd like to challenge you to write a “duplex.” A “duplex” is a variation on the sonnet, developed by the poet Jericho Brown. Here's one of his first “Duplex” poems, and here is a duplex written by the poet I.S. Jones. Like a typical sonnet, a duplex has fourteen lines. It's organized into seven, two-line stanzas. The second line of the first stanza is echoed by (but not identical to) the first line of the second stanza, the second line of the second stanza is echoed by (but not identical to) the first line of the third stanza, and so on. The last line of the poem is the same as the first. April 27th Poem Filling The Craters  27 April 2022  Looking at all of the possessions I have acquired       Which one of these will teach my daughters happiness  Teaching my daughters happiness       Is not an afterschool special  Afterschool specials no longer teach kids how to read       That's the job of parents who are engaged  Engaged parents were not the example I had       Being taught what not to do is the plan laid out before me  The plan of what not to do being laid out in front of me       I find happiness in what my daughters teach me  Finding happiness in the lessons of my daughters       Their smiles are my goalposts  Smiling children are the goal       Looking at all the possessions I have acquired  Reaching Out To reach out to me, email timothy@createartpodcast.com I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let's start that conversation. Email: timothy@createartpodcast.com YouTube Channel: Create Art Podcast YT Channel IG: @createartpodcast Twitter: @createartpod

History of National Poetry Writing Month National Poetry Writing Month (also known as NaPoWriMo) is a creative writing project held annually in April in which participants attempt to write a poem each day for one month. NaPoWriMo coincides with the National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada. NaPoWriMo, or National Poetry Writing Month, is an annual project in which participating poets attempt to write a poem a day for the month of April. This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month), she started writing a poem a day for the month of April back in 2003, posting the poems on her blog. When other people started writing poems for April, and posting them on their own blogs, Maureen linked to them. After a few years, so many people were doing NaPoWriMo that Maureen decided to launch an independent website for the project. My History with National Poetry Writing Month I started writing poetry in 1988 after I had been exposed to T.S. Elliot in my honors English class in high school. In 1992 I started reading my poetry publicly at Espesso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. This continued for many years when I ran my own poetry reading at Cannova's in Loves Park Illinois and attended the poetry slams at The green Mill in Chicago Illinois. While living in Rockford Illinois I published my first book of poetry Throwing Yourself at the Ground and Missing in 2007 followed by Postcards From Someone You Don't Know in 2008 Wisdom From the Sack in 2010 and Shaving Crop Circles In My Chest Hair in 2017. You can get copies of all of these books in my merch section. In 2009 I started participating in National Poetry Writing Month which became the basis for my book Wisdom From the Sack and Shaving Crop Circles in My Chest Hair. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021. April 23rd Poetry Prompt And now for our daily (optional) prompt. Today I'd like to challenge you to write a poem in the style of Kay Ryan, whose poems tend to be short and snappy – with a lot of rhyme and soundplay. They also have a deceptive simplicity about them, like proverbs or aphorisms. Once you've read a few, you'll see what I mean. Here's her “Token Loss,” “Blue China Doorknob,” “Houdini,” and “Crustacean Island.” April 23rd Poem Unwanted Solicitation  23 April 2022  When I pick up the phone  I can tell by the tone  That the person on the other end  Is trying to be a friend  But they want to sell me  On some loan with a fee  And I tell them  That they are not welcome  To call me again  Opps I lost another potential friend  When they knock on my door  I find it a bore  That the person outside  Is stepping away from the door to hide  Does your grass need  Our special anti-weed  It's safe for pets  And will get rid of spider nets  When I tell the fool  I don't need their liquid tool  I like my spiders  They are an excellent source of fiber  They turn around and leave  Giving me time to breathe  Walking in the bulk store  They walk up to me and implore  That I need to get new windows  And when I ask for a price, they blow  Maybe you need a new deck  And I say what the heck  I give them the number  To the plumber  Whom I just met  And made my floors wet  Maybe they can be friends  While I listen to music peacefully in my den  Reaching Out To reach out to me, email timothy@createartpodcast.com I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let's start that conversation. Email: timothy@createartpodcast.com YouTube Channel: Create Art Podcast YT Channel IG: @createartpodcast Twitter: @createartpod

History of National Poetry Writing Month National Poetry Writing Month (also known as NaPoWriMo) is a creative writing project held annually in April in which participants attempt to write a poem each day for one month. NaPoWriMo coincides with the National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada. NaPoWriMo, or National Poetry Writing Month, is an annual project in which participating poets attempt to write a poem a day for the month of April. This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month), she started writing a poem a day for the month of April back in 2003, posting the poems on her blog. When other people started writing poems for April, and posting them on their own blogs, Maureen linked to them. After a few years, so many people were doing NaPoWriMo that Maureen decided to launch an independent website for the project. My History with National Poetry Writing Month I started writing poetry in 1988 after I had been exposed to T.S. Elliot in my honors English class in high school. In 1992 I started reading my poetry publicly at Espresso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. This continued for many years when I ran my own poetry reading at Cannova's in Loves Park Illinois and attended the poetry slams at The Green Mill in Chicago Illinois. While living in Rockford Illinois I published my first book of poetry Throwing Yourself at the Ground and Missing in 2007 followed by Postcards From Someone You Don't Know in 2008 Wisdom From the Sack in 2010 and Shaving Crop Circles In My Chest Hair in 2017. You can get copies of all of these books in my merch section. In 2009 I started participating in National Poetry Writing Month which became the basis for my book Wisdom From the Sack and Shaving Crop Circles in My Chest Hair. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021. April 24th Poetry Prompt Today, I'd like to challenge you to channel your inner gumshoe, and write a poem in which you describe something with a hard-boiled simile. Feel free to use just one, or try to go for broke and stuff your poem with similes till it's . . . as dense as bread baked by a plumber, as round as the eyes of a girl who wants you to think she's never heard such language, and as easy to miss as a brass band in a cathedral. April 24th Poem The Donkey In Me  24 April 2022  20 times a day  I seek the solitude of being an uncool kid  Knowing what it is doing to my body  Not caring for the smell it leaves behind  Hiding my breath in mints and gum  When my parents did it  I hated it  I didn't want to give them a kiss  Because of the stench  And here I am  Being as stupid as a jack ass  Because I am too scared  To lose my pacifier  I find myself wishing for the past some days  Misremembering that the old times were not the good times  And making the same mistakes in life  Thinking it will work this time  But it just happens again and again and again  Waiting for the time it changes  I try to climb a mountain  But I am not a billy goat  My hooves weren't made for these stones  The one thing I know to do is push forward  Even if the load is too much  Looking at the carrot  But not looking closely to see the rot  Thinking the goal is what will bring happiness  When I don't know where to find the goal  I am as stubborn as a mule  And I thought that used to be a good quality  But being unbending is not what the great ones taught us  Bend but don't break were the words that should have guided me  But my long hair filled ears  Didn't catch what was actually said  Reaching Out To reach out to me, email timothy@createartpodcast.com I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let's start that conversation. Email: timothy@createartpodcast.com YouTube Channel: Create Art Podcast YT Channel IG: @createartpodcast Twitter: @createartpod