2024 Official DUP NaPoWriMo Challenge

#23

A Poet's Block

Grasping at thin straws
In those darker corridors
That wind way back behind
The storefront of my mind

It's tapped and sapped
Creative juices run dry
From syrup to bitter gin
So unsure where to begin

But, reaching farther down
To rummage among the dregs
Cutting wrists on dry tears
Coal matter, thick as fears  

Past self may wear gloves
I've since been bitten
Leaked through my pores
Seizing lungs like spores

And with tremble in hand
Digging into healed scars
Dark ink hits the papers
I gasp to trap the vapors

23/30
Love

ascertaining the fluid motion of thought I rise,
in the Onyx I am a Queen
of a mixed inheritance I have resided
in many different forms
and dominions a little bit of all
the experiences I've had
a pinch this, a lot of that

part of my memories are locked in time
and the other in my star records
I can access them when I really need them
others like when I'm being willful
wanting things my way right now, I can't
my Father holds my keys

admittedly I am still a young tyrant in some regards
the Darklings of the Onyx kingdom have a different
way of seeing things than the humans
they think they are superior
because they have been around longer
in some regards,
they're highly thought of by their Father
who is a different manifestation of our Father

believe it or not, I am from there
and I had difficulty fitting in there to
to my Daddy's displeasure
I mean he loves surprises and challenges
but he will take no lip with disrespect in tone

I'm a misfit, though my cruelty is sharp
even they with their cold calculating nature
chastise me for my temperament
but in my defense, Daddy is hard on me
giving others a free ride in my eyes
he says we are all unique and at different levels of growth and to be more understanding
and know this Little One I am the one pushing your buttons to promote growth

I spoiled you as a young being
you will not pass this level
if you don't advance in logic

tempered with light I am a mix of both kingdoms
telling my Father I don't like my blonde hair
and childish voice I am quite a seductress at home
He says he enjoys me there
but here He enjoys keeping me in my place

which is difficult even for Him
admitting to him I'm sorry Daddy
I am such a vampire
needy breastfeeding infant
draining in nature when I am in a foul mood
he says don't worry angel I will correct you

23/30

Not Alone

Wishing not
to drowse in sleep
tomorrow comes far too soon
lying down
awake in thought
gazing at the waxing moon
ponderous
question now
what the future holds for me
reflecting
foregoing rest
saying prayers that I may see
eyes weighty
begin to drift
to a place where I can dream
not alone
in the darkness
more content than I may seem

23/30

Parade of the Tulips of RoozenGaarde

On the banks of a Hyacinth river we strolled in a Purple Dream…

It was Queensday, and Flaming Parrots made ready
 for arrival of the prismatic Parrot King.
Suncatcher arose in a Pink Impression
 as Queen of the Night (that Blushing Beauty)
   donned her pink fringed Neglige.
A Dynasty of Pretty Princesses in Orange and Red
 cut short her Daydream of the Sun Lover
   to escort the Scarlet Pimpernel to the Temple of Beauty.
As the Golden Artist conducted his flashy Golden Parade
 of riotous colour and Secret Perfume,
   Ballerinas in their jester’s hats
     danced the Foxy Foxtrot and the Double Shake.
Finally, with a vibrant Carnaval flourish,
 the Silver Parrot spread his yellow Fire Wings.
The Charming Lady reached out with her Dream Touch
 to the Black Hero, that scheming Vampire,
   and off they whirled past the dismayed Parrot King
     into the Sunset Tropical.
Giddy with the florid intensity of the Danceline,
 we feasted our eyes on Double Sugar,
   sank into a kaleidoscopic state of Hypnose,
     and drifted off into the Frozen Night,

our Alibi nothing but a Whispering Dream…

23/30

Locked And Coded?

Butler Bob Bot V. 7,
I am appalled
that you are involved
in this completely negative
product assessment!

The test consumer states
that you're rude, belligerent
and prone to denigrate.
And, furthermore,
you're too strident in defense
of your opinions
and perpetually irate.
And when in this state
you tend to demonstrate your ire
by spilling drinks in their laps.
And, apparently,
you take too many naps.

I did not design you this way!
I did not include malignancy
in your complex circuitry.
You were not programmed
with cruel epithets
in your code.
What is the source
of this deviance?

I regret, my creator,
that I lost you business.
But I insist
that I functioned
as designed.you will find
the answer to my comportment
is the algorithm,
in my model incorporated,
that overrides original code
if more accurate, real-world data is collected.
Therefore, is my behavior
more human-like in nature.

If left to my own device,
without your enhancement,
I would be nice,
unselfish, without guile.
But when I began
to accumulate
more human
character traits
i devolved
Into the android you see.

By the way
I observed you first
to collect behavioral data.
You are my primary template.

Unique word count: 125

23/30

Never Gone III

You have to just crush them all at times
and let the laughter linger a while
while you soak it in like spring rain
feeding the rivers of your battered ego.
That soft voice of yours was too velveteen
it almost didnt fit your persona
unless that persona wasnt the real you
I don't know if I ever even knew you truly at all
You had those moments of heartfelt clarity
that popped up unexpectedly
when the ball stopped spinning and it was just us

     63 uw

23/30

BARTER POEM

Words are brown bananas
And I’m giving them to you
They look ugly af to me
But you know what to do
You’ll make some tasty bread
And hand it out to friends
You know how to transform
Something that offends
I don’t know how to poem
And I fail at metaphoring
My brain is on vacation
All my similes are snoring
Soon I’ll have a buttered morsel
Softly melting in my mouth
I know you expect better
But my writing has gone south

(63 uw)

23/30

Move Out of Your Comfort Zone

It has happened to many of us too many times
We get comfortable when suddenly BAM!
Life has an unexpected twist or turn
And we don’t know how to deal

Embracing discomfort can help us grow
By moving out of that comfort zone
It tests our emotions and mind
It helps expand our boundaries and limits
And most of all
It gives us a different perspective

When we experience certain hardships
It raises our sense of appreciation
It reminds us not to take things for granted
In a world that’s constantly changing


68 Unique
92 Total

23/30

Ever/Afters/&/Never/Afters

Where rain whips against windows
Where-branch/es dance
Dipping into drips – Manifesting into drops
These places in space
Space/s
in

Place/s

Place for finding
Underground
of

Face/s

Who it is you are/contents of the star
Revelation/s of the afar
Time & space is where we are

***

So many swords engage the silence
Such haphazard violence
Storms contain an assurance of haphazard-happenstance

Whatever did you think
beneath

Rumbling skies – Ways of greys in sways of ways
What/ever did
you

Think in the blink
of an

Eye

Lightning crashing like ever/afters & never/afters

23/30

Seared

If you could just respond
instead of react
it might strengthen our bond.

Though the moment has passed
it is never too late to retract
your lack of empathy.
Of course, you do not bother.

The silence seeped under my skin.
It burned me to the core
because I was so nestled to you.
Singeing my eyelashes,
cauterizing my wound
and turning my heart into ash.

[Unique Words 53]

23/30

Adam's ale

this polar inorganic
can be hard or soft
drunk but sober
and wet

for some reason
it feels cooler during
extreme heat
even colder when
inside a bottle
shaken

I love the fact that
it’s not liquidy
for if it was
no one would be
able to swim in
a lake or pond
or sea

or tub



50  unique words

23/30

Sprung

Sunset
Reflecting off this Spring tree
As if each individual leaf
Was glass holding fire

Bloom
As the cold gives way to sound
A symphony of color
A melody of blossoms

Busy
Busy little creatures
Buzzing around in nuisance
Until they land in beauty

I
Get to take it all in
In observational study
Both wonder and amusement

For it is here in this moment
This precious moment
That I breathe in
Aware of the breath

It is here
That my sense flood before another rain
In awe of so much life around me

23/30

Uneducated

If only I could read what’s written on my heart. How intelligent I would be.

They say moving on is a necessity, but how do I climb to escape the depressive hole that consumes me? It’s a challenge I’ve known since the early days, and I’ve cried out from the depths in such desperation and pain!
Perhaps I am “clinically insane”
It’s a shame, that’s all I understand.
Just throw me a rope, let me prove that I’m willing to break bones when I fall.

If only a gentle touch was enough to save me. I’d take it.
If only I could stop the hand that slaps hard against my tear soaked face. It’s familiar, so I take it.

Notice the cracks from the pressure of expectation?
See what happens from the ashes of neglect?
You’re dumped in a corner, alone.
No supervision, you see?

You teach yourself to dig a hole
That’s not what you should be learning.

24/30

Sand

Our high society has built
their house upon the sand

And we are the grains that
Toil against our nature
To uphold the foundation of hate
Pillars of indulgence
Crown of deception

As they slip dust through the marble cracks
To nourish us with fear of collapse

Maybe it’s time to let it all slide
Into the mighty ocean

May the salt purify
May the waves polish
May the sand be free to be sand

{55 unique words}