Unavoidable For NaNoWriMo

I decided to live dangerously in October. It’s a scary month, so I’m going to explore a form of poetry with stringent rules that moves at a rapid-fire pace. I’m going to write blitz poetry. This unusual style, developed by Robert Keim, has set rules using connecting phrases to create a 50-line verse titled Unavoidable For NaNoWriMo.

Line 1 is a short phrase or image. Line 2 is another short phrase or image using the same first word as line 1. Lines 3 and 4 starts with the same word used as the last word of line 2. Then, lines 5 and 6 use the last word of line 4. This pattern is followed until line 48. Line 49 uses the last word in 48. Line 50 begins with the last word in line 47. The title is three words long. The title format is the first word of line 3, a preposition or conjunction, and the first word of 47. You can’t use any punctuation. Luckily, these poems don’t need to rhyme. This poetic adventure will either be a lot of fun or leave me frustrated. I almost made it, but I came down with COVID. This poem I will call Unavoidable For NaNoWriMo . It’s the first piece of writing I did for almost a month.

Unavoidable For NaNoWriMo

Failure is an unpleasant option

Failure is sometimes unavoidable

Unavoidable consequence of life

Unavoidable result of creativity

Creativity put on hold

Creativity squandered

Squandered because of weakness

Squandered because of lack of strength

Strength that lasted 305 days

Strength deflated by a wasting disease

Disease I’m tired of whining about

Disease that has gone away

Away to pester another host

Away to maybe revisit

Revisit me some other day

Revisit with its deadly breath

Breath of destruction

Breath of unreached goals

Goals of one post a day for a year

Goals of exploring poetry

Poetry to calm my soul

Poetry to heal my troubled heart

Heart of a writer tossed about

Heart of a muse who didn’t work out

Out on my front yard carrying a picket sign

Out of the creative inspiration business

Business cards left in my mailbox

Business left by Words Daddy

Word Daddy the touchy muse

Word Daddy doesn’t like a quitter

Quitter that succumbed to disease

Quitter who can’t get back in touch

Touch of creativity would be nice

Touch of the muse and his unsolicited advice

Advice that tended to drive me crazy

Advice that was always a little shady

Shady suggestions

Shady tricks

Tricks to create rhymes

Tricks sounding poetic sometimes

Sometimes when he got around to being helpful

Sometimes when he managed to be slick

Slick with the turn of a phrase

Slick with a metaphor or simile

Simile to make me smile

Simile to make me sound clever

Clever for Word Daddy to strike now

Cleaver to picked days before NaNoWriMo

NaNoWriMo a November challenge

NaNoWriMo 50,000 words I’d like to win

Win

Challenge

Who is Molly Shea?

Molly Shea is an accomplished fictional short story writer from Indiana who writes short stories and novels about a fictional town called Tecumseh.  To read more of her short stories and adventures, click here.

Be sure to follow Molly on Twitter!

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Published by henhouselady

I am the author of Saving the Hen House. I didn't know when I started it would turn into a series. I love to ride motorcycles, the blues, my family, and going on adventures. This old hen rocks.

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