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Poetry, Blog

The Best of NaPoWriMo 2013

It might seem a late to do this, but I don’t care. It’s something I’ve been meaning to do for a while, so I’m gonna stop procrastinating on it.

Back in April, I participated in National Poetry Writing Month (NaPoWriMo). I did write 30 poems. While I will leave all of them posted, I’m only going to “promote” what I think were the best ones by listing them in this post and on the “Poetry” section of the “Nathan’s Works” tab.

Some of these will be links to posts with two poems, but only the poem whose title is listed is part of the list, but feel free to read the others.

Do you agree with this list? Were there any poems I wrote that you think should be included? Which ones were your favorites, True Believers?

So, without further adieu, here are what I think are my best NaPoWriMo poems:

Madness
The Lie
Obsession
Final Farewell
The Question
He Beat Me
“Superman” & “Captain America”
Together
Awestruck Greeting
Braggart
Magnolia Tree
“A Dirge for Elektra” & “Wasteland”
“Ballad of a Broken Heart” & “Triumph of the Nerds”
“Pride Goes Before a Fall” & “Red Passion”

Poetry

NaPoWriMo, Days 29 & 30: ‘Sub vs. Dub’ and ‘The Fight’

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My month-long poetry-writing marathon comes to an end. I gotta say, I did better this year than last year. For one thing, I never fell more than one day behind and I finished on time. I did use the last two prompts, but in my opinion, my last two poems aren’t the strongest ones from this year’s NaPoWriMo. Feel free to disagree with me.

Yesterday’s prompt was to write a poem with five words from a foreign language. I chose Japanese. While it should be obvious, I put the Japanese words in bold. It’s based on a less-than-serious debate among anime fans, but it was fun to write.

Today’s prompt was to take a short poem I like and rewrite it by replacing words and phrases with their opposite. For example, Shakespeare’s sonnet, “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” could be changed to “I won’t contrast you with a winter’s night.” I selected “The Fray,” a poem used in the 2011 film, The Grey, which was written by it’s screenwriter/director, Joe Carnahan. I don’t think it turned out too well. I chose it because it was only four lines, which I thought would make it simple. Perhaps I’ll rework it later (as I’ll probably do with all these poems).

Day 29:
Sub vs. Dub
By Nathan Marchand

Do you prefer “Konichiwa” or “Hello”?
The original language or English?
Otakus decry their own tongue
Being put in the mouth of Naruto.
“Nai! Too must lost in translation!”
They’re annoyed by people who,
When they hear “Ohayō,” think of a state.
They’d rather read than listen,
Perhaps even missing the action.

But must a character say “watashi wa”
Instead of simply saying, “I”?
The eyes should be free to admire
The beauty of the art, the animation,
The hand-drawn work of masters,
And not be distracted by scrolling text.
Watch it as it was intended:
With voices bringing life to drawings,
And bid the elitist otakus, “Sayōnara!”

Day 30:
The Fight
By Nathan Marchand

Once more out of the fight.
Out of the first bad brawl I’ll ever forget.
Live or die on this night.
Live or die on this night.

Poetry

NaPoWriMo, Days 23 & 24: ‘A Dirge for Elektra’ and ‘Wasteland’

I didn’t use either yesterday’s or today’s prompts. It was mostly due to time. In the words of the Doctor from “Doctor Who: The Curse of Fatal Dearth,” “I’ll explain later.” Regardless, here are my poems for yesterday and today. Enjoy!

Day 23:
A Dirge for Elektra
By Nathan Marchand

Her name is Elektra,
A warrioress clad in red,
A veteran of many journeys,
And I saw her die today.
Crushed between two soccer moms
Because one was distracted.
Reliable though she was, Elektra
Was declared too broken to mend,
And too old to save.

She lays unburied amongst the dead,
A lifeless husk to be scavenged by vultures,
Forgotten by all except the one
Who journeyed with her most.
He’d revive her if given the chance…
If only give the chance.
Death came before her time.
Now he must move on, but her
Memory will always be with him.

Day 24:
Wasteland
By Nathan Marchand

I am lost in the desert,
The unending wilderness,
The most barren wasteland.
I see an oasis, my refuge,
But fear it’s a mirage,
So I walk on, my mouth parched.

I see the promised land,
My long-awaited destination,
But a minefield is before me.
Voices whisper in the stinging wind.
Some urge caution
And some reckless abandon.

I’ve seen others killed by mines—
I myself have their shrapnel
Imbedded in my body.
Another will kill me,
But the promised land beckons.
I don’t want to die in the wilderness.

It’s the only life I know,
Yet I desire far more.
I can receive more if I will but take it.
But I fear the minefield
That has wounded me so often.
I am at an impasse—what shall I do?

Poetry

NaPoWriMo, Day 22: ‘Magnolia Tree’

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Today’s prompt was inspired by Earth Day, which is today. I’m not one to celebrate this “holiday,” but the prompt was a good one. It was simply to write something that had to do with the natural world. Growing up in the country, I was always surrounded by nature. This poem was inspired by my favorite tree on my parents’ property: a magnolia. It was the most beautiful tree there, especially for the several weeks it bloomed in spring. (It was also easy to climb). I hope you enjoy it.

 

Here's a photo of the magnolia tree at my parents' house. It inspired today's poem. Photo by Nathan Marchand
Here’s a photo of the magnolia tree at my parents’ house. It inspired today’s poem. Photo by Nathan Marchand

 

Magnolia Tree
By Nathan Marchand

I hid in the shade of the magnolia tree,
Holding my broken heart as the
Pink petals fell like tears in the breeze.
This, the tree reborn annually at Easter,
Held no comfort for me
Despite its sweet-smelling overtures,
For like it, I’ll bloom only for a short time,
And then my beauty will fall,
Leaving me as common-looking as the others,
Until the onset of winter steals that from me,
And I am left naked and lifeless,
But with no hope of rebirth.

I wept like a widow, mourning my loneliness,
When I heard a man’s voice amid the wind.
“Did you come to cry here, too, as I do?”
I looked up to see a man with a weathered face.
He extended a hand to me, saying,
“The magnolia petals look lovely in your hair.”
Reluctantly, I took his hand, and he pulled me to my feet.
He took one pink petal from my hair wiped my tears with it.
“I came to grieve a broken heart, but perhaps
I no longer need to,” he said, and clipped a blossom
From a branch, placing it in my hair.
There, under the magnolia tree, we found our rebirths.

Poetry

NaPoWriMo, Days 20 and 21: ‘Braggart’ and ‘Rejected Fortune Cookie Messages’

 

I had to make up for another lost day today. Sorry!

Yesterday’s prompt was to write a poem using at least five words from a list given participants. I used more than five. The words I was supposed to use are in bold.

Today’s prompt was to write poetic fortune cookie messages. I wrote a list of humorous (and sometimes nerdy) rejected messages. I could’ve written more, but time didn’t allow for it.

Enjoy!

Day 20:
Braggart
By Nathan Marchand

He is a deadly combination:
A dunderhead with a massive ego.
He was fond of making rodomontades
About his many achievements:
The slaying of a bilious Cyclops,
The miraculous rescue of a maiden,
The invention of a clean energy generator.

He fancies himself non-pareil,
But I find truth to be elusive in his stories,
So I take them all with a grain of salt.
He is a boy who thinks himself a man,
Because he was abandoned by his cowbird father.
His tales are a thin veil he pulls over his face
To hide glasses that make him look like an ugly owl,
A cover-up for the potential he squandered,
To convince people he’s anyone but an oversized adolescent
You’d rather be upwind of after he eats cheese.

My words would be artillery against his ego
Had his skull not been thicker than a quahog.
Twice I have tried to help him,
But his mind remains in the gutter,
Collecting BS to sell to the gullible.
I pity him more than I could hate him
Because one day he’ll have nowhere to abscond from lies.

Day 21:
Rejected Fortune Cookie Messages
By Nathan Marchand

Never trust the next woman you meet who’s wearing a red dress.

The Doctor lies—just like you’ll learn your significant other does.

Talk to the next person you sit next to at a movie theatre—it might be a sweet beginning.

You will eat another fortune cookie, and its message will cancel this one out.

I am Batman, and so are you.

You’ll have a baby—even if you’re a man.

You will use more emoticons. J 😉 😀

You’ll notice this message doesn’t match your horoscope. Sorry.

You are the chosen one, I just don’t know what for.

Your lucky numbers are 5, 7, 9, 11, 16, 21, and 3,974,198.

Poetry

NaPoWriMo, Days 16-17: ‘Misunderstanding’ and ‘Awestruck Greeting’

Once again, I was so busy yesterday  that I neglected to write a poem. I did make up for it by writing two today, but I didn’t follow yesterday’s prompt despite being a great exercise (“translate” a poem in a foreign). I did, however, follow today’s prompt: write a “poem of greeting.” So, without further adieu, here are two poems for you (hey, that rhymed! HA!)

Day 16:
Misunderstanding
By Nathan Marchand

Was it all a misunderstanding?
The year you admired me,
The day your attraction grew,
The flabbergasted joy of holding hands,
The adventures we shared?
Through it all, there was no love.
I was only a friend—
A friend who fell in love
For the first time in his life,
Who, despite no wrongdoing,
Was gently released and left alone,
Like a tamed animal abandoned in the wild.
You walked away without a drop of malice
While I, wounded, limped home
To lick wounds that may not heal.

Day 17:
Awestruck Greeting
By Nathan Marchand

I, surrounded by darkness, walked toward the light.
Touching it, I was enveloped by it, and transported
To gates of purest gold, shiner than bronze.
They opened wide and there stood a familiar stranger:
A face I had always imagined but never seen.
He, smiling, extended a scarred hand to me and said,
“Welcome, My servant, My child, My brother, My friend.”

I was awestruck at this, a sight beyond imagination.
Slowly, I raised my hand and took his, locking eyes with him.
He gripped my hand and pulled me into an embrace.
Overwhelmed surprise mingled with joy, I patted his back.
He said, “Well done! You’ve been good and faithful.
Come, share in my happiness. Your room awaits you.”
His hand motioned me toward a new home—my true home.

Words failed me, though I was a writer and a poet.
The day I longed for had come suddenly.
What should I say? Should I say anything?
I’d finally met the man I owed my eternity to,
Yet I couldn’t utter a grateful word or even a greeting.
I paused long to conceive a single sentence,
Finally saying, “Join me on a new adventure!”

Poetry

NaPoWriMo, Day 15: ‘Together’

Today’s prompt was a tough one. It was to write a pantun, which “consists of rhymed quatrains (abab), with 8-12 syllables per line. The first two lines of each quatrain aren’t meant to have a formal, logical link to the second two lines, although the two halves of each quatrain are supposed to have an imaginative or imagistic connection.” I’m not sure the one I wrote is very good, but if you can tell me what TV show I referenced, I’ll give you a Stan Lee-style No-Prize.

Together
By Nathan Marchand

The statue touched him with its finger.
The angel made my true love vanish before me.
This time is a place I can no longer linger.
I’ll follow him despite the Raggedy Man’s plea.

Poetry

NaPoWriMo 2013: Days 13 & 14: ‘Superman’ and ‘Captain America’

I wasn’t able to find time to do yesterday’s prompt, which was to take a walk and then write a poem based on what I saw. However, since I missed it, I decided to write two poems today. I also did it because today’s prompt excited me. It was to write a persona poem in the voice of a superhero. (What’s interesting is I wrote a poem about the Avengers last year, and now it’s a prompt!) As I said, I wrote two, one for each of my top two favorite superheroes. I’m not sure how good they are, but I hope you enjoy them.

Artwork by Alex Ross
Artwork by Alex Ross

Day 13:
Superman
By Nathan Marchand

Some call me, “Hero.”
Many call me, “Loser.”
I’m faster than a speeding bullet,
More powerful than a locomotive,
Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.
I could rule mankind, but I’d rather serve them.
But to them, I am too good to be true.
Their “heroes” brood and kill.
They can understand them.

But I am the Man of Tomorrow.
I am who they wish to become,
Who they could one day become.
Deep in their hearts, they yearn for greatness.
They see me, and see who they aspire to be.
Perhaps that’s why they scoff at me:
They fear they can’t reach these heights.
If they will only cast aside all that hinders,
They will believe any man can fly.

Day 14:
Captain America
By Nathan Marchand

Once, I was a soldier fighting for freedom,
A weakling granted incredible power.
Now, I am a man out of time
Who awoke from a frozen slumber
To find the world had moved on—
And my country had changed.
Ideals, morals, and patriotism are scorned.
The freedoms I defended are surrendered.
The line between right and wrong is blurred.

I am a relic of a bygone era, a forgotten symbol.
I punched out Hitler, but I can’t knock out cynicism.
No longer do I wear the flag of America the country
But of America the ideal: the nation she was and could be.
To forget that would mean the Red Skull won,
It just took a few extra decades.
I am a soldier without a country, but I still have a cause.
To fight for the restoration of the land I love.
Let all who oppose my shield yield!