Gavin Bennett's Blog: 2015 November PAD Chapbook Challenge: Day 13

For today’s prompt, write a memory poem. This is one of my favorite poem starters, not only because it’s a great way to mine for material–by looking at memories–but it can also be a great way to remember things previously forgotten. I’ve found that just taking a few moments to remember one thing lead to remembering something else and so on.

Of course, the memories in your memory poem don’t have to be yours, and they don’t even have to be true. So however you come at this, I hope it leads to a memorable poem.

*****

Re-create Your Poetry!

Revision doesn’t have to be a chore–something that should be done after the excitement of composing the first draft. Rather, it’s an extension of the creation process!

In the 48-minute tutorial video Re-creating Poetry: How to Revise Poems, poets will be inspired with several ways to re-create their poems with the help of seven revision filters that they can turn to again and again.

Click to continue.

*****

Here’s my attempt at a Memory poem:

“Scared”

The four sat in the clubhouse moping. “I can’t believe they
wouldn’t believe us,” exclaimed Barbara. “Welcome to my
life,” mumbled Eddie. “No one ever believes me. Ever.”

“Maybe they’re right,” said Walt. “They’re probably doing more
than we could ever do.” No one looked at him. “I mean, we’re
just kids, right?” Every one continued not looking at him.

“This sucks,” shouted Eddie as he flung a stick he’d been
bending out the window. “We should’ve gone inside when
Marcus wanted us to, but Walt here was a scared baby.”

“Was not!” “Was too!” “Stop it,” said Marcus in a flat tone
that still somehow penetrated the yelling. “We were all
scared. I can still feel the fear we all felt, but we know now.

We know that the adults aren’t going to help us…or Jesse.”
Marcus looked up at them all, “We have to do this ourselves.”

*****

Robert Lee Brewer is Senior Content Editor of the Writer’s Digest Writing Community and author of the poetry collection, Solving the World’s Problems (Press 53). He edits Poet’s Market and Writer’s Market, in addition to writing a free weekly WritersMarket.com newsletter and a poetry column for Writer’s Digest magazine.

This is his eighth year of hosting and participating in the November PAD (Poem-A-Day) Chapbook Challenge. He can’t wait to see what everyone creates this month–not only on a day-by-day basis, but when the chapbooks start arriving in December and January. Fun, fun, fun.

Follow him on Twitter @robertleebrewer.

*****