M Christine Delea's Blog, page 35
May 10, 2023
A Readymade by Lucia Perillo
A Readymade
by Lucia Perillo
Out of nowhere the phone rings, and the voice
of a fat man answers: Hell-low bay-bee . . .
each syllable its own word. “Chantilly Lace”:
a song not sung so much as fumbled through,
a manifesto of befuddlement and pleasure—call it
a little game between “I” and “me” said Marcel Duchamp
when asked why he’d hang a porcelain urinal
in the Grand Central exhibition, where people
would be expecting to see . . . well, something else.
Something not a urinal. It is a matter ...
May 7, 2023
Wordle Fun: Writing Prompt
I admit it! I begin each day with Wordle, Quordle, and Hurdle, as well as the apps Red Herring and Word Search. And there are many other word games out there that others are addicted to, from classic Scrabble to Dordle, from Waffle to crossword puzzles.
Wordle, Quordle, and Hurdle all have 1 thing in common--you can only use 5-letter words.
This week's writing prompt challenges you to fill your poem, short story, essay, etc. with 5-letter words. You will notice from the list below (more on t...
The Stars Around the Beautiful Moon by Sappho
The stars around the beautiful moon
by Sappho
The stars around the beautiful moon
Hiding their glittering forms
Whenever she shines full on earth . . .
Silver . . .
May 3, 2023
Seedlings by Margaret Rozga
Seedlings
by Margaret Rozga
pubished in Whale Road Review, Issue 26, 2022
First, water the seedlings.Yes, even before coffee, before breakfast,before picking up pen and notebookand writing the day into being.Before words, seeds. Water, sun,wind, birds at the very tops of trees.
Imagine being morethan a creature of the economy—generator of products for sale,consumer of products for sale—more than mere medium of commerce.
Not a tenth of your worth is money.You are not to be exchange...
April 30, 2023
Beautiful Beginnings: Writing Prompt
NEW BEGINNINGS ARE OFTEN DISGUISED AS PAINFUL ENDINGS--LAO TZU
Although it has officially been spring for weeks, it has only felt like spring in the past few days here in my part of the world. Spring is all about new beginnings, rebirth, growth, etc., and we will consider that in this week's prompt, but we are going to add more to this. After all, starting over requires a WHAT, as in "starting over from _______."
Think back to something that ended painfully. A relationship, a job, a specific c...
End of April by Phillis Levin
End of April
by Phillis Levin
published in Poetry 180, edited by Billy Collins (and posted here)
Under a cherry tree
I found a robin’s egg,
broken, but not shattered.
I had been thinking of you,
and was kneeling in the grass
among fallen blossoms
when I saw it: a blue scrap,
a delicate toy, as light
as confetti
It didn’t seem real,
but nature will do such things
from time to time.
I looked inside:
it was glistening, hollow,
a perfect shell
except for the missing crown,
which made it pos...
April 26, 2023
Lower Mathematics by Judy Brackett
Lower Mathematics by Judy Brackett
published in Commonweal Magazine, January 2021
The little boy shouts "To infinity and beyond!" and asks "Where the heck is infinity?" and "Is a googol bigger than a gazillion?" and "How can there be a biggest number? Doesn't the whole entire world
have room for 1 or 2 or 3 more?" and "How can there be something littler than zero?" She tells him—snowflakes, grains of sand, chess moves, broken promises, teardrops and raindrops, stars and un...
April 23, 2023
Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare
Sonnet 130
by William Shakespeare
My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;
Coral is far more red than her lips' red;
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damasked, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
I grant I nev...
Shakespeare's Birthday: Writing Prompt
Was William Shakespeare actually born in April 23, 1564? We don't really know, but this is the date that is generally agreed upon for Shakespearean celebrations. Since my blog's Prompt Day falls this year on the 23rd, it seemed silly to have anything other than a Shakespeare-inspired prompt to start your creative week.
Whether you celebrate by:
participating in a 24-hour Poetry Marathon
attending a local production of Othello, Richard III, The Tempest, As You Like It, etc.
coloring thanks to th...
April 19, 2023
Shakespearean Sonnet by R.S. Gwynn
Shakespearean Sonnet
by R.S. Gwynn
With a first line taken from the tv listings
A man is haunted by his father's ghost.
Boy meets girl while feuding families fight.
A Scottish king is murdered by his host.
Two couples get lost on a summer night.
A hunchback murders all who block his way.
A ruler's rivals plot against his life.
A fat man and a prince make rebels pay.
A noble Moor has doubts about his wife.
An English king decides to conquer France.
A duke learns that his best friend is a s...
