This month’s collaborating poet, Mike Sonksen, did the following fevered writing based on four prompts given him by Terry Wolverton:
#1 “Judges should steer clear of the Boy Scouts”
Judges should steer clear of the boy scouts, there’s nothing to say to the boys that hasn’t already been said. The scouts shout about cubs and webelos. We be loyal scouts, judges cast doubt and talk about law and order. Boy scouts tie knots, they’re not all that interesting when it comes down to it. There’s more important matters for judges to attend to. Buy a box of girl scout cookies and keep things moving.
2# “Record setting balloonists touch down in Mexico.”
Long before the airplane, man took flight in a hot air balloon. High amidst the clouds in a helium powered balloon, the aim was for the moon, the mission was to eclipse the horizon, the dream in the sky to touch the angels and say hello to God. The ambition to take flight started long before hot air with projects like the ancient pyramids. From day one man wanted to be more than he is. Inclined to rise to the sky, to move on up, the balloonists touched down in Mexico. They wanted to travel around the world, they set a record on their voyage.
3# “Ash girl and evacuation warnings.”
Watch out for the ash from the volcano, evacuate the state, ash girl was almost blasted by traveling hot lava, stay away from Mt. St. Helens. Vesuvius is not new to us, Pompeii could happen today. Evacuate ash girl, it’s a new world as cold as it ever was. Stay home out of the trajectory, the story of the volcano is older than humans. Name something else with the force of a volcano? Krakatoa cracked the Earth’s magma, the tectonic plates always shake and there’s no shortage of ash, girl. This is your evacuation warning.
4# “She was only a baby.”
She was only a baby and did not deserve her fate, this is when life is not great. The power of hate overtakes the ugly side of many men. These men need to get in touch with their instability. She was only a baby, she had her whole life ahead of her, they need to find another place to project their negativity. She was only a baby, leave her destiny out of your own issues, the evil that men do is why we live in the world we do. People need to reconsider their impulsive behavior, she was only a baby.
Readers who are contemplating writing your own poems may work with just the prompts or may choose to use one or more passages of fevered writing to inspire your poems. Best Reader poem we receive in February will win a $25 prize.
dis•articulations 2015 