Here We Go Again

Happy vernal equinox, all!

“I Doodle, You ‘Ku” is closing in on its last week and a half. It’s been a blast and I’ve been enjoying all the wonderful poems. I’m a greedy person and want to keep the fun rolling, and there are not nearly enough good fox poems in the world. I’ve also admired poets who can write in forms that rely on concrete imagery and still effectively tie in something as abstract as dreams. And because I like mashing two prompts together, I’m inviting you (or challenging, or begging and pleading…) to write about either/or.

Although I had planned to originally do this in March, I read that the Inari Matsuri Festival (see some nice background at the World Kigo Database) is April 22nd this year, so it seemed more fitting to put it off, which seems to have worked well in the end!

I will take small poems until Friday, April 20th about foxes and/or dreams. As I have with other projects, I will take up to 5, and you’re guaranteed at least one poem just for sending me something!

Theme/What to write about: Foxes and/or dreams.

What form: Haiku, senryu, tanka, kyoka, gogyōka, renku, haibun, haiga (doodles most welcome!), small stones, etc.

How many: As many as you want! I will take as many as 5 and no less than 1.

When: Send them in by Friday, April 20th (I will wait until the whole world has reached the 20th); I will post a PDF on this blog on April 22nd.

Where to send: Either leave a comment to this post or send an email to aubriecox [at] gmail [dot] com! If you email, put “FOX DREAMS” in the subject line, if you please.

Other important stuff:
Things you should keep in mind/include:

• Most journals will consider these works published

• If your work is already published, include the publishing credits (it’s kind of important and a nice thing to do)

• You, as the writer/artist/poet/etc, retain the rights to you work before and after it appears on my blog/in the PDF.

• If you want me to link back, please send along the name and link of your blog/Twitter account/website/etc! Also, make sure your have your name listed as you would like for it to appear.

As You Like It

Since everyone seemed to enjoy “Tea with Trolls” (PDF, by the way, is now available for download on the page), I did a quick poll of what you all wanted to write about next, and dragons won by a landslide. Which is fitting, since the year 2012 is the Year of the Dragon, specifically the water dragon.

I will take small poems until Wednesday December 28th about dragons and/or water and/or fire (something to warm us in the middle of winter) to prepare a post for New Year’s Day. As before, I will take up to 5, and you’re guaranteed at least one poem just for sending me something!

Theme/What to write about: Dragons and/or water and/or fire.

What form: Haiku, senryu, tanka, kyoka, gogyōka, renku, haibun, haiga (doodles most welcome!), small stones, etc.

How many: As many as you want! I will take as many as 5 and no less than 1.

When: Send them in by Wednesday, December 28th (I will wait until the whole world has reached the 28th); I will post a PDF on this blog on New Years Day.

Where to send: Either leave a comment to this post or send an email to aubriecox [at] gmail [dot] com!

Other important stuff:
Things you should keep in mind/include:

• Most journals will consider these works published

• If your work is already published, include the publishing credits (it’s kind of important and a nice thing to do)

• You, as the writer/artist/poet/etc, retain the rights to you work before and after it appears on my blog/in the PDF.

• If you want me to link back, please send along the name and link of your blog/Twitter account/website/etc! Also, make sure your have your name listed as you would like for it to appear.

You are cordially invited…

For tea!

With trolls.

Given my most recent doodleku, it was only a matter of time.

I’ve been watching Melissa’s posts on Red Dragonfly since she started doing the collections such as with mushroom haiku and dragonfly haiku and have been thinking to myself, “… I’d like to do one with tea.” I love writing about tea, you see. It’s not exactly an uncommon subject of poetry, but I don’t think it’s overdone either.

But then I realized it was October. Although I haven’t written very many, I do soever love troll ‘ku as well, and any time I write about trolls, I seem to always incorporate tea. (Allow me to present Exhibits A and B.) So, of course, the only sane thing to do would be to bring the two together for a monster mash on All Hallow’s Eve.

I want your haiku, senryu, tanka, kyoka, renku, haibun, small stones, etc about tea, trolls and tea, just trolls, or any sort of monsters with or without tea. Send previously published work or not. Both okay, but keep in mind any you send and that are posted will be then considered published by the majority of the community. Send as many as you would like by October 29th, though I will likely take up to 5 for posting. You’re guaranteed at least one poem just for having submitted. Then, on Halloween, I will make a post with everyone’s work. It’s sure to be a treat.

So to sum thing’s up:

Theme/What to write about: Tea and/or monsters.

What form: Haiku, senryu, tanka, kyoka, gogyōka, renku, haibun, haiga (doodles most welcome!), or small stones

How many: As many as you want! I will take as many as 5 and no less than 1.

When: Send them in by Saturday, October 29th (I will wait until the whole world has reached the 30th); I will post them on this blog October 31st.

Where to send: Either leave a comment to this post or send an email to aubriecox [at] gmail [dot] com!

Other important stuff:
Things you should keep in mind/include:

• Most journals will consider these works published

• If your work is already published, include the publishing credits (it’s kind of important and
a nice thing to do)

• You, as the writer/artist/poet/etc, retain the rights to you work before and after it appears on my blog.

• If you want me to link back, please send along the name and link of your blog/Twitter account/website/etc! Also, make sure your have your name listed as you would like for it to appear.

July Stones 16

Ghost Stories

empty house
ghost stories seeping
into the walls

shadows shift
on yesterday’s paper

the dark places
between flashes
of a firefly

war vet whittles
on the back porch

ivy creeps
around the ankles
of a stone angel

iron birds etched in-flight
around the birdcage

March Mad Verse 31

It’s March 31st; we made it. May I have a drum roll please? No? Well, alright then. It’s been fun, and hope you enjoyed it to. Would love to hear favorite links and general thoughts from you folks.

Without further ado: