Apr. 1, 2025

Day 0 & 1 -- Day Zero prompt -- Portrait Poem --
https://www.napowrimo.net/ -- (not fully edited)

Unmasked - a monster with 2 heads

a living contradiction
crave order but cannot maintain it
want precise & neat space but struggle--
chaos reigns                        not good enough
can’t quite ‘get there’

get things done? need a schedule!
but too strict                       what a conflict!

like wanting to take my time & be perfect but
not having the attention          span                    to…
It’s like 2 brains of 2 people in there
& 1 signs me up for more than the other can deliver

unique & creative outlook on life
hard worker & good with details
big picture, quick connections
can see to the heart of things
when I’m outside the box
(because I don’t even know where the box is)
and safe in my own space
I can create intricate plans & get shit done

Nicola brain is very logical & controlled
wants the ducks lined up in a row
mask held tight (they all thought I was green AND so organized at work)
Miss Nikki brain is ‘Yay! Just do it                do ‘all the things!’
Hey, where are my ducks? What ducks?!
It is an exhausting tug of war

I am a slave to my own brains &
it’s so tiring & I can’t quite sleep
with all that noise

hey guess what? I interrupt constantly overshare
spin tap & fidget where is my favourite rock?
hum & utter while I look
oh I found that book
amongst lost keys, missed appointments & a cluttered home –
nay it’s piles of ideas!

pardon me while I appear inattentive
distracted by balls of chaotic thoughts
bouncing around inside my skull, behind blue eyes
retreat to untangle

didn’t always like myself
being so weird                so quirky
that Freaky girl from mars --
trying to blend into the wall
or thinking about how strange I am
as I try to chat & sound normal

now                I don’t want to be like other people.
I may be odd but I am also clever fun & unforgettable
with age comes wisdom - or simply less fucks to give -
finally found the right people & job
becoming the me I was always meant to be

a living contradiction — unmasked

(By Miss Nikki vs. Nicola)
Tues. April 1, 2025

International Haiku Day – “a day to celebrate the width and depth and breadth that can be enjoyed when words are limited but imaginations are allowed to soar.”

So….

** Write a Haiku Poem
​
Get out a pen and paper, wander in and out of nature, and wait for something to bring a little bit of inspiration! Haiku Poetry is about the beauty that can be captured in short, simple stanzas.
With its unique style (five syllables on the first line, seven on the second, and five again on the third), anyone can write a Haiku poem. However, it sometimes takes a true master to capture the heart and mind in the space of 17 syllables.

​** Read a Book of Haiku Poetry
​
For those who are feeling less inspired to create their own poetry, reading Haiku written by others is a great way to enjoy the day. Here are a few to get started with:

• Japanese Haiku Poems (2003) by Peter Washington
• The Haiku Anthology (1974) by Cor van den Heuvel
• The Essential Haiku (1994) by Robert Hass
• Haiku: Japanese Art and Poetry (2010) by Judith Patt

From https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/haiku-poetry-day/

I don't tend to write a lot of Haikus, but I've dabbled; usually when it's a prompt, like for NaPoWriMo. Without further ado, here are a few I've found from before...

Happy Easter, but also, it’s National Unicorn Day, which is important just because.... Unicorns!

What mythological creature has been more beloved over the centuries than the delightful unicorn? As incredible symbols of purity and enchantment, unicorns are loved by both children and adults alike and are integral parts of many fairy tales and legends.

For all the roles they’ve played in literature, cinematography, and art as a whole, unicorns more than deserve their own day. And now is the time to learn more about National Unicorn Day.
How to Celebrate National Unicorn DayThe best way to celebrate this day would be to find a fun, fanciful activity to enjoy with family or friends. Get creative with art, music or other projects that can promote free-thinking and fantasy. Or try out some of these other ideas to celebrate National Unicorn Day.
​
Unicorn photoshoots are fun. Just saying. Consider writing a Unicorn poem or making some unicorn- inspired art. For more fun unicorn celebration ideas: https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/unicorn-day/

Another prompt (from somewhere & sometime) — walk a mile in another's feet: an exploration of rhythm and nonsense... based on Poe's, "the Bells"...​

BASED UPON POE
 
fear the witches with the spells
evil spells!
what a thrill of detriment their remedy so smells!
how they, wrinkle, wrinkle, wrinkle,
in the mighty flare of light!
while guitars, that smoke and sprinkle
all the questions that dream to giggle
with a byzantine punchline:
feeling fine, fine, fine,
in a court of ironic time,
to the insubordination that so foolishly fells
from the spells, spells, spells, spells
Spells, spells, spells-
from the wiggling and the mingling of the spells.