Each year in April, some poets attempt the poem-a-day challenge for National Poetry Month. My first attempt was last year, 2024, and I decided to write one ekphrastic poem each day based on my nature-centric photography. I really enjoyed the exercise, so decided to create another challenge for myself this year. After some brainstorming, I developed the following rules to shape 30 days of writing…
Steps for the challenge – set aside 30 minutes and try for one short poem per day for the month of April, 2025 (30 poems in total):
- Use a random letter generator, then select a book from the shelves with that letter as the first in the book’s title or in the name of the author (if there are no books or authors with that letter, generate a new random letter) – pull the book from the shelves
- Use a random number generator, setting parameters to match the page range in the selected book – generate a number, then go to that page in the book
- Read that page and find a word or phrase or line or vibe or message that stands out (if the page is blank or has limited options, generate a new random number)
- Once a good page is found, note the poem title, book title, and author
- Write a short poem, try for 15 lines maximum (ish), inspired by something on or in that page
This turned out to be an excellent challenge for myself. I was able to tap into a great variety of writing, picking up books I’ve barely touched and those I’ve read cover to cover. In some selections, I was able to attempt replicating the author’s style – whether it be form, voice, or brevity. I think this would be an excellent exercise for anyone in need of a jumpstart, or new inspiration, or a unique challenge to get the writing engines moving, and I look forward to doing this again in the future.
Here are the selections I worked with – totally random for the most part, though I did have two repeats without realizing it, so I’m either slightly biased, or had limited letter options 😀
Illuminated Poems – Allen Ginsberg / Eric Drooker – “Father Death Blues” on page 139
The House on Boulevard Street – David Kirby – “Seventeen Ways from Tuesday” on page 78
Musical Tables – Billy Collins – “Poetry” on page 39
Dear Darkness – Kevin Young – “Ode to Homemade Wine” on page 93
Collected Poems – Dylan Thomas – “Love in the Asylum” on page 113
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance – Robert Pirsig – page 288
Notes from the Dementia Ward – Finuala Dowling – “Summarising Life” on page 20
Turtle Island – Gary Snyder – “Pine Tree Tops” on page 33
Dear Darkness – Kevin Young – “Death Letter” on page 117
Brother Sleep – Aldo Amparan – “Glossary for What You Left Unsaid: Gaslight” on page 35
Whereas – Layli Long Soldier – “Leftist” on page 20
A Rabbit in Search of a Rolex – Regie Cabico – “Board Chair” on page 20
You Better Be Lightning – Andrea Gibson – “Note to the Stranger Six Feet Away” on page 63
Obit – Victoria Change – “Untitled” pn page 81
Said Through Glass – Jona Colson – “Passport Control” on page 3
Time is a Mother – Ocean Vuong – “Not Even” on page 46
Ferlinghetti’s Greatest Poems – “At Sea” on page 139
The Niagara River – Kay Ryan – “Least Action” on page 48
Barbie Chang – Victoria Chang – page 27
Morning Poems – Robert Bly – “Visiting Sand Island” on page 104
So Tall it Ends in Heaven – Jayme Ringleb – “Mutius in the Garden of Rejection” on page 12
Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair – Pablo Neruda – “Body of a Woman” on page 9
The Haiku Anthology – edited by Cor Van Den Heuvel – page 220
Turtle Island – Gary Snyder – “Rain in Alleghany” on page 60
Sylvia Plath: The Collected Poems – “Brasilia” on page 159
And Still I Rise – Maya Angelou – multiple poems and pages, just got to reading…
Psyche – Casey Catherine Moore – “Calliope Teaches Psyche How to Write” on page 101
The Human Line – Ellen Bass – “Your Hand” on page 84
If you’ve been counting, that’s 28, and there are 30 days in the month of April. One night, I led a poetry workshop on ekphrastic poetry and so wrote an ekphrastic haiku inspired by a painting by Jean-Francios Millet (The Sheepfold, Moonlight, painted 1856-1860)…
hunched figure returns
leading their dark formless heard
the wolf goes hungry
The other night I’d been out enjoying a few beverages, and by the time I sat to write my poem for the day it was quite late and I was quite tired. So, I wrote this little drunken lune:
I never thought
just two old fashioneds could
deal this blow
The featured image of this post is the 2025 National Poetry Month poster from Poets.org. It’s a good one – “This is the world I want to live in – the shared world.” Again, I highly recommend this challenge to others – especially if you have some shelves of books you rarely touch! Gather some random direction, then take a seat and lose yourself in the work of another poet as you exercise and expand your own writing skills.
marks in the sand 