Poetry Challenge #178-Bust Out the Bumbershoot!

For more than 4,000 years—longer if one counts fronds—umbrellas have been working tirelessly on our behalf. They protect us from rain, shield us from sun, make excellent walking sticks, rubbish picks, pool cues, tushy pokers & ice shades in fruity drinks! And that’s only when acting as nouns.

Umbrellas serve and protect as adjectives and verbs, too. And so today, Feb. 10th, National Umbrella Day, with one huge sweeping—umbrella-esk—gesture we honor this most useful invention.

“The word umbrella comes from the Latin word umbra, meaning shade or shadow.” Brolly, parasol, gamp are slang for umbrella as is bumbershoot, “a fanciful Americanism for an umbrella from the late 19th century.”

FYI: According to Merriam-Webster, Bumbershoot is said to be a melding of the British “Brolly” and slang for parachutes they resemble when unfurled.

Bumbershoot! If Gene Kelly can dance and sing in the rain with an umbrella partner, we can praise them poetically, can’t we?

Click on the pic for this DIY umbrella

Poetry Challenge #178

Bust Out the Bumbershoot!

Create a shape poem about, involving, or inspired by an umbrella—fully open in all its unfurled glory or tightly rolled and snapped closed—poet’s choice. 

FYI: A shape poem is a poem in which the words on the page are arranged to resemble the subject of the poem, or somehow relate to the subject.

Set Your Timer for 7 Minutes

Start Writing

Don’t Think About it, just do it!

Cheers!

Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge more than 1755 days ago! We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. If you join us in the Challenge, let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments.

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