Poetry Challenge #142-Can You Repeat That?
“Play it again, Sam!”
Today is not National Repeat Day! (What? Care to repeat that?) Today is not National Repeat Day. I repeat it is not the “day [officially] set aside for folks to ‘seek out activities and experiences’ to do over again. (Not on the list: Root canals and Nor’esters...)
Regardless of the day, this challenge begged to be repeated…and so we are. If you happened to have tried it when we originally shared it—over 4 years ago—then it’s been long enough.
Let’s do it . . . again!
As the saying goes “If it’s worth doing once; it’s worth doing again.” Or if you’d prefer Bogie: “Play it again, Sam!” (Even though, in Casablanca, he never actually said that.)
Poetry Challenge #142
Can You Repeat That? . . . “That”
Repetition can be used in poetry in many ways. You can repeat a sound like a long o sound or an l or t sound.
You can repeat a word several times in the poem like the word “bells” in a famous poem by Edgar Allan Poe.
You can repeat a phrase or a whole line. Or you can repeat a verse like the refrain in a song.
Choose a way to repeat from the list above and write a poem that uses some repetition.
Set your timer for 7 minutes
Start writing!
Don’t think about it too much; just do it!
just do it! just do it! just do it! just do it! just do it!
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge about 3500 days ago. We like it so much, we couldn’t resist 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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Poetry Challenge #141-Popsicles!
It rarely freezes in San Francisco, but boy, when it does . . . Grape Popsicle!
Here’s the story: in 1905, 11-year old Frank Epperson “was outside on his porch, mixing water with a powdered flavoring to make soda. Upon going inside, he left it there on the porch with the stirring stick still in it. That night something that rarely ever happens in San Francisco happened: temps dipped below freezing! The following morning, Frank discovered the drink frozen to the stick.”—NPR July 22, 2015
Popsicles are now as much a part of summertime as, well, the sun! Who hasn’t sat on the steps hot afternoons slurping ice treats? Trying to catch the sweet syrup as it dripped down your hand. Or maybe you’ve made your own popsicles, the way we did. We used to fill ice cube trays with whatever sweet drink was on hand: cola, root beer, Kool aid, lemonade—and yes sometimes grape juice—stick in toothpicks for sticks and wha-lah! What about you? What memories come to mind when you think of popsicles? What was your favorite flavor? Grape?
Poetry Challenge #141
Popsicle Daze
By way of bidding farewell to Ice Cream Truck season, write a Tongue Twister about Popsicles. A tongue twister is a phrase that’s hard to say multiple times in quick succession or sometimes even once.
ISally sells seashells by the sea shore and Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers are two tried trustworthy tongue twisters.
Tongue Twister Tips:
There are three key elements in the twistiest tongue twister: alliteration, consonance & confusion.
· Alliteration: words that begin with the same-sound. Lucky Lucy liked_____tricky twisters twist ____.
· Consonance: repeated consonants within a word or phrase. Think "pitter patter" “slippy splinter splitter”…
· Confusion: Fool the rear’s eye (with misspellings like this) and trip up their tongue with consonant combinations that are almost the same, but not… as in soldier’s shoulder or chains clang. And change the endings of words—s ending are really slippery.
With these elements in mind, begin by brainstorming phrases that come to mind with you say grape or popsicle.
Listen . . . I think I hear the ice cream truck now!
Set your timer for 7 minutes
Start writing!
Don’t think about it too much; just do it!
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge cartoons of Popsicle BRAIN FREEZE ago. We 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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Poetry Challenge #140-ARRRRROOOOO! for Rescue Dogs!
Our daughter’s family adopted a rescue dog this summer—which means WE also adopted a dog, because where they go, Bucky goes. (She’s our second grandpup…I’ll show you mine if you show me yours…) Turns out, Bucky is a a bit of a chewer, and to my gardens dismay, a digger…luckily she is charming!
So, this one’s for Bucky!
Poetry Challenge #140
ARRRRROOOOO! for Rescue Dogs!
Write an ode to a rescue dog. An ode is short poem praising something. Think about what that rescue dog looks like, acts like, sounds like, anything that makes the dog special. Or maybe focus on that dog’s life before it was rescued.
You can write it to your dog friend if you want!
Set your timer for 7 minutes
Start writing!
Don’t think about it too much; just do it!
Along with writing an ode to rescue dogs, here are other ways to celebrate & share the “puppy love.” How’s about a big ARRRRROOOOOO Donny Osmond style! Here’s the link to Puppy Love
*Tails that Teach mission is to spread the word about how “rescue dogs become a part of the human family and increase awareness about the number of dogs in shelters.” Here are some ways you can help:
Volunteer at your local shelter. Taking dogs for walks, grooming and giving them plenty of affection improves their socialization.
Shelters always need donations. Financial donations are always welcome. Most shelters have a list of constant needs, such as blankets, bleach, toys, treats, and leashes.
If there is room in your life for a rescue dog, consider adoption and giving one a forever home.
Consider fostering. Many dogs abandoned to shelters require some medical care or rehabilitation in a home setting before an adoption can take place.
Remember to spay and neuter your pets. Overpopulation is the number one reason shelters exist.
Trick your old dog into thinking it’s new with treats like these vitamins from topdogvitamins.com
Share your Ode to A Rescue Dog on social media, use #NationalRescueDogDay
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge countless dog years ago. We 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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Poetry Challenge #139-It Jumped How Far?
As long as toad have been croaking, frogs (and kids) have been jump-jump-jumping!
And, every May 13th, in honor of Mark Twain’s first published short story, Jim Smiley and His Jumping Frog (better known as The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County or The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County) folks have been celebrating frog jumping day.
According to the Guinness Book of Records, The longest frog jump record is “1.21 m (3 ft 11.64 in) and was achieved by Noa Möller (Sweden) at Palatset in Stockhom, Sweden, on 19 November 2011.” However, when I gave it a Google, the longest from jump on file is 21 feet, 5¾ inches, set by a bullfrog named Rosie the Ribeter in 1986. (If you, dear reader, can sort that record business out, keep us posted.)
Here’s what I know for sure: the 2026 Calaveras County Fair & Jumping Frog Jubilee winner was 88-year-old Lillian Fasano, who won with a total jump of 19 feet, 2 and 1/4 inches using a frog named "Fuzzy.
Seeing a frog jump that far is surely the stuff of poetry!
Poetry Challenge #139
It Jumped How Far?
Let’s invoke the spirit of Mark Twain or Fuzzy by writing a hyperbolic poem about a long-high-far jumping frog, or a person who jumps like a frog, or a frog-jumping contest—creator’s choice.
Hyperbole means “gross exaggeration for effect” so we’re not talking tiny hops, make those frog JUMP!
See how many words for jump you can include in the poem. And don’t forget to add in a ribbit or three!
Set your timer for 7 minutes
Start writing!
Don’t think about it too much; just RIBBIT! (That means “do it!” in frog.)
Cindy Faughnan and I create began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge thousands of frog hops 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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Poetry Challenge #138-I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change
“I can’t write five words but that I change seven”—Dorothy Parker
“I love revisions...We can't go back and revise our lives but being allowed to go back and revise what we have written comes closest.”—Katherine Paterson.
Poetry Challenge #138
I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change!
One of the best things to do to make a poem better is revise it. That’s what this challenge is all about.
To begin: Choose one of your poems. Or, maybe: Choose someone else’s poem.
First, read your poem aloud. If it sounds good, reads well, great! Now try to make it even better by doing the following:
Can you replace weak words with more visual words? Words like “that” or “was” or “is” can usually be replaced with something stronger. Try to make every word count.
Listen to the sounds of each word. Is there a sound that’s repeated in your poem? Can you replace words to add more of that sound?
Read your poem very slowly. Pause at the end of each line. Is that the best word to end on? Play with your line lengths and with punctuation. Make readers read it the way you want them to.
Repeat these steps until you’re satisfied and then read the poem once more aloud.
Happy revising!
“Every success story is a tale of constant adaption, revision and change”—Sir Richard Branson
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge hundreds of revisions 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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Poetry Challenge #137- XYZipppppper!
Two Part Question: 1. Did you wear pants or a skirt today? 2. How did you clasp the front closed?
If your answer to the second part was “I zipped up!” Then put on your party hat and let’s here it for Elias Howe!* the zipper inventor!
Elias Howe’s first zipper wasn’t called a zipper. When Howe filed his patent in 1851, it was for an “Automatic, Continuous Clothing Closure.” But …Howe never tried to market or sell his invention, so it wasn’t until 42 year later when Whitcomb Judson patented a fastener similar to but not exactly the same called the “Clasp Locker.” Judson debuted his clasp locker at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893. But… people were too zipped up at that time to fathom doing away with button hooks and laces, so nothing came of it.
Finally, in 1917, a fella who worked at the company Judson founded, Gideon Sundback invented the “Separable Fastener.” Folks like it, but…no one knew quite what to do with it. Apparently, the trouble was all in the name. It wasn’t until 1923 when B. F. Goodrich tried the danged zipper as a boot fastener and coined the name that stuck. Which brings us to our prompt.
Poetry Challenge #137
XYZ: Xamine Your ZZZipppppper!
Back in my school yard days, whenever a friend forgot to zip his or her pants, we’d call out with a helpful XYZ! Let’s begin by doing exactly that.
By design a zipper is “two facing-rows of teeth that pull into a single piece by the slider.”
In honor of that clever fabric joiner, the zipper (which, miraculously, can withstand incredible amounts of pressure before popping open), let’s choose two different sets of words and —zip them—into a poem.
Begin with two words. But, just as zipping a snug pair of jeans isn’t easy, let’s not make this poem come together too easily.
Choose two words that do not seem at all connected. For instance: Tire & Popcorn; Carnival & Pencil; Snow & Tabasco. You get the idea.
Write each word on one side of a paper. Now, BRAINSTORM, list 5 or more words that relate to each of those words.
Weave, link, fasten—ZIP these words together into a one poem. Extra points for physically arranging the poem into a zipper shape on the page.
THE BIG ZIPPER
Set your timer for 7 minutes
Start writing!
Don’t think about it too much; just do it!
Ready! Set! X.Y.Z.
*That zipper isn’t the only thing about those clothes for which we have good ole Elias to thank. He also invented the sewing machine. Without him, instead of a closets & drawers full of clothes to choose from, we might be scrounging around in hand-sewn sacks tied with string—zip it pontificator, stick to the subject!
Gives new meaning to the term “Zip it!”
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge MORE THAN 8 YEARS 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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Poetry Challenge #136.5-Chuckle Challenge
When was the last time you had a gut busting laugh-so-hard-tears- were-running-down-your-legs laugh?
If you can’t remember, then I only have one thing to say to you:
“It’s about time you did!”
Why? I’ll give you 4 reasons (if you don’t believe me, ask the Mayo Clinic.)
Lowers stress hormones
improves heart and immune functions
burns calories
makes you feel better
Now get this…
““The average 4-year-old laughs 300 times a day. The average 40-year-old? Only four.””
Maybe, along with picking & flicking, graham crackers, and “punch bug” laughing is something our kids can help us do more often. And we can help them too, by writing funny stuff.
Let’s give it a try with a little help from author Julie Hauswirth who decided to up the funny factor with the third annual #2026 KidLit Chuckle Challenge. *
Poetry Challenge #136.5
Chuckle Challenge
To begin, rewind to the child you used to be—the one who laughed 300 times a day—and think about what used to make you laugh.
Or if that child is too buried in grown-up gobbledygook, take a minute or two to watch kids at play. What makes kids laugh? Just about everything!
Next: look at this list I copied off the Chuckle Challenge page. It includes lots of ways to add humor to our writing.
Now: Think of some funny words. Or a funny situation. Or best, both.
Kick your adult to the curb, put your silly hat on a write a poem.
Set your timer for 7 minutes
Start writing!
Don’t think about it too much; just do it!
the #2026 Kidlit Chuckle Challenge contest is open from 8:00am central September 10th-10:00pm central September 13th. Consider this the practice round. Click the website link for contest rules and past winners poems.
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge thousands of chuckles 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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Poetry Challenge #135-Bird Therapy
Stop! Listen! What’s that Sound? Everybody look what’s flitting round! *
Birds! Hear them? See them?
If you don’t then find a quiet spot, outside or at a window, then… Look and listen!
With most human-made noises stilled and human activity slowed, Birds are everywhere! (Were they always everywhere and we were too busy to notice?) I’m noticing now!
There’s something therapeutic about watching birds flutter and flit about, calling to each other—especially now when we humans are trapped in our cages and the birds are free. For today’s post, let’s send our imaginations winging with the birds.
7-Minute Poetry Challenge #135
Bird Song Therapy
Position yourself in a quiet spot with your eyes and ears tuned to the world beyond your window and listen to the birds. What are they singing about? Are they greeting each other? Squabbling? Sharing news of the world—just learning to tweet?
See if you can track the bird songs to a specific bird or clump of birds. If not, close your eyes and imagine yourself amongst the birds.
Nestlings in sis-in-law planter.
Write a poem about what you’re seeing—and most especially hearing.
Incorporate the sounds and rhythm of the birds into your poem to make it sing!
Set your timer for 7 minutes
Start writing!
Don’t think about it too much; just do it!
*Stop Children by Buffalo Springfield Utube:
**For more “Bird Therapy in CoVid” click over to Audubon Alaska’s “Birdy Care Package” with glorious photographs, activities—for kid’s too—games & videos—complete with song…& bird poetry! Bird Poetry Corner features a new prompt each week.
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge MORE THAN 8 YEARS 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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*Stop Children by Buffalo Springfield Utube: