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napowrimo #17: missing something

by Carolee Sherwood

Hello! It’s me, again. Did you miss me? It’s been one whole day since I last begged you to write something. You must have missed me. In honor of us having been apart for a full 24 hours, let’s write today about missing something.

Think about a time when you missed someone. Were you separated by distance? Was it for a long time or only briefly? How did it feel? Can you write metaphors for the longing? For the emptiness? Can you write about the departure? The goodbye? The moment in which you almost didn’t let that person go? What was it like to come back together? Did distance make the heart grow fonder, as “they” say, or were you just plain miserable while this person was away?

Of course, it’s not always possible to see someone again. Sometimes the “missing someone” lasts forever, as when a relationship has ended or when we are separated from someone by death. How can you describe this grief? What is that sensation of missing something you can’t get back?

Instead of “missing someone/something,” maybe you’d like to write about “something missing.” It’s quite a different feeling. In many ways, “something missing” is more peculiar than “missing something” because the object is unclear and the path to resolution is more mysterious. There’s something missing from a puzzle or from your life, and what can you do about it? Do you even know where to begin?

Imagine a place to begin.

* * *

A note from “admin”: This month, since we’re all trying to write every day, we’re leaving the comments open with each prompt so you can post links to your poems as you write them. So, go ahead and write your poem, post your poem (with a link to Read Write Poem and a Read Write Poem tag, if you would) and come back to this very spot and share your link with us.

Of course, if you’re a creature of habit, you can always post your links at next Thursday’s “Get Your Poem On” post. Who are we to mess around with what works for you?

And don’t forget to go read the poems of others in this wonderful writing community. We’re all in this NaPoWriMo “mess” (ha ha!) together; let’s support each other in the insanity that is writing (every day)!

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Posted by Read Write Poem under Carolee Sherwood, NaPoWriMo 2009

55 comments to napowrimo #17: missing something

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    June 20, 2010 | 1:36 pm

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    May 5, 2010 | 3:09 pm

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    *I initially said “tomorrow,” but I meant to say “Friday.”

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