by the Read Write Poem Staff
Does the intensity of NaPoWriMo have you talking to yourself yet? Almost? Perfect! Rhiannon’s prompt gives you something else on which to focus these conversations: pictures.
Many people collect favourite images, whether as memories or posters, sketches or computer files. Pick one such collection of yours – a stamp collection, a postcard book, a file of photos – and rifle through it until something catches your eye. (If you don’t have such a collection, try putting a word – any word – into Google image search or flick through the website of an art gallery.)
Once you have an image, begin to interrogate it for poems. Ask: Who or what in this picture could speak? What would they say? Why is this image meaningful to me? When I look at it, what am I remembering? How does this image make me feel? Which of my moods is easiest to find in it? Where would I want to display picture? Who do I want to see it?
Collect the answers to your questions as a hoard of words or phrases. Scatter them across a blank sheet of paper, then check for patterns. What rhymes? Where is there alliteration? Is any rhythm apparent? Patterns might suggest a form for the poem.
If there aren’t enough patterns, you have two choices: either write your poem as free verse or go back to the images and generate more words. Have fun! 
Reminders for everyone
Read the Read Write Poem NaPoWriMo Challenge Kickoff post for details on how the challenge works — and how you can engage with Read Write Poem this month, no matter what your personal writing challenge is for the month of April.
Please read this page to find out how Read Write Poem’s prompt posts work. Remember that work linked from any post this month is shared in precisely that spirit: sharing, as opposed to critiquing. If you haven’t done so already, please read all the pages under About in the navigation bar.
I can’t believe I’m actually keeping up with napowrimo and readwritepoem’s prompts! (Thanks napowrimo and rwp!) I waited a long time for April to come. I’m happy it is here!
I used Salvador Dali’s “Woman at the Window” to write my poem “Atol de Amor y de Elote”
Day 6 is up at http://alienfireworks.blogspot.com/2010/04/mermaid.html
Here is my # 6, not related to the prompt.
http://brokeness.blogspot.com/2010/04/napowrimo-6-uncoiling.html
It’s 11:32 pm PST, so I’m just under the wire
#6: http://www.shewrites.com/profile/NancyHatamiya
I finally got my blog back up, so here’s my link on the image of “Fazzio’s Mistress” by Rossetti:
http://meditativemeanderings.blogspot.com/2010/04/napowrimo-day-6-thoughts.html
Susanne
It’s 11:33 pm PST, so I’m just under the wire:
#6–http://www.shewrites.com/profile/NancyHatamiya
Nancy Hatamiya replied:
April 7th, 2010 at 4:32 pm
I just noticed the link doesn’t work–here it is again:
http://www.shewrites.com/profile/NancyHatamiya
I was in France over Christmas, and I in the Cluny Museum I was struck by the number of statues of Mary nursing. Here’s my poem about them.
http://lanijo.com/poetry/mary-meek-and-mild
I actually put together a whole chapbook based on this idea, and came this close to re-posting one of those pieces…but I squeaked this one out tonight.
http://meetinggrace.wordpress.com/2010/04/06/napowrimo-6/
Here is link to
the image:
http://www.life.com/image/ugc1022012/in-gallery/37802/2009-photos-of-the-year
and my poem:
http://zevoice.blogspot.com/2010/04/veiled.html
This was a fun challenge!
My poem is here:
http://ragbone.wordpress.com
Oh this is the worst, but I had to post. An attempt at a villanelle = #fail.
http://scriptophobe.blogspot.com/2010/04/napowrimo-6-still-frame.html
I swear I was working on this on Tuesday (Lost and V sidetracked me for a bit), I just ended up spending the next 4 hours finishing this up. Not too happy about this one, my attempt at a sonnet.
http://inthemindswell.blogspot.com/2010/04/starry-night.html
6/30 is up at http://www.ronniek.org.
Sorry for the delay. Internet was down for a couple days.
ronniekstephens replied:
April 7th, 2010 at 6:35 am
Note: the link is actually http://www.ronniek.org/napowrimo.
http://ingeborgsblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/napowrimo-april-6th-converse-with.html
Here is my effort after a day thinking about the prompt: Drowning
Totally breaking the rules…it’s my #2, but RWP’s prompt #6.
Come find out about my Tribe.
Oh, I forgot to mention — it’s password protected. Hit me up here via RWP or email nicole AT ravenswingpoetry DOT com for the password.
here’s mine
http://bitsandpieces.wordpress.com/2010/04/07/napowrimo-6-converse-with-images/
Inspired by Waterhouse’s Lady of Shalott
http://tasmith1122.wordpress.com/2010/04/07/rwp-napowrimopoetic-asides-day-6/
I hope this fits to the prompt. It is more like a snapshot of the dream world, or the experience of sleep.
http://lotuspapillon12.blogspot.com/2010/04/napowrimo-630-miracle-of-sleep.html
On April 8, 2010 Angela Topping said: [Delete]
Monochrome
A candid photograph, a moment caught
in black and white, nineteen fifty nine,
a council house estate interior.
A television, first they ever saw,
holds two small girls in rapture where they lie,
on bellies, heads propped up by hands, enthralled,
unaware that they were captured too
in spying camera’s eye. Behind them
father monitors, one eye on them
the other focused on the flickering screen.
He has arranged for this new-fangled thing
and feels some pride in its unveiling day.
He never lived to see its colours show.
His camera was only monochrome.
But in this photograph, the magic gadgets
are cutting-edge, brand new, and he
is master of the revels, bestowing love.
http://jazzandpoetry.com/2010/04/napowrimo-6-converse-with-images/