The holiday season is once again upon us, and if you're like me, you've still got to figure out how to pay the bills and still get everyone on your list a nice gift. Here's my advice: Think poetic instead of electronic. Instead of iPhones, Wii consoles, and video games, how about giving a gift that is less expensive and has more keepsake power? After all, them there electronic gizmos go out of style every couple years (if not every couple months).

Poetic Gift Idea #1: A collection of poetry. There's no better way to spread an appreciation of contemporary poetry than to buy a book filled with contemporary poems. Most books are less than $20, and you can share your favorite poets with the ones you love. You can even turn it into a holiday tradition.

Poetic Gift Idea #2: A gift subscription to your favorite literary journal. See gift idea #1 and multiply it by however many issues of said literary journal comes out a year--that's a gift that reasserts itself throughout the year.

Poetic Gift Idea #3: A framed poem. Tammy actually gave me a gift of a poem I really loved by her for me that's titled "Sea Gypsies" inside a nice matted frame. I then stole her idea to write a poem for my mother that I included in a three-picture frame that had a picture of my brothers and I as children in the first slot, the poem in the second slot, and a picture of us as adults in third slot. You can do the same with your poetry. Just a couple bucks for a frame, a little time, and some cre-A-tivity.

Poetic Gift Idea #4: Make a poetic decoration. For this, you might need some tools, but there are plenty of decorations--from ornaments to placemats--that a crafty poet could create that include either memorable lines from poems, or even entire poems. And the great thing about this kind of gift is that it's bound to be used for the holidays every year. Talk about a gift with longevity and sentimental value.

Poetic Gift Idea #5: Make a collection of poems. Publish a collection of your own poems to give to friends and family. What a great way to share your love of words with those you love. Of course, if you want to go this route, it may cost a little more money, and you'll need to act fast before your local printers close up shop for the holidays.

There are many other poetic gift possibilities, I'm sure, and if you have any yourself, please share them with everyone else in the comments below.

Figure we'll just start up where we left off on the ol' Wednesday Poetry Prompts. If you like your poetry prompts on Wednesday, then you're visiting the right blog.

This week's prompt is to write a night poem. You must incorporate the night in some way. (Of course, those with a sense of humor are already thinking, "A knight poem?") The evening doesn't have to play a major role in the poem, but you must work it into the poem one way or another.

Here's my attempt:

"Overthrowing the fat princess"

"No one likes a fat princess."
-Collin Kelley

They came at midnight
beneath the full moon's light
with their torches burning,
their pitchforks raised
like their voices shouting,
"She weighs a ton;
her rule is done."
But there was a problem
with the villagers' complaint,
because contained in an ancient text
written in the blood of the creatures
that lurk in the night
is a passage that reads,
"Once mankind is ruled by beauty alone,
evil will ascend to the highest throne."
Which is why literacy
is as important in a monarchy
as it is in a democracy.

If you're already Twittering, you can now follow me at http://twitter.com/robertleebrewer.

If you're not already Twittering, you can go check it out at http://twitter.com. Blogging poets should definitely look into this interesting (and free) online tool that allows people to concisely post updates, links, etc., to their "followers." Once you set up an account, definitely feel encouraged to follow me.

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If you want to see how this relates to you as a poet, then check out this link from the World Class Poetry Blog at http://www.worldclasspoetryblog.com/23-things-poets-can-do-with-twitter/11/21/2008/. This post compiles 23 things poets can do with Twitter.

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And if you want other poets to follow you, feel free to share your Twitter profile URLs below in the comments.

I just checked my gmail this evening and saw that the most recent edition of DMQ Review is out, including a poem by yours truly. Just go to http://www.dmqreview.com/.

In addition to my poem, there is work by Chad Sweeney, Lana Hechtman Ayers, Claudia Burbank, Arlene Ang, Joan Fiset, Ellen Elder, Paul Fisher, Virginia Konchan, Fritz Ward, Robert McDonald, Rebecca Morgan Frank, and Mary Wang. Plus, the featured poet is Ellen Bass.

Cool stuff.

I'm so excited about Day 30 of our November PAD Chapbook Challenge that I'm going to go ahead and post now, instead of waiting until later this morning. It's November 30th in the ATL, so here we go.

For today's prompt, I want you to write a resolution (or lack of resolution) poem. This is the poem that puts THE END on your collection. Maybe you can wrap it up with a pretty bow, or maybe it's open-ended. But today is definitely Day 30 of the challenge--and your last poem of November. Great job!

Here's my attempt for the day:

"Missing"

His body is always missing,
whether we burn him in a house
or throw him under a train;

when we check for his remains,
all that remains is a mystery--
no blood, no head, nothing

but a vacuum sucking
the edges of our rib cages,
leaving behind nothing

but fear.

Wow! I can't believe tomorrow is actually the last day of this challenge. Isn't that crazy?!? I haven't even really been keeping too close of an eye on the poems I've been crafting each day, so I'll be really interested in seeing what I have during December.

For today's prompt, I want you to write an outsider poem. That is, write a poem from the perspective of someone or something outside of your theme looking in. For instance, if you're writing a bunch of punk rock poems, have a country western fan look in on punk rock. If you're writing a series of vegan poems, have a big game hunter interact with veganism. You get the idea, right?

Here's my attempt for the day:

"Parents"

We always seem to be gone for the weekend
when these things happen. A man in a mask
with a sharp knife or a meathook terrorizing
the quiet town where nothing ever happens
until we leave. On our cruise, we shuffle along
the shuffleboard; we buy souvenirs when we
make port. Our lives are so perfect that coming
back sometimes leaves our minds, but we always
do, and that's when we learn what happens
when we leave: The world quickly falls apart.
Five dead, one traumatized--killer still at large.

Okay, with 3 days left, it's time to write a top-of-the-world or celebration poem. Even if your overall collection is a downer, try to find something related to your theme to celebrate. After all, you have 2 more days to get back to your overall mood.

Here's my attempt for the day:

"He's dead"

The monster is dead,
we chopped off his head;

the vampire is gone,
sun burned him at dawn;

the mummy's kaput,
unwrapped head to foot;

the werewolf done died,
and nobody cried.

Today, Tammy and I enjoyed Thanksgiving with her son (my stepson), Reese, and her family here in Georgia. It was a great time, and I was able to meet a few relatives I'd still not met yet. In the afternoon, we dropped Reese off at his daddy's and didn't really have a plan for what to do afterward. So, we bought a newspaper and saw that Macy's was having a tree lighting ceremony in Atlanta.

We decided to go and made it over there a little more than an hour before the festivities were to begin, which also happened to be just in time, because that place was soon mobbed by thousands upon thousands of tree lighting fanatics. In fact, the event was filmed and will be (or was) aired in several cities and to all the U.S. military men and women (on Monday apparently).

Tony award-winning actress Heather Headley and singer-songwriter-poet Jewel performed, in addition to others. Tammy and I, of course, were mostly interested in seeing a tree lighting and getting some hot chocolate, but the performances and spectacle was pretty nice, too--especially with it being a free event (didn't even have to pay or fight for parking).

That white mass above the red bar up there is Jewel. I thought I'd include her here, since she's written a collection of poems. They're not my cup of tea, but I do like her music.

The tree atop Macy's was lit up during a dramatic part of "O Holy Night" sung by Headley. I love that song. And, as the song ended, an impressive firework display started up. If you're ever in Atlanta on Thanksgiving, I'd recommend checking this out.

This pic is a little grainy, but it shows Tammy and I at the event having a great time. Hope everyone had as awesome a Thanksgiving as we did.

We're almost there. Time to crack our knuckles, roll up our sleeves, loosen our ties and get to work. What am I talking about? Today (at least in the U.S.) is Thanksgiving, which means it's time to watch parades, graze the veggie trays, loosen our belts, and fall asleep--after writing your poem for today, of course. Oh yeah, it's on.

For today's prompt, I want you to write a poem that could be the climax of your collection. This is the take-no-prisoners poem you've been working toward all month. You get to decide how you're going to approach this poem, but keep it focused on your theme--and make it climactic.

Imagine that if people read the poem you're about to write that their faces would melt off from the brilliance of it--and that they'll all get together (at least the ones who are still alive) and sing praises to your poetic brilliance. No pressure.

Here's my attempt for the day:

"Witching Hour"

She hears him breathing,
but she can't see anything--
just darkness. Her skin shivers
beneath the autumn breeze,
no moon. She hears him
breathing and moving around
as if he knows where he's headed,
and maybe he does she thinks.

She grips the knife in her hand
tighter, thinks about how she
will do it, how she will stab him,
which direction she'll run to get
away. She hears him breahing
and moving closer; she feels
as if she reached out that
she could touch or cut him.

She hears him breathing before
she hears him leaving.

Okay, after today's poem, there are only four days left for the November challenge. We're sooooo close. And, yes, for those of us living in the States, there's that little turkey-themed holiday tomorrow and the biggest shopping-sale day of the year follows directly on its heels. I guess that's why this is called a challenge, huh? My recommendation for tomorrow: Write the poem first, then dig into the turkey (and take that Thanksgiving Day nap).

For today's poem, I want you to write a call-to-action piece that is related to your theme. Your call-to-action can be stated directly in the poem, or a more powerful way to attack this poem is to do it indirectly. Think of how The Jungle led to the establishment of the FDA and Bambi led to an interest in animal rights.

Here's my attempt for the day:

"Mommy, Daddy"

I heard a shuffling sound in the closet
things getting knocked around
and I can't get to sleep
unless you check it out
or let me sleep with you
and don't you tell me that it has to do
with all them monster movies
you let me watch
because them monster movies are not
about things hiding in an 8-year-old's closet
are they?

I've noticed that a person or two has asked what I've got planned for after November. And here's what I'm thinking: After November is over, y'all can have December to revise and organize and select poems for your chapbooks. If needed, you can even add a new poem to fill a hole or two. Then, I want you to submit your 10-20 page manuscript (only one poem per page) by January 5, 2009. Tammy and I will go through the entries and choose the first official November PAD Chapbook Challenge champion! I'm not sure what being the champion will mean, yet, besides bragging rights, but I bet I'll come up with something between now and then (the winner will be announced on February 2--Groundhog Day).

Stay tuned for more specific submission details in the beginning of December.

So, anyway, that's the post-November plans for this challenge. On to today's prompt.

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Today, I want you to write a something-overlooked poem. Think about something that is often overlooked--as it relates to your theme--and then shine some light on it.

Here's my attempt for the day:

"Nessie"

Maybe because I'm from Scotland
and hang in Loch Ness. Maybe because
I don't breathe fire as I smash up Tokyo
or beat my chest on top of the Empire
State Building in Manhattan. Maybe
because I'm camera shy, sure. But then,
Bigfoot is, too. Of course, he's got more
fur--so he's cuter and cuddlier, of course.
Anyway, I'm not complaining, but maybe,
just maybe, I've been playing hard to get.

So today is when we try to complete an experiment in poetry collection writing. On Day 3, I asked you to write a refrain poem that would be a shorter version of the poem you would write on Day 20. Well, it's Day 20, so let's see if this works.

Of course, it has occured during this month that it would probably make more sense to write the longer poem first and then cut the refrain out of that, instead of building upon the refrain to make the longer one. Yeah, that's what would make more sense, but I guess that's why we experiment, right?

Anyway, here's a link to Day 3, so that you can easily find your effort from that day and see how I went about doing this. Feel free to take it in a completely different direction than I have.

http://blog.writersdigest.com/poeticasides/November+PAD+Chapbook+Challenge+Day+3.aspx

Okay, here's my attempt for the day:

"I am the man standing outside your house"

who knows that you leave the door unlocked
every night with your curtains open to the naked night
hidden from the reflections of the lights. How you've grown
accustomed to having your power turned on at all times! I am the man
standing outside your house who knows you only have a landline, who knows
you always investigate the noises that come from the blackness, a slight
quiver in your voice asking, "Hello?" I am the man standing outside
your house who knows how to shut your power off, cut your line,
and turn the unlocked knob on your front door. I will not answer
when you call out, when you say, "This isn't funny." I know
that this is not. Still, I will come for you,
and when you scream out, no one
will come to your rescue,
because I am the man standing
outside your house who knows the others
will only hide. This is between me and you, and you
have no idea how long I've been standing outside your house,
how long I've been looking inside.

So after today's poem, we'll be three-fifths of the way through this November challenge. That's pretty impressive. And, as has been noted by several of you, it's not just the quantity of writing that's been amazing about November; it's also the quality. Oh yeah!

For today's prompt, I want you to write a point-of-view poem. Write from the perspective from someone or something obvious (or not so obvious) related to your theme. If you're writing a series of accounting poems, then today is the day you can write a poem from the perspective of your spreadsheet. If you're writing a bunch of baker poems, time to share the voice of your dough (or even your apron). If you're writing a series of poems from the perspective of an accountant for a bakery, then, well, I guess you have some options.

Here's my attempt for the day:

"Silver Bullet"

I'm the only sure way to kill a werewolf,
the only way to make sure a werewolf stays dead.

If you blow them up,
their body pieces will find a way back to each other.

Regular bullets just slow them down,
and wooden stakes only kill vampires.

Cages can confine,
but only I kill.

After all, guns don't kill werewolves,
I do.

Wow! Are we really 17 days into this challenge? It just doesn't seem possible that time would be moving so fast, but I guess it's been so much fun that the time has been flying. Again, wow.

Today's prompt is to write a love poem. This may or may not gel with some poets' themes, though I'm sure if you bend the rules enough, anything is possible. Your poem can be pro-love, anti-love, confused-love, love-it-or-leave-it, etc. Your poem, your rules.

(Btw, I think it's so appropriate that today just happens to be the love poem prompt, because I totally love my awesome wife, who posted my prompts for me the past two days while I was without Internet access, not to mention setting my fantasy football lineup as well. So, Tammy, you da bomb!)

Here's my monster-themed attempt for the day:

"M.M. loves L.S."

She stops by my house,
so I follow her to school,
watch her walk around town,
but when we're alone,
I freeze up,
can't talk,
only stare,
which usually freaks her out,
of course,
and then,
at night,
I get so confused,
so,
of course,
I kill her friends,
to help set the mood,
but she's not into that,
apparently,
and she stabs me in the face,
so I play dead,
then,
I come back,
get shot out of a window,
and disappear,
hope for a sequel.