First, it's Groundhog Day: Punxsutawney Phil (of PA) and Buckeye Chuck (of OH) have seen their shadows and forecast 6 more weeks of winter. General Beauregard Lee (of GA) did not, however, forecasting only 4 more weeks of winter. Of course, I find that funny, because as an Ohio transplant, I'm still waiting for winter to hit Georgia; so, how can there be 4 more weeks of it?

*****

Anyway, I know you're not reading this blog post to hear the state of Groundhog Day 2009; you want to know who won the first annual Poetic Asides Chapbook Challenge! (Woo-hoo!)

In November, many poets took part in this blog's November PAD Chapbook Challenge, in which I challenged poets to write a poem-a-day through the month of November around a specific theme. Then, I gave the poets all of December to revise and edit their material and put together a chapbook to be submitted by the beginning of January.

More than 50 submissions were received. My wife, Tammy, and I went through them and selected a winner and 3 honorable mentions. There were some great submissions, but we both knew and agreed upon the winner without any squabbling.

Here are the Honorable Mentions:

* "Pacing the Moon," by Sandy Green
* "One Boy, How Many Square Miles," by Taylor Graham
* "Hooks and Slaughterhouses," by Alana I. Capria

And the winner of the first ever Poetic Asides Chapbook Challenge is:

"Change," by Shann Palmer

Congratulations, Shann!

Her manuscript was one that Tammy and I both loved and agreed was the best separately. That is rare in a competition with so many good submissions, but I think it points to the great writing Shann was able to gather.

Also, it should be mentioned that she cut the manuscript down to its bare essentials. It was one of the shorter manuscripts at only 11 poems and pages long.

Hopefully, we can arrange to have Shann explain her manuscript in a future post. In the meantime, let me share one of the poems Tammy and I both enjoyed very much:

Adaptation

After all the laundry is done-
round edges folded to the right,
the soaps stacked, the tissue
turned and tucked, she can go

to the next room to begin again;
blinds open just below the latch,
vase to the left, books by the lamp-
so little time, so much disarray.

Don't suggest she see a doctor,
she doesn't wash her hands raw
or alphabetize the soup cans, she has
discovered order is its own reward,

his suits hug the closet, with those
magazines, those dirty magazines.

*****

Again, Shann, congratulations!

Here's a free writing contest: http://www.writersdigest.com/redheartblackheart

The basic concept behind this free writing contest is that you can write a poem, essay, or letter that either celebrates love or tears love down.  Here are the categories:

* Love Poem
* Black-Hearted Love Poem
* Love Letter
* Rejection Letter (as in rejected love letter)
* Essay on Love at First Sight
* Essay on Lost Love

The deadline is February 6--so this sounds like a good weekend project.

The prize is a $250 shopping spree to the Writer's Digest online store, in addition to several other very cool benefits.

To check out all the details, go to http://www.writersdigest.com/redheartblackheart

And have a great weekend! On Monday (Groundhog Day), I'll be sharing the results of the November PAD Chapbook Challenge. (Even the winner has no idea who he or she is.)

Today, I received the first chapbook submission for the November PAD Chapbook Challenge. So, the contest has now officially begun, I guess. The first shot has been fired.

I imagine there will be more submissions around the holidays, and then a mad sprint between January 1 and January 5.

If you need a reminder on the rules, here they are: http://blog.writersdigest.com/poeticasides/November+PAD+Chapbook+Challenge+Next+Steps.aspx.

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.

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.

*****

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.

Every once in a while, I like to offer these title prompts where you fill in the blanks on a title. For instance, I want you to write a poem today with a title that is: “If It (blank), It (blank)”

So an example title might be: “If It (Hangs From the Ceiling), It (Smells Like Flowers)”

And to give you some flexibility, I’ll even let you replace the “It” words with a specific noun. So, to take my earlier example, the title could be: “If a Basket Hangs From the Ceiling, It Smells Like Flowers”

Here’s my attempt for the day:

“If the door goes unlocked, it could easily open”

she forgets to lock the front door
frequently
but doesn’t stress the details

not like anyone is waiting outside
wanting to get in

right

she forgets to lock the back door
the bathroom door
closes her eyes when she rinses her hair
so that she doesn’t know
when someone is there

Did you sleep well last night? That’s too bad, because I want you to write a nightmare poem today. You could write an actual nightmare, or present a nightmare scenario related to your theme.

Here’s my attempt for the day:

“The closet”

He wakes up screaming, “Mommy, mommy!
They’re coming for me again. The aliens
were scratching at my closet door. I could
hear them. I could hear them scratching.”

Good morning! I'm hitting the road this morning, so the prompt is super early.

For today's prompt, I want you to write a warning poem. Offer some kind of caution or warning related to your theme. Like, maybe, watch out for bad traffic. (Did I mention my trip starts off with driving through Atlanta? O, geez!)

Here is my attempt for the day:

"Monster Alert System"

Warning! There is a giant gorilla
beating its chest and terrorizing
the southside of Manhattan.

Please use extreme caution when
in the vicinity of this giant beast.

Do not stand in its path or try
to distract its attention. It is
believed the monster will just
seek out the blond who traveled
over with the beast, and that
once she is found, the gorilla
will head for a skyscraper, where
we will have people in airplanes
shoot him down. In the process,
the blond will fall for her captor.

Wow! As many of you have noted, I've been super pleased with the quality of the poems written so far. Y'all're swinging for the fences with your efforts this month. Very, very cool!

For today's prompt, I want you to write a "By the Numbers" poem. That is, I want you to write a poem that somehow incorporates numbers. Sure, this might've made more sense on 11/11 when a few of us got talking about math and numbers and such--but, hey, who says poetry has to make sense? (Or numbers for that matter?)

Make numbers a large part of the poem or small part, but make sure they get factored in somehow. With this group, I'm sure some really cool stuff will emerge.

Here's my attempt for the day:

"Japan"

There are four oceans,
seven continents,
and hundreds of islands on this planet,
but I always return to you with my atomic breath,
my swinging tail lined with plates.

For just as there is only one Godzilla,
there is also only one Japan.

For today's prompt, I want you to write a poem that focuses on or discusses a tiny detail. It could be a tiny detail that is often overlooked, and you'd like to call attention to it. The detail could be one that if overlooked can cause good or bad things to happen.

Here's my attempt for the day:

"Shirts"

Not all werewolves wear shirts,
and those that do don't always rip them,
though sometimes they do.

And the same goes for their pants,
with some wearing 'em and others not.

Of course, it's a minor detail, but that's why
I always kind of preferred the Wolf Man,
because he had a nice buttoned-up shirt
tucked into his pants. A gentle, though feral,
man who had a penchant for strangulation.

As the full moon peaks from behind dark clouds,
the gentleman grows hair, claws and sharp teeth--
his clenched fists open and search for a victim.

Today is 11/11. What a mathematical day! (As some of you know, Tammy and I were married on 08/08/08 at 8:08--so I don't take numbers for granted.)

I also don't take these prompts for granted. For instance, today's prompt is to write a deep thought or observational poem related to your theme. The poem can be long and persuasive--or short and profound. Think about your theme. And then, think about your theme some more. And some more--until you find some deep thought or make an observation that others may or may not have considered.

"Where did all the monsters go?"

In the movies, the monsters, whether King Kong or
the Phantom, always chase after the pretty girls,
which makes me wonder if loneliness is really
so strong as to turn both man and beast against the
happiness and beauty of this world forever.

Hooray! Once you finish your poem today, you will be one-third of the way to completion. Isn't that awesome? And isn't this month speeding by so fast? Possibly even, too fast?

Well, it's not over yet. Today, I want you to write a "survival of the fittest" poem. Try to come up with a poem relating to your theme that plays around with the idea of the survival of the fittest. If you think about it long enough, you may be surprised with what you discover.

Here's my attempt for the day:

"Michael"

You can be good in school,
but I'll still follow you home;

you can lock your doors,
but I'll still force my way inside;

you can hide in your closet,
but I'll still find you right away;

you can stab me in the face,
but I'll still rise up again;

you can shoot me out a window,
but you can never find my body;

you can go to sleep at night,
but you can't forget my name,

or my William Shatner mask.

My stepson's fifth birthday extravaganza soldiers on today, which means my time is limited for the intro to the prompt. By 2pm, I need to have a cake baked, a meatloaf loafed, and chili simmered. I think I can do it.

For today's prompt, I want you to write a dream poem--or dream-like poem. This may or may not work with certain themes, so remember: You don't have to follow every prompt if it doesn't jive with your theme. In the meantime, I think I just heard the stove beep that it's at 350 degrees. Gotta run.

Here's my attempt for the day:

"He comes"

He comes when the night is silent;
he comes as a wisp of fog;
he comes as a giant bat;
he comes when no one else is near;
he comes to my side;
he comes with his beautiful teeth;
he comes with his ancient eyes;
he comes to take me as his bride.

Good morning! I've been hanging out with my stepson all morning (he just turned five yesterday!), and he's being kind enough to let me throw up a prompt real quick while he sings the Transformers theme song (guess what he got for his birthday last night?). Soooooo, I'm going to make this one pretty quick and easy.

Know how we had a prompt yesterday for a myth poem? Today, I'd like you to write a fact poem. Research a fact (or facts) about your theme and create a poem. Or make up a fact. Or spin a myth into a fact. Or, well, you get the idea.

Here's my attempt for the day:

"Werewolves"

--"London calling to the zombies of death..." -The Clash

We do exist,
though only from full moon to full moon,
our howls shaking the night
into fantastic madness.

We do exist,
though we spread from village to village,
only to be killed by villagers
and swept under a rug of superstition.

We do exist,
though we spread from person to person,
our howls haunting the night
as people hide in fear.

Once you finish today's prompt, you'll officially be a week in to the challenge. Woo-hoo! Yay! Fantastique!

Okay, so today's prompt is to write a myth poem. Investigate a well-known myth associated with your theme. Or make up a brand new myth. Be literal, or get surreal. Whatever you do, finish today's prompt and do a one-week celebration dance!

Here's my attempt for the day:

"Nothing works"

Silver bullets don't kill werewolves;
Frankenstein's Monster fears no fire;
witches never cackle over
bubbling cauldrons; and The Mummy
is not under an ancient curse.

Sunlight, wood stakes, holy water,
garlic and crosses--they can't slow
the fast approaching Dracula.

Because not one of them exist.

Good morning, y'all. Saw there was some back and forth yesterday about focusing on a whole chapbook for the month. I understand how looking at a huge project can get very intimidating, which is why I suggest just taking things one poem at a time. My feeling with the PAD Challenge (whether in April or November) is that it should be about inspiration and fun.

*****

Now for the inspiration and fun!

Today's prompt is to write a praise poem. Celebrate or praise something related to your theme (or if you're themeless, pick something random to praise). I would love to praise all the PAD Challenge participants, but as you know, my theme is monsters (and I'm pretty sure there are no zombies or warlocks participating this month).

So, here's my attempt for the day:

"The Sun"

No werewolves without the full moon,
no vampires while you shine,
thank you for shedding light on the darkness
and always returning each morning.

As requested, I'm getting today's prompt out a little earlier in the morning than usual. Hopefully, everyone didn't stay up too late watching the election coverage last night (if you were watching the election coverage, that is). I know I'm still a little sleepy-eyed (though that may have more to do with these spreadsheets I've been working on for WritersMarket.com).

Today, I'd like you to write a poem that sets a scene. In other words, one that pays attention to the details of the scenery and uses those details to heighten the effect and meaning of the poem. For instance, if you were to write a poem about the election results last night, don't drown it in abstractions and ideas. Instead, focus on the setting of a rally and let the details describe whether the particular candidate won or lost.

Personally, though, my attempt for the day is going to continue on with my monsters theme: 

"Autumn Poem"

He loves the way leaves fall from trees
and collect on the ground. He loves
raking them into little mounds
next to the street. And as more leaves
fall, his mounds grow ever larger
until they're the right size for him
to climb inside and wait for kids
biking along the gutter to
venture close enough to jump up
and scare. The reason why no kids
trick-or-treat his end of the street.

I've heard the pleas from the Poetic Asides commonwealth asking that I post the November PAD prompts earlier in the day. I've been on Main Street and seen Joe Poet and Jane Poet working to put food on the table and still write a poem-a-day. I've visited schools, hospitals, and random fast-food restaurants and hear the same stories of "earlier prompts" in every large city and small town. From the corporate CEO to the amateur hockey mom, all poets seem to want the prompts earlier in the day.

And I agree, which is why I will make an attempt to post earlier in the day for the rest of the month. The beginning of this month was a little rough because of a database project related to WritersMarket.com, but that's no excuse for getting the prompts out later in the day. So be prepared for earlier prompts. Be very prepared.

I am Robert Lee Brewer, and I endorse this message.

*****

Whew! I am sooooooo glad the political ads will come to a halt today. At least for a little while anyway (since the political season is now almost a year-round phenomenon). As many of you know (even if you're living outside the U.S.), today is election day in the United States of America. Hooray for voting and having a voice! (Even if I do usually back the losing candidate.)

For today's prompt, I want you to write a "soap box" poem on your theme. If your theme is food, have an asparagus campaign for less discrimination against veggies. If your subject is parenting, maybe make a case for having one hour or less of TV each night in favor of playing board games or doing a family activity. Regardless of your theme, today is the day you can pull out that soap box, dust it off, stand on it, and take a stance on an issue (or several issues--heck, this could turn into someone's theme).

Here's my attempt for the day:

"Monster Rights"

-speech delivered by The Mummy

You all know me; I've been around for centuries
just hanging out in my tomb. Some people come and
wake me up, and then they get mad at me when I'm
a little grumpy. I mean, have you ever been
woken after a very long sleep? You're grumpy,
simple as that. Just ask my friend Godzilla, who
has had more than his fair share of interruptions
to long sleeps. And that's exactly what I'm trying
to get at. We are not the problem; people are.

Dracula, you need blood to stay alive, correct?
But when, my friend, have people stopped to consider
your needs as a living, breathing, undead creature?
Never! They just try killing you like a common
mosquito, walking around with their wooden stakes,
mirrors, crosses, holy water, and attitudes.

Frankenstein's Monster, did you ask to be created?
And who, may I ask, created you? A man! Only
to be hunted and chased around the countryside
by men, even though you, too, were once one of them.

From werewolves to witches, I've seen the appalling way
mankind has treated those of us who just happen
to be a little, um, different. Some of us,
like the vampires, have special needs, sure; and a few
of us, like the homicidal killers (a la
Freddy K. and the Phantom of the Opera),
indulge, perhaps, a little too much in our arts,
but I say, the time for monster oppression has
passed. The time for monster equality is now!

Okay, this prompt may be a little out there, but it's inspired by a few albums I've listened to (and loved) over the years. They'll have kind of a foreshadowing or refrain piece that shares a snippet of a song to come later on the album. And I want you to write a foreshadowing piece for a poem that you will fully compose later this month (Day 20, to be precise).

This piece should be short, sweet, and hint at some bigger picture that ties into your theme and the poem that you'll be writing on Day 20. You should think of it almost as a puzzle piece that doesn't become 100% clear until the accompanying poem is read later on in the collection.

Here's my attempt for the day:

"I am the man"

Leave the door unlocked,
curtains open, and power on.

Only have a landline;
investigate that noise.

When you scream out...

Okay, we've made it through the first day. We've got our first poems and our themes established. Now, let's get to the second prompt, which is to write a declaration poem: that is, a poem that makes a statement about your theme. A good way to attack this poem may be to write it in the voice of an imagined person or a real person who is not yourself.

For instance, if your theme is food poems, you could write a poem in the voice of Rachel Ray, who makes a declaration about the importance of food. Or if your theme is dysfunctional families, write a poem in the voice of Jerry Springer or Dr. Phil. Or, well, you get the idea.

(And remember, if you're not feeling a particular prompt, don't be afraid to steer yourself in a different direction. After all, our main goal is to have 30 poems at the end of the month.)

Here's my attempt for the day:

"Abraham Van Helsing"

Let me tell you of monsters:
Monsters is monsters, and they
will always be monsters. And
people is people, and they
can be monsters, sometimes as
terrifying as vampyres,
but people have a conscience.
People, when they are monsters,
can feel regret. Not so with
Dracula, not with a cold-
blooded vampyre. He will suck
his victim's blood, and even
turn his victim into a
soulless bloodsucker like him-
self. Monsters is monsters, and
they will always be. People
can be monsters, but they are
always people; they always
have room to learn from mistakes.

Good morning. Here we are. Another PAD challenge. Feels like it was just a few weeks ago we were doing one, but I guess it hasn't been since April. This time around I'm going to be throwing out a prompt (and my attempt at a poem) each day, but we're going to do it with a focus on having a chapbook's worth of poems at the end of the month.

So, with that said, I'm going to give a little more room than normal on following the prompts--and the prompts themselves may at times feel a little spacious. This is to give you the ability to write a collection of poems around a particular theme, which means, yes, I want you to give a little thought to the theme you'd like to explore through the month of November. For instance, your theme could be political poems, poems about motherhood, nature poems, food poems, animal poems, poems about your life, poems about a particular medical condition, poems about whatever, etc.

You probably don't want to make your theme too specific, but having some sort of focus will be helpful, I think. My theme will be to write poems having to do with monsters. I'm not sure if it will be just horror movie monsters or if I'll mix in real life monsters as well, but that's the theme I'm choosing for myself.

So before moving on, think a little about what theme you'd like to write about. You can include it with your poem today--or leave it a mystery for other writers to guess at. Totally your call. Here, I'll wait while you think of a theme.

*****

Okay, you've got your theme (even if that theme is just to write a bunch of disjointed poems). At the end of the month, I may be asking you to collect your poems together from this challenge and send me your chapbooks so that I can try to pick a Best Chapbook Award. If I do this, the winner probably won't be announced until Groundhog Day. But I'll give more information on this idea as the month unfolds.

Let's get into today's prompt. For today's prompt, I want you to look at your theme and write a "hook" poem. This is a poem intended to hook your reader on your theme. Think about the beginning of poems like "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" and "Howl." This poem gets right into the meat of your theme, and pulls the reader along. Think of a dramatic situation involving your theme and start there (in medias res). Totally.

Here's my attempt for the day:

"The Hook"

She screamed as she closed the door,
so that the annoyed boy could not ignore.

He walked over to her side of the car,
only to realize he'd tried going too far

earlier in their Lovers Lane evening spat
when she grew so anxious to leave that

she made him curse her under his breath--
now realizing how close he was to death.