Actually, I'm not sure if there is any truth to that statement. I don't have any official statistics on award winning poets and their voting record. However, I think most good poets are actively engaged in the world around them. And what better way for poets living in the United States to engage in the world around them today than to vote?

That's right. Today is Election Day in the United States. There isn't the glamour of voting for President or even members of Congress, but the local concerns that affect you more directly are still going to be voted on today. So make your voice count and vote today.

And for people who say that it doesn't matter because the things you vote for are going to lose anyway, consider this: There are few things better than knowing you were right when you were in the minority and that you stood up for what you believed even when you were in the minority.

Anyway, I don't care what your political views are. Just get out there and cast your ballot.

For those of you poets who have Facebook accounts, feel free to search me out on that site. I'm listed as Robert Lee Brewer (guessing that will dramatically lower your search results than trying just Robert Brewer). My current avatar is my son Jonah holding a ticket to one of those crazy carnie rides at a Pumpkin Festival in Dayton, Ohio.

Or I guess I could take the burden of searching me out off your shoulders by giving you my profile URL: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=627276480

Also, for those who've become regulars since we posted this months ago, we have a Poetic Asides profile on MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/poeticasides.

If you need a poetic friend on either site, you now know where to go.

Okay, I admit it: I'm not going to be writing any dirty limericks, though I'm sure you've all heard a few in your time. And I can't really stop anyone from sharing one or two below in the comments (that's what they're there for, I guess--that is, for dirty limericks).

The origin of the limerick is shrouded in some mystery, but most sources seem to point to the early 18th century--one theory being that soldiers returning from France to the Irish town of Limerick started the form, the other theory pointing to the 1719 publication of Mother Goose Melodies for Children. Either way, Edward Lear popularized the form in the mid-19th century.

Basically, the limerick is a five-line poem consisting of a triplet split by a couplet. That is, lines 1, 2, and 5 are a bit longer and rhyme, while the shorter lines of 3 and 4 rhyme. After studying many effective limericks, there is not a precise syllable count per line, but the norm is about 8-10 syllables in the longer lines and around 6 syllables in the shorter lines.

Here's one of my basic examples:

My eldest son's scared of small flames,
and I know just what is to blame:
those Frankenstein movies,
though they can be goofy,
burn monster and my son the same.

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Here are some other resources related to the limerick:

• Wikipedia limerick definition
• Limerick examples (including many of Lear's)

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SPAM prompt line(s): With my sarcophagus.

                                      It's as hot as Halloween out there.

With Halloween coming up in a hurry, I'm in a trick-or-treat mood. So I've chosen three SPAM lines that I tucked away because they seemed perfect for late October. Whether they're tricks or treats depends on you and what kind of success you have with them.

One approach is to pick a single line and use it in your poem. The "sarcophagus" example has a real Sylvia Plath echo. The second example could be something out of Poe.

I have to admit, I don't know what that third line is supposed to mean. It turned up in the SPAM filter back in August during one of our 100 degree heat waves. I don't think of Halloween being "hot," literally or figuratively, but that's just me. Maybe I went to the wrong kinds of Halloween parties.

So, pick one line for your prompt; or go all out and use all three lines in one poem. Form and style are up to you; but one of the forms with repeating lines could be fun to try. Or tap your inner Shel Silverstein and go for something humorous.

Hope you're "haunted" by some eerie inspiration!

--Nancy

More prompts to be found here.   

"Poetry ignored by Llewellyn Rhys shortlist," by Richard Lea from Guardian Unlimited, points out something that's not a huge shock to poets: Poetry is often shoved to the sidelines for fiction and nonfiction.

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"Interview: Pakistani Poet, Sahar Rizvi," by Amitabh Mitra from Desicritics.org, is an interesting interview that also features a poem by Rizvi.

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