A "Golden Shovel"

"Today’s prompt is a little complicated, which is why I saved it for a Saturday, in the hopes that you might have a little more time today than during a weekday. I think this is a very rewarding form, though, so I hope you’ll enjoy it! Today I challenge you to write a “golden shovel.” This form was invented by Terrance Hayes in his poem, The Golden Shovel. The last word of each line of Hayes’ poem is a word from Gwendolyn Brooks’ poem We Real Cool. You can read Brooks’ poem by reading the last word of each line of Hayes’ poem! (In fact, you can do so twice, because Hayes, being ultra-ambitious, wrote a two-part golden shovel, repeating Brooks’ poem). Now, the golden shovel is a tricky form, but you can help keep it manageable by picking a short poem to shovel-ize. And there’s no need to double-up the poem you pick, like Hayes did. Here are a few possibilities to work from:" - www.napowrimo.net

The poem I chose is called "Paperwork" and is NaPoWriMo 2014 offering by April Raines. (You can read her poetry here: 


  http://aprilraines.digitalnovelists.com/poetry/napowrimo2014/title)


Here's what I learned ... this is a very fast format for me to write!  Probably because the darn thing won't rhyme.  At all.  Unless I use a poem that rhymes every second or third.  So this kind of seems like free-verse.  Which I am not a fan of.  Unless it's funny.  Anyway, this poem seems like cheating.  Here it is, 10am and my poem for the day is done.  Huh.  Enjoy and see you tomorrow! :)

More Paperwork

Behind a desk I sit, ceasing never

I tackle the to-do list without an ending

I dully fill in the waiting blanks

A chore that, at times, feels meaningless

Staring at the daunting  empty lines

I know its purpose and

I dutifully fill the boxes

Ever planning and ever seeking

To find the efficiencies with which to  

Reduce what seems to be

Just time, waiting to be filled.

-Laura Freeman-

April 5, 2014