30/30, Congratulations!

A message from Sarah:

As of 6:00am on 4/30, here is a snapshot of the verse love that has flourished in our world because of you:

• 26, 264 views
• 3,786 visitors
• 6,249 poems and responses
• unquantifiable love

Please tell us about your #verselove experience so that we can improve next year’s poetry celebration! Survey.

Our Hosts

Jairus is a strapping young lad from the Tulsa area. After achieving a Bachelor of Arts degree from Rogers State University, he enrolled in Oklahoma State University’s graduate program. He prides himself in being a philosopher first and a comedian second, even if he isn’t particularly good at the part where he is supposed to be funny. When it comes to writing, Jairus’ expertise is in the area of scripts, both stage plays and films. 

Christine is a writer, education grad student, and literature enthusiast. In her spare time, she enjoys reading a diverse array of fiction, particularly books written for teens. She lives in Tulsa, OK with her husband and cat.

Josie Baker is a current Secondary Education – English major enrolled at Oklahoma State University. She has been active about teaching since she was a child and is dedicated to the work she does with helping children get access to education. In her spare time she writes narrative fiction, centering around Young Adult, and fantasy novels. When she isn’t teaching, writing, or reading, she’s doting lovingly on her four fur-babies.

Inspiration

We take our inspiration in part from our own lives as students and teachers, and from this piece of advice: 

If you write about the things you’re afraid of, they become less scary.

We are also inspired by Annie and Gayle’s prompt from April 17: what happens if we take the things that scare us most and put them into words? Is the name—fear, phobia, anxiety—enough? What traits do these feelings carry? If fear were a person, who would it be, and what would it look like, talk like, think like?

We think about this also with poetry, something the three of us were fearful of when beginning this month of poetry writing. Maybe we began this month afraid to write in ways that we hadn’t in the past, or in ways that didn’t align without how we identified ourselves as writers. Maybe we were afraid to put our words out into the world for others to peruse and bring their own thoughts and energy into. Maybe we were afraid to take up space in this online word-sharing world! 

We offer this prompt, to write about your fears, with a caveat. You can write about your fears, given them personality and voice, but you can also write about what it feels like to confront those fears, to conquer them even, as we have done even in small ways this month. 

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/rachelysanders/mental-health-essays

Process

To begin with, think about some of your fears, phobias, insecurities—in life, or even particularly in writing poetry in this space. What do these anxieties look like, feel like, and think like? How would they speak, if given a voice? 

How does choosing to witness, acknowledge, and live through these fears change us? How have you been changed by writing poetry, witnessing poetry from this community?

If you want more guidance or don’t know where to start, revisit the prompt from April 17th linked above, and consider some of the traits or emotional qualities listed here. 

Which emotion have you confronted, talked back to, worked through, and what has it become?

Consider what metaphor or choice the emotion would use and how to personify this quality. 

Perhaps look back at your progression as a writer this month: Did you feel scared or intimidated to share your work with others, especially strangers? If so, how did you conquer these fears? 

Keep in mind that this is the final day of April and the last poetry prompt. This will serve as the conclusion to 30 days worth of writings. As such, it could be a useful tool to reflect on your personal development and CELEBRATE!

Our Poem(S)

Josie’s Poem

Christine’s Poem

Emotional
She’s just kind of always been this way,
they say,
a little bit fragile,
a little soft,
a little volatile
when it comes to her feelings.
No one knows for sure
if she spent her childhood sheltered from harm
or underwent so much hardship that she’s lost her defenses—
either way, she’s just not fully capable
of handling difficult situations,
no matter what is at stake.
She tends to make things
all about her
and what she’s going through,
which pushes people away.
She cries a lot
even though she should be past all that.
She still writes poetry about the people who hurt her in the past,
because nothing seems to give her closure.
She’s weak, they say,
not fit for management
or any high-stress environment,
since the slightest hint of stress sends her off a cliff.
Some say she needs coddling,
someone to take care of her and make things easier;
others say she needs to suck it up,
stop giving into how she feels,
and be a grown-up for once in her life.
Some thing she just needs to
adjust her meds,
get her head on straight—
maybe she just needs a vacation!
But I say she’s exactly as she should be:
strong in her feelings,
if weak in standing up for herself;
grown in compassion
but stunted in stoicism.
At least you always know
where she stands.

Jairus’ Poem

“Turning Back Seems Reasonable Now”
I stand before the mountains of my dreams.
I can’t see the summit, but I know where it lies,
An altitude greater than what was thought to be realistic,
A harsh, merciless staircase that ascends into the stars.
The wind whispers into my ear, “You don’t have to make this journey.
You could settle for the path of least resistance.
Perhaps it would be better to find a smaller mountain.”
For a moment, it sounds reasonable, logical.
How can a being as small as myself conquer terrain this perilous?
But then I realize, I’ll never forgive myself if I don’t try.
After all, even a mighty bull can be controlled by a small dog.
I take the first steps of my journey.

At first it is easy,
But every step is more difficult than the last.
My lungs cry out to me:
“There isn’t enough oxygen for you to do this.
Mountain climbers have hightech equipment and elite training.
Your passion and willpower aren’t enough.”
My skin shrieks:
“ 99% of people freeze to death on this mountain.
You’re betting everything on an unreasonable goal.
This isn’t a risk you can afford to take.”
After miles and miles of increasingly steep slopes,
The lack of oxygen and freezing temperatures take their toll.
But I knew the journey wouldn’t be easy
And I didn’t come this far to quit.
I press on.

At last, the peak is within my sight.
However, there is one last challenge before me.
In my path, there is a vast crevice separating me from my goal.
It is so deep that the bottom cannot be seen, just perpetual darkness.
I stare into the void and it stares back into me.
It doesn’t say anything, because I already know its message:
“You now have to take the leap of faith.
Maybe the wind will stay calm and you’ll make it across,
Maybe it will pick up and you’ll fall.
But if you fail, you’ll proceed your way to oblivion,
The depths will consume you and your memory will fade, forgotten.
Nobody will know your journey and nobody will know how far you came.”
This is where my fears come to life.
Failure I can handle,
But falling into irrelevance due to random chaos, I cannot.
I tried my best, did everything I could have done,
And it still might not be good enough.
I have my fears, which could become reality
And I have the mountain, which is reality.

Nothing left to do but shake the ice off and give it my all.