BARE: Uncensored Poetry

30/30 Project Day#4: The Fourth

The Fourth

The plume stained the pumpkin. A Halloween creation half executed, the carnage spread. Droplets fell in a line across the bright blue cutting board. The sterile stainless steel benchtops become a petri dish for pestilence as droplets of blood weave along the entire length. As a deer in headlights, their eyes watch them: a vivid red reflection pond creeps inch by inch toward plucky breasts, serenely anticipating today’s liturgy.

Inspecting the blade, their thumb feels the dullness — an edge lacking care or attention. And yet, an instrument still able to kill, maim or hurt. Circlets of blue adorn their fingers, reminders of the ascendent liturgy, the hourly whispers that turn to music.

Pondering their beautiful responsibilities, the banal becomes substantial — the liturgy, alchemy, feeding those who would eat.

*Drawing on Kahlil Gibran’s work, “The Prophet”

For February, I have been selected as a Poet Ambassador for the 30/30 Project run by Tupelo Press. A non-fiction, Tupelo Press is committed to discovering and publishing high-quality poetry, literary fiction and creative fiction by emerging and established writers.

The 30/30 Project challenges nine poets to create a poem every day of the month. These unedited first drafts are then published to raise awareness around the iterative writing processes. Through this vulnerability, poetry can become accessible, highlighting the imperfect as essential to the creative process.

If you want to read more, see the article below.

If you would like to know even more information about my experience, inspiration and/or daily challenges, please drop me a message in the comments and I will send you my weekly newsletter.