Poetry, Day Three: Friend

Whether it’s about a time they saved your life or a moment when they disappointed you, write today’s poem about a friend: a person, an animal, or even a fictional character that’s close to your heart. You could also address a group of people, or an object that represents friendship for you.

: Paul Klee

The boat we sank was old

trusty, rusty and worn

We took her out, we cut her deep

and we let her sink alone

One of us could have turned back

and stayed with her until her end

One of us could have watched her drown

but we closed our eyes instead

When the mist crawls from the Sea

and visits us in our sleep

We tell ourselves it was all dream

dawn will set us free

But the Sea was real

and she did drown

and we all watched her die

We stood safe, we closed our eyes

and denied our heartless deed.

This is our punishment, our endless nightmare now:

Our eyes will never open

We will never leave that shore

We will always exist in that moment

when we let our friend sink alone.

Poetry, Day Two: Face

For today’s poem, take a single face you know as your point of departure. It doesn’t even have to be a real-life, flesh-and-blood face you’re writing about. Faces are everywhere in the texture of our daily lives: from portraits in the museum to the banknotes in our wallets, and from billboards and street art to online profile pictures.