NaPoWriMo 2018 - Day 19

Another late poem, I'm afraid. Today's prompt was a bit tricky and maybe that's why its late (it seems as though the prompts have been getting trickier and trickier).

April 19th
Today's prompt was to write a paragraph (perhaps directions from your house to the grocery store) and then either erase words from the paragraph to create a poem or use the words as a word bank to create a poem.

I sort of did that. I wrote directions to the grocery store in list form - because they're directions. And then I crammed it into a paragraph and got rid of some of the "less important" words (and, or, the, in etc). Then I sort of just used the words for inspiration and wrote.

The Lone Oak

Over the little narrow bridge

Out on the curvy roads

Where people take their lane out of the center

Past the last house

Eventually you will find

The Lone Oak

He is a friend of mine

Walnut, Juniper, Oak, Ash, Elm

All these trees grow in my realm

But the gnarled old Lone Oak

Is my friend.

I’ve sat under him

When I felt alone

When life seemed as though

It would weather away

My old friend the Lone Oak

Always stays.

Bugs, squirrels, and birds

Call him home.

He plays with the coyotes

He shelters the ‘coons

For any creature

That scurries, climbs, hops, flies

There is always room.

I like to sit down

With my back to his trunk

And sometimes

Look up

Into that mess of

Branches, twigs, and leaves

How many fledglings have known these?

The land around him

May be devoid of trees

But he is a friend to all things.

And because I think they were kind of poetic, I'm including my original directions to the grocery store:

Turn right onto Twin Oak St.

Pass two (or is it three?) houses, I can never remember.

Turn left onto Martindale.

Cross the little narrow bridge – be careful, people like to drive right down the middle

Follow the curves in the road

Stay on your side and don’t go too fast

People like to barrel down the road and often cross into the other lane

Stop at the stop sign that really ought to be a stoplight but isn’t yet.

Wait til your sure its safe

Turn left.

Stop at the stoplight

Go under the overpass.

Slow down on the overpass – cops like to sit up here and wait.

Turn right on the street that goes by the movie theater – I always forget the name.

Walnut maybe?

Take a left turn into the parking lot.

You have arrived at your destination.