This month Women Writing for (a) Change-Bloomington poets are participating in National Poetry Writing Month.  Every day we will offer up a new  poem by a writer in our community.  Check back after 6:00pm for the Prompt of the Day and the selected resulting poem.

Today, I’d like to challenge you to write your own dramatic monologue. It doesn’t have to be quite as serious as Browning or Shakespeare, of course, but try to create a sort of specific voice or character that can act as the “speaker” of your poem, and that could be acted by someone reciting the poem.

#15  What a Girl can make in 30 seconds by Allison Distler
(inspired by our YWW girls)

I don’t care what kind of day you had at the doctors,
who didn’t get it right for the 100th time. I don’t care
that its’ tax day, or presidents’ day, or bring a pie
to work day, or how many uncalled for calls came today.
I just want to play a game, mash my hand against your skin,
pin my hair – paint my face (real or imaginary) a kitten or
a troll, send up a rainbow balloon with a letter
bowtied to its’ end, I wonder where it will go? Make believe
with me a subterranean homestead, a superhero hamster,
a ship made from sparkles, a dog who saves the earth with
wisdom…..this is not a mind-set. This is not a grown up go to place like church or a quiet sitting cushion in the corner
this is…a day when an easy bake creates a brownie
for the first time, a surprise toad leaps from beneath
a branch and lands on your back, when the tangled
brush behind the shed sprouts thousands of
tiger faced flowers and the night sounds like
laughing in the milk hazy clouds.
I don’t care what went wrong on the way to the BMV,
who zoomed sideways and honked on the way
home from work, or even that dinner burned up
in the kitchen. I made a brownie in my easy bake
oven and infinite chocolate milk out of mud and
a puddle. I’ve got us covered.