NaPoWriMo 2015 - 1/30 - Rushing - Diary Entry of The Flash

This is technically NOT the first poem that I have written this month, it is merely the first one in this series of poems written from Rachel McKibbens' prompts. I have placed the notes from the process after the poem in case anyone is interested.


Rushing - Diary Entry of The Flash

The alarm went off. I pressed snooze.
Whooshed to the kitchen.
Ate cereal for breakfast. Tried not to choke.
Went to work. Slow day. Everything seems slow to me. Always.
I ran home five miles in the rain in under two minutes. My feet hurt.
I gobbled down a cheese sandwich for dinner.
Went to bed. Sleep is the only time I can move slowly.


~~~~~

From Rachel's blog:
TUESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2009
POETRY EXERCISE #1
Write down three things that are physically impossible. Now set that list aside and write a fake diary entry about the most boring, most ordinary day.

I'll go first:

I woke up. The sun was out. I went downstairs. I made some oatmeal. I ate the oatmeal. The mailman came. I checked the mail. Bills. A birthday card for my neighbor. I watched some television. I pet my dog. I had a sandwich for lunch. I had another sandwich for dinner. I went to bed. 

Now, get that list. Choose one of the impossible things. Rewrite the journal entry as a person who (fortunately or unfortunately) has the impossible power/ability you chose. 


Diary Entry of a Fire Breather

I woke up. The sun was out. My pillow in flames, 
the toilet water boiling. Burnt oatmeal again. 
The mailman came. I scorched the bills. 
I singed the birthday card for my neighbor. 
I watched Mary Tyler Moore melt. I pet my dog to ashes. 
I had a sandwich for lunch. Fried peanut butter and jelly. 
Dinner was the same. Fried.
I went to bed. I dreamt of water.


- - - - 

(This exercised inspired by Louis Jenkins' poem, "Walking Through a Wall")

~~~~~

My notes on the process...

I did the instructions out of order. (I never was good at following directions.)

First the mundane journal entry:

The alarm went off. I pressed snooze. Ate cereal for breakfast. Went to work. Slow day. I walked home in the rain. My feet hurt. I ate a cheese sandwich for dinner. Went to bed.

Then the list of physically impossible things:
- Flying
- Seeing through things
- Superhero Flash speed

I had a hard time deciding which of the three to go with. Since I mentioned my feet hurting I went with Flash-like super speed. (Even with the "slow day" comment, I figured I could make it work.