Poem-a-Day Challange 2019: Day 1

Happy Poetry Month!  I have a confession to make: I have written very little since my last poem-a-day challenge in November. It seems the only time I'm productive poetically is during these self-imposed daily challenges. Life has a funny habit of eating up one's free time. But then, maybe that's a fallacy, like "writer's block", in that we can find creative ways to get away from it all just to write, even it it's fifteen minutes a day.

Once again, my inspiration with come from Robert Lee Brewer's Poetic Asides blog and Maureen Thorson's NaPoWriMo blog. I will try to combine each one's daily writing prompt into one poem when possible. I may also seek other sources like the Sunday Whirl blog, which provides a weekly word  bank of a dozen words, all of which I have occasionally tried to incorporate into one poem.

Today's dual prompts from Poetic Asides and NaPoWriMo: (1) Write a morning poem, and (2) write a poem that gives instructions. So here is my result. Off we go!

Morning Instructions

Let the light pry your lids awake.

Let the sun be your ignition.

Crank your motor and turn over.

No, not to your other side.

Assume the vertical position,

both feet on the floor,

and shuffle - left, right, left, right -

to the toilet, to the shower.

Let the warm rain cascade over you.

Let the herbal scent of soap

rouse your nostrils. Let the lather

slide over your skin.

Then shampoo - lather, rinse, repeat.

(Or don't repeat - who really does?)

Towel dry. Bury your face in soft cotton fibers.

Let friction and absorption do their work.

Get dressed and comb your hair.

Come down to the kitchen.

If you drink coffee, you know what to do.

If you drink orange juice, pour yourself

a glass of liquid sunshine.

Curse the person who left you a quarter-bowl

of Rice Krispies in the box.

Go back up and brush your teeth.

Check the mirror one more time.

If you have loved ones, kiss them goodbye.

Thank whomever you think responsible

for bringing you another day,

and rev your engine.