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Poetry Prompts

Monday Poetry Prompt: Tap

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This week let’s write a tap poem. You know that sound, as if someone were gently rapping, rapping at your chamber door. One can be tapped on the shoulder or tapped to do a job or all tapped out. Don’t be late (like I was with this prompt) post your poems in the comments below.

About Bartholomew Barker

Bartholomew Barker is one of the organizers of Living Poetry, a collection of poets and poetry lovers in the Triangle region of North Carolina. His first poetry collection, Wednesday Night Regular, written in and about strip clubs, was published in 2013. His second, Milkshakes and Chilidogs, a chapbook of food inspired poetry was served in 2017. He was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2021. Born and raised in Ohio, studied in Chicago, he worked in Connecticut for nearly twenty years before moving to Hillsborough where he makes money as a computer programmer to fund his poetry habit.

Discussion

16 thoughts on “Monday Poetry Prompt: Tap”

  1. Yellow Brick Brain

    Pssst! – my friend, did you know?
    You, you – have a yellow brick brain
    It will take you beyond – wherever you want to go

    No timeframe, no timetable – you decide
    the future – in which you WILL reside

    You – and I – each have a yellow brick brain
    And it will take you – and WILL make you
    To wherever – and into whatever
    And into the WHO(M)-ever – you choose to be

    Because, you – get to choose

    The WHO

    That becomes –YOU

    william M – copyright pending 11-19-2015, 02-07-2021

    Liked by 2 people

    Posted by william h mollohan | March 16, 2021, 3:18 AM
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  2. When you see someone for long
    enough you
    get used to them
    and then you start noticing
    patterns in their behavior

    he was their
    teacher in
    creative writing

    weird guy in his late thirties
    going bald
    bespectacled
    pedo mustache
    scrawny body
    always wearing dark suits, a bit oversized

    He sat at his desk and watched the
    students
    and the students
    watched him

    Why does he always do that?
    they eventually asked.
    Why does he always tap his foot when
    talking to some girl
    but never when he talks to boys?

    He would appoint a female student to present her
    homework or some
    project
    or something
    and stand her up
    and while she spoke he would stare at her
    and tap his foot
    and the tapping would begin light
    and would grow in intensity

    strange guy

    tap-tap-tap
    ta-rap-tap-tap
    went his foot
    as the girls talked

    “I heard he’s divorced,” said one of the students.

    “Yep,” said another. “He is. Has a kid as well.”

    “Damn.”

    “I heard he’s also got a brother in prison
    for rape or some shit.”

    and a few weeks later
    they were talking about books
    related to prison life
    and someone said, “You know how
    prisoners jack off in full view of guards and
    the female prison nurses without getting caught?”

    nobody asked how but he went to
    say it anyway and he said “They wrap a
    string around their penis
    and tie the other end to the big
    toe of one foot.
    All beneath the pants. Nothing shown.
    And when the female is close
    they stare
    and move that foot and the string does
    the job…”

    tap-tap-tap
    ta-rap-tap-tap

    Liked by 2 people

    Posted by Bogdan Dragos | March 16, 2021, 6:08 AM
    Reply to this comment

  3. “Knock, knock, knocking on Heaven’s door”
    it played incessantly
    while I tried to sleep
    the sounds permeated my brain
    Tap-Tap-Tap
    the sign was posted
    “Sweet home Alabama”
    Seriously…
    Time to move to another space
    dorm life is not for me
    I am ready for a change
    “Holly holy eyes…”
    shoot me now

    Liked by 3 people

    Posted by Lisa Tomey | March 16, 2021, 7:46 AM
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  4. Reply to this comment

  5. Just posted my poem https://bartbarkerpoet.com/2021/03/16/upon-reflection/

    It starts “Had our roles been reversed / it would’ve been romantic—”

    Like

    Posted by Bartholomew Barker | March 16, 2021, 8:18 PM
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  6. The wind was quieted
    and the rain had stopped
    my ears freed from the unamplified storm
    the dissonance, the textures and the micropolyphony
    I could now listen to the final measures

    tap – tap – tap

    a grand premier
    and only showing
    another great score
    by Springtime
    passed

    Liked by 1 person

    Posted by Chris Clarke | March 16, 2021, 10:22 PM
    Reply to this comment

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