National Poetry Month: Issue 15

When I first started my writing class at AllWriters', the last thing I ever expected was to write poetry. I went in with the purpose of writing nonfiction and pretty much nothing else. Well, people like Mario Medina and a couple other classmates inspired me with their poetry, and I decided to start writing it myself. I didn't know where it would lead, but thought what the heck? It's just like a really, really short story.

"I tell you we are here on earth to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you different." - Kurt Vonnegut

So, I started farting around with poetry. I didn't really know what I was doing, but it was a nice diversion. Before long, I submitted the poem below to Verse Wisconsin and, lo and behold, they accepted it. It was a great feeling and I daresay was the inspiration to my "push to publish." Writing is one thing, but I started submitting because it is a really cool to have someone say, "this is good; I like this".

Like many of my poems, I don't know where this one came from. It kind of brings children's readers into the twenty first century. Sometimes I just start writing and an idea presents itself. Then I just run with it. So, here it is. Here is where all the madness began. Enjoy.



Anyone Seen Sally?                                       by Jim Landwehr

Jane is a divorced single parent
raising two on Kraft and Oscar Mayer.
See Jane Work.
Work Jane, Work!

Dick lives with his partner Tim
and he doesn’t tell Mother.
See Dick Run.
Run Dick, Run!

Puff contracted feline diabetes
from WalMart kitty chow made in China
See Puff Drink.
Drink Puff, Drink!

Spot got mauled in a dog fight
that won Father two hundred dollars.
See Spot Bleed.
Bleed Spot, Bleed!

Biography:

Jim Landwehr enjoys writing creative non-fiction, fiction, and poetry. His first book, Dirty Shirt: A Boundary Waters Memoir will be released by eLectioPublishing on June 17th, 2014. He has non-fiction stories published in Boundary Waters Journal, Forge Journal and MidWest Outdoors Magazine. His poetry has been featured in Verse Wisconsin, Torrid Literature Journal, Echoes Poetry Journal, Wisconsin People and Ideas Magazine, the Wisconsin Poets Calendar, Off the Coast Poetry Journal, Heavy Bear online magazine and others. He also has a fiction story published on the Free Zombie Fiction Blog. Jim lives and works in Waukesha, Wisconsin.

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