{"id":137990957,"date":"2026-04-08T12:30:58","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T17:30:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jahangiri.us\/2020\/?p=137990957"},"modified":"2026-04-09T11:07:47","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T16:07:47","slug":"i-day-8-of-national-poetry-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jahangiri.us\/2020\/i-day-8-of-national-poetry-month\/","title":{"rendered":"Insomnia: Day 8 of National Poetry Month"},"content":{"rendered":"

Day 8: National Poetry Month<\/h2>\n

Today’s prompts include, “rhythmic<\/a>,” “use a simple phrase repeatedly, and then make statements that invert or contradict that phrase<\/a>,” and “paranoia<\/a>.” The obvious solution is to write in first person, remember that “just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not all out to get you,” and write the whole thing in iambic pentameter – for the rhythmic qualities, of course.<\/p>\n

Insomnia<\/h2>\n

There is no monster lurking in the dark
\nI’m told. I’m fairly sure it’s true, and yet…
\nI hear him breathing there, behind the door.<\/p>\n

There is no monster lurking in the dark
\nthough Mother jokes he likes to try on shoes
\nthat smell like sweaty feet and human toes.<\/p>\n

There is no monster lurking in the dark \u2014
\nmy brother listens to my whispered fears
\nand laughs. He won’t walk past my closet door.<\/p>\n

There is no monster lurking in the dark.
\nI think my Father knows; he ventured in
\nthere once. Now all I hear’s the crunch of bone.<\/p>\n

There is no monster lurking in the dark
\nYou must forgive the cluttered mess; you know
\nI cannot use the closet anymore.<\/p>\n

Other National Poetry Month Posts<\/h2>\n