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| Image by George Hodan on Public Domain Pictures |
As I pondered this prompt, I wondered about the usefulness of umbrellas. I rarely use them as I seem to get more wet from trying to close them when I get in the car than I would have if I had just walked in the rain. So what good are umbrellas?
Umbrellas offer shelter from the elements, both sun and rain. However, they become bent and distorted in the wind. They are, at least to some degree, an imperfect protector. The original version of this prompt was "If Love Were an Umbrella", but given my less than perfect experiences with both love and umbrellas, I wanted to leave it a bit more open.
What protects you like an umbrella? What shields you? What covers you?
Explore these questions in a 10 minute free write and find what emerges for you.
WORD PROMPTS:
umbrella
shield
shelter
cover
protection
Remember that our prompts are only suggestions - go wherever the muse takes you.
In the meantime, read other participants' poems, share the #OctPoWriMo hashtag on social media, and add a link to your own poem in the comments below.
Amy McGrath is a poet, fiction/non-fiction writer, and visual artist. She is a volunteer at The Muse Writer’s Center in Norfolk, VA and a co-facilitator of the Poets on the Page blog and Facebook group. When she’s not writing or painting, she has been known to appear in local community theater musicals and occasionally shows up for karaoke nights. She is currently painting a series of portraits of her ancestors, both biological and adopted, and she is working on her outline for this year’s NaNoWriMo project. She is the mother of two teenage boys and lives with her husband in Virginia Beach.
Posts
UMBERELLA
ReplyDeleteGrace of God
Parent's unconditional love
Sibling's relentless affection
Teachers committed trust in you
Friends support and loyalty
Communities commitment for your success
The self confidence that sprouts in a child
The nurturing skill sets for survival and to thrive
Right discipline to choose a path to achieve higher
The grit to persevere to fulfill ones dreams
The wisdom to stay on the peak balanced
An attitude to become worthy enough to give back
All or some of these become your umbrella for life
To protect you from Sun, rain and wind alike
How strong is your umbrella?
Is as strong as you need..
Is as strong as you make it...
Is as strong as you wish....sr
You convey the diversity of protection and shields here :)
DeleteWonderfully covering all aspects.
DeleteUmbrellas for all seasons!
DeleteUMBRELLA
ReplyDeletesorry spell check
Have a great week! :)
ReplyDeletehttps://ladyleemanilablog.wordpress.com/2018/10/15/day-15-if-__________-were-an-umbrella/
in early today. Loved the prompt and used few stories that I have seen and heard to come up with today's effort.
ReplyDeletethe perfect son
Loved your poem and it's beautiful way of conveying the story.
DeleteThose last three lines say so much. The tension between having an umbrella, and not wanting it, is poignant.
DeletePhew! Half a month is over. Here is something I wrote in memory of my father.
ReplyDeleteDay-15 an Acrostic
https://musingssurvive.blogspot.com/2018/10/umbrella-acrostic.html
Lovely tribute!
DeleteFair warning, Debbie Downer, Negative Nellie and I took a walk with Sad Sack and Gloomy Gus on the dark side with this one. So, if y'all only like the happy happy joy joy kind of poetry, give this one a pass.
ReplyDeleteIf Hope Were An Umbrella
I hear you on this, Cara - I've thought this a lot over the last few months m'self.
DeleteWell, it's the truth and the truth often bites. Besides which, who wants happy happy joy joy positive positive poetry all the time anyway? Thank you for sharing!
Deletehttp://biancasbookblog.blogspot.com/2018/10/octpowrimo-2018-day-15-if-were-umbrella.html
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love the little aside about the weather in the Netherlands, and the last line. It's delightfully quirky!
DeleteThank you. I actually wasn't sure about the Netherlands line and wondered if I should remove it!
DeleteBack in Switzerland after a lovely and dramatic time in Mallorca and this is my poem about protection...
ReplyDeletehttps://peacockpoetryblog.wordpress.com/2018/10/15/more-than-words/
The hand that feeds the earth indeed. What a lovely image. And home is no home without pets, I agree with Jane!
DeleteThank you to Shuku for introducing me to this prompt.
ReplyDeletehttps://janedougherty.wordpress.com/2018/10/15/under-tree-brella/
Jaaaane! Yay you're here! And I love that cinquain, and the squirrels.
ReplyDeleteI'm here! It always feels like I'm visiting a foreign country when I visit Blogger :)
DeleteHahaha, yes, I feel you, it's the same for me when I visit Wordpress!
Deletehttp://castingsuspicion.blogspot.com/2018/10/umbrella.html
ReplyDeleteI love the contrasts presented in the piece - also, umbrella should be a verb, I wholeheartedly agree.
Deletehttps://talesofafamily.blog/2018/10/15/if-life-were-an-umbrella/#more-14770
ReplyDeletehttps://paeansunpluggedblog.wordpress.com/2018/10/15/if-i-were-an-umbrella/
ReplyDeleteThis is such a lovely poem, and what a beautiful image of being someone's umbrella! (I'm commenting here because Wordpress is literally trying to be a potato at me.)
DeleteHere is my poem about protection
ReplyDeletehttps://poetryforhealing.com/2018/10/15/primal/
Brave, bold and beautiful!
DeleteThank you so much 💕🙂
DeleteThis was supposed to be a 10-minute write, but I ended up thinking about it all afternoon before I sat down to write it. Mechanics, sabotage, glue, and hands!
ReplyDeletehttps://shukuen.blogspot.com/2018/10/octpowrimo-2018-day-15-restorers.html
I wrote about my ex and my husband: Cover Me
ReplyDeleteI like the fact that it's not one-sided: the truth that most relationships do not realize this is a bitter one indeed. Also, no, you are DEFINITELY not clay to be crafted (loved that line and that rhyme)
Deletehttp://tao-talk.com/2018/10/15/poetry-day-15-blanket-coverage/
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMy poem today is a Choka titled: “God is my Umbrella but Better” the prompts were perfect descriptions of God’s character so this poem nearly wrote itself. https://leonaslines.com/2018/10/15/god-is-like-my-umbrella-but-better/
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of a choka before but now you have me intrigued. Great piece!
DeleteThis one was a struggle, but I got it done: https://unassortedstories.wordpress.com/2018/10/15/proud-member-of-the-nua/
ReplyDeleteBrilliant and evocative
ReplyDeleteWell, this was unexpected. By not being able to directly use the prompt, I ended up using it in spirit and came up with something much, much better than the one I first set out to write. This was fun.
ReplyDeleteTitle: "Concealer" (or, "If Concealer Was an Umbrella")
https://spiralartist.wordpress.com/2018/10/15/concealer-day-fifteen-if-concealer-was-an-umbrella/
It's definitely an interesting series of images and snapshots like a noir film - nicely done!
DeleteI was intimidated by this prompt and almost ignored it, but I played around and came up with this
ReplyDeleteUmbrella Love
The last four lines are a gut punch and absolutely perfect for the ending.
Deletehttps://missdragonlady.blogspot.com/2018/10/octpowrimo-day-15-umbrella.html
ReplyDeletehttps://barbarahuntington.com/2018/10/15/octpowrimo-2018-day-15-old-umbrella/
ReplyDeleteInspired by a cousin's visit to Land's End church of St. Sennen and the them of protection.
ReplyDeletehttps://wordpress.com/post/odhranwrites.wordpress.com/1057
This is so evocative and poignantly written. I could picture the scene so clearly! I love it.
DeleteI did an acrostic https://hittingthemark-jones.blogspot.com/2018/10/ramlacrostic-umbrella.html
ReplyDeleteYour Umbrella
ReplyDeleteHere's my entry -
ReplyDeletehttp://iscriblr.com/im-my-umbrella/
My day 15 poem
ReplyDeletehttps://thewabisabiwriter.blogspot.com/2018/10/baggage.html