Pain & Pleasure
Known for its showers, fools, and resurrections — April is simultaneously a rebirth and a buffer period. As pleasing as it may be to see yourself and the earth blossom, there’s a reason we talk so much about “growing pains”. In the words of T.S. Eliot, ‘April is the cruellest month, […] mixing / Memory and desire, stirring / Dull roots with spring rain.’ In your poetry this month, identify the confusing mixtures, stirs, growths, and whims which may bring both pain and pleasure to your life and the world around you.
You may write any poem relating to ‘pain’ or ‘pleasure,’ but we strongly encourage you to follow one of our writing prompts below.
PAIN
PAIN 1: write/submit a poem about a “growing pain” you have experienced.
PAIN 2: submit a poem that you wrote with the intention of inflicting pain.
PAIN 3: write/submit a poem that felt painful to put to paper.
PLEASURE
PLEASURE 1: write/submit a poem about an experience of either giving or receiving pleasure (physical, emotional, spiritual, etc.)
PLEASURE 2: write/submit a poem about something you find pleasing that most people do not.
PLEASURE 3: write/submit a poem about a small/simple pleasure you value.
Submissions due 20 April.