LG: When did you start writing? 

 RM:   Seven 7 years ago I began with a short story about the death of my second
 guide dog, Henry. "The Visit" tells the story why I started to write - to remember the
animals that saved me. My transition from prose to poetry happened when I joined         Taproot Workshop in Port Washington, under the guidance of Maxwell Wheat, Jr, the   first poet laureate of Nassau County.

LG: Do you consider yourself a poet first? 

RM: First I am a human being, then an artist.  I try to understand the world now by writing poetry which has taken the place of my painting. Now I paint with words. ("In the Sun".)

LG: Tell us a little bit about the inspiration for "Someday a Sunrise?" 

RM:  Through writing poetry, I have discovered that I have a lot more to give and to live for. The phrase, "someday a sunrise", came to me when working on the poem "Wind's Door". Through this poem, I learned there is hope no matter tough life is.

LG:  What do you consider to be the main function of a poet? 

RM:  I need to write what I'm feeling. I live alone with animals and am alone with my thoughts in the dark every day. I feel my function as a poet is to make sense of my life, sighted and non-sighted, that is understandable to any human experience.

LG: How do you think a poet’s job has changed for better or worse in 21st century?

RM: I really can't speak to that. I am new to the world of poetry.  I feel grateful to have found it.

LG: Can you tell us a little bit about your writing process? 

RM:  I tape my thoughts, I type them on a computer. Then listen to the computer read it back. I rewrite, I relisten, I rewrite, I relisten many times until ready to have my editor read it in a human voice where feelings come through. We often polish again and again from there until we are satisfied.

LG: Can you tell us a few ways that being a poet has enriched your life?

RM:  Through my poetry, I have found a whole new creative world to be a part of - met new people, shared feelings and it has allowed others to better know me.

LG: Your poetry is very inspiring and you clearly put a lot of thought and emotions into your writing. Is writing in your opinion a form of therapy?

RM:  Absolutely!

LG: What are your writing goals for the future? 

RM:  To learn more and become better at this craft.

LG: Do you have any advice for aspiring writers out there? 

RM:  "Write it down - write it down!"

It's over. The last day of Poetry Month is here. It has been quite a ride. 

Write a poem that begins with or contains the following phrase. Fill in the blanks as necessary:


April ________ bring(or brings) May ________

Today's prompt is inspired, in part, by the Dear Me project and in part by the following video.

Write a letter poem to your past or future self. What would you say to yourself? What advice or wisdom would you share?

The classic love poem is the most tired old trope associated with poetry. Today's prompt seeks to challenge the love-stricken poet stereotype in a way that has probably been done before (many times), but that we'll pretend hasn't.

Write a poem that reads like a traditional love poem about someone you despise. Be sure tho make the poem as caustic and non-loving as possible.

An acrostic poem is a poem in which the beginning letters of each line spell out a word that has significance in the poem.

Write an acrostic poem about a subject of your choice. 

As you probably already know, April is National Poetry Writing Month and National Autism Awareness Month. It's also National Jazz Appreciation Month.

Write a poem inspired by or about Jazz music.

Some words get far more attention than others. Today's prompt will address some of those words.

Write a poem containing each of the following words.

Some people believe that you're not a real poet until you write at least one poem containing a reference to Bob Dylan. We respectfully disagree, but this idea did inspire us to post a bonus prompt.

Write a poem which refers to a song written by Bob Dylan. The reference can be a subtle(or not) as you like.

“Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal; bad poets deface what they take, and good poets make it into something better, or at least something different."
       -T.S. Eliot "Philip Massinger"

"Imitation is suicide"
      -Ralph Waldo Emerson "Self Reliance"

"We dwell with satisfaction upon the poet’s difference from his predecessors, especially his immediate predecessors; we endeavor to find something that can be isolated in order to be enjoyed. Whereas if we approach a poet without this prejudice we shall often find that not only the best, but the most individual parts of his work may be those in which the dead poets, his ancestors, assert their immortality most vigorously. And I do not mean the impressionable period of adolescence, but the period of full maturity."
     _T. S Eliot "Tradition and the Individual Talent"

"Imitate me, children
I'll show you
to Nirvana's
melodramatic gates of
diving-board acumen. 
Extricating you from
banal Guantanamo"
     -B.S. Eliot "Invitation to Largess" 

Select a poet whose style you admire or a poem which you enjoy. Try to find a poet or poem that is very different from your own current style/comfort zone with writing. Write a poem emulating that poet's style or the style the poem was written in. Try to do so while adding your own personal touch to the piece.