Can you believe it’s already Day 9 of our month-long #WaterPoemProject?

I hope that writing poetry is brightening your day during this challenging time. [My home state, Maryland, has been instructed to shelter in place.]

If you’re new to this project, please read the Introduction and FAQ. Or you can watch this video of me describing how to participate. It’s on the YouTube channel Authors Everywhere.

I am so pleased to welcome my dear friend Kathryn Apel to give us a poetry prompt today. Kat is a children’s poet and verse novelist who lives on a farm in Australia!

Kat’s poetry prompt is: Silly Solage

Developed by Australian poet Cameron Semmens, a solage is a short, witty poem that plays with words. Lines one and two rhyme. Line three is a single word that adds a twist. Write a water-related solage.

You can read more about solage poems at Kat’s blog, Kat’s Whiskers.

Kat says: My tip is to start with a homograph (same spelling/pronunciation, different meaning) or heteronym (same spelling, different pronunciation/meaning) for your last line, then work backwards.

Some homographs/heteronyms to get you thinking:

• stream: of water / to run – like your eyes
• bore: drill into underground water / a dull person / make somebody uninterested
• desert: arid region / leave

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Your task is to draft a silly water solage before the end of the day tomorrow, Tuesday, March 31, 2020.

If you’re doing the #WaterPoemProject with a group, be sure to share or post your rough draft, read other people’s poems, and cheer for their efforts. Or leave your poem here, in the comments.

Kathryn Apel is a born-and-bred farm girl who’s scared of cows. She lives among the gum trees, kangaroos and cattle on a Queensland grazing property. A trained teacher and literacy consultant, Kat shares her passion for words at schools and festivals. Kathryn specialises in poetry workshops for kids and adults – and staff professional development sessions across grades and curriculum area. Read about Kat’s Books, with links to reviews & activities, or to Buy Books. Download Kids’ Stuff activities for home & classroom use.

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#WaterPoemProject Series Posts:

Project Introduction
FAQ
Prompt 1: Irene Latham, The Language of Water
Prompt 2: Elizabeth Steinglass, What Would a Raindrop Say?
Prompt 3: Linda Mitchell, Found Haiku
Prompt 4: Shari Green, Fogbow Fibonacci
Prompt 5: Margaret Simon, The Taste of Water
Prompt 6: Heather Meloche, The Shape of a Wave
Prompt 7: Amy Ludwig VanDerwater, A Water Memory
Prompt 8: Laura Shovan, Rainy Day Opposites
Prompt 9: Kathryn Apel, Silly Solage
Prompt 10: Buffy Silverman, A Watery Home
Prompt 11: Kara Laughlin, Frozen Fog
Prompt 12: Debbie Levy, Jump into a Limerick
Prompt 13: Joy McCullough, What Are Water Bears?
Prompt 14: Linda Baie, Frozen Water Skinny
Prompt 15: Chris Baron, The Hidden World of Water
Prompt 16: Michelle Heidenrich Barnes, Water Wordplay
Prompt 17: Susan Tan, The Sound of Water
Prompt 18: Mike Grosso, Waterplay!
Prompt 19: R. L. Toalson, Wishing Well
Prompt 20: Margarita Engle, Ode to the Shore
Prompt 21: Faye McCray, Poem in a Bubble
Prompt 22: Meg Eden, Surprising Connections

Please support the #WaterPoemProject authors by buying their books from your favorite independent bookstore.