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Putrid Poetry: Day 17: Bloody Memory
Dr. Louis Pasternak Skullstench: Stealth Poet Poetry Assignment #17: Concrete Poem Bloody Memory After math a velvet valentine as red as the blood from the famous 2nd-grade pencil sharpener accident waits on my desk like a bomb. My name is written on the front in flowery letters. There is lace all around the

Putrid Poetry: Day 16: Eddie’s Trick and So-Called Stew
Dr. Louis Pasternak Skullstench: Stealth Poet Poetry Assignment #16: Quatrains Cafeteria Duo Trio 1. Eddie’s Trick See cool Eddie? He’s my hero He’s the only kid who knows How to make the cherry Kool-Aid Flow like rivers from his nose 2. So-Called Stew The menu says stew but that doesn’t fool me They’ve figured out

Putrid Poetry: Day 15: The Piandroid
Dr. Louis Pasternak Skullstench: Stealth Poet Poetry Assignment #15: Make-Up-a-Word Poem My Mom, the Piandroid When my mother plays piano the tendons in her hand jump up and down practically burst through her skin like the wires of the piano snuck out of their wooden coffin the night before to play inside a real person

Putrid Poetry: Day 14: Grandma’s Snakes
Dr. Louis Pasternak Skullstench: Stealth Poet Poetry Assignment #14: The Cinquain Grandma’s Snakes Old legs. Grandma’s dry skin has shiny blue veins that slither wriggle pulse bulge: Grandma’s pet snakes. I never knew my family was so disgusting until I started writing poetry. Cool! That IS what I adore about poetry, Louis. It can open

Sunroof [15 Words or Less Poems]
Howdy! How is your National Poetry Month going? I’m happy you’re here and ready to celebrate with you! This is 15 Words or Less Poems, a low-pressure way to wake up your poetry brain (guidelines here)! Here’s my next pic taken in March on the way home from South Bend, IN to Minneapolis, MN. This

Putrid Poetry: Day 13: Lemons Coming Out of My Pores
Dr. Louis Pasternak Skullstench: Stealth Poet Poetry Assignment #13: The Diamante Lemons Coming Out of My Pores lemonade tangy, yellow clinking, drinking, chilling, summer, liquid, noon, basketball slipping, dripping, shaking clear, salty sweat You said 2 opposite or related things work. Lemonade turns into sweat! It turns into something else, too, but you don’t want

Putrid Poetry: Day 12: Don’t Look at Uncle Gary!
Dr. Louis Pasternak Skullstench: Stealth Poet Poetry Assignment #12: The Haiku Don’t Look at Uncle Gary! He wears a Speedo Like a plump water balloon Wears a rubber band Nothing shocks you? I’ll find something…I know haiku has to be about nature, but we were at the lake. Does that count? I must confess this

Putrid Poetry: Day 11: My Mom Doesn’t ALWAYS Embarrass Me
Dr. Louis Pasternak Skullstench: Stealth Poet Poetry Assignment #11: The Acrostic My Mom Doesn’t Always Embarrass Me Mom, I would be an Orphan without you! [So don’t take a job in some other country] Thank you for not Hugging me in public. Or private. Even when you’re Right about something, you never rub it in.

Putrid Poetry: Day 10: Guaranteed to Make You Puke
Dr. Louis Pasternak Skullstench: Stealth Poet Poetry Assignment #10: Hyperbole Guaranteed to Make You Puke If you ever need to make yourself sick the night before a test or a family portrait or dinner with Grandpa creep downstairs to the kitchen after bedtime Discover your mom and dad k– k–

Putrid Poetry: Day 9: The Ballad of My Shameful Mother
Dr. Louis Pasternak Skullstench: Stealth Poet Poetry Assignment #9: The Ballad The Ballad of My Shameful Mother Last Thursday my mom could not come to my game. I felt floods of relief and a trickle of shame. My mom always hollered and screamed at the ref as I dribbled downfield and wished I was deaf.

Putrid Poetry: Day 8: The Bald Truth [Poetry Friday Roundup!]
Welcome, all! I’m happy to be hosting a Poetry Friday Roundup during April–what fun! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) I continue my Poetry Month sharing of “The Putrid Poetic Ponderings of Louis J. Pasternak, AKA Dr. Skullstench” (see right sidebar for more info) today with a poem inspired by the worst classic hairdo

Who, Me? [15 Words or Less Poems]
Welcome to 15 Words or Less Poems Day! Are you ready to wake up your poetry brains with our weekly exercise (guidelines here)? Here’s my next pic taken in March on the way home from South Bend, IN to Minneapolis, MN. This image makes me think of:

Putrid Poetry: Day 7: Head Cheese
Dr. Pasternak: Stealth Poet Poetry Assignment #7: Rhyme Head Cheese It wiggles and shimmies and does a slight jig It’s gelatin pickled with pieces of pig There’s a sliver of tongue and a big chunk of heart There’s a huge hunk of dark and mysterious pig part. It’s nasty! Revolting! Disgusting to see! And I

Putrid Poetry: Day 6: If You Accidentally Swallow Ocean Water
Louis J. Pasternak Poetry Assignment #6: The List Poem If You Accidentally Swallow Ocean Water … you also swallow: gloopy whale blubber broken starfish arms penguin poop dead fish sunken ships lobster shells and all the pee of all the kids in the world, even kids in Europe and Australia and Africa and including my

Putrid Poetry: Day 5: Shh…It’s a Snake
[Note from Laura: Hi, teachers and readers! If Louis were writing a gross poem about me today, it would be about head colds, congestion, crusty stuff, and maybe green stuff, too. :>( Yup, I’ve got a cold. And I’m glad Louis isn’t here to describe it. Thanks for reading!] Louis J. Pasternak Poetry Assignment #5:
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Are You Looking For?
Go to my Poetry page for:
- National Poetry Month projects through the years
- Small Reads Roundups (poems grouped by topic)
- Introductions to several favorite poetry forms