By Daniel Paiz

NaPoWriMo has been a special part of our existence for the last handful of years, and part of that is because it’s a creative way to celebrate milestones. This place of music, poetry, pop culture, sports and more has existed for over a decade, and along with several other historical events good and bad, our anniversary falls on April 20th. This day marks 11 years since everything started back in 2012. It is not lost on us how fortunate we are to keep writing and keep plugging along, and it is much appreciated when readers check in to see what perspective this place delivers.

Here’s to 11 years of writing and creating, and to many more down the road.

One Ones

Recollecting all the times the words flowed well,

second nature this muscle memory helps soothe spells,

deeper meanings topically grazed at a moment’s notice,

never had a secret or any kind of hocus pocus,

Hard work, late nights and a few early shufflings,

writing hits different when you tell the sun good morning,

for some reason for a time sought out other’s approval,

was seeking validation from those who at times

didn’t get a double entendre and wanted the removal,

epiphanies are well timed to teach a realer truth,

the best audience is when you appreciate what you write for you,

could make it big time or always stay undeground local,

Zoomed in on what clarifies my pen focal,

Wiped away the inner demons judging the harshest,

can’t tell me nothing I haven’t said way worse,

that’s when ashes lead to feeling so cathartic,

understand the research is done and the goal is to give credit where due,

no late fees on keeping up knowledge bases and ethical rules,

still down to shout out against continuous flaws of society,

shooting one ones, making shots from the charity stripe

count as onlookers watch until they realize this hype.