30for30
Results of an (experimental) exploration in poetry
As a gift to myself, I challenged myself to write a 30-word poem each day for 30 days of my birthday month. And I did just that!
I don’t think of myself as a gifted poet, but the purpose of this challenge was not to write eloquent, memorable verses that stand the test of time. No, this was an exercise to get my brain to work outside its comfort zone.
Here were my “rules of engagement” for the challenge:
One poem posted to Notes by midnight of each day
Stick to exactly 30 words (I counted hyphenated words as “one” word, for a matter of consistency in counting)
Spend no more than ten minutes from start to finish, which meant as soon as I had 30 words that flowed reasonably well, I needed to hit post and move on with my day. Perfectionism be damned.
I did remarkably well sticking to my self-imposed rules. I missed one day, but I didn’t stress too much. And for that, I’m proud to say, “Challenge Completed!”
And here they are—in order and with a brief explanation of my inspiration for the daily poem.1
***30for30 - an (experimental) exploration in poetry***
June 1 - Self-Care
Feet elevated The glow of the sun Plays across my closed eyes Wind tugs at the blanket edges Gently swaying Cooling me through the woven embrace A glorious Relaxing Day
Inspiration from sitting in my hammock on my birthday.
June 2 - Writing Alarm Clock
Clickety-clack Announces her approach Snort, snuffle, sneeze Requests my attention A cold nose under my arm Lifts my hand Interrupts the connection to my keyboard Demands my attention Break time
Inspiration from my dog’s periodic “check-ins” when I’ve been at my writing desk for too long.
June 3 - Post-workout
Cool breeze chills my skin Fresh air pulls in Pushes out The bellows of my lungs heave Sweat drips I shiver Swipe at the bead Muscles quiver Propel me forward
Inspiration from walking out of the gym after a sweaty cardio class.
June 4 - Savasana
I inhale Release my tongue From the top of my mouth Soften the muscles surrounding my eyes Exhale With a woosh I both float And sink I melt into Stillness
Inspiration from being a student in a yoga class. Since I don’t normally get to be a student during a yoga class, I don’t normally experience Savasana fully. (I still talked myself through the process of releasing into the pose… it’s hard to turn off the “teacher voice” in my head even when I am not leading a class.)
June 5 - Walk on the Beach
Salty brine fills my lungs My hair lashes in the wind Medusa with a head full of Angry snakes Sand blasts my face Grit in my teeth My eyes Everywhere
Inspiration from photos of the Oregon coast posted by
and my memories of visits to the beach.June 6 - Wildwood Trail
Stream violets carpet the slope Ferns and prickly branches Reach out from the path’s edge Underfoot, the knobby, exposed roots Remind me of the buttercream frosting on my Birthday cake
Inspiration from our hike on the Wildwood Trail last month.
June 7 - Northbound
Warmth of the sun heats my skin Yet my bare toes are chilled Strobe lights flicker Trees zip by I open my eyes to the bright blue Of clear skies
Inspiration from our road trip to Seattle. I was the navigator… and the official napper.
June 8 - Traffic
Sun glints off windows and chrome Flashing Momentary blindness Red lights blink Quick, quick, long Coming towards me Like a crowd doing the wave Where are all these people going?
Inspiration from sitting in Seattle traffic.
June 9 - Signs
It’s never a good sign when the cart corral is empty. Either the store is packed with shoppers or the shelves are bare. And yet I forge forth to shop.
Inspiration from grocery shopping.
June 10 - Wobbly Scarecrow
Big toe pressed down. Outside edge in contact. Foot placed to inner thigh, Slipping. External rotators, Extensors, Pelvic floor Engaged.
Inspiration from struggling with Tree Pose.
June 11 - Life
Clickity-clack The rise of the track Anticipation building The path exposed Yet knotted with Twists and expected turns Speeding along Thrills and stomach-dropping moments Remember to smile for the camera
Inspiration from “the meeting” at work.
June 12 - Mundane
Why is the Scraping of bristles Whooshing with each brush Sending plumbs of Dust and mini Fluff balls of my dog Dancing across the hard surface Such a cathartic action?
Inspiration from the act of sweeping my kitchen (and processing “the meeting” at work).
June 13 - How to fluff a pancake week
Commence two-handed scratching Under pup’s jowls Call Mama Bear For pep talk Fully wrapped up In arms of Long Drink of Water Support system activated Not necessarily in that order
Inspiration from all the ways I tried to improve my outlook on a meeting at work—my support system includes my dog, my mom, and my husband (who my dad nicknamed “Long Drink of Water” when they first met.
June 14 - My Protector
High whistles of birds Hidden among the rustling leaves Power tools whir Distant traffic A background of white noise Cut by a stark siren blare Sets the neighborhood alarm barking
Inspiration from my time on the back deck with my dog.
June 15 - Date Night
One foot stepping Weaving In front of the other Laughing and linking arms We hold Each other up Feeling giddy as a schoolgirl Reliving The youth of our love story
Inspiration from our walk home after an evening of revel-rousing downtown that reminded me of a similar walk(s) from when we first started dating.
June 16 - Coming through
Adjust right, Left, Pause. Two quick beeps Announce my existence To the soft Strangely shaped Uprights Always in my way. Do they not see me? Or hear me? Beep beep!
Inspiration from my grocery shopping trip.
June 17 - Three-Hour Tour
Eerie green tinges the ceiling Another minute passes Beside me, he sleeps Unaware of my tossing and turning His breathy exhales Punctuate the silent house Yet slumber eludes me Again.
Inspiration from
’s Note and my sleepless night stressing over how a conversation was going to go.June 18 - Paths
The path before you Diverges Appears blocked or Unclear You second-guess Which way to go You thought you knew But now? Close your eyes Breath deeply and Take a step
Inspiration from Resistance is a powerful teacher by
and my current state of employment.June 19 - A Brain Foggy Day
The pause before their response The twitch of their eyebrows A microexpression I almost miss Their shared glances Sideways looks The tone of their words Hint at My bad day.
Inspiration from my weekly session of balance training with a friend’s mom who is in the early stages of having dementia—written as if from her perspective. Some days are good. Some are not so good.
June 20 - Rituals
The sun shines upon me Warming the cool morning air By increments. I unfurl my arms Open my palms Draw from deep And find Nothing. Footsteps approach. My daily baptizing.
Inspiration from my act of watering the potted tomato plants on my deck.
June 21 - How you know you’re a true Oregonian
From October To April You complain about grey skies And being cold. When gauge passes 78 degrees It’s too hot. The next day you’re The color of a cooked lobster.
Inspiration from the first day of summer, when the skies were bright blue, and the temperature neared 90 degrees Fahrenheit. And I saw more than one burnt-to-a-crisp Oregonian.
June 22 - Saturday Night
One, two I drank a brew. Three, four I fell to the floor. Five, Six I landed on bricks. Seven, eight Like a deadweight. Nine, ten Too much libation.
Inspiration from a summer solstice pig-roast party where the brews flowed freely, and the music played way past midnight. (We left early—and sober—as we had an early morning wake-up call.)
June 23 - Laundry Day
Smooth, Cool, Crisp, Bounce a penny Snugness With hints of freshness, A kind of clean Only achievable In that moment When your bare feet Slide in for The first time.
Inspiration from, you guessed it, changing the sheets on our bed. I LOVE that fresh sheet feeling the first night of sleep on clean sheets. Not enough to change the bed sheets daily, but nearly…
June 24 - Insecurities Activated
The breeze picked up. My skin pebbled. My scalp tightened. A shiver rattled Uncontrollably. Your words did this. A visceral Thick, defense shield A reaction of Self-preservation. You won’t win.
Inspiration from two things. The first was sitting with friends outside in the shade when the wind picked up, and we all felt a tad underdressed. The second was multiple reads on Substack in the theme of surviving criticism and writing what YOU want to read vs. writing what you think the world wants to read. (In other words, write for you.)
June 25 -Panic Mode
I flinch and Freeze. What’s the time? Only twenty-one minutes left. Plenty of time. Right? I can do this. It’s only thirty words. Think. Inspiration? Write. Count. Post. Phew! Done.
Inspiration from procastinating my self-imposed daily challenge until 23:39 and then deciding not to stress about what I write and just take the first 30(-ish) words with minimal editing. It was an exercise in speed poetry, for sure!
June 26 - Paddling
The current drags Pulls me downstream Digging deep Rhythmically Paddling Moving me upriver Through the current Sweat gathers at my hairline Momentum builds Until minimal effort continues My forward progress
Inspiration from my paddling jaunt on the Willamette River. Because of the water flow, it took some effort to get going upriver (the direction I wanted to go first, so I could float back to the launch point). I hope this will also mirror my efforts on Substack progress—hard work to build up the forward progress that can be continued with less effort (and more enjoyment of the ride).
June 27 -Aloft
Puffy and bright billows. Marshmallow creme Layered thick enough to Trigger a diabetic thirst. Cotton balls Mounded high, Stockpiled for ready use. Polyfill fibers Pulled gently apart For pillowy softness.
Inspiration from my flight from Portland to Boise to visit my parents for the weekend. The clouds always fascinate me.
June 28 - Reminiscing
Stories with names I recognize and People new to me Ones I could recite From memory or Never heard before How had I never heard this Memory? Tell me more.
Inspiration from my weekend with my parents, listening to them tell childhood stories, both from mine and theirs.
June 29 - The Perils of Substack
Came to Substack to Build a subscriber list From zero To promote my Upcoming novel. Got so distracted By all the amazing Writers, I nearly Never finished my Upcoming novel.
Inspiration from my journey on Substack (which, some days, feels more like social media than a newsletter platform). The distraction is REAL. However, this poem had the most interaction. Maybe I’m not the only writer on Substack that is being distracted!
June 30 - Lost Needle
There once was a writer on Substack Who sat at her desk with a hunchback She typed long posts And comebacks on notes But she remained lost in the haystack
Inspiration from my poem on June 29, but reimagined after the suggestion for a limerick from
, so I took it and ran. I figure it’s a good way to bring my month of 30-word poems for 30 days to conclude… as a needle “lost in the haystack” of Substack.I’ll let these words sit for a bit. Perhaps I’ll come back and explore exactly what I learned about myself (beyond the fact that I don’t self-identify as a poet).
Well done!
Thanks! It was strangely fun and freeing.