2026 NaPM 26 April

[RiverNotch]

Write a poem for National Poetry Month based on the topic described....rather, write a poem set in, pertaining to, or inspired by the given region, whether its entirety or just some part of it, as this year's prompts are going to be unified by the theme "Around the World" like last year's prompts were unified by the theme "Esoterica". Each poem should appear as a separate reply to this thread. There are three levels of participation:

Bronze. Participated at least once.

Silver. Participated every day.

Gold. Participated every day, with all entries either being the same form (e.g., every one a sonnet) or being distinct forms (e.g., no two haiku).


Today's region is the Maghreb, or Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Western Sahara, and Mauritania.

[Mark A Becker]

i was here
until I went

halfway blind halfway
around the world

got washed up
in the strait of Gibraltar

[dukealien]

Wells of Ages


Ghosts of Carthage, Raisuli, Perdicaris,
Saint Augustine populate Maghreb’s northern
fringe along with Legions of Strangers.  Deeper
history sings of

alternating desert and green savannah,
lakes persisting under dune sands, where ancient
crocs once swam, now drilled to recover water
from the last Ice Age.

[RiverNotch]

Delenda Est


First the verdure that was this desert then
a city for growing figs, a country for hosting
nonbelievers, that same country's harbors,

experiments in empire, vain dictators:
here you will always find some bit that cries
"destroy me!" and the universe's answer,
only what portion now maintains this echo?