“Bluebird”
Paint Chip Poetry #21: April 21, 2025
“Bluebird”
I hear it before I see it— the slow rush of a monsoon. I taste it before I smell it— the salty crisp of surf's up. I feel it before I touch it— the careful stitch of antique lace. I love it before I like it— the cream of the crop, how it slowly rises to the top. I hold it before I know it— the bluebird perched in its little nook, colors leaping off the page of the guidebook. I read it before I write it— the poem standing naked, frozen, in a snow storm. I climb it before I build it— the treehouse standing tall in the sky, and I am left wondering why. Why does sadness paint my every word? Are the happy times— the hope, the adventure, the freedom, the music, the poems, the bluebird —worth waiting for?
What is Paint Chip Poetry?
While browsing an art supply store recently, I came across a small game box filled with small paint chips and prompts—simple building blocks with which to create infinite poems and colorful sequences.
I’ve always adored poetry but never felt particularly adept at writing it. This year, I’d like to try and get better. With it being National Poetry Month, I thought it would be a fun writing challenge to use this game box as inspiration to write a brand new poem every day for the entire month of April.
The Rules
I must choose a prompt and four-to-eight paint chips at random. I get a single opportunity to re-draw a sample if I’m not feeling it, but that’s it. Just one. However, I can redraw if I get a repeat.
I must write a poem using the prompt and all of the paint chip words/phrases within the text of the poem. They must be bolded and italicized.
I must post the poem each day to Substack & include a photo of the paint chips in every post.
Yeah it does seem kinda annoying when people write happy poems! We like to share in suffering perhaps.
Although it can be done I think there are moments worth elevating.
Thanks for transporting us. Keep going!