I Dismiss You

NaPoWriMo day 6, poem 7/30. Today's prompt was to write a valediction, some sort of a goodbye poem. Before I got to writing I saw this lovely poem and decided to take a crack at the song title prompt it was based on. The resulting poem actually works for both prompts in a way.

I have finally given in to my Once Upon a Time obsession, which I've been trying to keep out of my poetry this month. Written from the point of view of my favorite, Evil Queen Regina, as she plans her curse.

I Dismiss You

I sort the cards, match
the fortune to the player,
paint this oil landscape
of my own design.
This one, death will seize.
The day this one will
crumble, spelled
in my hand. Color
my foes in red,
forget them their purpose,
turn life into setback
and ache. In the new
order, I will be your queen,
the only one unscathed.


As for the song titles, I shuffled the playlist that I made last year around this time to help me through a heartbreak. Song title one tells you your subject. Number two tells you something to hide (however you want to interpret that). Within the text of the poem, include the other three titles—word for word.

"I Dismiss You" from The Pirate Queen
"King of Anything" by Sara Bareilles
"Seize the Day" from Newsies
"Purpose" from Avenue Q
"Setback" by Scott Alan