Power ~ Pic and a Word Challenge #405 & NaPoWriMo Day 7

Power Lines, HWY 570, Sunnynook, Alberta, Canada

Storms brew
Days end
Energy crackles above

As I close my eyes
Images of shackles

Men
Women
Children

Marching
To their disappearance

Open
Again

I see
Only power

Ominous
Irascible
Malicious
Irrational
Malevolent

Lines of transmission
For a singular mode of thought
Enabling the incarceration
The disappearing
Of free will itself

Then
The shackles of power alone
Would suffice

Though the disappearings
Always continue
Unabated
By lack of need

Simply
For the demonstration
Of power

Power Lines
HWY 570
Sunnynook
Alberta, Canada
Taken during travels, 2023

NaPoWriMo/GloPoWriMo 2025

Day 7!

And so far so good. Posting everyday.
(A couple have even been, well, good. 🙂 )

What is NaPoWriMo? During the month of April, poets challenge themselves to write at least one poem a day, every day, for the entire month.

If you’d like to join in, or just want to learn more about this annual poetry writing event, the official website is NaPoWriMo.net. I am also an admin of a small, private FB group, NaPoWriMo/GloPoWriMo 2025 if you want to follow other poets on their journey.

Pic and a Word Challenge

Last week we followed the Arc of life.

This week, let’s rise against Power. Or find something else to inspire you in this photograph of power transmission lines crossing the Alberta rangelands, over HWY 570 in Sunnynook, Canada.

The Pic and a Word Challenge is a weekly creativity prompt typically offered Mondays.

With each challenge I provide a photograph of mine along with a single word. The challenge? Use the pic and/or word as inspiration to create something — a photograph, a painting, podcast, video, prose, poetry, fiction, non-fiction, longread or just a few words. You are welcome to use these two elements (photograph and word) literally, thematically or metaphorically. If you create both images and words, all the better.

To participate:

  • Use any title you like
  • Your response can be words and/or images
  • You may use my image to illustrate your post, or any images you have created
  • Mention that you are responding to the Pic and a Word Challenge
  • Add a link to this post in your response

To help us find your response — whether on WordPress, Instagram, Flicker, Tumblr, etc. — you can also:

  • Add a comment on this post to announce your response
  • Apply the tag/hashtag “Pic and a Word Challenge” or “#picandawordchallenge” to your post

Each week, I’ll list the previous week’s responses at the end of the new challenge. I may also share some on my social media: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, etc.

The previous challenge was: Arc

Gateway Arch, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America

Challenge 404 ~ Arc

The word for last week’s Pic and a Word Challenge 404 was Arc, along with this abstract photograph of St. Louis’ fabulous Gateway Arch in Missouri, USA.

Unfortunately, no bloggers took up the challenge this week.  (Kind of poetically appropriate given the challenge number of 404 😉 ) I get it. It’s been four months since the last challenge was posted. That’s a loooong hiatus for a challenge.

I promise to be here and in the long weeks beyond, continuing to offer this challenge. Cross my ❤

View all the Pic and a Word Challenges, including the current challenge, on the Pic and a Word Challenge tag page.

Happy Creating! ❤