If you’ve followed my blog for a bit, you know I like a challenge. It’s not just a way to set goals for myself, but more importantly, it’s how I outrun my anxiety. This time, I set out to write 100 poems in 100 days. I’ve been attempting to work on a collection of poems for two years, and this felt like the perfect way to put that effort into overdrive.

Now, about a week after completing the challenge, it’s time for a quick reflection:

• 100 days of poetry is hard.
• The total number of words was 7,646 (most my poems are quite short).
• Each poem included a new edited photo.
• Often the photo would inspire the words, but sometimes the words came first.
• Poetry makes me face inward in ways I’m not always comfortable with.
• A lot can happen in 100 days.
• I noticed how often I fall into the same writing patterns, and this forced me to think outside those.
• Having another person (thank you, k. h. pilcher) really helped keep me motivated.
• I’m still heavy with grief and really miss Neil.
• Pain pulls me back, yet also drives me to put pen to paper.
• Poetry is as messy as life.
• I can do hard things (always relearning this one).
• Outside validation isn’t lasting motivation.
• I see improvement in my poetry writing skills.
• Writing through resistance can lead to interesting places.
• I’ll create until my last days, just like Neil, because it’s what I’m called to do.
• Poetry is everywhere if you train your eye to see it.

I posted this project on my blog, Instagram and Facebook. Each platform has a slightly different audience. Not sure this is of interest to anyone but me, but here’s the top poems by platform.

Top five poems (blog):	Most comments (blog):	Top five poems (Instagram):	Top five poems (Facebook):
backrooms	in defense of joy	how many more?	canning
missed focus	lemon wind	stone protector	tonight
the road	feed me	where does the eye focus	in which i visit the zoo alone
popped	be a woman	sunlightyou	inhale deeply
be a woman	one hundred	a square of sky	hopalong cassidy

A Massive Thank You

I want to thank everyone who stopped by and read my poems, whether you read just one or all 100 of them. Some of you even commented daily, which is a huge feat and so incredibly kind! Thank you for cheering me on. Thank you for letting me know when a poem hit you in the feels, or when you noticed growth in my work. Thank you!!!!

What’s Next?

I’ll be posting a few photography essays in the next few days and starting to work more seriously on my poetry book. I’m not sure I’ll have it out by the end of the year, but I’m going to keep moving forward. A few of these project poems will work their way into the book, which is so exciting!

One Last Note

This feels important to say. With all that’s going on in the world, it can feel self-centered and, frankly, self-indulgent to spend time writing poetry and photographing ducks on a pond. However, it matters to me in a way I can’t quite explain. Maybe I’m just trying to justify all the time I’ve spent on this project—but really, I’d do it again.

And maybe that is entirely the point.