It’s November – and every November I find myself drawn to this poem by Thomas Hood:

November – Thomas Hood

No sun – no moon!
No morn – no noon –
No dawn – no dusk – no proper time of day –
No sky – no earthly view –
No distance looking blue –
No road – no street – no ‘t’other side the way’ –
No end to any Row –
No indications where the Crescents go –
No top to any steeple –
No recognitions of familiar people –
No courtesies for showing ’em –
No knowing ’em –
No travelling at all – no locomotion,
No inkling of the way – no notion –
‘No go’ – by land or ocean –
No mail – no post –
No news from any foreign coast –
No Park – no Ring – no afternoon gentility –
No company – no nobility –
No warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful ease,
No comfortable feel in any member –
No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees,
No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds, –
November!

It’s a poem I first met when I was a child, and it’s one of those that has stayed with me. It’s not particularly profound, but it’s so clever! I hope you enjoyed it.

As we’re here, in mid- November, I thought it might be fun to pay tribute to Thomas Hood’s poem. Just in case I get a resounding “no” from you, here are some options:

1. You could take a line from this poem and use it as springboard for a new poem. Golden shovel it, or use it as the first line – or even the title.

2. Just say no. There’s something you want to take a stand against, something you want to stand up and say “NO!” to. Maybe it’s pollution or global warming, or something political, or the way your next door neighbour plays prog rock at full blast at 3am. Whatever it is, get it out of your system and into a poem!

Once you’ve written your poem, please link back to here in your post. Hook it up to Mr Linky – he’ll be open until Thursday afternoon/evening. And then have a look at what your fellow poets have said no to.