Today’s challenge: write a poem that tells a story in the style of a blues song or ballad.
There’s something hauntingly human about the blues. The rhythm of heartache, the repetition of memory, the cry of a soul searching for peace in the aftermath of tragedy. For Day 19, I stepped into that rhythm with “The Ballad of Burnt Hill Road” — a story carried on the back of a flood, wrapped in Southern folklore and small-town scars.
Ballads like this live in the bones of old towns and whispered histories. They honor the people and places time tries to bury. They ask us to remember.
📖 Poetry is more than verse — it’s legacy, survival, truth sung through pain.
What stories does your hometown hold? What tragedies echo in your family’s past?
Share them. Sing them. Write them down.
The Ballad of Burnt Hill Road
(A Blues Narrative)
They say don’t go down Burnt Hill Road
when the sky dips low and the light folds up—
not if you value quiet.
Not if you believe in ghosts.
It was the fall of ’63.
Rain like iron nails in a coffin lid.
The sheriff said the dam would hold.
But that lie cracked before the concrete did.
My father worked the mill—
his hands were thick with sawdust and tobacco.
Mama packed the Buick with quilts and saltines,
left room for him that stayed empty.
Sixteen souls went under that night.
One was a baby with a name not yet spoken.
The town built a plaque.
Then a bypass.
Then forgot.
Preacher said it was the will of God.
But I found the papers
water-warped and unsigned,
a deal made in hush money
and buried beneath a developer’s smile.
Now, the road is nothing but a winding scar.
The willows lean like old mourners.
And when it rains—
really rains—
you can hear the river
remember.
I go there sometimes,
stand in the hush where the mill used to hum,
where the creek held trout
and my father held my hand.
The earth doesn’t forget.
Not really.
And neither do I.
April is National Poetry Month, a time to celebrate the power of language and the music of the soul. Poetry, like music, offers a space for reflection, discord, and catharsis. 
You can discover a wide array of poetic voices taking part in National Poetry Writing Month by exploring the hashtag #NaPoWriMo across social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr. You’ll find writers of all backgrounds sharing their daily verses, prompts, and reflections throughout April. For a more curated experience, visit www.napowrimo.net, the official hub for the NaPoWriMo community, where a new prompt is posted daily along with featured poems from participants around the world. It’s a beautiful way to connect with fellow poets, spark creativity, and immerse yourself in a month-long celebration of poetry in motion.
Read more poems from National Poetry Month #NaPoWriMo