NaPoWriMo - Day 30

 Day 29 - Final Day of NaPoWriMo 30-Day Poetry Challenge. This is a little bittersweet. I  haven't written regularly for a long time and I welcomed the challenge. Slowly it became a routine for me - reigniting my love of writing poetry - and now it is over (the challenge, not my love of poetry ;0). I plan to continue on this path, perhaps rework some of the hurried compositions and create many more. Drop by from time to time. I'll try to keep this blog a little more current than I have.

Final Prompt - write a poem in the form of a series of directions describing how a person should get to a particular place.

How to Get There From Here

Don't be afraid to begin...

It starts with a word
then another
pretty soon they are streaming out
onto the page
some dull, some thrilling, some touching, some heart-rending

you need to keep going
it is like a dam unleashed
and you are drenched with utterances

perhaps you didn't mean that
        leave it in
it takes you in a direction
that is unintended, yet appreciated

it gets easier
the further you venture
spilling your soul
revealing the core of your character

stopping is not an option
the momentum will be lost
and you will drift off course
never to arrive

do not pay for passage
the best route is the uncontrolled, spontaneous one 

in your heart
because it is meaningful
and pure

and free

in the end
you may be among the extraordinary few
    those who take the time
    who place quill on paper
    to pen a personal missive
    that lands in a mailbox

the very nearly lost art of 
the handwritten letter 

-Lisa

P.s. Thanks for reading...

NaPoWriMo - Day 29

 Day 29 - This prompt is called “in the window.” Imagine a window looking into a place or onto a particular scene. What do you see? What’s going on?

Windows to the Soul

Silhouettes cast on dust coated windows
filmy faces beside toasters and hotpots
    no longer functional
        thrown upon dirty sills
        not needed or wanted

we peer in
    unconnected
    separated by condition
        and unable to identify

these lives we will never truly know
    collecting articles
    to give them worth
        if just to hold something

they hide
    behind broken blinds
       unwilling or uncomfortable
        to share their meagre realities

they move among us
    invisible 
                    because we choose not to see

-Lisa

NaPoWriMo - Day 28

 Day 28 - write a poem that poses a series of questions.(FTR I already did this on Day 21)

for my fellow insomniacs...

Why can't I rest at night
when the moon is full and bright
shining it's radiant light?

or when it's dark and dim
when outcomes feel so grim
and life is lacking vim?

waking hours unfold
my bedsheets are so cold
sleep is nocturnal gold 

as eyes begin to close
and heartbeat slows
even so why can't I doze?

when daylight starts to creep
still I'm counting sheep
and not allowed to sleep?

-Lisa

NaPoWriMo - Day 27

Day 27 -  write a poem inspired by an entry from the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows.*

Grief

It haunts me
    while I sleep
    while I dream
    while I wander
            aimless

I see it in stucco walls
        in clouds
        in crowds

where I know you wouldn't be
    shouldn't be
        couldn't be

and I quietly mourn
knowing I'll only see you again
      in my soul's shadow

faceless, but unforgettable

-Lisa

*waldosia

n. [Brit. wallesia] a condition characterized by scanning faces in a crowd looking for a specific person who would have no reason to be there, which is your brain’s way of checking to see whether they’re still in your life, subconsciously patting its emotional pockets before it leaves for the day

NaPoWriMo - Day 26

 Day 26 - write a parody - here's my rushed pathetic attempt. Aaaaaand now I'm hungry...

And in the morning I'm making waffles*

Hey little griddle, you're burning the middle
You're charring the waffle to bits
There's not enough syrup in this fair land
That won't make it taste like the pits

-Lisa

(* credit to Donkey - stolen from Shrek)

NaPoWriMo - Day 25

 Day 25 - write an “occasional” poem. What’s that? Well, it’s a poem suited to, or written for, a particular occasion. The poem you write can be for an occasion in the past or the future, one important to you and your family (a wedding, a birth) or for an occasion in the public eye (the Olympics, perhaps?).

I Wait

The cold seeps through my bones
it's still too early
perhaps tomorrow?
I wait

Tomorrow comes
and brings with it
biting wind
and possibility of snow
I wait

Another week gone
sun peeks through
momentarily
too little
too soon
I wait

Warmth on my face
shedding my jacket
then my sweatshirt
it's nearly time
I wait

Marking the days
checking the forecast
and finally
the wait is over
it's time to turn off the heat

-Lisa

NaPoWriMo - Day 24

Day 24 - Find a factual article about an animal. A Wikipedia article or something from National Geographic would do nicely – just make sure it repeats the name of the animal a lot. Now, go back through the text and replace the name of the animal with something else – it could be something very abstract, like “sadness” or “my heart,” or something more concrete, like “the streetlight outside my window that won’t stop blinking.” You should wind up with some very funny and even touching combinations, which you can then rearrange and edit into a poem.

Yeah.... that didn't happen today... but at least I wrote a poem..

the prompt eludes me
I spent too much time reading
about chickadees

-Lisa

NaPoWriMo - Day 23

 Day 23 - write a poem that responds, in some way, to another. This could be as simple as using a line or image from another poem as a jumping-off point, or it could be a more formal poetic response to the argument or ideas raised in another poem.

On Swinging*

The verse plays in my head
each time I climb onto a swing

Time transports me back
to when my mother was young
long before I came into her life

Carefree, she swings back and forth
before she was a young woman
before she was a wife
before she was a mother

before she had to carry the weight of the world

on her tiny shoulders

we have forgotten how to swing
how to thrust our worries to the clouds
disperse them
in the wind
to soar
and release our burdens
and become a child again

-Lisa

*The Swing - BY ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON

How do you like to go up in a swing,
   Up in the air so blue?
Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing
   Ever a child can do!

Up in the air and over the wall,
   Till I can see so wide,
Rivers and trees and cattle and all
   Over the countryside—

Till I look down on the garden green,
   Down on the roof so brown—
Up in the air I go flying again,
   Up in the air and down!

NaPoWriMo - Day 22

 Day 22 - write a poem that invokes a specific object as a symbol of a particular time, era, or place.

The Ring

I once wore a tiny, gold ring
bestowed on me
when I was but a babe

When I grew older
the ring no longer fit
and it was stowed
in a jewelry box
along with tarnished chains
broken earrings
and bracelets long out of fashion

a gift for me in my 18th year
my parents made a pendant
from this little ring

I wore it on a chain
a small symbol of their love

it was destroyed in fire
along with so many other meaningful things I had
photographs,
home knit sweaters and afghans,
childhood teddy bears,
and a stack of poetry and journals kept over the years

I missed the ring the most
and never really understood why
or what it stood for in my heart

we're taught that possessions
are meaningless without connection 

and maybe it's the connection
to my youth
that still haunts me
as I continue to grow old

-Lisa

NaPoWriMo - Day 21

 Day 21 - write a poem that uses lines that have a repetitive set-up. I read some of the examples and stuttered and stammered through this. I know I could do better than this but I need to click "publish" every now and then without going all perfectionist... It's tough.. but here it is in it's inadequate (IMHO) glory...

I want to give you everything

If I offered you a chance would you question my intention?

If I offered you my thoughts would that get your attention?

If I offered you my hand would you grab and hold it tight?

If I offered you my dreams would they keep you up at night?

If I offered you escape would you deal with the digression?

If I offered you my truth what would buy you my confession?

If I offered you more time would you be prepared to share?

If I offered you my soul would I find you standing there?

If I offered you my heart, gave you everything you sought

I need to know that you'd be here without a second thought...

-Lisa

NaPoWriMo - Day 20

 Day 20 - write a sijo. This is a traditional Korean poetic form. Like the haiku, it has three lines, but the lines are much longer. Typically, they are 14-16 syllables, and optimally each line will consist of two parts or ideas.

Bread

Arthritic hands knead the heavy rye dough. The yeast is old.
No apologies - The bread is better this way she says.
The loaf is chewy and warm. It tastes like my childhood.

-Lisa

NaPoWriMo - Day 19

 Day 19 - write a humorous poetic rant. 

Done Like Dinner

Shopping for my groceries has given me great pause
the thin and sticky produce bags have proved to be one cause 

I cannot lick my fingertips to loosen up the seal
The sticky sanitizer makes it lose all its appeal

I'll have to forgo parsnips for my roasted veggie dinner
My lengthy healthy grocery list is quickly getting thinner

I've fastened on my facemask before I hit the store
my glasses fog up instantly before I reach the door

I ask for help a dozen times - my voice sounds very faint
the three-ply cover on my face muffles my complaint

Fed up I head towards the front, thinking I am done
The line up trails around the store - the checkouts number one

It took all day but finally my shopping chore's complete
I vow this is a process I don't wish to soon repeat

I'd rather that my grocery run not take up the full day
The next time I need cooking fare I'm doing click & pay

-Lisa

NaPoWriMo - Day 18

Day 18 - to write a poem based on the title of one of the chapters from Susan G. Wooldridge’s Poemcrazy: Freeing Your Life with Words. 

Origin of self

sometimes I write
by candlelight
asking myself - where do you come from?

looking deep inside
to all those things I hide
and all those places I've been
that determine
                    origin

my whole
is like a recipe
a million tiny parts
    a teaspoon of tears
    a measure of memories
    a slice of soul
    and a dash of damaged hearts

the light burns low
and I'm no closer
I still don't know

but those who came before me
those who bore me
pass along the roots
of all my attributes

they give me meaning

deprived of it
I would be
like the sputtering flame
    nearly out, lifeless and listless and limp

-Lisa

NaPoWriMo - Day 17

Day 17 - write a poem that is about, or that involves, the moon.

What Isn't There

Bulbous orb
pasty yellow
glowing
through dirty, dusty bedroom windows
creating 
misshapen shadows
on the wall

So many starry eyed yarns
give you import

You are just 
dead, dry rock
        circling this earth
tied to us
rely on us
    joined by an invisible fraught orbital thread

Your beauty lies
in poetic accounts
of those
who see you
through misty wistful eyes

But none have walked 
on your barren
soul
    breathless and bleak
you give no life
except to those
    empty, windswept hearts
    who see promise in your pale wan light
        who dream fervent dreams
            and see hope where only harshness lies

-Lisa

NaPoWriMo - Day 16

 Day 16 - relax with the rather silly form called Skeltonic, or tumbling, verse. In this form, there’s no specific number of syllables per line, but each line should be short, and should aim to have two or three stressed syllables. And the lines should rhyme.

Spring Fling Thing

I'm so sick of snow
one ought to know
I wish it would go
and let the grass grow
Missing the sun
it's the only one
who can get this melt done
a war that needs won
is no longer fun
run winter...run!
The warmth on my face
in that special place
where sunbeams I chase
and cloud forms I trace
o'er the sky they race
making patterns of lace
I look to the sky
watching birds fly high
catching my eye
making me sigh
as the ice thaws away
the sun opts to stay
chooses blue over gray
as night becomes day
...yay

-Lisa

NaPoWriMo - Day 15

 Day 15 - think about a small habit you picked up from one of your parents, and then write a piece that explores an early memory of your parent engaged in that habit, before shifting into writing about yourself engaging in the same habit.

The Potato Garden

I observed him carefully
turning the soil
adding compost
adding manure
and turning the soil 
preparing to plant

He watches the weather
potatoes are planted early
as soon as he can get his fingers into the loamy dirt

Then the watching begins

It is a spring ritual
I was never able to duplicate

until.............I got my own garden

I learned from the best
and duplicate the rest

turning the soil
adding compost
adding manure (and my secret ingredient - spent grain)
and turning the soil
preparing to plant

I, too, plant early (shortly after father does)

and then it's a race
to see whose sprouts first (his)
and whose potatoes are bigger (mine)

The biggest difference
is that he robs his hills early
while I let mine mature and grow

..... which is why they are bigger

But it's not a competition (we whisper to ourselves)

-Lisa

NaPoWriMo - Day 14

 Day 14 - write a poem that delves into the meaning of your first or last name.

Ed The Dog Voted* 

I asked myself, quite mystified, "Why they'd call me that?"
Dogs are fun and cute and all but I prefer the cat

And who is Ed? As I recall we never owned a dog
Perhaps my age is clouding me and memory needs a jog

I scoured the school library; Could it be a book?
I read so many as a child - won't hurt to take a look

All my leads were empty, my patience running thin
This brain of mine was tired and my head began to spin

I'd hoped for something really cool, a grand and stately name
but "Ed the Dog Voted"? I thought was pretty lame

Confused and sad I asked my folks, resolved to end my pain
I smiled at their answer...dyslexic mixed up brain ;)

-Lisa

(*Lisa is a traditionally feminine name with roots in Hebrew, German, Greek, and English. Regardless of the language, Lisa's meaning is spiritual; the name is said to mean "devoted to God")

NaPoWriMo - Day 13

 Day 13 - write a poem in the form of a news article you wish would come out tomorrow.

I would like to read that COVID would disappear and that would be the easiest but I don't want to take the easy way out...

The Morning Sun

No news is good news
upon this we all muse

But what if it read
that we could get ahead?

That no more bees would die
That songbirds ruled the sky

That oceans wouldn't rise
That leaders ceased their lies

That people got along
that line-ups weren't that long

That sickness went away
That kids felt safe to play

That homeless found a place
A warm and sheltered space

That air was clean and clear
That life was free from fear

That dreams indeed come true
it all comes down to you

-Lisa

NaPoWriMo - Day 12

 Day 12 - write a poem using at least one word/concept/idea from each of two specialty dictionaries: Lempriere’s Classical Dictionary and the Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction.

Dormancy Disturbed

Our resolve - remain steadfast
        for the duration
            however long

into the cold sleep
    of the dreamless we slip

deep and undamaged

oblivious to to world

hiding in what we thought
    was a protected secure harbour

encased and safe

Notus had other plans - with warm breath
even and relentless
he woke us 
    before our time

melting our icy mantle
    exposing us before we were ready

then that fickle wind
    altered course
        leaving us without shelter

we watched
as one by one
    companions succumbed

when Boreas surprised us
before we could retreat

leaving ossifed remains
                        of all we knew

-Lisa

*Notus, the south wind, called alfo Au-fter. / Boreas the north wind
*cold sleep n.a form of suspended animation in which the subjects are kept at very cold temperatures

NaPoWriMo - Day 11

 Day 11 - write a two-part poem, in the form of an exchange of letters. 

Dear Cat,

I would be forever grateful

if you ceased leaving hairballs on the carpet
The cleaning costs are piling up
Maybe consider the linoleum next time?

Also, would it be possible
for you to keep my favourite rug
free of fur
for at least a day after I vacuum?

I am more than a food machine
so a little gratitude
would go a long way

Finally, please take an extra second
to bury what you leave
in the litterbox - it smells

Regardless, I do love you 
and would never give you up

Your faithful servant,
Owner

Dear Servant,

Whatever..
Nope..
Thanks for the dry tasteless kibble..
I do that on purpose..
I know..

Aloofly,
Cat

NaPoWriMo - Day 10

 Day 10 - I deviated from the prompt... I went with just the junk drawer and what was in it - do we really need all that stuff?!?!?

Essentials of over consumption

Batteries
for when I need a charge
when most things 
are rechargeable
A - B - C - D 's of
"just in case"

Glasses
for when I need to see...
1.0
1.5
2.0
it depends on how close we are

Earbuds
to hear louder
but remain private
embarrassed by my taste in music 
I'll never tell..

.

The essentials pile up
I may need them one day
I keep a lot
of needless things
You never know
when they'll come in handy
usually the week after
you throw them out...

-Lisa

NaPoWriMo - Day 9

Day 9 - write a poem in the form of a “to-do list” of an unusual person or character.

Travel Checklist

• Double check the route

(Did we fly east 
or west of Pittsburgh
on the way south?)

• Stay in formation
• Take your turn in the apex
• Stay even!

(No one likes a lop-sided V)

• Arrive early always

(even if there's no open water - 
we'll wing it.. get it? "wing" it??)

• Look sad and hungry

(some kind-hearted soul will chuck some bread our way...
if we don't hiss too much)

• Don't hiss too much
• Poo everywhere

(they expect it - the more the better)

• Hog the sidewalk

(do-not-give-way-to-anyone!)

• Hiss if they try to pass

(oh yeah - no hissing)

• Take your time crossing the road

(if we have babies we can pose for pictures)

• Lay many eggs
• Hatch many babies
• Wait until the last possible day to fly south

(remember we're stubborn)

• Stay west of Pittsburgh 

-Lisa

NaPoWriMo - Day 8

 Day 8 -  read a few of the poems from Spoon River Anthology, and then write your own poem in the form of a monologue delivered by someone who is dead.

This was a tough one and it was even sadder how quickly the poem almost wrote itself. Last week I found out a former student of mine had died of a drug overdose. He had pulled himself out of addiction and had finally gotten his life on track, but it was too much for him to take.

So Close

I tried so hard
The beasts sought me out
time after time after time

We battled them together
Sometimes you took point
other times
I held you up with one arm
desperately fending them off with the other
As hard as we fought
they were too powerful
their draw too alluring

You lost
and I was lost without you

In emptiness
I persevered
I got clean
knowing you would have been proud

But it wasn’t enough
Although I won
the demons were always there
mocking me
taunting me

And I missed you so much…

The victory was shallow
undeserved
and scary as hell
I needed your strength

So I came home

-Lisa

NaPoWriMo - Day 7

 Day 7 - a poem in a syllable based style - the Fib is a six-line form. The syllable count is based off the Fibonacci sequence of 1/1/2/3/5/8. You can use that or combine with multiple Fibs or a backwards Fib - which I have attempted here:

The Sadness of Growing Old

stars

shine

twinkle

in night sky

from loved nursery rhymes

remembered from my childhood time

I read the same to my two boys

words that gave them joy

now unsung

silent

mute

mum

-Lisa

NaPoWriMo - Day 6

 Day 6 prompt - Go to a book you love. Find a short line that strikes you. Make that line the title of your poem. Write a poem inspired by the line. Then, after you’ve finished, change the title completely.

I chose The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson. One very short sentence in the book reads "Two very poor choices.." (as an aside there are a multitude of poor choices made by the main character in this book...)

I'm not as happy with this poem so I may re-work it when I have more time. I'm finding it challenging writing a poem every day after not writing much for so long. Some days it comes to me, and other days I struggle - like today.

Impossible Decisions

They tell you not to worry
    then encourage you to hurry
    while the edges become blurry 
The stress is all consuming
when your choices leave you fuming

I tried to take it slow, to ease the quick tempo
But all around
        the lines kept moving
                situations not improving

Torn between the options
    where none of them feel right
trapped upon an endless path
    as daylight turns to night

Alternatives will soon expire
do I choose the frying pan 

        or fire?

-Lisa

https://www.napowrimo.net/

NaPoWriMo - Day 5

 Today's prompt: A poem in the shape of a poem...

I choose:

Power by Adrienne Rich

Living in the earth-deposits of our history

Today a backhoe divulged out of a crumbling flank of earth
one bottle amber perfect a hundred-year-old
cure for fever or melancholy a tonic
for living on this earth in the winters of this climate.

Today I was reading about Marie Curie:
she must have known she suffered from radiation sickness
her body bombarded for years by the element
she had purified
It seems she denied to the end
the source of the cataracts on her eyes
the cracked and suppurating skin of her finger-ends
till she could no longer hold a test-tube or a pencil

She died a famous woman denying
her wounds
denying
her wounds came from the same source as her power.

And mine:
Progression

Longing for simpler means to track the spells

Time ticks backwards until it doesn't anymore
On the face of the clock numbers fall away
catapulting digits into empty space
formulating new methods of passing the years

Timepieces no longer have meaning 
shedding the semblance of needing to know the "when"
holding fast yet holding out
symbols fade away
into a far off meaningless mingling
to emerge another day
taunting, teasing, tormenting and at the same time
tantalizing in anguish

Seeing the future destroying the
here and now
destroying
hour after precious hour as the countdown begins

-Lisa

NaPoWriMo - Day 4

 Today's prompt is a photograph...

Her curves beckon
leading me on
like a familiar stranger
    lonely,
    silent,
waiting for 
    someone
    anyone
        around the corner
        up the hill
what lies beyond
no one can tell
        but I take a step...

-Lisa

NaPoWriMo - Day 3

 Day 3 - Still hanging in...

Today's challenge - write a poem inspired by some randomly chosen words.

My words are: draped, lush, light, tear, gurgle (yes, this was an awkward choice..)

Transition

Spring arrived early
light on her nimble 
yet nearly invisible wings
She slid in
her silky, lush warmth
draped over us
and she let the sun shine
melting streams
allowing water to flow
and gurgle
Announcing her presence
sending winter packing
no regrets
no tears

-Lisa

NaPoWriMo - Day 2

 Today's challenge: write a poem about your own road not taken...

Leavings

I didn't have to leave you
    and honestly
it would have been easier to stay
but how would that look...
    biting our tongues
    avoiding eye contact
   stepping on egg shells
    and distancing
            before it was a thing
That road
would have led to
    further disappointment
    hardened hearts
    and resentment
I didn't want to become good
at any of those...
We look back now
    as cautious friends
    both in agreement
glad that road
        washed out when it did...

-Lisa

NaPoWriMo - Day 1

I'm back - I'm going to try to be anyway for National Poetry Writing Month where I will attempt to write a poem a day for the month of April. Heady and ambitious I know! But with COVID I desperately need distraction and a creativity outlet. I'm very rusty but anyway... here goes.

Today's poem is a poem inspired by the animated version of "Seductive Fantasy" by Sun Ra and his Arkestra. 

The Night Inside My Daydream

Daytime spirals into night
taking with it all the light
Elongated bodies lie
they follow starlight in the sky

I stretch my arms from dusk to dawn

Embracing dark's phenomenon

Reaching out I find a hold 

Tenuous and uncontrolled

Blindly wander through the mist

Til daylight's break, and sunlight's kiss

Those hapless fools who made it through

the foggy trance, like me....and you

We're left to dream - to find the source

The soul of this diurnal course

-Lisa

p.s. this is not an April Fool's joke ;)