Poetry Challenge - Day 16

Another day, another prompt. "Pick a color, make that the title of your poem, and write a poem that is inspired by that color."

OK, I have several ideas. And the winner is...



Pink

Jelly between toast;
it spreads itself across the eastern sky
separating the darkness from the darkness.
Memories of mornings deliciously shared,
jealously guarded
in cardboard boxes.

'Tis a gift to be simple,
'tis a gift to be free.

Rose quartz on windowsill
catches midday's rays,
scatters them brightly
across hardwood floors;
life imbued with healing light,
chasing memories,
cobwebs banished.

'Tis a gift to come down
where we ought to be.

Splashes of paint,
surreal clouds dancing
in a purple sky
backdrop for sagging barn
and leafless tree.

And when we find ourselves
in a place just right,
it will be in the valley
of love and delight.

Words in italics borrowed from Shaker Elder Joseph Brackett, Jr. written in 1848.

Poetry Challenge

Today's challenge was to take a favorite poem and change the title and rewrite the poem. It was not required to stay with the same form though I think I managed to do that.

Growing up Daddy used to quote us 'The Song of Summer' by Paul Lawrence Dunbar. The piece got lodged so firmly in my head that as an adult I set the words to music. Here then is a new poem set to the same tune.

Spring of Hope

Oh here's da season truly blessed,
fickle weather changin'.
Violets flower in the grass,
dandelions seedin'.

White clouds scuddin' through the sky,
raindrops fall like diamonds.
Got my brollie in my hand,
watchin' out for crosswinds.

Open colored Easter eggs,
devil them with mayo.
Pack a picnic hamper full,
hit the forest tail-o.

Climb the mountain trail to see
wildflowers bloomin';
brilliant colors greet the eyes,
woodland full of groomin'.

Robin's ear cocked to the grass
list'nen for an earth worm.
Starling quarrel with a finch
try'n' to steal the feeder.

Move off now winter, spring has come,
weather's getting warmer.
Bar's emerged from winter den,
tiny cubs beside her.

Poetic Challenge

Today was a double challenge, to write a love poem and to to write an anti-love poem. I'm not sure I succeeded but here is my attempt.

Love

Love is a many splintered thing;
chocolates and roses,
midnight serenades,
tears etching rivulets.

'Tis better to have loved and lost;
fools platitudes,
empty words
comfortless comfort.

Love is the color of a morning sunrise;
wisteria memories,
fanciful dreams,
broken hearts.

Love, the fool's errand,
the dreamer's fantasy,
the jester's painted tear,
the cruel impossibility.

Poem a Day Challenge

Because I tend to get behind sometimes in reading my emails I just discovered a Poem A Day challenge for April which is something like National Poetry Month. OK, I can research this more later when I have more time and more active brain cells.

So back to the Writer's Digest Poem a Day challenge. Today's prompt is to write a poem about a hobby. Your's or someone else'. So here goes.

My Hobbies

I've always been one
to change hobbies
like some women change husbands.

There is the discovery stage,
excitement bubbling up
as the enticing new activity
catches my eye.
Perhaps a new craft
or some interesting concept,
the latest fad activity;
like my dear friend meeting
a new man at a party.

Next there is the pursuit.
I buy all the paraphernalia,
read books,
perhaps even find someone
to teach me the finer points.
How am I different from my dear friend
finding reasons to be in the same places
as her new interest?

Is courtship too archaic a word
to describe the hours I spend
perfecting my abilities
whether by reading everything I can find
or perhaps learning new stitches
or searching out better plant varieties.
I immerse myself in my new hobby,
too absorbed to spend time listening
to my dear friend go on and on
about last night's date
and the dress she just bought
to wear the first time she meets his family.

Eventually I reach mastery.
For different hobbies this may mean different things.
Perhaps I can play a violin concerto
without my listeners reaching for earplugs,
or maybe my rose bushes are covered
with perfect unspotted leaves and
glorious flowers.
Maybe my cedar chest is finally full
of beautifully embroidered baby blankets.
I attend my dear friend's wedding,
making all the right comments.

But then, a new hobby catches my eye.
I wander from the old,
reaching...

Word of the Day

slam

verb

1) to shut with force and noise
2) to dash, strike, knock, thrust, throw, slap down, etc., with violent and noisy impact
3) Informal. to criticize harshly; attack verbally

noun

1) a violent and noisy closing, dashing, or impact
2) the noise so made
3) Informal. a harsh criticism; verbal attack

Slam Poetry
Informal. a competitive, usually boisterous poetry reading

[Origin:1650–60; slamra to slam]

As you know, I consider myself a poet. Now those who read my work might agree or disagree. Yesterday I discovered slam poetry.

It has been suggested that poetry should be added to to the British Olympics. The original Olympics included potery, theater, arts... Athletes made good warriors but thinkers were required for leadership, a truth that seems lost on modern society.

Enter Slam Poetry, already a competitive event, it is like a cross between stand up comedy and poetry reading. Poets perform their own original works. Each round permitting approximately 3 minutes on stage.

Go to YouTube and check it out. If you thought you never liked poetry, this might change your mind.

Word of the Day

koan - koh-ahn

noun

1) A puzzling, often paradoxical statement or story, used in Zen Buddhism as an aid to meditation and a means of gaining spiritual awakening.
2) A nonsensical or paradoxical question to a student for which an answer is demanded, the stress of meditation on the question often being illuminating.

[Japanese koan : ko, public + an, matter for consideration, legal case; earlier koũ-an gōngàn public proposal.] Nice to be seeing something that doesn't automatically go back to Latin. I kind of wonder what MChin is though. Would that be anything like the cleft in a person's chin? Otherwise known as a dimple?

I have no great paradoxical or philosophical questions today.

Today I start back on my school year teaching schedule. Two families that start back today have not confirmed. One child might still be with her father in Florida since the schools don't start back till later this week (and some of them next week). The other family??? We will see. I send out emails to everyone (whose address I have). I don't intend to do group classes this week since it is first week back. Groups will resume next week.

I pulled my chairs off the scaffolding yesterday. I still haven't sanded up there. I'll get the other plaster to that point and then sand my way back to the top and paint while the chairs are still-once again in place.

I'm looking for ideas for behind the toilet in the master bath. I've tried a couple different stands but the problem there is that we went ahead and put in a tall toilet since that bathroom is meant to be handicap accessible. The toilet is too tall for the stands. Now I'm thinking some decorative wooden shelves or a beveled mirror. A mirror would capture and throw around what light is in the room. That bathroom has only a very small window (though it has ample vanity lights). It is very nice being able to get up in the night and just a very short trek to the bathroom. Surprising how much simple things like that mean after age 50.

Today I will be taking back the latest "behind the toilet" stand. I'll keep an eye out and eventually perhaps I'll find the perfect thing for that spot.

Yesterday I got some of those blue rubber (look like koosh balls) dryer balls. Has anyone else tried them? They are supposed to fluff your clothes, shorten drying time, and eliminate static cling. Of course when I got home and was reading the package they recommend 4 - 6 for best results. That ends up like a $30 investment at $10 for two balls. I don't go through $30 in dryer sheets in a decade. On the other hand, if clothes really do dry faster (am running first load right now with the two balls I got) and IF I could train the family to set the dryer for less time then with rising energy costs they could conceivably pay for themselves. I'm actually seeing my contribution to the family gift exchange for this year. *evil chuckle* They are supposed to last for years.

Word of the Day

juxtaposition juhk-stuh-puh-zish-uhn

noun

The act or an instance of placing two items side by side, especially for comparison or contrast, or the state of being so placed.

[French juxtaposition : Latin iuxta close by + French position, position (like we couldn't figure that one out), from Latin (so what time? early? late?) positio, position-, placing, position, from positus, past participle of ponere, to place.] (Well that clears it all up nicely)

OK so today's word has nothing to do with anything. I just think it is a cool word.

This week I've moved my plastering to the south wall of the loft (and select other places while I've got my super grungy plastering/painting outfit on anyway). The house has 15/12 pitch roofs which means the place where wall meets roof peak is way up there. So, I have one section of scaffolding, then on it four solid wooden chairs, and on them a kitchen step stool. It's real solid but still a tiny bit scary. When I return home this evening, I plan to turn off the heat pumps (hopefully the house will be cool enough to do this) and sand the top of the wall.

On a side note, I saw a bit of movement from the corner of my eye and turned my head to see a skink lizard on the arm of the sofa where I sit, sunning himself in front of mum's big window.

Once I've sanded the top of the wall, I can remove the chairs from the scaffolding (they take up lots of space) and finish plastering the rest of the wall (or as much as I can reach from the scaffolding). I figure I'm still maybe a week away from painting. I'm working on several areas at once so I can paint a lot while I have the roller wet and all. I'd much rather do a large section and then throw away the roller than keep doing little areas and cleaning the rollers each time.

The skink has moved to the seat cushion. It is really a good thing I am intrigued rather than freaked out by things like wild lizards running loose in the house.

Along with all the plastering and painting I've been working on the last few weeks, it is now time for a new work year to start since my teaching year coincides with the school year. I've been up to my eyeballs in trying to schedule students, working out the fee structure for the new year, printing out new lesson forms, brochures...

Needless to say, I'm not doing much writing. I think I managed one poem last week (or maybe that was the week before) and there is another niggling away in the recesses of my mind. I just need to focus and let it work its way out of the mists into the light. Both my novels are on the back burner but not forgotten. Ideas for three more are teasing me too. I had meant to compile facts, character sketches, timeline... for one of them, Still Waters, and then write like a maniac the month of November, participating in NaNoWriMo. Now, of course, we have a wedding mid month so I think trying to write 50,000 words that month might be an unreasonable expectation. I've got a file of Novel Ideas and I just keep stashing ideas there for future reference.