Some things on my “to-do list” that never get done Sleep all night Lose 10 pounds Go out for a run
Other stuff on my “to-do list” that I keep passing by Clean the house Clean out the barn Weed the garden — beautify!
What I want on my to-do list instead of all that stuff Daydream Moodle Sketch or doodle Make some art with pasta noodles Play the flute Or trombone Spend two weeks without my phone Call old friends To just say “Hi! I’m thinking of you! Okay, bye!”
To-do lists are a tool, that’s all Whether long or whether small Crossing items off feels good Instead of focusing on “should”
The title of this post was a prompt that showed up in Jetpack.
Snowy prints Down the ramp Whose are they? Some wild scamp
Perhaps fox Or wild cat — Which of you Would do that?
‘Cross the street Off you’d go River-ward Through the snow
While I slept There you trod All unseen But by God
But, by God, Prints reveal You exist You are real
You are close You are bold I must ask Aren’t you cold?
Today’s roll of the dice: JOYFUL, POEM, NATURE, STRANGER
I decided to write a Cethramtu Rannaigechta Moire, an Irish poetic form that requires 3 syllable lines in quatrains. The second and fourth lines rhyme.
Also, I decided to look back at the photos on my phone for the first nature photo that wasn’t the moon and use that as additional inspiration.
I am perpetually cold this time of year. It was -7 when I first looked at the temp this morning. Hence the last line.
In the shadow of the forest In the shadow of this wood In the shadow of one maple In the shadow there I stood In the shadow am I hiding? In the shadow I’m abiding In the shadow, in the shadow – all is good
THEME: Explore the contrast between light and darkness;
Use metaphor to reveal hidden truths or surprising insights;
FORM: Each line must begin with the phrase “In the shadow of…”
LENGTH: Exactly 7 lines;
TONE/IMAGERY: Create vivid imagery that evokes a sense of mystery or revelation;
Aim for a narrative arc that transitions or oscillates between themes of obscurity and clarity.
I got the 7-line part right, so I should get partial credit for that — but no metaphors or vivid imagery. Sorry. Just the thoughts of an introvert who has had a rough week.
This is my submission for the W3 Challenge this week:
Theme: The bittersweet, painful, or unsettling aspects of the past and its hold on the present;
Optional Challenge: Use imagery of shadows, cracks, or reflections to add depth to the theme;
Form: A “square” (e.g., 2×2, 3×3, 4×4, or any other pattern you choose);
“Rows” represent stanzas;
“Columns” represent the number of lines in each stanza;
For example: 3×3 = 3 stanzas of 3 lines each; and 4×4 = 4 stanzas of 4 lines each.
The idea of a “square” poem intrigued me. I wrote 3 stanzas of 3 lines each. I went a step further, though, and made each line 3 syllables — does that make it a cube?
Well, I just wrote a long post of gratitude yesterday and I saw two of my grandchildren today. I’m going to take that “FREE” cube and run with it.
This coming week, on Thursday, we’re having a Robert Burns celebration as part of our senior program. I’m excited and terribly anxious. I ordered haggis for it, then came into work one morning last week to see the box of haggis sitting beside the front desk. It had arrived after I left the previous day. It was clearly labeled, “PERISHABLE. REFRIGERATE IMMEDIATELY.” But there it sat in the lobby.
I was so upset that I couldn’t even open the box, so one of the custodians did it for me. Everything was still frozen inside. It was packed in styrofoam and ice packs. I’m still amazed that it was so cold.
Today, though, I worked on my own version of “To a Mouse” which I may share at the Burns event. In Robert Burns’ version, he’s apologetic for disturbing a mouse’s nest while plowing. I am slightly less kind. The first two lines are all Rabbie Burns’. The rest are mine.
Wee, sleeket, cowran, tim’rous beastie Oh, what a panic’s in thy breastie! I ken, I ken — ye smelt the yeastie in discarded bread But would it be too much to ask ye go somewhere else instead
Ye leave yer jobbies* and I find them On the counter, near a bread crumb Or by the garbage, where ye oft come to find a treat or two I recognize where jobbies come from they cause me to say “Ewww!”
Today I grant ye sweet release** Across the street — and wish ye peace Instead of plotting yer decease I will allow ye live May yer domestic tribe decrease Today’s nibblin’s I forgive
But tomorrow, oh tomorrow I may wish ye endless sorrow Ye come into my home and borrow That which is nae yers Mousetraps are set those places ye go BAM SNAP! – yes, death occurs
*Jobbie is a Scottish term for excrement.
** Yes, I release mice that are alive across the street in our compost pile.
(Ph)lying up higher and higher Hole-ness comes amidst the fire Once upon a time, to cope Every child learned the myth, the trope New the stories of death, loss, hope Icarus failed and fell to earth xineohP rose from ashes in rebirth
This week on W3 the poet of the week (PoW) Sarah David challenged us to write a poem of up to 12 lines on the theme of hope or renewal. Poets can use this image (or another one) of a phoenix for inspiration if they like.
I decided to write an Acrostic, but, darn it all, the words wouldn’t cooperate. If Phoenix can begin with a ph, I gave flying permission to do the same. And that wholeness of life rising from ashes? Well, the w just wouldn’t work! New/knew — whatever. And X? Fuhgeddaboudit!
Go into a crowd The hustle-bustle-jostle Of people – no – not for me
Sit beside a lake Alone – a loon dives for fish Eagle circles high – I sigh
This is my submission for the W3 prompt this week. POW Suzanne challenged us to write a poem in a Japanese form with the theme of Yutori — a Japanese word that means, among other things, elbowroom.
I have to confess that I don’t really feel confident about Japanese forms, so I read through the book: Japanese Poetry Forms by James P. Wagner (Ishwa) and Nick Hale that Suzanne included and settled on The Sedoka. Here’s the explanation of the form:
The Sedoka Sometimes known as a whirling head poem is similar to a later form of Japanese poetry called the mondo from the Zen practice of rapid question-answer between a master and a student or, more frequently, between two lovers. Often the answer would be in nonverbal form such as pointing to a natural object. The sedoka can often be considered the combination of two or three katuata. A sedoka is written by only 1 poet and rather than question-answer, the 2 stanzas are often parallels, sometimes taking the form of an internal dialogue or contemplative dilemma. This verse can be found as far back as the 6th century. The sedoka is: 2 stanzas of 3 lines each 19 syllables or less often 5-7-7, sometimes 5-7-5 is used for each stanza. the stanzas should be parallel to each other, or in some ways opposites without being directly contradictory.
You can see that I am a little partial to the Celtic forms that like internal rhyme and alliteration.
What would you do? He picked up the bird, threw it high What would you do? ’twas only stunned but now it flew! And as it climbed into the sky My friend breathed out a little sigh What would you do?
This is my response to the W3 prompt. It’s based on a story a friend told me. He had seen the bird crash into something and was motionless in a field. He could see it was still alive though.
The challenge was to write a rondelet. The rondelet contains a single septet (a verse of seven lines); a refrain; a strict rhyme scheme; and a distinct meter pattern. This is the basic structure:
Line 1: A—four syllables (refrain)
Line 2: b—eight syllables
Line 3: A—repeat of line one (refrain)
Line 4: a—eight syllables
Line 5: b—eight syllables
Line 6: b—eight syllables
Line 7: A—repeat of line one (refrain)
The refrained lines should contain the same words, however substitution or different use of punctuation on the lines has been common.
From All your Ev’ry day Experience – Choose that which you love Or that thing which inspires More than mediocrity. You have your own unique talent Lurking, waiting for discovery From all your ev’ry day experience
This is my response to the W3 prompt this week. The challenge was to write a Dectina Refrain, a poem which, syllable-wise goes 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10, but that last line is the first four lines put together in one line. Got it?
Oh — and the theme was “free” in any form. I went with free as in autonomy.
I’ve been thinking a lot about jobs and careers and that sort of thing. I’m so proud of all my children. I encouraged them individually to pursue that which they love. That way work is work but it isn’t really work because you mostly love it, right?
Autonomy in the workplace can be the key to truly loving a job. When you can do what you do, without someone breathing down your neck, micromanaging everything you do — well, THAT is amazing. Then work really isn’t work, just passion and, ultimately, a job well done.
Hot Dogs and Marmalade 