A Week of Poems

Before I dive into this weeks little writing venture, I have some somewhat disappointing news to share. One of the dogs my friends in Norway have is very, very sick so my trip has been postponed. Knowing what it's like to have a pet that ill, imagining what it would be like to leave them behind for two weeks, I couldn't not agree to change the dates. I'm definitely bummed; I was pretty much packed, had picked out my hikes, and was looking forward to celebrating my birthday in a foreign country. But I get, I really do, agreeing to push the trip back is the best for everyone involved. So keep tuned for new trip dates and in the mean time - A Week of Poems. 

I kind of fell into this by accident. Last Sunday I wrote one, then another on Monday, Tuesday's came as a result of Steph's birthday and from there I just decided to write a whole weeks worth and post them. Normally if I put a poem on here I've worked on it for at least a few hours, if not days, and so feel fairly happy with what I'm sharing. That is not the case for these poems. Most were written in just minutes with little to no editing afterwards so please keep that in mind when you judge them. That being said here they are ..... 

 

A couple of months ago, I asked my Facebook family for some writing prompts. One friend suggest a poem with the word 'Embrace' in it (which is my 2016 Word of the Year). I highly doubt this was what she'd imagined and it definitely wasn't what I'd first envisioned when I first read her idea. But I think this is what happens when I read Neil Gaiman (which I was last Sunday). His worlds are full of beauty and fantastical magic, but they also contain some haunted darkness.

Embrace the darkness, defy the sun,

fly through lost forests of haunted fun

My laughter is laced, with others' fear, 

my strength built upon each new fallen tear

Embrace the darkness, defy the sun,

Evil has mastered, heroes no more will come

~~~~ 

 

  

Dictionary.com's Word of the Day inspired Monday's poem. The word was 'jimjams' which means 'extreme nervousness or jitters' and it seemed to fun a word (fun to say that is) that I couldn't not put it into a poem!

I wake from dreams filled with stuttering jimjams
My thoughts are crashing, rattling, tin cans

I can't trust my eyes, they're threatening to cry,
'cause my dreams are no longer a safe place to hide

 ~~~~

Tuesday was the birthday of Stephanie, my very best friend in the whole world. I wrote this for her which is why it's filled with references that most of you will not understand at all. 

There was Jenny and Mario - and Heather too,

Playing barbies in jail on Sunday afternoons,

Swirling tornadoes in the front yard,

'Driving' for hours in that beat up half car.

There were distances spent, first in hours - then years,

In between there were weddings, surprise visits, losses, and tears

And in that great time we threatened to fade,

but fate still fought for us, knowing that there'd come a day

Where toast was a question mark and spiderturtles roamed,

where boxes of stuffing appear mysteriously in my cupboard at home,

And then that time we 'never needed to shave'

Followed soon by me losing my debit card for a day

Whether slipping up mountains or getting burnt on a beach,

Dreaming about Ipswitch and our Fairy tree,

I can't possibly imagine a better best friend,

My Two of a Three you'll be 'till the end!

~~~~

Wednesday I did not want to be here in Utah. I wanted to be in France. I changed my desktop background at work to pictures of Paris but that just wasn't enough, so I wrote this poem. It still wasn't enough, but it helped.

Today I wish I was in France,

I'd tiptoe on the streets, then dance

my way to a Paris Café,

for foamy cappuccino days,

From there I'd skip my way to Rome,

singing all their songs of home,

and once Venice had floated by,

I'd spread my arms, breath deep and fly

Way up north to Ireland,

where magic saunters through the land,

then swim to Iceland, where volcanic flows

echo the wildness in every soul.

I'll journey then through the earth,

until I touch Antarctic dirt,

to play with penguins and skate on ice,

and delight in the freezing, clear blue skies

What will come next, I do not know,

I guess wherever feels like home,

but today I'm happy to just dance,

and tiptoe on the streets of France

~~~~

I was in bed almost asleep on Thursday when I realized I hadn't written a thing and came up with this in literally 30 seconds. It's darker than I would have thought but I credit that, again, to the Neil Gaiman's influence.

Daisies and Daffodils,

clanging hearts, singing bells,

Oh how I want to run away,

but I am forced here to stay,

to witness what I cannot take,

for if I do my soul will break...

To late, I'm left with just one thing,

the comforting kiss of the endless dream

~~~~

This was the hardest poem for me to write this week. Writing a poem about winter was a writing prompt another friend had given me when I'd asked. On Friday I decided to try doing so with a non-rhyming poem, something I struggle writing more than just about anything else. I need to do a lot of work with this before I will be even remotely satisfied with it, but at least I've got it started. 

Winter breezes call my soul but outside it's green and hot

I long for diamond's frozen ice, pine for white dewdrops to fall

My mind falls into winter woods, my footsteps crunch in snow's soft blanket

Each breath creates it's own misty swirl, breathe in, breathe out, a raven caws

I pass a cave a bears silent den, I fear her not for she's lost to dreams

The rivers wide but gives me no pause, the twisting ice I know will hold

I step on following it's twists it's turns, filled with wonder at winter's beauty

It's hot outside, green and vibrant, yet winter's breeze has filled my soul

~~~~

No big story or inspiration for this one. It is simply just the story of where I was in the world, and in my mind, yesterday evening.

Tired thoughts, quiet cats,

I'm sitting in bed listening to an NPR rap,

The fan is whirring overhead, it's softening breeze clearing my head,

Birds are flying away outside, leaving echoes of songs in their stead.

Dusk has now begun to set, but the sun is not quite gone yet,

Still I know it won't be long 'till it has sunk and the world will get,

To see the stars dancing to the moon's white song,

I could watch their beauty all night long.

 ~~~~

And that's all for now, I wish all of you a spectacular week!