NaPoWriMo Day 28

Wow, wow, wow. We are in the home stretch of NaPoWriMo 2015 now! And I am in the home stretch of the semester too! Everything is coming to a close simultaneously. Time needs to s l o w down.

Today's prompt is to write a poem about a bridge.



There is a bridge I know
I've never seen the other end though

It stands precariously
Crossing over a stream

The other end is shrouded in fog
And honestly, it is nothing more than a log

In the past I have ignored that path
But I've spent time doing the math

It seems that my time here is coming to an end
So I must venture across the riverbend

And I can't help but wonder,
when I venture into the mist,
what will I find?

xoxo

-Sharon

NaPoWriMo: Day 27

All caught up now! Did you see that the times my poems were posted on the blog corresponded with the dates they were *supposed* to be posted? Yes, no, maybe so. The time of this one doesn't, so you don't need to check.

Anyway now that I'm all caught up, April is almost over! Can you believe it? Between writing a poem every day and the semester winding down, this has been a crazy month, but it is almost over! For better or for worse! Hopefully, I'll be able to stay on top of things these last few days of NaPoWriMo (though I've got a lot to do, other than writing poetry).  And even if you don't plan to follow my blog after April is over (it'll go back to my random ramblings and sporadic posts, and hopefully I'll get a few cooking posts up finally!) there will be some graduation/commencement prose posted around May 16th and I plan to be back for NaPoWriMo again in 2016! I have enjoyed sharing this journey with you! I hope that you've enjoyed my work (I've enjoyed the poems I've read on your blogs this month) and I hope that maybe you'll stop by for a visit every now and again and hopefully I'll see you next April! If I do publish any poems here (even outside of NaPoWriMo) they will always have the tag poetry.

Alright time for Day 27's poem.
Prompt: hay(na)ku

College
is almost
over, what then?

-Sharon

NaPoWriMo: Day 26

Day 26
Prompt: Persona Poem

Cinderella

Could you imagine if your life depended on a shoe?
My sisters are crazy
They let my mother cut off their toes and heel
To fit into my tiny shoe
Yes, it never ceases to amaze me
Yes, yes, it is true.
But after that the prince tried me
Much to the horror of my step-mother
It never occurred to her
That technically I am her daughter too
My sisters aren't so bad
Though everyone here thinks they're terrible
They are just spoiled
And a little weak-minded
Really, they are just the puppets
Of a cruel puppet master
She will twist them any which way
To bend the outcome of events to her will
So I guess its best that she never considered me her child
Even though all my life I tried to gain her affection
Maybe the problem was that I was too smart
And refused to be manipulated
I wonder what she will do now
That the prince and I are getting married
Will she pretend to be the loving mother
That she's never been to any of us three
There's a reason that her first husband left her
And my father died because he couldn't bear her
She is quite overbearing
Trying to be puppet-master over all those she claims to care about.
What's that?
For the wedding?
Oh yes, this dress will do.

-Sharon

NaPoWriMo: Day 25

Day 25:
Prompt: write a clerihew

Matthew of Seguin
Was not made to be king
It was in the cards
That instead, he should mow yards.

-Sharon

NaPoWriMo; Day 24

Day 24

Prompt: write a parody or satire based on another poem. I'm using The Raven by E.A. Poe as it is one of my favorites, though I'm sure I won't do it justice. I kept a lot of Poe's old lines or pieces of lines and just modified it to fit my story. Of course Poe's is better and I couldn't write mine as long as his. So mine is 5 stanzas while the original is 18.

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,

Over many a boring volume of lecture notes spread across the floor—

    While I sat there, so close to sleeping, suddenly there came a thumping,

As of my neighbors partying, loudly partying next door.

“’Tis not that loud,” I muttered, “really they are quiet, the sounds coming from next door—

            Almost inaudible and nothing more.”

    Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak February;

And I had to rise early the next morning to go on a tour.

    Eagerly I wished for slumber;—but sleep was quiet encumbered

    By the noises emanating — emanating from next door—

No though I searched for it without ceasing I could not find that sweet slumber—

            Nameless here for evermore.

    And the bass pounding from the music

Riled me—filled my room with tremendous noises never heard before;

    So that now, to find sleep, I lay repeating

    “’Tis really not that loud the sounds emanating from next door—

Some soft music quietly seeping from next door;—

            This it is and nothing more.”

    Presently my desire grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,

“Please,” said I, “be quiet, so that I may get some sleep I implore;

    But the fact is you are partying, and I ought to be sleeping,

    And so barely your music was pounding, pounding from next door,

But of this I suspect you were unaware”—here music seemed to cease from next door;—

            But it was only a pause and nothing more.

    And the music, never ceasing, persists pounding, persists pounding

Through the wall between my bed and my neighbors next door;

    And the music has all the seeming of a party that is teeming,

    And the speakers pound the music still louder than before;

And my slumber during that loud music thumping next door

            Shall be found—nevermore!

-Sharon

NaPoWriMo: Day 23

First of all let me apologize for not posting on time. The school year at my university is winding to a close which means that this time period is especially busy and stressful. Hopefully I will be able to play catch up today and be on top of my poem writing game!

Since I am so many days behind I am just going to post poems one at a time rather than all of them in one post.

Day 23
Prompt: Randomly pick a card from a deck of cards and write about it then turn your prose into poetry. Not exactly what I'm going to do because a) I don't have a deck of cards and b) I don't feel like writing prose and editing it down to poetry at the present moment.

Are we an ace in the hole?
We went bust before
Deal me in again
And we can give this a shot once more
Hit me and we'll see
If we've got the winning combination
Though the bets are weighed against us
Bets don't determine the winner
In Lady Las Vegas
You aren't the dealer
I'm not the house
So it'll take sheer luck
To win this round
Let the chips fall
Where they may
And we can play a different game
If this one doesn't pay.

Sharon

NaPoWriMo Day 22 & 21

Ever since I fell off the band-wagon a couple of days ago, I have been having trouble keeping up with writing a poem every day.Yesterday, I was inspired by ducks and geese and nature and general, but even though I had a journal, I realized I didn't have the pen. So the words were given to nature and I have forgotten them.

Since I missed yesterday, today is gonna be a twofer.

Day 22
Prompt: Pastoral poem....The poem I wanted to write yesterday would've been perfect for this prompt! Oh well. I shall draw on my inspiration from yesterday to try and write this poem.


In the hour or so before the sun goes down
If you tread quietly you may enter
A room not many have occasion to visit.
In this room there is barely space for myself.
I happened upon it by accident the other day
But having no obligations for hours,
I chose to stay.
The first inhabitant I noticed was a duck
Laying lonesome on the ground.
He looked at me
And I at him
I wondered, where was his friend?
He did not know if I was friend or foe
So though, he was tired and wanted sleep
He kept his eye open on me.
I lay on the grass near him for awhile
And watched the surface of a nearby pond
I could tell that there was something in the water
By the occasional splash
Finally, I got up and moved closer to the water
And found another duck
Searching for dinner in the muck
I gave her her space,
Respect is the only way you can remain in this place
I watched her working for her meal for a moment
Before I continued to move deeper into the room.
Accidentally, I spooked a wary vulture from his roost.
I found a pair of geese and their pair of goslings
Laying in the grass as nervous parents wondered
If I were friend or foe.
I gave them their space because I did not want to be attacked by geese, you know?
Respect is so important to the inhabitants of this room.
I sat on the ground next to the vultures vacated roost
And watched a heron slowly stalk his dinner
Though I never saw him eat
He slowly moved along the bank
Looking for a meal, his hunger to satiate.
I soon had to leave the room though
And past by the heron
Who not knowing if I were friend or foe
Moved slowly toward the other bank.
I was sorry that I had to go
But I had obligations to keep
But nature is always there
If we will only tread on quiet feet.






Day 21:
Prompt: An erasure. I was having trouble deciding what passage of writing to use, so I just chose this one from one of my pinterest boards. It was sort of difficult for me to eliminate words because I do like this passage a lot. But I think it was transformed at least a little bit.

Happy Earth Day, everyone!

Sharon

NaPoWriMo: Day 20, 19, 16

Today is a threebie because I missed yesterday and Friday and if I don't catch up now I'm never going to.


Day 20
Prompt - Things I know

I know you work two jobs
And school really stresses you out
Your family depends on you more than they should.
But I also know
That people in love are supposed to want to spend time together
Even if they are tired
Or too busy
Or barely keeping their head above water.

I know you think you love me
I know you once loved me
But I also know that you don't seem to love me anymore
I know you won't admit it to yourself
Because I know you still feel guilty about what you did to me
I know that you are trying to do right by me
But I think we are at the point where doing right by each other
Means letting go

But I also know you won't do that
I know its exhausting
This back and forth we have
But I know we haven't been okay in a long time
I know we are okay as friends
But I know you think you want more
But the second you try to put love into this equation,
It combusts.

I know we aren't doing this right,
But I know that I don't think we can.
I know we've put a lot of time into this
But I think we've been past the end for awhile now.

I know all of the reasons it won't work
I know you don't want to hear them.
But I'm starting to think its time:

I know we want different things
I know you want to spend the rest of your life here
But I know I want to spend my life by the sea
I want adventure
But you want to settle
I want to go to church
But you just plain don't
I want to go out
But you always want to stay in
I know that you believe that blood is thicker than water
(Even though you once told me that wasn't true)
But I know it by the way you act
I know your family will always come first -
Before me, even if I was family
Staying here means giving up my dreams
And I so want to chase them
I know that I can't stay here for the rest of my life and be happy
My soul and my tears and my sweat are seawater
My heart is there - on the beach,
which reminds me
I know I love the beach
I know it is your least favorite place.
I know my emotions are tumultuous
Like a sea: calm one moment and stormy the next,
But I know that isn't something wrong with me
I feel more than most people
I let my emotions get the best of me
I know that is too much for you to handle
I know that it is too difficult for you to understand
Sometimes it is for me too
But its me.
The person that you say you love.

I know that this must stab your heart like a knife
The truth often does
But I think it is time we wake up from this dream that refuses to work
Shake hands and follow our hearts
And then we can both be happy
Separate, but happy.


Day 19
Prompt: Landay

Don't bother coming over if you are just gonna work on homework and be on your phone
And don't try to make me feel bad about it the next day when you are misreading my tone.

Day 16
Prompt: Terzanelle

A You snubbed me so I painted my toes
B And so now we are playing the waiting game again
A You acted like it was no big deal so I changed my clothes


b You say you love me but you can't be bothered to be a good friend
C We've done this more than once before
B And so now we are playing the waiting game again

c You find it easy, my feelings to ignore
D When I start to leave, you say all the right things
C We've done this more than once before


d As you start talking, a warning bell rings
E You only try when I decide to leave
D That's when you say all the right things


e I only needed you to come help me grieve
F I really think it's time for me to bid adieu
E But you only try when I decide to leave


f You can't be bothered to ask a simple, "How are you?"
A You snubbed me so I painted my toes
F I really think it's time for me to bid adieu
A You acted like it was no big deal so I changed my clothes.


And with one fell swoop I am back on the bandwagon! I don't feel any better even though I've processed my raw, unhappy emotions though.... For the Terzanelle, I had trouble because once I got into one rhyming scheme my brain wanted to stick with it and I was like, "No, I only have 2 lines of -oes/ -ore / -ings." I made it through three poems! Huzzah! I'm just glad I got caught up! They are a little rough....Oh well, time to study for a test....

-Sharon

NaPoWriMo Day 18

Today's prompt is to write a poem that involves an urgent journey and an important message.

GRADUATION IS COMING
She ran through the campus
Up hills down hills straight through the quad
Past the statue of LBJ
All the way to the bookstore to get her cap and gown
But they were out!
GRADUATION IS COMING
All the seniors can be found
With their noses in the books
And they won't come up til May
GRADUATION IS COMING
The cry rings out
Some seniors are excited
But others are anxious
GRADUATION IS COMING
But there's still so much to do
Two papers,
One presentation
One quiz
Two tests
Three finals.
GRADUATION IS COMING
We're in the home stretch now
A little less than a month
And we'll be walking across that stage
Jumping in the river
And moving
But first we gotta run
Because
GRADUATION IS COMING

Not exactly what I was hoping for. But I'm listening to music while working on this so that probably messed me up. But I can mess around with it and tweak it.

-Sharon

NaPoWriMo Day 17

I forgot to write a poem yesterday. Hopefully I will find the time to catch up over the weekend.

Today though I am just so sad, my heart is heavy, and my soul is quiet and mournful. A great tragedy occurred where I went to high school. A student shot himself this morning and this afternoon it was confirmed that he died. He was the son of a police officer. While I probably didn't know him, my heart is broken for him and his family, the other students, faculty, staff, police department, and the community in general.
I haven't looked at the prompt today, but this is the poem I feel like writing.


I don't know who you are
And I don't know why you hurt so much
We are all a little broken
And this life is too much to bear - alone.
Did you feel alone?
Did you have so much hurt inside that
This seemed like the only way out?
My dear, do you know that you are loved?
That we all wanted you here - on this earth?
You were never alone
Never are alone
We love you
We miss you
We wish you were home.

And hopefully, you are at home - in heaven
With the Father who loves you so very much

I wish that I had been there
To hug you
To tell you that I love you very much
That you are worthwhile
Maybe you would've smiled
I would have told you not to be scared
That life is hard sometimes,
Hard often
I would have sat and talked to you for hours

I am sorry that you were in so much pain
I am sorry that this seemed like the only way
And now my tears fall down with the rain

This earth is not the same - without you.

I know that I don't know you,
But I love you.

If it creeps up on you in the dark of night
Steals into your heart and won't let anyone inside
If it whispers in your ear and says you are alone
unworthy
unloved
unwanted.
Know that that voice does not come from above
and everything it tells you is a lie

Maybe it follows you like a shadow
Never leaves you alone
Smothers your hope
Tears you apart inside.
You are not alone
You are very much loved
Please speak up
We want to help you
To hold you
To show you just how much
we truly love you.

My deepest condolences to the family,

Sharon

NaPoWriMo - Day 15

Well we're back and it is Day 15 of NaPoWriMo. That means we are halfway through. Is it a glass half full or a glass half empty? It is both: Half full of poems written (adding more each day) and half empty of prompts. I generally enjoy the prompts very much so I'll be sad to see them go. And I'll be sadder to not have a reason that I must take a minute and write a poem each day. It has helped keep me sane this April.

The prompt is to write a poem that talks to itself, I suppose (Interpret the full prompt for yourself, here). Hmm here goes:

O, freeform verse,
why do I always write you?
Am I that enamored with you?
No, I think it is laziness
On my part.
So many poems require counting syllables
Which should be easy
But some words trip me up.
Even more require paying attention to feet.
Stressed and unstressed syllables make me crazy
I can't hear which ones I stress when I speak -
Am I monotone?
Yes, I am a person much more suited to prose.

Haiku is not bad
I like it very much but
It does seem too short.

A long time ago I wrote a limerick
But not once have I returned to that shtik
Though I liked it very much,
The funny bone I didn't touch
I simply couldn't do the trick.

(Not to mention that the first three lines are supposed to be long).
So again to you freeform verse, I return
Your lines are easy for me to learn
My heart speaks in prose
Not measured speech
With unruly metric feet.

Other forms are a challenge,
but with you I make up the rules as I go
(Do I really even have any?
The answer is probably - no.)
Sometimes I rhyme, sometimes I don't.
It isn't that I can't or won't
At some point freeform became my style
Which is odd, because if you knew me in real life
You'd know that it's by rules I abide.



Maureen was right; this prompt was good for looking at my writing process and specifically why I seem to dwell almost exclusively in freeform verse. Maybe I need to try writing in different forms? Maybe that should be a challenge I add for myself for the rest of NaPoWriMo? Do you have a form that you tend to dwell in? Why?
Want to suggest a form for me to try? Let me know!

Write away,

Sharon

NaPoWriMo Day 14: Dialogue - Conversation Hearts

Last semester, I was feeling very burned out, so I took a spiral and found a quiet spot next to a bald cypress and a pond on campus. There were some ducks on the pond and that day I wrote a poem that was a conversation between myself and the duck, which would be perfect for today's prompt, unfortunately. I'm not entirely sure where that spiral is so I'm going to write a new dialogue poem today (but not between myself and a duck).

Conversation Hearts

Half of my heart
Says it wants to fall in love with someone new.

But the other half

Says it wants to fall in love with you

Why?

The feelings are stale

The butterflies,

The fireworks,

Aren't there.

Don't you want the excitement

Of someone new?

To fall in love again

To learn someone's 

Past

Present

Dreams

Again.

He is changing I see

And I think he is the right one for me

He is comfortable

Strong

He will keep me safe

New is uncertain

And opens me up to be broken

Why would you want to break again?

To have to put everything back together again?

Someone new could break you

It is true

But he could break you too.

You've got to take risks

If you want to find love

Whether someone new or old

You might get broken

The story is untold

But the facts are these:

He broke you before,

He can do it again.

Why give him a chance again?

You say those feelings of love

Are gone

And that is true

But that is because this is old love

Not new

The point of love is not to feel the

Butterflies and the fireworks

Its years in the future

When you are old

And your husband is there by your side

As you look back on your life

You may not feel the excitement

But that doesn't mean the love is faded

You are just jaded.

Jaded? Jaded?

I am not jaded!

It is you who was jaded these past years

Angry and so full of fears.

I am ready to move forward

And take a chance

But you only want to look back

I am looking back

Accepting the good with the bad

Do you not remember,

there was more good than bad?

I am simply unwilling to give up 

On what we had.

But I want to move forward

I am looking to the future

With an eye to the past.

We had a love that might last.

I want to try again

With him

With someone new

A heart divided cannot make up its mind.

Take a chance on love, old or new,

Sharon

NaPoWriMo Day 13: Riddle Poem

Today's prompt is to write a riddle poem; all of the details are located here.


It is a journey almost completed,
A marathon almost finished
The mountain almost summited
Moments before midnight, New Year's Eve
Both question and answer
Pages til the end of one chapter
But not the ending of the novel
The light at the end of the tunnel
The last minutes of an all-nighter

It is so important to me,
What can it be?



It doesn't quite feel finished to me. But I am having trouble thinking of more ways to describe it. I know very well what it is, but I wonder if someone else could solve my riddle? What do you think it is, fellow NaPoWriMo-ers?

Riddle me this,

Sharon

NaPoWriMo Day 12

Today's prompt was an interesting one. Read it here. This poem didn't really turn out how I expected, it started in one place with a certain intention and morphed along the way. Here is my response to today's prompt.

His mother thought his eyes were "caca" brown;
I thought they were creamy like chocolate
I liked his curly, brown hair short,
Just long enough that it curled out under his hat
I liked the cowboy hats better, but nowadays he tends to wear baseball caps.
The way he smiled when he was really happy
The mischievous look in his eyes when he tried to pretend he was innocent
How he acted like a little kid when he got excited.

But when he got mad, his mouth was a straight line
His eyes were dark and cloudy
Punched his steering wheel - cut his hand open
Never aggressive toward people,
Took his anger out on inanimate things
But I knew he was someone you wouldn't want to corner.

But when he was sad, that was the worst
Hearing him cry
Trying to choke back the tears
It sounded so awful
Knowing he was so broken inside
I looked into his eyes
Saw all the way down to his broken soul
I wished I could reach in
Put the pieces back together
But I couldn't, that is something he must do himself.

And just when he was getting better
When things were starting to be okay
I began to realize
I was no longer in love with him
I still cared deeply
But not in the same way
And I will never forget the look in his eyes that day
Betrayed.

Sharon

NaPoWriMo Day 11 - Sapphic

Today's prompt is to write a poem in the form of a Sapphic. This is a poem of quatrains. Three of which have eleven syllables and the last has five. If that weren't difficult enough, it has a very specific meter associated with it....This one is going to take me awhile. Meter is always something I struggle with. I have a lot of trouble understanding stressed and unstressed syllables...The meter is a little bit forced in this poem so I have capitalized the syllables that are supposed to be stressed and inserted hyphens between syllables in one word. After working on it for awhile, here it is:

Sorr-y If this Comes as a Sur-prise To you
But i Just don't Feel how i Used to A-bout
You. i Still do Care a-bout You but I don't
            Feel the way I did

I want You to Un-der-stand I did Not mean
To stop Lov-ing You. i'm not Ev-en Sure when
My feel-Ings changed. I do still Care a-bout you.
             I was con-Fused too

I felt As though I were a-Wake-en-Ing from
A deep Sleep, re-Luc-tant-ly. Just the Way you
Try to Re-mem-Ber dreams, i Lost the Feel-ing
            Of be-ing In love

It was Not what I wanted At all But the
More i Tried to Find that place In my Heart the
Fur-ther It was, Just as i For-get My dreams
            As i a-Wake-en

Dear, do Not break Your own heart, I still Long to
Love you. Come here, Take my hand. I be-Lieve you
Still hold The key If you want To help Me fall
            For you once A-gain.

An odd feeling, but one I am feeling,

Sharon

NaPoWriMo - Day 10: Abecedarian Poem

Today's prompt is to write a poem with a structure derived from the alphabet...here goes nothing.




Always I am hungry
Bored with the usual meals
Craving something
Different, delicious
Every now and then I find the perfect snack
Feeding my stomach and satisfying my tastebuds
Generally, though my cravings are nearly insatiable. Yes I am
Hungry. Wondering what to eat for lunch. Bread smells delicious.
I am trying to wait til one, to eat with a friend but the task is impossible
Just now my stomach is tying itself in
Knots, threatening to devour itself.
Leave me alone ravenous stomach, I will feed you soon enough!
Mere minutes stand between you and food (well, thirty-two)
No, thoughts of food won't satisfy you, you threaten to announce your starvation, letting
Out an ominous growl...I know I must eat something soon
Please just calm down, I will feed you soon enough! I have gotten myself into
Quite the quandary, by trying to wait to feed you
Really, you just ought to be more patient
Still I wonder if I couldn't have a tiny snack to satiate you
Til my friend is here to eat at one
Unless, I could just eat by myself and not care
Very urgent is my stomach as it turns inwardly
Willing me to go get something to eat; if I were a plant, sugars would course through my
Xylem, and I would never feel hungry nor  would I have a stomach to aggravate me
Yes, the life of a plant sounds nice to me
Zoic, though, I am and so I have a hungry stomach, and food it demands.








I really am quite hungry. And 'zoic' is a word; it means "relating to or having animal life." Even though the prompts are sometimes difficult (like this one), I don't want April to end!

Write, write, write away

Sharon

NaPoWriMo Day 9

Sorry this is so late. Today has been a very busy day for me. I've had a lot on my mind. I'm not really feeling the prompt today. I couldn't come up with a concept I liked so I'm just going to write a random poem instead, inspired by my current mood at this very moment. Today has been an emotional roller coaster for me and right now, I am, unfortunately, in a low mood (but about 15 minutes ago, I was great...)



I see the things you think I don't
When you say one thing
But it's only a half truth
I know the things you think I don't
You think you are sly and cunning,
like a fox,
but you're not.
You're like a skunk,
Cute,
but,
I can
    see
and
    smell
and
     feel
everywhere you've been.
Your path so obvious to me
But you still think that I don't see.
I am shaking, mad, and sick
Why do you think you're so slick?
You complain about not having time
But then you go and waste it.
I won't save you anymore
That is what responsibility is for.
I'm not stupid
You aren't either
And maybe if you take responsibility
Instead of pawning it off on me,
maybe,
then, and only, then
there can be something more
but otherwise
I won't lie,
I've already got one foot out the door.

Not in a good mood, but I hope you are,

Sharon

NaPoWriMo - Day 8: Palinode

Today's prompt is to write a palinode which is, apparently, a poem that retracts a statement in a previous poem. If we don't have a statement in a poem we'd like to retract, Maureen (Ms. Thorson) suggests that we write about why we changed our mind about something instead. I think that is what I'm going to do.


There is much debate about why
I decided the summer after high school
To go here, instead of there.
My sister insists that it is because of a boy
(who later broke my heart);
She is still bitter about it
(Notice I said she, not I)
And, I suppose that is part.
But I was also scared
To be so far away from home
And I didn't have a car to make the trek
Whenever I wanted to
I would have been stuck there,
All alone,
Until a holiday
When my parents would've come to get me.
There is also the fact that they told me
That they had nowhere for me to live
But I was required to live on campus -
NO getting around it.
Where would I sleep?
I wondered.
Where would all my things go?
But here,
Is just down the road from home
I could commute
(Just 30 minutes).
There is much debate about why
I decided to go to Texas State
Instead of Texas A&M - Galveston
Even though things have worked out well
I've been on the Dean's List a few times
I joined an honor society
A Christian sorority
A Christian fellowship
I've made friends
I've gotten jobs
I've grown closer to God
I've become slightly more independent
Sometimes I'm really happy here
(When I'm not I'm usually tired, hungry, stressed, burned out).
And now I feel more confident to spread my wings
And wander further from my parents.
So really things have worked out quite well.
But all of these benefits are wiped away
When my sister says
"You should have gone to A&M Galveston"
And she blames it all on that boy, maybe unjustly.
Maybe she should thank him,
But she refuses to see
That maybe
(Just maybe)
Going to Texas State
Was the best thing
For me.



Not really sure if this qualifies as the suggested variation of a palinode, but this is my attempt for today's prompt! What do you think? Please tell, I won't bite!

Sometimes what we think is best for someone else, isn't,

Sharon

NaPoWriMo Day 7! Poem about Money

I've made it a whole week! And I'm still going strong (I think). Today's prompt is to write a poem about money. As I am a poor, college student (contemplating taking out loans to afford grad school...) I think we all know where this is going...




I go to the store
But before I check-out
I pull out my phone once more
To check my bank account and do some mental math
To see if I can afford to purchase the items I have.
I don't have enough money in my bank account
But I have some cash in my wallet
I pull out a few thin, green pieces of paper
And wonder if I should save them for later.
They feel soft and worn between my finger and thumb
And I think its odd they hold so much value
Especially to someone like me.
     I really don't like money at all:
     It brings out the worst in people
     It turns them to vice.
     It makes them greedy, angry - not at all nice.
     With our greed, we turn the same color as money - green
     We are nasty and spiteful and act for our gain
     When we could consider others instead.
But at the same time I realize that it is necessary
     Because that is how the world works
     We assign values to these pieces of paper
     And we give them to others in exchange for goods and services
The cashier is staring at me now
A scowl forming on his face
I haven't handed him the money
I've just been staring at it in my hand
And I'm not sure if I should save the money or spend it
Money is for spending, I rationalize
It won't go with me when I leave this earth
So I may as well use the money for what I can.
Reluctantly I hand it over,
Take my things and walk out the store
And there in the parking lot
Is a mother and children
Who could use the money I just spent
Way more than me...

-Sharon

An Easter Aubade and Another Aubade

I am really enjoying writing a poem every day (so far). I am having a lot of fun and people actually like my stuff, so that's encouraging. Today's prompt really seemed like it had a lot of potential so I decided to write two more aubades! These aren't officially for NaPoWriMo, but I just can't help myself.




Easter Aubade

They got up early that Sunday morning
To do a most solemn thing
They went to the tomb
To find the body of their friend - and king.
It was a happy morning,
The sun gently caressing the earth,
The air cool and misty,
The birds singing.
And to them, it seemed so wrong that the world was happy
For their friend had died - been crucifed - and they had cried.
But when they got their, they were confused
His body was removed!
If this were a joke, they weren't amused.
But someone from the garden spoke
And those silly girls didn't recognize him
They thought he was the gardener
And asked where his body was
He answered with their names.

Just as he does today,
He calls each of us by name.
We have been washed in his blood
Made pure and new.
He suffered and died
So that we might be able to live at his side.
Because he conquered the grave,
So shall we.

He is the reason that I sing,
I go to the empty tomb this morning, rejoicing
For his life - and mine.
His death and resurrection has saved me.






Just Another Aubade

(This one goes with the traditional lovers parting ways in the morning but with a (hopefully) surprising and funny twist!)

The morning has come and so I must leave you
I spend the whole hour quoting Juliette:
"Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say good morning til it be morrow."
You bid me stay as I begin to rise
I collapse, neither of us wanting to compromise
Our repose is too sweet to end
But the morning brings duties and friends
I must go to class
You must stay here
And during the day, unfortunately, I will not be near
You warm me up and softly suggest
That I stay and get some more rest
I am tired and the offer is tempting
I close my eyes and snuggle in.
But a thought rattles in my brain
That I have work to do
And simply cannot stay
I sit up
You coax me to lay back down
I lean back apologizing, because I know
That alas, I finally must go
Away from you:
      my sweet,
           my beloved,
                      my bed!



I couldn't help myself, the creative juices were really flowing today!

Best Wishes,

Sharon

NaPoWriMo - Day 6: Aubade

Today's challenge is to write an aubade: a morning poem, traditionally about lovers parting ways...but I'm not a morning person.


The sun dances through the blinds
Even though they were closed tightly to keep him out
He tickles my eyelids and they heavily blink open
I look at the time and see there is still time for me to sleep
I roll over, but the sun, he is persistent and he does like to intrude
I close my eyes more tightly, willing myself back to sleep
I pull my blanket around me, but the sun keeps on knocking - how rude!
I begin to fall asleep in spite of the sun's best attempts
But a new tactic he begins
The birds begin to sing - a beautiful thing,
Were I not trying to sleep.
I will them to be quiet, so that I may get a few more minutes in
But it is to no avail
The chorus becomes louder and is joined by more.
I pull my blanket around me, but the birds keep on singing - how rude!
It seems a frantic sort of lullaby and I
                                                             begin to seek
                                                                                   the soft embrace
                                                                                                              of slumber...
When                      noise                              the    
              a  jarring                 comes through          room

It is not harmonious like the bird's sweet singing
Alas, my own devices have turned against me
It   is   my     alarm
"TIME TO GET UP" it yells, unharmoniously
I roll over and shut it off.

I stare at the ceiling and wish it were night again
The time when all is dark
And all is peace
And I can stay up all night or get some sleep...

But alas it is morning and that means
Work
And school.

I emerge from the warmth of my bed
Try to shake the sleep from my head
But I only yawn instead!
Not being a coffee drinker
I decide to forgo the tinker - ings
Of morning beverages.
And instead get dressed and hurry off to work
Because I am already
Running late.  




I had fun with this one, there is rarely a morning when I like to get up, I am a night owl ruled by morning people! Maybe that would be a good title for this poem.... This is pretty much how my morning wake up ordeal goes every morning. I am still yawning even though I've been up for awhile now. I've been wanting to write an Easter poem, and I think a more happy aubade would be a good way to go about it.... Maybe I'll write another poem today? We'll see...

Still yawning and refusing to drink coffee,

Sharon

NaPoWriMo - Day 5 - An Emily Dickinson Exercise

Happy Easter, everyone!

I want to start by saying how excited and full my heart feels at being today's featured blog over at NaPoWriMo.net! Today my blog had the most views it has ever had! Plus I got my first comments ever! Thank you all so much!

Today's prompt is to modify an Emily Dickinson poem that you've never read before. I've chosen "Fame is the one that does not stay."

Fame is the one that does not stay.
It's occupant must die or else ascend incessantly
into the famous sky.
Or they must be down to earth and know
That lightning doesn't strike twice.
Or else the very fame that made them huge
May make them go down in flames.



This poem has been quite transformed from the original, I think, but I'm not sure how I feel about it.

Thanks again and thanks for reading!

Happy Easter!

Sharon

NaPoWriMo - Day 4 - Loveless poem

Today's prompt is to write a "loveless poem" a love poem without the usual conventions and cliches of love poems and also without the word love....

It's the way your beard tickles my cheek
Your sandpaper hands enveloping mine
The fact that you're two sizes bigger than me
It's the way we sit in silence
How you hold me when I cry
Or when you make lunch for me
Without any reason why
It's the nights spent watching thunderstorms
The way you watch me when I tell stories
When you open the truck door for me
And go with me to the grocery store - so boring
It's the way you say my name
All of these things and more,
The ways I know that you're probably
        not the same.




I think I did okay...What do you think? Yes, no, maybe so?

I hope its beautiful wherever you are,

Sharon

NaPoWriMo - Day 3

AHHH!!! I almost forgot to write a poem today..it's been a busy day. This one will likely be short. The prompt was to write a fourteener. Check out napowrimo.net for the full info.


He bore the cross all the way to Calvary's bloody hill
And there they nailed him up and mocked his name
And though they laughed, he did not hate them
He held each of us within his heart
For us he cried, "Father forgive them!"
And for us he breathed his last and died.


I used the fact that today is Good Friday as inspiration for my poem. Writing a poem with 14-syllable lines is difficult - it would have been even more difficult if I had used seven iambic feet! But I just ignored the iambs. Admittedly, this poem feels a bit short, but I was in a rush to get this up before midnight!

Sleep well!

Sharon

NaPoWriMo - Day 2

Today the prompt is to write a poem about the night sky. I love the stars! This was largely inspired by my internship at the Davis Mountains this past summer.


There is never such a sight
As a clear and dark, West Texas night.
They say the stars are big and bright
Deep in the heart of Texas
Though I love my state, that simply isn't true,
Only a clear, dark West Texas night will do.
Sit outside, watch the sky, it will astound you.

Out in the Davis Mountains,

I found myself stargazing
I saw the Milky Way - it was amazing
It looked as though milk were spilling
Across the middle of the night sky.
There were more stars than I'd ever seen
It was unbelievable that so many stars had been hiding from me.
Under the light of a super moon, I sat out to see what I could see
Of the Perseid Meteor Shower.
It was unlikely at best,
But I refused to get rest
Without giving the sky another test.
My persistence was rewarded.
Even though the moon was large and bright
But rather than seeing nothing, I saw three;
It was a private gift from the mountains just to me!

Hope you liked it,

Sharon

NaPoWriMo: Day 1 - Poem of Negation

Today is the first official day of NaPoWriMo: hooray! Today the prompt from NaPoWriMo.net is an intriguing one: write a poem of negation - a poem that describes something by saying what it's not. I think I am going to describe a piece of much-awaited mail I received yesterday...



I go to my mailbox, unlock it, reach in
The mailbox isn't empty;
I pull out two pieces of mail,
This one isn't anything noteworthy; I don't keep it.
But this one isn't junk...
It isn't the large envelope I had hoped for.
So it doesn't look like good news.
The flap isn't folded properly,
As though something didn't fit quite right inside.
And the envelope isn't sealed in the typical way either.
The tape doesn't want to come up,
But I don't want to tear the envelope open;
I don't leave it sealed.
Not quite what I expected,
There isn't one thing inside the envelope
(But two).
One of the items isn't a letter.
I don't really read it
(But just skim to get the gist),
It isn't hand written.
I haven't been rejected
But I can't get any assistantships or scholarships.
This isn't good news,
But it isn't bad news either.
This isn't a question
(but it brings a big one up!)
I wasn't excited when I saw it in my mailbox.
I wasn't relieved when I read it.
I wasn't excited after reading it either,
(but people expected me to be).
I don't know what to do,
But I can't do nothing.

Now I exist in that gray space
Between eager anticipation and disappointment.
The dream seems just a little beyond my reach.
I know that I should be happy that I wasn't rejected,
But I'm not.
This answer only caused more questions.
And now I return to the place of uncertainty.
Though I am no longer waiting,
I don't know what do,
But at the same time, I can't do nothing.

And on top of that, there's more mail coming.



This was an interesting challenge, that I did enjoy. I don't often think in terms of the negative when trying to describe something. It's kind of like if you were trying to describe a photograph from its negative (do people even know what that kind of negative is anymore?) I think it was a good thinking exercise; I kept having to ask myself: "how do I say this, without saying that?". Not a perfect attempt from me, but I am content with the results. Perhaps I could even describe the whole experience with more negatives....What do you think? Add more or is it good as is?

Give it a try!

Sharon