April 2015 – Sunshine Lane

Walking Among the Seasons|NaPoWriMo Day 29

My love and I wander along
the rose path of life,
sweet smelling, but also
bearing possible thorns.

We walk on through
the full summer night.
Moon shines on the ancient mountain
and we hear the murmur of the river
behind us.

We are quiet, but
slowly, a happy seed blossoms,
which will grow between our spirits
and will be seen in full bloom
in the summers of our future.

Then, God willing,
we will walk together through
colorful fall leaves,
and sacred, pure white snow,
before finally moving onto
the azure heavens,
where we will finally
get to meet Him together.

The suggestion for today’s poem was to write a review in poetry form. I wasn’t too inspired to write a review so I decided to go another way where my thoughts have wandered lately. I think I might have spring fever!

Only one more day of daily poems to go! I’m hoping to keep up the momentum, however, and write on a more regular basis than I was before. I feel that my writing poetry muscle has been toned up and I don’t want to let it get flabby again!

Tomorrow is Poetry In My Pocket day. Look here for information on what it is and how you can participate! http://www.poets.org/national-poetry-month/poem-your-pocket-day?gclid=CP2m2LC0lsUCFdgDgQodk2EA3A

Peace and love,

Elaine

Feng Shui for Book Lovers: How to Pare Down a Library

I have read Marie Kondo’s book and it is different from most “decluttering, cleaning up” books I’ve read. I’m in the midst of two or three big projects now, but as soon as I’m able, I intend to start clearing out many things I’ve held onto for far too long, including books that I’ve kept forever but never read. I can’t wait! My new mantra, even when shopping is, “does this/will this bring me joy?” If not, then I don’t keep it or buy it. 🙂

Bridges|NaPoWriMo Day 28

I grew up in West Texas,
where bridges are few
and far between.

Rivers are rare
and often bare,
no water to be seen.

Lubbock County
has but one little bridge
over a little dry draw.

I went to San Francisco,
where bridges abound,
and was completely awed.

I went on the Oakland,
plus the Golden Gate,
and fell completely in love.

I loved seeing
the blue waters below
and the big blue sky above.

Now I live in Colorado,
where rivers
and bridges are many.

I’ve walked across the
Royal Gorge bridge,
totally worth the penny!

I’ve been converted
to bridges you know,
they thrill and mystify me.

I still love best,
the great big ones,
that span a deep blue sea.

Today’s challenge was to write a poem about bridges. A bridge is a powerful metaphor, and when you start looking for bridges in poems, you find them everywhere. Your poem could be about a real bridge or an imaginary or ideal bridge. It could be one you cross every day, or one that simply seems to stand for something larger – for the idea of connection or distance, for the idea of movement and travel and new horizons.

Growing up in a place with few real bridges, they seemed a bit scary. However, after crossing the Oakland Bay Bridge (Bay Bridge to the locals), over that dark water at night, I was hooked! Since then I’ve ridden and walked on many bridges and even gone under a few by boat (ferry in San Francisco) and by train (under the Royal Gorge in Colorado). Bridges are fun!

Love and peace, Elaine

Starting My Day|A Hay(na)ku|NaPoWriMo Day 27

Sunrise
is purple
and gold now.

I
need to
write and pray.

This
is how
I start days.

I
pray you
peace and love.

And today’s prompt – optional, as always — comes to us from Vince Gotera. It’s the hay(na)ku). Created by the poet Eileen Tabios and named by Vince, the hay(na)ku is a variant on the haiku. A hay(na)ku consists of a three-line stanza, where the first line has one word, the second line has two words, and the third line has three words. You can write just one, or chain several together into a longer poem. For example, you could write a hay(na)ku sonnet, like the one that Vince himself wrote back during NaPoWriMo 2012!

An interesting form I had not heard of before. I love short form poems, like the haiku and now the hay(na)ku. They require me to condense my thoughts and feelings and I really like it because what comes out is often more meaningful than a poem or essay with too many words. Less is more, to me, for certain!

Peace and love, Elaine

Buddy Speaks|NaPoWriMo Day 26

Hey! It’s 3:00 AM!
Time for Sweetie
to get up!
Sometimes
she sleeps in
until 5:30 AM.

Now that I’ve
“tinkled,”
as Sweetie
puts it,
and eaten,
it’s nap time
for me!

She really is
a sweetie.
I can see
why Honey
calls her that.

She takes
care of me,
lets me
share her food,
and sleep
on her lap.

I’m sure glad
she found me
at that truck stop.
It was so cold and
I was so hungry.

She walked out
of the store,
I ran up to her,
looked up into
her pretty
blue eyes,
tilted my head
a little to the right
(like Mama
taught me),
and the rest,
as they say,
was history!

She picked me up,
gave me
her burrito,
and let me sleep
on her lap.
I was muddy
and wet, but
she just
let me sleep,
all the way
to Colorado!

She calls me “Buddy”
’cause I’m friendly
to nearly everyone,
except scary people,
cats, and tree rats.
I always warn her
about those guys!
I don’t want her
to get hurt!

Oh, she’s
awake again!

Time for me
to go!

We’re supposed
to go for a walk
this morning.

I saw that tree rat
outside again and
I swear he was
taunting me!

I can’t wait until
I get hold of
that cheeky
little devil…

Buddy Lane,
Sweetie’s Assistant

Today’s prompt: Write a persona poem – a poem in the voice of someone else. Your persona could be a mythological or fictional character, a historical figure, or even an inanimate object.

Needless to say, I wrote my poem in the voice of my 13 pound Chihuahua, Buddy Lane. The story he tells is true. Alan does call me Sweetie and I do call him Honey. Oh, and Buddy does wake me up at 3:00 AM every single day. It’s ok, though, because no one is perfect, right?

Peace and love, Elaine

Margaret Inez Wood|NaPoWriMo Day 25

Margaret Inez Wood,
You always did the things that you should.
You told me one day, “Quit entertaining yourself,
and dust all the tables and shelfs!”

And now for our prompt (optional, as always)! It’s the weekend, so I’d thought we might go with something short and just a bit (or a lot) silly – the Clerihew. These are rhymed, humorous quatrains involving a specific person’s name. You can write about celebrities, famous people from history, even your mom (hopefully she’s got a good name for rhyming with).

Obviously, I chose my mom! She was a good, tenderhearted woman, but didn’t believe in idleness in children or anyone…at all! If we were reading or goofing off and she found us, we were immediately put to work. I have to give her credit for teaching me how to work hard and not giving me time to even think about getting into trouble as a kid! I loved her very much and still think about and miss her every day. Peace and love, Elaine

Queen of Hearts|NaPoWriMo Day 24

I drew the queen of hearts again,
and won the game of Spades,
it really wasn’t skill,
but pure luck that it was made.

I’ve always loved the queen of hearts,
she’s very dear to me,
because I have a lover’s heart,
with deep love and empathy.

I feel another’s love, elation,
and their pain,
sometimes I wish I didn’t,
but it’s just the way I am.

I’ve tried to turn my heart off,
to be more cool and clear,
and then I find someone,
with their eyes full of tears.

Immediately my heart clenches,
I feel their pain and know,
it’s time for me to love,
and some hopeful seeds to sow.

I start out with a hug,
and then
say “God loves you,
and you know that I do too,”
and somehow they know
I mean it,
and that God’s love is something true.

When someone’s face is wreathed
in smiles and they are grinning
ear to ear,
my heart and face start smiling too,
it’s automatic, I fear.

If a child is playing joyfully,
my heart skips a beat,
and the next thing I know,
I’m right there with them,
dancing right along,
and climbing up the trees.

Somehow I drew
the queen of hearts,
upon the day that I was born,
I smile when people smile,
my heart feels what they feel,
it’s a little hard,
when they’re feeling grief and fear.

But in truth,
I’m very grateful,
I drew the card I drew,
because I love my God
so much,
and all His people too.

The prompt for this poem was a challenge to take a chance, literally: Find a deck of cards (regular playing cards, tarot cards, uno cards, cards from your “Cards Against Humanity” deck – whatever), shuffle it, and take a card – any card! Now, begin free-writing based on the card you’ve chosen. Keep going without stopping for five minutes. Then take what you’ve written and make a poem from it.

Lucky I drew my favorite card, wasn’t it? I don’t know what I’d have done with the joker! LOL!

Peace and love, Elaine

Loving Our Earth|NaPoWriMo Day 23

When I was a child,
I remember the way,
trash littered the streets,
and also the leas,
there were bags like kites,
stuck in the trees.

One day I saw,
an ad on TV,
of an old Indian man,
seeing our trash everywhere,
on highways,
in rivers,
and the yellow smog air.

I suddenly realized,
how the things that we do,
were ruining the world,
and the beauty we knew.

Many were touched,
by the old Indian man,
and we started to care
for God’s beautiful land.

If only you had seen,
the mess we were in,
before we got smarter,
and began going green.

Our world is much cleaner,
but there’s still much to do,
we need mother earth
and she needs us too.

The Little Poet|NaPoWriMo Day 22

“See the poem I wrote today?”
She grinned at me and said.
I looked at her in wonder,
and slowly shook my head.

How could she be so naive
and even worse so glad?
She was just too young to see,
how the world was oh so bad.

Then she handed me her little poem,
written in childish scrawl,
and tears fell down my face,
as all at once I saw,
the reason for her joy
and understood her grace,
no wonder she had such a
sweet, sweet smile,
upon her little face.

The poem was very simple,
just four lines, you see,
but every line was beautiful,
to old and grouchy me:

“God loves you,
God loves me,
I love you,
do you love me?”

This little poem was actually inspired by a little girl I had in a third grade bible class I taught. She was a very sweet little girl from a poor family on the “wrong side of town.” The world she lived in was poor, rough and scary, but she had more love in her little pinkie than most people have in their whole lives! I still remember her…

Elaine

Until the Morning’s Dew|NaPoWriMo Day 21

When my eyelids fall so heavy
and my thoughts are all of You,
I know I’ll soon be sleeping
until the morning’s dew.

The moonlight falls so quietly
upon my windowpane
and the stars begin to twinkle
as the angels say Your name.

I try so hard to stay awake,
so I can really pray,
but You calm my restless spirit so
I have no words to say.

Just know that I do love You
and pray within my dreams,
that I’ll see You in the morning
when the morning dewdrops gleam.

I got a couple of days behind. I think the prompts stymied me for a few days. I don’t know why. Sometimes, that is just the way it goes. Anyway, I apologize for getting behind and then slamming you with three poems in one day!

Elaine