NaPoWriMo – Sunshine Lane

Love Trail/NaPoWriMo Day 27

If I could see you one more time, I would tell you that I’ll love you forever.

I would tell you that, though no longer here, you are still part of my soul.

When I think of you and the great moments we shared, I smile deep inside.

You were so protective; I was a butterfly in your gentle hands.

Our talks and your loving support were worth more to me than much fine gold.

My wings grew stronger because of your hugs, laughter, tears and great wisdom.

One day you flew away on your eagle wings, but you left a clear trail.

I know the way I am traveling; I won’t depart from it, ever.

Especially if it leads me back to you and the heaven of God’s heart.

NaPoWriMo — Day Twenty-Seven: Write a poem with very long lines. You can aim for seventeen syllables, but that’s just a rough guide. I awoke at 3:15 this morning for some reason and parts of this poem were just waiting to be written down so…I accommodated my muse and started writing. This poem started out being about my brother, Joe, who was killed in an auto accident in 1986, but as it continued, it became about all of those who’ve gone on before me to lead the way to heaven. I’ve known so much love in my life and I thank God for each and every person whom I miss very dearly now.

Traveling Sonnet/NaPoWriMo Day 23

Along the roadway we shall quickly go,
but do we travel on little by-lanes
or straight interstates for much quicker gains?
Whichever is quicker to our Milo!
As we go, we see the peaks’ highest highs,
and then the lows with changes in terrain-
highest mountains, low valleys and flat plains.
Still our little green car goes without sighs.

Today was long and dark with wind and rain,
but tomorrow will be grand with Milo!

Suggestion was a sonnet with 14 lines of 10 syllables each with an ABBAABBAAB rhyme scheme. The general idea is to write an essay in this poetic format. As I’m a day late and a dollar short because we were on the road, this isn’t the tightest I could write this poem. I’ll probably rewrite later, after we get to see sweet Milo, our 15 month old grandson. 😊

Earth Day/NaPoWriMo Day 22

On Sunday this week,
this yard was covered in snow,
and today,
it’s covered in gold.

The seasons,
they fly by,
as we grow old,
and yet there are still
days ahead with
surprises untold.

When I was a child,
I recall streets filled
with trash,
and rivers with sludge,
the skies were often
the color of fudge.

We have a long way to go,
there’s no doubt about it,
but we’re way ahead,
toward reaching our goal.

“What is our goal?”
you might sincerely ask.
It’s to offer our grandkids,
and their’s and still more,
yards filled with white snow,
and then the same week,
with dandelions gold.

It’s earth day, of course, or the tail end of it, and today’s suggestion was to write something in connection with that. The idea for this poem came to me this morning when I passed yard after yard filled with beautiful, yes beautiful, golden dandelions and earlier in the week they had been filled with snow. The Colorado Rocky Mountain ecosystem and weather patterns in spring time are often just that chaotic and unpredictable. All of the trees have finally bloomed out here and the tulips have come up and yet, it snowed, and they all survived! I do believe we have come a long way in protecting Mother Earth, but we have a long way to go yet. We all leave too big of a damaging footprint behind when we die. I think our goal in life should be “pack in, pack out.” In other words, to leave the world as good, if not better, as the day we entered it.

Buddy-Best Friend/NaPoWriMo Day 20

Kibble eater,
Pizza lover,
Professional beggar,
Attentive listener,
Armchair confidante,
Security detail,
Blanket hog,
Puppy love,
Buddy-best friend.

Today’s challenge was to think of a single thing or person (a house, your grandmother, etc), and then write a poem that consists of kenning-like descriptions of that thing or person. For example, you might call a cat a mouse-stalker, quiet-walker, bird-warner, purr-former, etc.

I decided to write my kenning poem about my 12 pound Chihuahua mix dog, Buddy. I’ve had him over 10 years since he adopted me at a truck stop in Texline, Texas on a cold, snowy day, December 26, 2005. The reason I chose Buddy as the subject of my kenning poem is because we’ve called him most of these things already! Buddy may only weigh 12 pounds, but he takes up a lot of space in our hearts.

Soft and Heavy/NaPoWriMo Day 19

Soft as downy feathers,
the world covered in snow,
like a winter wonderland,
though it be spring.

The snow was heavy,
and the weight of a breeze,
a moment of sunshine,
and the snow started falling,
off of the trees.

Soft as downy feathers,
and as pure as white snow,
I rocked my sweet babies,
in truly my spring.

My babies grew heavy,
and the weight of breath’s breeze,
a moment of sunshine,
and the babes began growing,
as tall as the trees.

Soft and heavy,
we all are,
in the cycle of life,
as we grow up,
and as we grow old.

West Texas Twang/NaPoWriMo Day 18

Doris Elaine Wood!
Where in the world are you?
It’s gettin’ dark out there
and supper’s ready!

I’m comin’, I’m comin’ Mother!
I was down the street at Sonya’s.

When I call you to supper,
I better not have to call you again!
What were y’all doin’ anyway?

We were just watchin’ the sun set.
It’s so pritty tonight.

The same sun sets at your house,
you silly girl!
Go wash your hands
before comin’ to the table.

I can’t see the sunset from inside
our house, Mother.
None of our windas face west!

Oooh, it smells so good in here!
What are we havin’ for supper?

Sammon paddies, mashed taters,
sop, green beans and biscuits.
Oh, and chili sauce if you want
some on your patatoes and sop.

It has been so many years,
since this nightly conversation
took place, but I remember
the accents, the sound of
Mother’s voice, and the lovely
aromas rising from our supper table
like it was yesterday.

I don’t say everything as I did,
but many words apparently
I still pronounce with the same
Texas twang that I did back then.

You can take the girl out of West Texas,
but you can’t take the West Texas out of the girl!

The challenge today is to write a poem that incorporates “the sound of home.” Think back to your childhood, and the figures of speech and particular ways of talking that the people around you used, and which you may not hear anymore.

Definitions:
Taters (potatoes)
Patatoes (potatoes)
Sop (gravy)
Sammon (salmon)
Paddies (patties or more correctly, croquettes)
Biscuits (non-yeast rolls)
Chili Sauce (a relish that looks like picante sauce, but is sweeter and has no hot peppers in it)

Elaine

Living In A Castle/NaPoWriMo Day 16

The castle walls are cold,
even though it is fairly hot
And humid outside.

I’m dressed in four layers
from the inside out,
and still my fingers
have grown stiff from
writing for so long.

I uncurl my fingers
from around the quill
I’m holding, applying
a sprinkle of sand over
my writing to blot the ink.

Through the five foot thick
window walls, I can hear the
crash of the waves against
the cliff walls and I can’t wait
to get down there and take
a walk along the beach,
the lace of my dress dragging in the water.

My favorite time of day…

The challenge today was to fill out, in no more than five minutes, an “Almanac Questionnaire,” to solicit concrete details about a specific place (real or imagined). Then to write a poem incorporating or based on one or more of the answers. I answered my questions based on my memories from my trip to Ireland and England last year with some of my daydreaming thrown in for fun.

Elaine

Double Life/NaPoWriMo Day 15

I’ve been married twice,
to two men.

I have two sons,
who were born within two years.

I have two great loves,
God and people.

I also love
color and yarn.

I love two ends of the age spectrum,
old people and babies.

I’ve had more than two troubles,
which always seem to come in threes.

I’ve lost family and friends,
and watched both suffer.

I’ve seen new babies born,
almost at the same time we lost someone.

I’ve seen too many bad things,
but I’ve seen more beauty by far.

Life is a paradox.
It is complicated and simple.

There are days when I want to give up,
but I’ll never give up because life is beautiful.

And now for our prompt (optional, as always). Because today marks the halfway point in our 30-day sprint, today I’d like to challenge you to write a poem that incorporates the idea of doubles. You could incorporate doubling into the form, for example, by writing a poem in couplets. Or you could make doubles the theme of the poem, by writing, for example, about mirrors or twins, or simply things that come in pairs. Or you could double your doublings by incorporating things-that-come-in-twos into both your subject and form. Happy writing!

Spring Time Weather/NaPoWriMo Day 14

Spring time weather,
No matter where you are,
Is always full of surprises.

Today it will be heaven,
74 and fair,
Saturday it will be snowy,
Windy and cold,
Full of Arctic air.

I have flowers to plant,
Flowers to save,
Why oh why can’t
We just keep
The nice days?

My writing brain is fried this morning, hence this little simple poem about the weather. It’s rather like being in an elevator with one other stranger. One always ends up talking about the weather. Have a wonderful day, whatever your weather today!