TEAL (NaPoWriMo #28a)

Source: atoo.co.uk

Trendy piece in confident fashion
Endless skies and sparkling coasts
Anticipation brewing under cool demeanor
Lost soul floating aimlessly in blank pondering

Intermediate, like a light switch balanced between on and off
Bold yet changing with the ebbs of time
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Teal also happens to be the colour of my ballet uniform.The prompt for a colour poem was too good to resist. So now I’m two poems behind. Oh well. Maybe I will be able to post another one tonight. Congratulations to everyone who has successfully completed the NapoWriMo challenge today!

Thanks for reading,
thebookybunhead

Around the World in 8 seconds (NaPoWriMo #28)

Art by Bill Zindel

Today I met people from
San Francisco
England
Germany
New York City
Spain
New Zealand
Cuba
Australia
In one room.
Talking.
Dancing a universal language.
Traveling more of the world through smiles
Traded internationally in the hallways.

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I had school on Sunday, and it was great. Sounds crazy, but it really isn’t. Today was the first day of a big dance festival with professional ballet academies from around the world. It is all SO exciting, I can’t believe it’s here, and I promise myself I will enjoy this week to the max.

Thanks for reading,
thebookybunhead

Speaking Actions and Loud Words (NaPoWriMo #27)

Robert Doisneau (April 14, 1912 – April 1, 1994)

Masters of panto-mime on paper
Skeptical about the regime’s intentions
Mind makes meaning of scribbles
Sneaky interpreters of thoughts that
reveal more than the winning formula
Footsteps in the dark.
Why is the pen mightier than the sword?

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Very interesting prompt today. I used the famous saying, “actions speak louder than words” and splitting it in half, plugged it into the Google search engine. From there we were to take any poetic phrases and use them as inspiration for our poem. Coincidentally, nearly every phrase in this poem was taken from result summaries, with a total addition of only three words. So I guess in a way Google is the author of today’s entry.

Thanks for reading,
thebookybunhead

Asbestos: Mini Research

Courtesy of Wikipedia

Asbestos is a mineral of fibrous crystals that absorbs sound, has textile strength, and a resistance to heat, chemical, and electrical damage. Its fibers can be woven into yarn or rope, and are easily added to a variety of materials such as cotton and cement, making it a versatile substance. The inhalation of these fibers has been proved to cause illnesses including cancer and asbestosis. Asbestos is used in many products from drywall roofing tars, to shoes and stage curtains, because of its fireproofing and insulating qualities. It became popularly used by manufacturers and builders in the 19th century as a common insulator and propelled the Industrial Revolution; however, asbestos has been used for as long as 4500 years in Ancient Greece when it was used in oil lamp wicks and ceremonial table cloths. The extraction, manufacturing, and processing of asbestos has been banned in whole or in part by over 60 countries in the world, including those in the European Union. Even though today, far less products in the home contain asbestos, it is still used because of new ways of containing escaping fibers. Canada has yet to ban asbestos and is currently the largest player in the global asbestos industry; over 40% of the world’s asbestos is found in a narrow belt of rocks in Quebec and over 300,000 tons of it can be exported annually to developing countries. The banning of asbestos is a difficult balance for Canada between saving jobs and economic profit or relieving the health hazards placed on workers and consumers from this multi-purpose material.

Written 2009. Since then, Canada’s asbestos industry has been winding down. For anyone who wonders what asbestos is…

Thanks for reading,
thebookybunhead

Erasure (NaPoWriMo #26)

Original poem by Robert Frost:
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

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I definitely need more practice before being able to use this method to create poetry. Great on the abstract side and ambiguous on the conceptual side, it was quite fun. And this is a great poem – I know because I didn’t mind reading it in school – to take chances, make mistakes, and get messy! (Recognize the reference to a certain educational childhood show?)Thanks for reading,
thebookybunhead

 

Ballad of a Phoenix (NaPoWriMo #25)

there was a phoenix young and bright
feathers shine engulfed in flame
it sparkles gold in dawn of light
waiting to be bestowed a name

take these wings and fly to the sea
i will be here when you return to me

i have a phoenix brisk and bright
blinding in rash or angry flame
proud but afraid of its intense light
wild in spirit, but in heart still tame

with those wings fly as far as the sea
don’t forget, here waiting, is me

my phoenix no longer brilliantly bright
burning slowly a serene flame
secrets of time beneath comforting light
powerful creature just the same

the wings have traversed more than one single sea
rest your tired limbs on me

i had a phoenix, in sight and mind bright
who one day extinguished its flame
vanish to leave only embers of light
darkness fell and the night came

from ashes emerges a song from the sea
those glowing wings remember me

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My attempt at a story through a ballad with an ABAB rhyme scheme. I have always loved phoenixes, beautiful, powerful, and able to be reborn from their ashes. Human life is linear, but there are physical and emotional cycles within it. One lyric resembles that of the Beatles’ song “Blackbird” in “take these broken wings and learn to fly” because I love this song and the image of flight it creates. I have associated loyalty with these magical creatures since reading about Fawkes, Dumbledore’s pet phoenix in the Harry Potter series, so that’s where that attribute came from. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll write a tune for it. Or not.

Thanks for reading,
thebookybunhead

Image source: http://wiki.godvillegame.com/File:Phoenix.jpg

Cotton Candy (NaPoWriMo #24)

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kepkake/6218911183/

Skies flush pink by a setting sun
As purple clouds float lazily
Amorphous stripes like cotton candy undone
Fluffy strands look good enough to eat

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Yesterday’s anagram prompt proved very difficult, so I’m sorry to disappoint but here’s another sky poem instead. There is nothing like seeing the colours with your own eyes for even a camera can’t capture the full brilliance of nature’s colours. I saw a rainbow today too, as it was rainy, but I didn’t include it because that would be much too sweet for my taste.

Thanks for reading,
thebookybunhead

Fortune Cookies (NaPoWriMo #21)

So they hired me as the replacement. Here you go. Some are helpful, most aren’t:

You will acquire a lemon. Most likely yellow or possibly one with wheels.

The next time you face indecision, trust your gut feeling. Unless you’re drunk.

You will almost say “funnest”, realize how gramatically incorrect you would be, and use “most fun” instead. Which isn’t fun at all.

Kindness goes a long way. A slap in the face sometimes does too.

You’ve wondered about who writes these fortunes anyway and how the paper is put inside. You were hoping for an answer.  And are now disappointed.

You will find a pair of really cheap and cute shoes. Someone will grab them before you.

For someone in this world, you are the rainbow after a rainstorm.

For someone in this world, you are the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. (This can be taken symbolically or charmingly literally.)

You are the key to your future. So just eat me.

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So, I tried my best. It gets easier to write the fortunes as you go along. I know this is a late post as far as the official prompts are concerned, but I always say, better late than never. Also, has anyone else ever tried to get the fortune out without breaking the cookie?

Thanks for reading,
thebookybunhead

Funny with a pinch of truth

After returning from a farmer’s market, my mother started telling us about a family obstacle course event that was being promoted there. It was a fundraiser to help kids suffering with addiction. The listeners nodded their heads, but most eagerly did the littlest sister, who with eyes bright with understanding said, “Ohhh, like to video games and computers right?”

I want my childhood back. And yet there’s something so true and foreboding in that innocent remark. It’s a good family car moment I want to remember.

Thanks for reading,
thebookybunhead

Fishbowl Head (NaPoWriMo #23)

Art courtesy of Jason Pym

Visions swim in colourful blurs,
I have a fish bowl on my head.
Flailing, the sandy bottom stirs
I have a fish bowl on my head.
In murky water a song slurs
About glassless days. But instead
Visions swim in colourful blurs.
I have a fish bowl on my head.

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So I tried a triolet today which has a form of ABaAabAB – a bit tricky but doable once you’ve picked good themes with versatile rhymes. The image of a fish bowl on one’s head was imprinted in my head by Foster the People’s music video of the catchy “Call It What You Want” at a minute in. It’s very random, abstract, and just visually entertaining, so have a peek if you have time:

Thanks for reading,
thebookybunhead