Tag Archives: poem

Deathbed

Hello, my dear, you’ve come a long way. What a wild ride it’s been, eh?
Looking back it must feel funny – joy, love, achievements, money –
Things I seek now, did it matter – to make our life better?
Memories created, which one is your favourite?
Sorry for the questions, I have inhibitions…
Do you believe something exists after death?
I hope I didn’t leave you with regrets.
That was the fear, to waste away years.
Experiencing chaos, noises –
Would you change any choices?
Listen to more voices?
I hope you are proud.
Fears are allowed.
It’s alright,
Just say
Hi.

A poem for NaPoWriMo day 25. The prompt was to write a poem for a particular occasion and one that came to mind was a last conversation with my future old self. There would be so many emotions, questions, and stories to talk about – yet time would be running out, so I wanted to reflect those limits and urgency in the “countdown” structure of syllables per line. It turned out more morbid than I anticipated, but so writing goes.

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Pikas and Toddlers

Photo by Janko Ferlic

Despite their cuddly appearance, toddlers –
Are among North America’s toughest.
Their trails of chaos survive the alpine terrain,
Windswept no-man’s land above tree line.
Small, with short stout bodies,
Big round ears, and no visible tail,
With earth-toned colouration
They easily camouflage among the rocks.
American toddlers have adapted to exploring
Very inconspicuous environments.
Hidden, they collect grasses, weeds,
And tall wildflowers in the sun’s heat.
The American toddler can recognize
Members of their colony.
In a high pitched and squeaky call,
they gurgle away their position,
Alerting frantic searchers of their presence,
To their parents’ relief.

The prompt for day 24 of NaPoWriMo was:

Find a factual article about an animal. A Wikipedia article or something from National Geographic would do nicely – just make sure it repeats the name of the animal a lot. Now, go back through the text and replace the name of the animal with something else – it could be something very abstract, like “sadness” or “my heart,” or something more concrete, like “the streetlight outside my window that won’t stop blinking.” You should wind up with some very funny and even touching combinations, which you can then rearrange and edit into a poem.

I have taken inspiration from a former biology professor who taught us about pikas and their remarkable abilities and behaviour. I took excerpts from the article titled “American Pika” from The National Wildlife Federation as the starting point for today’s prompt.

Study: Geography, not genetics, influences American pika's response to  climate change
Here is what a pika looks like. Photo by Keith Kohl

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Would you

Would you wander
Across the parched desert
Against sandstorm winds
On foot, not on camel

Would you search
Across the Sahara
Through oasis mirages
For riches?

Would you sail
Across monster waves
Against whirlpools and rapids
Sunshine or rain

Would you search
Across the five oceans
Through light and dark waters
For peace?

Would you ponder
Across words and images
Against fact and fiction
All of knowledge across time

Would you search
Across the edges of the web
Through thoughts and opinions
For truth?

Would you inhale
Across mountains and valleys
Through tunnels and caves
The air crisp or smoky

Would you search
Across chakras and psyche
Through victory and trauma
For purpose?

Would you wander
Would you sail
Would you ponder
Would you inhale
Would you sacrifice
Would you suffer
Would you smile
Would you start
Will you start
When do you start
To live?

NaPoWriMo day 23, channeling existential crisis number who-knows-what.

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A poem for Earth Day

Coral Reef Bleaching & Rising Sea Temperatures
ImageCredit:Shutterstock/VolodymyrGoinyk

Coral
Florals of the sea
Shelter for urchins, anemones

Flourish
Nourished by green floater by’s
Outstretched towards sunny skies

Archaic
Mosaics of coloured towers
Unwavering through tidal hours

Crumble
Tumble into the sand
Killed by particles from the land

Between
Ignorance, disinterest, concern
Rescue efforts and lessons learned

Sleeping
Creeping recovery on the ocean floor
In hope that they shall blossom once more

NaPoWriMo day 22.

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Without

Without water one cannot swim
Without competitors one cannot win
Without secrets one cannot lie
Without breath one cannot die
Without a king one cannot checkmate
Without words thoughts cannot precipitate
Without will there is no action
Without want there is no attraction
Without gravity one cannot fall
Except in love

NaPoWriMo day 21.

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Travel – a sijo

Breathtaking views, incredible stories, strangers to friends
In this vast world are new experiences at your fingertips
Everyone’s invited, gather round – say hello through a screen

I am late to the NaPoWriMo (National Poetry Writing Month) party, but here is a sijo for day 20.

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Farewell (NaPoWriMo #30)

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Source from Etsy via Pinterest - "Inspiring" by Debby Dunahy

Walking down a row of chairs
Reliving years of education
And growing up together
End of high school

Walking through a printed labyrinth
Praying together at its centre 
And the clock rings sunset
End of pilgrimage

Walking past a billowing curtain
Celebrating together with laughter
And photos and hugs
End of studio performance

Walking away from a special group
Wishing for each all the best
And lasting friendship
Start of the next chapter

—————————————-

I have met so many amazing people this summer, and have had to say goodbye to so many of them. It’s amazing how short a time it takes to bond and care for a group, and how quickly life moves on; leaving us to cherish memories and wonder when we will see each other again as everyone disperses down their own path. I almost wish in a way that social media didn’t make it so easy to “stay in touch” by interacting with likes and the  periodical profile stalkings when writing is so much more eloquent. I miss writing letters or emails, but networking is a lot more convenient through social media now. I feel very blessed to be a part of an awesome community through school, parish, and dance. Farewell reminds us to cherish every moment spent, and for that I am also grateful.

Thanks for reading,
thebookybunhead

PS: From the NaPoWrimo website:
“And now for our final (yet still optional!) prompt. Today, as befits the final poem of NaPoWriMo, I challenge you to write a poem of farewell. It doesn’t have to be goodbye forever — like I said, NaPoWriMo will be back again next year.”

(It only took me almost four months, but hey, 30 poems! NapoWriMo is finally completed by this deadline-challenged individual. Yay!)

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Observations in the Studio (NaPoWriMo #29)

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A child’s messy room with life-sized dolls sprawled and toys scattered on the floor.
Hands poke through the air pockets of a jacket and an imaginary T-rex claws its way around the room.

Rise and fall of chests in deep breathing
Laughter and hushed whispers and silence
Sweat and glue from stinky shoes
Bitter liquid adrenaline of coffee
Warm fuzziness of oversized sweaters

Beating of a heart through pulsing veins underneath guitar blasts muffled by earphones.

Emma announcing a trip to Canada’s Wonderland.

Therabands, chiffon skirts, and athletic tape arranged neatly beside bags and water bottles.
Sweatpants, long satin ribbons, and snack wrappers thrown carelessly into a tangled pile.

Reviewing choreography to go from “Ahhhh!” to “A’ight? Cool.”

A braided hairstyle is completed so five people leave for the washroom.

“My bottle has the brand Deer on it but the drawing is a giraffe! I love it.”

Slowly planted footsteps of an ancient spell wash over the room’s collective attention.

Beautiful, rainbow, polka-dotted legs created by bruises.

He folded his back in half to the envy of stiff girls and fell asleep in the position.

Pascal created a water puddle from icing an injured foot.

Today’s teacher will offer combinations of quick jumps and turns that will make more than the body dizzy.

A magical lotion concoction is shared to revive deceased muscle cells.

There is competition between each artist that ultimately creates an atmosphere of continuous progress got hard work and creativity without the initial direct comparison of individuals which doesn’t exist anyway since everyone wears different leotards, listens to music differently, and orders different sandwiches for lunch.

Hundred dollar shoes are stomped on and broken, c’est la vie of a dancer.

A colourful, flowing skirt and a pair of cozy, lightweight shorts eye each other across the dance bag, each hoping to be today’s wardrobe choice.

As the clock ticks its time, figures rise from gravity to stand in staggering rows of perfect increments in one identical position, ready to start ballet class.

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This was trickier than expected! Under this you will find a list of instructions given by NaPoWriMo to write this poem. It was fun, I just did not have the patience to “de-fragmentize” each statement. Turned out with an entertaining and funny style, I think. Hope you enjoyed!

1. Begin the poem with a metaphor.
2. Say something specific but utterly preposterous.
3. Use at least one image for each of the five senses, either in succession or scattered randomly throughout the poem.
4. Use one example of synesthesia (mixing the senses).
5. Use the proper name of a person and the proper name of a place.
6. Contradict something you said earlier in the poem.
7. Change direction or digress from the last thing you said.
8. Use a word (slang?) you’ve never seen in a poem.
9. Use an example of false cause-effect logic.
10. Use a piece of talk you’ve actually heard (preferably in dialect and/or which you don’t understand).
11. Create a metaphor using the following construction: “The (adjective) (concrete noun) of (abstract noun) . . .”
12. Use an image in such a way as to reverse its usual associative qualities.
13. Make the persona or character in the poem do something he or she could not do in “real life.”
14. Refer to yourself by nickname and in the third person.
15. Write in the future tense, such that part of the poem seems to be a prediction.
16. Modify a noun with an unlikely adjective.
17. Make a declarative assertion that sounds convincing but that finally makes no sense.
18. Use a phrase from a language other than English.
19. Make a non-human object say or do something human (personification).
20. Close the poem with a vivid image that makes no statement, but that “echoes” an image from earlier in the poem.

Thanks for reading,
thebookybunhead

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Among the Stars (NaPoWriMo #27)

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A snapchat sent to me by a friend in Denmark.

Pastel lines sprinkled on a street
Where wheels and stardust meet
Smear nebulae across asphalt galaxies:
The pathway of children’s suns.

——-—————–——————-

This is a poem written from a photograph. I got this image through the social media app “Snapchat” and saved it on my phone because I thought it was a captivating idea. 22 days until graduation! Feeling so nostalgic for the chalk driveway drawing days…

Thanks for reading,
thebookybunhead

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Awake (NaPoWriMo #26)

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Photo by Katie Howell on etsy

In a velvet sky the moon sends down its silver glow
Upon the throne between dusk and dawn.
But the sparkle of stars are eaten by a fluorescent yellow,
Brash against midnight; the lights are still on.
On the main road, cars roll in rumbles low and deep.
Human eyelids held open by machines that never sleep.

Red numbers of a clock pierce through shadows to the brain,
Imprinted in half dreams floating between realities.
Furnace whispers are punctuated by distant whistles of a train,
And the fading wails of sirens rushing to their calamities.

In the big city, the night never comes.

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Started writing this one on a sleepless night. Sleep is always so much better in cottage country when you can’t see your hand in front of your face and it’s so quiet your ears start imagining the sound of air pressure. Technology has allowed humans to break the natural sleeping cycle and stay awake far beyond evolutionary bedtime. The prompt was for a shorter version of a classic form : the curtal sonnet. Hope you enjoyed.

Thanks for reading,
thebookybunhead

From the NaPoWriMo website:
The curtal sonnet is shorter than the normal, fourteen line sonnet. Instead it has a first stanza of six lines, followed by a second stanza of four, and then closes with a half-line. The form was invented in the 1800s by Gerard Manley Hopkins, who used it in his famous poem“Pied Beauty”.

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