Do I
have a
SANDPAPER
heart?
—
A minimalist poem for the last prompt at
napowrimo.net.
It’s been fun, everyone! And great to have my husband,
The Blind Poet, Freddy G.
join me this year!
Tag Archives: #NaPoWriMo
Our First Picnic
Our first picnic was Labor Day. It was not outside, but it was a picnic to us – hamburgers baked in the oven and baked beans on the stove. It was simple food on a simple day. But to us it was another milestone – our first picnic!
Baked beans and burgers
Hot outside and cool inside
First of many more
—
My picnic Haibun for
dVerse.
Over Compensation
You can’t dunk sardines
In coffee and cream
For taste,
Or buy magazines
To get anything
But waste.
Pretending to ease
Insecurities
Is fake.
—
A third Lai for
dVerse,
along with
Lai’ing Alone
and
Sunrise.
Savior
You save me from the people
Who know not what they do.
You save me from my enemies
Unconscious of the truth.
You save me from my sins,
Because I put my trust in you,
And may your Spirit lead the way
In everything I do.
You save me from this world of pain,
Because you know my good.
You save me from my wand’ring mind
That won’t rest as it should.
You save me from unworthiness,
Because in you, I could.
And may your Spirit light my path
And take me where you would.
You save me from a heart grown cold,
Because you know my past.
You save me from the worried times
That never really last.
You save me from each question,
For you answer when I ask.
And may your Spirit teach me well
And help me do your task.
You save me from a life of fear,
Because you’re here inside.
You save me from my own defeat,
Because you’re on my side.
You save me from the Hell I’ve known,
Because for me you died.
And may I let your Spirit lead,
My Savior, Lord and Guide!
Related
Sunrise
The sun begins to rise
And washes darkest lies
Away.
The every day surprise
Of dawn that comes alive
Will stay.
And if we wake up wise,
Then with the sun we rise
And pray.
—
Another Lai for
dVerse.
Lai’ing Alone
The vigil I keep
When I cannot sleep
Is sad.
The harvest I reap,
The tears that I weep,
So mad!
And yet in they seep,
Ideas so deep!
I’m glad!
—
This is a Lai for
dVerse.
The first few I wrote had an awkward rhythm. I was about to pass on this form, but glad I kept trying!
Your Gentle Hands
My life is in your gentle hands.
You offer me the best you can.
In understanding pure and sweet,
You hold my heart in love so deep
And give my mind a place to land.
I’ve been a pawn in people’s plans
And don’t know how much I can stand.
But when I’m in distress I meet
Your gentle hands.
I’ve taken tolls, blows and demands
On borrowed time and shifting sands.
I asked the Lord if I could be
Secure and peaceful, loved and free.
His answer came in you, a man
With gentle hands.
—
This poem is a
Rondeau.
Partially inspired by a modified version of
this poem,
which was read at our wedding ceremony.
My Feminist T-shirt
Is my feminist t-shirt hung out to dry?
Permanently?
And does it matter?
Do protests and independence a feminist make?
And do I forfeit my own,
Because I have a husband who cares?
My feminist t-shirt
Is old and tattered, but it would be,
As it goes back to when I was just 5 years old…
“If a man can’t fold his own clothes,
He better stay with his mommy!”
Out of the mouths of babes!
Throughout my childhood,
And later too,
Dresses and skirts were the bane of my existence.
My mother said, “Jeans aren’t lady-like.”
My mind asked,
“Who said I was a lady?”
I went to my Junior Prom,
Not with a date,
But with my kind-hearted brother-in-law.
We had fun (not dancing),
Drinking coffee
And eating cheesecake.
I never dated,
But managed to get married. What?
And have a child.
Still independent,
I took care of the finances,
And any overdrafts were mine, not his.
Fast forward…
Divorce was the right move
For my spirit that would not be boxed in.
Yes, I paid that bill too.
But not even my feminist t-shirt
Could assuage my guilt.
I played a part,
But was it all my fault?
Did it matter?
Fast forward 4 years,
When I met a man
Who admired my feminist t-shirt!
Two years later, we married,
Deeply in love
And traveling through life together.
“What’s mine is yours,” he says.
I get the bills paid,
But the money comes in his name.
I ask for what I want;
He gives what he can and never turns me down.
But still I wonder…
Is my feminist t-shirt hung out to dry?
Permanently?
And does it matter?
Do protests and independence a feminist make?
And do I forfeit my own,
Because I have a husband who cares?
The Truth about Zeus
***This piece is not for children.***
For “On Myths and Legends” at
dVerse Poetics.
The Truth about Zeus
by Zeus
I am Zeus, king of the gods!
My lightning bolts know no bounds!
Olympians, giants, humans
All cower at my fury!
But they don’t know
What goes on in my head,
Where I am a damned Fool,
Taking whatever I want, whomever I want, whenever I want.
Women, men, creatures…
I can turn into all of them.
I love all of them;
I hate all of them.
My self-respect is in the toilet.
I talk big talk
And throw my Olympian weight around.
But I am the biggest Greek tragedy of all.
Let’s face the facts.
Mother, wife, sisters, daughters,
None are sacred to me…
Nothing, no one is off limits.
Hera despises me,
As she should.
I don’t blame her,
But I can’t tell her that.
How does the king of the gods
Admit to the queen of the goddesses
That He, that I,
Am the epitome of liars, cheaters, and philanderers?
I mean, she already knows
I haven’t lived one faithful day in my life.
Fidelity?
Isn’t that an insurance company for those frightened humans?
I am Zeus, king of the gods!
My lightning bolts know no bounds!
Olympians, giants, humans
Must never find out what a coward I am!
And deep down inside
I wonder
If I, Zeus, king of the gods?
Can CHANGE!
Arise!
Hear!
Awaken!
Rouse yourself
From the sleep of the unaware,
Unknowing,
Unconscious!
Listen!
Arise!
Allow yourself
Day dreams of optimism,
Potential,
Possibility!
Ask!
Believe!
Receive Your Self,
A once-in-a-lifetime blessing,
Innate
And whole!
Respond!
Renew!
Be
Who
Only you
Were meant to be…
Arise!
—
My Quadrille for Merril’s “rise/arise” prompt at
dVerse.
Mystical Strings 
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