Patchwork Prose and Verse
Today’s poem is a nonet, a nine-line poem in ascending or descending order with syllable numbers representing each ordered line. My son’s recent hunting experience inspired this poem.
Bad Boys
two lifelong friends got warning tickets
from the game warden, duck hunting
without the proper life vests
then....held up their tickets
smiled while their buddy
snapped a photo
to send their
moms. THEY
BAD!
Today’s poem is a cherita, a form that has 3 stanzas and tells a story. In the first stanza, there is one line, the second two and the third three. My cherita is also a paint chip poem, inspired by the color keepsakes.
Keepsakes
keepsakes misdirected
keepsakes
bring regret
keepsakes
tainted, uncherished
keepsakes unkept
The first Sunday in February is set aside across our nation to honor the Four Chaplains. I attended a service this past weekend to remember them and to honor their greatest sacrifice. Today’s poem is a roundel.
Four Chaplains Roundel
USS Dorchester torpedo attack
four chaplains lost at sea~
knew they wouldn't make it back
serving God on bended knee
price of freedom isn't free
singing hymns in arm-locked pack
Nearer My God To Thee
gentle souls in night so black~
beams for all of us to see
faith, not fear, on Heaven's track
serving God on bended knee
driveway gravel crackles under tires
resident deer appears in mists
hawks hunt meadows for field mice
playful will-o'-the-wisps
gather 'round at night
you can see them ~
ancestors
long gone ~
here
last-minute feels unintentional
for a goal-setting success planner
but I'd love to be spontaneous
retire and travel in an Airstream
for a goal-setting success planner
always checking boxes: Done!
retire and travel in an Airstream?
is there an action plan for that?
always checking boxes: Done!
at the RV show, we sprawled across the bed
is there an action plan for that?
what's my 401K say?
at the RV show, we sprawled across the bed
I'd love to be spontaneous
what's my 401k say?
last-minute feels unintentional
I was in a Pre-K class, where students were making predictions about Groundhog Day forecasts. I Googled the truth and didn’t spoil their afternoon surprises, but I came back to the office and shared the news in verse.
I bought a set of Haikubes a few years ago for a middle school poetry group, and I still find I love to pull them out of the box and give them a roll to see what the universe brings. Today’s haiku had journey and travel, so I rerolled other dice, slowly adding to the poem until the one in the picture was born.
These dice come in a love set, too, which would be perfect for Valentine’s Day poems.
For today, the travel bug bites. The Aurora Borealis is calling to me even through the dice. I’ve always wanted to see the hems of angel’s gowns in emerald and amethyst dancing through the heavens at night.
Today is my grandson River’s fifth birthday, and what a joy he is! His smile lights up a room, and his eyes talk. I chose an Acrostic Cinquain, a 5-line poem for my favorite 5-year old with 5 letters in his name. Happy Birthday, River!
River
Inquisitive, Vivacious
Volunteering, Kayaking, Snuggling
Everybody's favorite Transformer master!
(g)Randson
I’m having so much fun with The Stafford Challenge that I can’t bear to face my goal chart every month. I’m dropping back to quarterly reflections. Poetry offers more self-care, which I need more right now than thinking of all the things I’m not doing that I should be doing.
So I’m poeming instead.
Hippie Scrapbook Stickers
My childhood scrapbook, filled with stickers
psychedelic colors, hippie
Kim was here!! footprints, daisies,
seventies lettering
mushrooms, all the vibes
coolest era
best music~
Kim is
here!
Today’s Pantoum poem celebrates warmth and comfort in these cold, wintry days leading up to mid-winter. I have a little faith in our southern groundhog, so I’m holding out some hope for a thick blanketing of snow to keep us home for a few days, snuggled fireside with books and dogs, before warming up and staying warm so the peaches will survive. Georgia lost 90% of its crop last year to a late freeze, and what few I was able to find locally cost a fortune and ended up in Mason jars as preserves so we could enjoy them all winter.
For today, though, there is hot tea with honey ~ and so begins my poem. Stay warm, friends.
Hygge Pantoum
chamomile tea with honey
warm blankets, heated throw
sherpa slippers (ears of bunny)
beeswax candle's ambient glow
warm blankets, heated throw
heavy quilts of rag-stitched flannel
beeswax candle's ambient glow
flickering shadows on the mantel
heavy quilts of rag-stitched flannel
heirloom warmth of hand-stitched hugs
flickering shadows on the mantel
cotton-braided oval rugs
heirloom warmth of hand-stitched hugs
sherpa slippers (ears of bunny)
cotton-braided oval rugs
chamomile tea with honey
Special thanks to Twowritingteachers at Slice of Life for giving writers space and inspiration!
Common Threads 