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Buttons Acrostic – Stafford Challenge Day 29

Happy Valentine’s Day!

I was cleaning out a tub of sewing notions when my eyes were drawn to a trio of heart-shaped buttons that cost 70 cents a long time ago. My mother, a master seamstress, always had an ample supply of colors of threads, buttons, and laces for her next project. She made us matching dresses and taught me to sew when I was in elementary school, even though I never graduated to zippers, braking to a hard and fast stop at buttons. Today’s acrostic poem was inspired by these heart-shaped buttons, which I believe may have been destined to be sewn onto a Valentine’s Day top for me. Mom would have been 81 next week, and she still lives on in our memories.

Actual old buttons from my mother and grandmother’s age-spotted collection of notions

I Love Buttons

Because I wonder what
Unfinished dress, never-
Touched pattern, fabric-
To-be-imagined
Outfit
Never quite got
Sewn........
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Gratitude for Felix – Stafford Challenge Day 27

Tomorrow is my father’s birthday, and he’ll be celebrating eight decades of this journey. He loves his Schnoodle, Kona, and takes her to the dog park so that she can socialize with her friends while he socializes with his. Here he is, in the spirit of Valentine’s Day red, talking over the big dog/little dog fence to a fellow canine enthusiast. 

Happy Birthday, Felix! 

Father's birthday tomorrow, so
Everyone join me in wishing Felix a
Lovely day
In all his favorite
Xenial dog park conversations!
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Purging – The Stafford Challenge Day 26

Photo by Anna Baranova on Pexels.com

Today’s poem for The Stafford Challenge is a rondine, a 12-line poem with two stanzas – seven lines in the first stanza, and five in the second. It does not have to have rhyme scheme, and the first word becomes the only word on lines 7 and 12. Each line has 8-10 syllables in all other lines. 

Purging

purging baggage collected through the years
notebooks, dishes, clothing, books, heirlooms
so I don't end up with a pile of things
anchoring my mind and body
holding onto stuff without purpose
holding valuables hostage
purging

because nothingness wins: less IS more
more life, more time, more freedom to live
more present, less past, more future
releasing is therapeutic
purging

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Dangerous Readers – Stafford Challenge Day 24

Photo by Anna Tarazevich on Pexels.com

Today’s poem is a nonet, a nine-line poem in descending or ascending same-line-number-as-syllable order. This one is inspired by a fraud. 


#thesmartestoneintheroom

don't read enough to be dangerous
read enough to have influence ~
there is a marked difference
between coercion and
living example
that defines fraud
for all those
who read
deep
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Bad Boys – Stafford Challenge Day 23

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. 

Actual photo of the bad boys. #camouflagedgoodboys
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!
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Four Chaplains Roundel Poem – Stafford Challenge Day 21

Photo by Joseph Fuller on Pexels.com

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
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Celebrating River – Stafford Challenge Day 16

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

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Hippie Scrapbook Stickers – Stafford Challenge Day 15

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!