OctPoWriMo 26 - Coming Out

“Coming out” can mean multiple things,
But usually it indicates that you
Have been hiding, but now you break through,
To be free, to rise on honest wings.
Hiding part of who you are can sting;
It’s hard on you when you cannot be true,
To know that no one knows th’authentic you,
And so you step into the light and sing.

You are the only you who’ll ever be,
And if you are not you, then no one will.
We should fete the open closet door,
Love one another, help them to be free.
Rejection, disapproval, hatred kills;
Everyone deserves their wings, to soar.

For Everyone

Once upon a time I thought I knew
What was all my God required of me,
And who He had created me to be.
I was sure I knew just what was true.
Under the sun there is nothing new,
And I’d been taught that I could clearly see
That to obey the church is to be free;
But something in my heart had gone askew.

All He asks of us is that we love,
But many fellow Christians only hate.
He sent us an example from above:
He died His love for all to demonstrate.
God so loved the world He gave His Son
Not just for Christians, but for everyone.

OctPoWriMo 26 - I Am Done For

Today's prompt is abandonment. When I started writing, it just kind of came out a Petrarchan sonnet for some reason. Since I have never been abandoned, I used the theme in a tongue in cheek way. This sonnet is dedicated to my husband, Mark. The quote in line two is Dido, and the one in line 5 is from Dante.

I Am Done For

I swear that I will never leave, my dear;
There will be no white flag above my door;
I will be in love forevermore;
I vow that I will never disappear.
“All hope abandon ye who enter here.”
Each time I look at you, I am done for;
All other men (and women) I ignore.
I love you—just in case that isn’t clear.
I plan to sleep beside you when we’re old
And, probably, I’ll steal the covers still.
You know that you don’t really feel the cold
And I already often do get chilled.
Wrap me in your arms, tightly ahold;
Of you I never will get all my fill.

OctPoWriMo 27 - My Happy Ending

Today's prompt is about happy endings. "What is your happy ending?" I know I've written about my husband several times this month, and maybe I'm a bit sappy, but he's one of the best things in my life. He's my happy ending. Today's sonnet (Italian style) is written in third person, but "she" here is me.

My Happy Ending

Once upon a time there was a girl
Who dreamed of romance, chivalry, and knights.
Since she was young, her mind would tend on flights
Of fancy, free from fetters of the world.
Happiness, she thought, would be a whirl-
Wind love affair, consuming days and nights;
Of deepest depths and, oh, so dizzy heights.
Instead, she found love like a bloom unfurled,
A slow awakening like spring’s return.
Before she knew what happened, she would yearn
To be with him each moment of each day.
She was surprised to find her soul would say,
“This is my other half, the one for me,
My happy ending I could not foresee.”

OctPoWriMo 2 - Dreams

The Sonnet is probably my favourite poetry form. I love the musicality of it. Yesterday’s poem was an English (or Shakespearean) sonnet. Today, I’m going to try an Italian (or Petrarchan). The Italian sonnet is much more difficult, as every line rhymes with at least one other line.

Dreams

I’ve always dreamed I’d one day be a mom.

Yes, I’d like to be successful too:

To see my name in print would be so cool,

To reach the world with words, and to become

Alive and free, no longer cold and numb.

I love to dream up worlds: make something new,

To ask the questions “Where?” and “Why?” and “Who?”

Yet, times I’d rather change a baby’s bum.

I believe I’ll realise my dreams,

Although they seem so far away right now.

“Nothing is impossible!” I scream;

My barbaric yawp drowns out the “How?”

And all I see is distant joyful gleams.