OctPoWriMo 31 - ALPHA OMEGA

Today is the last day of OctPoWriMo 2013. Today's prompt asked us to think about beginnings and endings.

All that I am, I
Lay at Your feet.
Please don’t deny my
Heartfelt request,
Ah, Lord.

Oh my God, You
Make beginnings and
Endings, and You
Give to me
All good things.

OctPoWriMo 30- Right and Wrong

Today's prompt asked us to write about a social issue that is important to us. I make no apologies for my poem, but be warned: I didn't pull any punches.

Right and Wrong

Don’t like slavery? Don’t buy one.
Don’t like abortion? Don’t have one.
Don’t like murder? Don’t commit one.
But don’t you dare tell me what to do!
Now, wait just a doggone minute!
What if I want to kill you?
What if I want to enslave you?
We can tell others what to do.
Sometimes, we must.
There is such a thing as right and wrong.
There is such a thing as good and evil.
There are absolutes.
What is right for me is also right for you.
The truth doesn’t care what you think of it.
It doesn’t matter what you say or do, the truth is still the truth.

OctPoWriMo 29 - Clever Trevor

Today's prompt asked us to write an epitaph. I went to Shadow Poetry, and read the examples there, and decided to go for humour.

Disclaimer: This poem is not about any real Trevor I may or may not know.

Clever Trevor

Here lies clever Trevor;
Truth was not his friend.
He lied until the end;
Now, he’ll lie forever.

OctPoWriMo 28 - Daddy Was a Quiet Man

Today's prompt asked us to think about someone who had an influence on our lives.

Daddy Was a Quiet Man

I never saw my father cry

Until the day his father died.

Daddy was a quiet man

Unless a mic was in his hand.

A preacher in his younger days,

He taught me how to pray and praise.

A singer too—oh, what a tone!

Bass in groups, tenor alone.

Music was born in his bones.

OctPoWriMo 27 - My Soul Sings

What am I afraid of?
I can rest in Your love.
When other come against me,
You set me free.
When I am called to lead,
You are all I need.
When danger is near,
I need not fear.
If I meet a famous man,
I remember You are my friend.
You are Lord of lords and King of kings.
My soul sings.

Today's prompt.

OctPoWriMo 26 - I Love My Family

Today's prompt asked us to write about family. I'm so jetlagged from my trip to Toronto, but I love my family. I didn't have the energy for more than a haiku, though.

I love my family
Even when they drive me nuts
They are all I have

OctPoWriMo 25 - You Are My Jubilee

Any day with you is a wonderful day
You are my holiday
My vacation
My celebration
My festival
My gala
You are my jubilee
I love you

Today's prompt.

OctPoWriMo 24 - Simple and Obvious

Today's prompt.

When I was a child, I thought I knew what I wanted;
Life was so simple and obvious.
Now I know
Nothing is easy,
Nothing is as it seems,
And I am still learning to understand myself.

OctPoWriMo 23 - Two Halves

Today's prompt asks us to play with numbers. One of the suggested forms is the Tetractys, which I have never seen before. I had to try it.

Love
Is us
Together
Never apart
You and I are now two halves of one heart

OctPoWriMo 22 - Glass Clear

Distorted reflections

Floating on glass

Clear water

I tilt my face toward the sun

And breathe deep

Today's prompt.

OctPoWriMo 21 - Airsick

Today's prompt.

Soaring through the sky
In a metal man-made bird
And I am so sick

OctPoWriMo 20 - Airplane

I flew to Mississauga today and almost forgot to write a poem. Here's a rictameter about the flight.

Airplane
Soaring so high
Above the clouds you fly
Defying weight and gravity
You leave the earth behind
And there you find
Airplane

OctPoWriMo 19 - Pumpkin Hollow

Today's prompt.

Today, we went to a local farm that does fall activities for the public. It's called Pumpkin Hollow. They have a corn maze, hay rides, etc. Today was the last day they are open this year, and they had a costume contest. My two little nieces were a frog and a bear, and my nephew was Spider-Man. We had a blast, but now we're all just wiped. I threw this poem together just before bed.

Pumpkin Hollow

Today we went to Pumpkin Hollow.
We didn’t know the way, so followed
Kendal and Robyn in their van,
With teddy, froggy, and spiderman.

We walked until our feet were sore
And then we walked a little more.
We spent too much on junky food
And yet, we all were in good moods.

The kids were having so much fun:
Yell, and laugh, and scream, and run.
We cannot wait to go again
Athough we now are in such pain.

OctPoWriMo 18 - Only You

Today's prompt asks us to write a bad poem. That's right, a really bad poem. It's harder than it looks. I've had so many years of practising my writing, that it really goes against the grain to try to write badly. I've made an effort, and I think I did a pretty bad job of it today. What do you think?

Only You

I love you
Like Sheldon loves his spot
Like Gollum loves the Ring
Like zombies love brains
But I don’t want to sit on you
Or be controlled by you
Or eat you

You are sweet
Like candy
I don’t really like sugar
But I like you

I need you
Like I need air
And water
And food
And shelter
And clothes
And internet
And books
And I don’t really need all those things
But I need you

You are my teddy bear
But I don’t wanna chain you up
And lead you anywhere
‘Cause that’s cruel

I’m stuck on you
Stuck like glue
Like magnets, we are drawn together

You are my lucky charm
You are my talisman
But only in a non-creepy way

I only have eyes for you
No, wait
I have other things for you too
I meant to say, I have eyes for only you
You are the only one for me
Only you

OctPoWriMo 17 - Lord of the Rings Online

Today's prompt asks us to think about games we have played or still play. My favourite game is Lord of the Rings Online (LotRO). It's a massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) based on Tolkien's worlds of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. I wrote an English sonnet on my experiences within the vast world of LotRO.

The Last Homely House in Rivendell

The Lord of the Rings Online

Through Michel Delving, on to Hobbiton,
And up the Hill to see the Party Tree—
Without a mount, it’s quite a way to run,
And rented horses certainly aren’t free.

Once I buy a horse, I ride to Bree;
Such a pretty town, though like a maze.
I play my lute outside the Prancing Pony
And wander through the twisted, winding ways.

And then, I find my way to Rivendell,
Riding through the Trollshaws’ red and gold.
My favourite place, for it is always Fall.
And then, over the Misty Mountains cold.

I speak to Gandalf, Aragorn, and Sam.
I ride with Hobbit, Elf, and Dwarf, and Man.

At the Party Tree in Hobbiton

Playing my lute in Breetown

OctPoWriMo 16 - Break My Heart

Today's prompt asks for a villanelle about words we wish we'd said or "the last word." I took it in a slightly different direction.

Break My Heart

Just like well-aimed darts,
Sticks and stones may break my bones,
But words can break my heart.

Think before you start
To speak. The words you speak, you throw
Just like well-aimed darts.

Words can be great art,
Words can cause my soul to grow,
And words can break my heart.

And yet, there is a part
Of great art that should be thrown
Just like well-aimed darts.

And if I come apart
At the seams because of woe,
It’s words that break my heart.

Whether they are art,
Or seeds of malice sown,
Just like well-aimed darts,
Those words can break my heart.

OctPoWriMo 15 - News Makes Me Numb

Death

Destruction

Countries are at war

Why do I bother with news?

So much is sensational

Is there any good?

I become

Numb

OctPoWriMo 14 - Listen

Today's prompt.

Listen
In silence you can hear
Get away from all the noise
Get away from everything
And listen
Hear the still, small voice

OctPoWriMo 13 - The Song of the Spheres

Today's prompt asked us to choose a letter and craft a poem using as many words beginning with that letter as we could. I didn't feel like doing that, so I'm rebelling today. I wrote an alliterative 4-stress poem (Tolkien was known for using this form). It's still something to do with letters and alliteration.

The Song of the Spheres

We shall sing the song of the spheres
Painters, poets, players, people
All together giving thanks
For love and life and light and loss
For freedom from fear
With the words of the winged ones
"Holy, holy, holy, holy"
Stars and streams and storms all sing
Let us join the joyful praise
Still my soul shall sing
"Holy, holy, holy, holy"

OctPoWriMo 12 - No Matter How Dark

Today's prompt is shadows, so I wrote a shadow sonnet. I love writing sonnets, but I find this form to be very difficult. Finding rhyming words that can begin and end the lines is just so hard.

No Matter How Dark

Shadows lengthen as the year ends. Shadows
Creep closer and closer. As the light fades, they creep.
Snows are coming. Cold and wind and snows
Sleep for now, awaiting our long winter sleep.

Dark looks like to be winning the war. Dark
Swells and spreads, growing like ocean swells.
Spark a flame in my heart—a tiny spark
Spells death to the dark; so small, yet they are magic spells.

Light is fading. And yet, my heart is light;
I’m not alone—I have you to hold, and I’m
Right where I should be, and everything is all right.
Rhyme with me, for you are my perfect rhyme.

You gave me a reason to live forever with you,
To be in the light, no matter how dark—to be two.

OctPoWriMo 11 - Tick Tock

Today's prompt asks us to listen to the sounds around us and incorporate that into our poetry. I'm home alone today, so it's easy to hear things. I closed my eyes and listened to the living room clock for a few minutes and this poem took shape.

Tick tock
Tick tock
Silent tears and heaving sobs
Tick tock
Tick tock
Screaming rage and silent glares
Tick tock
Tick tock
Questions without answers
Hopeless accusations
Empty arms and hearts
Tick tock
Tick

OctPoWriMo 10 - Around That Bend

Today's prompt asks us to write a reply to another poem. I chose Robert Frost's The Road Not Taken. It has always struck me how many people read it as a comment on how wonderful it is to take the less-traveled road, when if you really read it carefully he says clearly that the roads are equally worn. I believe he's gently poking fun at the idea that taking the road less-traveled is better.

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
~Robert Frost

Around That Bend

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less-traveled by…”
Or so I say with a sigh, yet I
Remember the other was “just as fair,”
And really the grass was just as green,
The fallen leaves were no more black,
No footprints marred either path.
I say, “It made all the difference,” yet
I cannot where know the other led.
Sometimes I lay upon my bed
And dream of what I might have met
If I had stepped around that bend.
~Esther Spurrill Jones

OctPoWriMo 9 - Every Day

Today's prompt.

Every day I choose to love you,
Though, honestly, it isn’t hard.
I love you because of who you are.

From the moment that I met you,
Our hearts began to meld.
It took a while for me to realize
We were meant to be.

Every day I choose to love you,
Though, honestly, it isn’t hard.
I love you because of who you are.

Every day you make me smile,
You make me laugh.
I promised I would never leave you,
And I never will.

Every day I choose to love you,
Though, honestly, it isn’t hard.
I love you because of who you are.

OctPoWriMo 8 - Love is...

Today's prompt.

Love is...

♥

Love

Is like fire

Burning deep inside

All-consuming inferno

Love is like crackling flames

Warm and comforting

My hearth and

Home

♥

Love

Is a storm

Sweeps me off my feet

A whirlwind of desire

Love is like gentle breezes

The soft kiss of wind

And I feel

Safe

♥

Love

Is like waves

Crashing and breaking

Billows rolling over me

Love is a babbling brook

A calm forest pond

Reflecting

Peace

♥

OctPoWriMo 7: Death and Cold

Today's prompt.

Whatever is begun in anger ends in shame. ~Benjamin Franklin

“I killed them. I killed them all. They're dead; every single one of them. Not just the men, but the women and children too…" ~Anakin Skywalker

Fear leads to anger
Fear leads to death
Death came for his mother
Death gave him power
Power for revenge
Power to kill
Kill them
Kill them all
All of them are dead
All of them—even the children
Children who had barely lived
Children who were innocent
Innocent he used to be
Innocent he is no more
More pain
More darkness
Darkness closes in
Darkness whispers promises
Promises of power
Promises of comfort
Comfort from his dreams
Comfort for his fears
Fears that he can’t save her
Fears that he is helpless
Helpless to protect her
Helpless like before
Before, just like his mother
Before, he was too late
Late at night, he dreams
Late again
Again his fear overcomes him
Again he looks to anger
Anger gives him focus
Anger gives him strength
Strength to do what needs done
Strength to see the truth
Truth that she betrayed him
Truth that he’s alone
Alone against his friend
Alone and broken
Broken in and out
Broken, wounded, burning
Burning alive
Burning forever
Forever alone
Forever cold
Cold as ice
Cold and dark
Dark...

Ice...

OctPoWriMo 6 - Butterflies

Today's prompt.

What makes me flutter?

My husband’s gaze, and his touch.

I miss him right now.

OctPoWriMo 5 - I Am

Todays' prompt.

I Am

I am a Christian who loves Harry Potter
I am a geek who loves Jesus
I am a woman who works with computers
I am a nerd who loves art

OctPoWriMo 4 - Know Your Heart

Today's prompt.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” ~Galatians 5:22-23

In the midst of chaos, there is peace:
The gentle voice of Jesus speaking love.
Be kind one to another, tenderhearted,
Forgiving one another—this is good.
Wait upon the Lord for He is faithful;
Consider all your trials to be a joy.
The testing of your faith produces patience,
And by your fruit the world shall know your heart.

OctPoWriMo 3 - Words From the Heart

Today, I decided to write a cinquain for the prompt that asked us to share our own story, our own journey with poetry. And, since I like to challenge myself, I added rhyme.

I don't remember when I began to write poetry. I feel like I've always been a poet.

Words From the Heart

Poem

Words from the heart

Breaking, teaching, healing

The deepest, purest form of art

Feeling

OctPoWriMo 2 - Newspaper Blackout Poetry

Today's prompt asks us to find where poetry hides. I found poetry in the newspaper. I created a newspaper blackout poem.

OctPoWriMo 1 - I Love Fall

Call it Autumn; call it Fall;
I don’t care—I love it all:
Pumpkin lattés, yellow leaves,
Longer pants, and shirts with sleeves.
Winter’s cold and Summer’s hot;
Spring is muddy—Autumn’s not.

Prompt here.