OctPoWriMo Day #6: (conquered)

Poetic Form: Rondeau

Word Prompts: worth the fight, victory, battle, forever, together

A French form, the Rondeau is almost meant to be sung with its rhymed  and repetition form. There are three (3) stanzas within the form: a quintet (5), quatrain (4), and a sestet (6) and a rhyme scheme of aabba aabR aabbaR. There are refrain lines at lines 9 and 15, the ends of the second and third stanzas.

Truthfully, Dear Readers, I need to be honest, I don't like rhyme. I do it because some form dictate that I rhyme, but really I would prefer not to rhyme. I am NOT Dr. Seuss. But I will say that rondeaus are a better form to write, as least for me. There is something with today's poem, or maybe in rondeaus, or maybe both. I am thinking of protest ballads, chants, marches. In today's world it is common, but very necessary.

When I go for my daily runs, I will often post about my battle cries. It motivates me, and I hope to motivate others. That is why I make battle cry into one word: Bacttlecry. It is not just a hash tag, but a way of life, for me anyway. Today is a battlecry!

Whatever your political leaning, I hope you take something from today's offering.

Enjoy!

Modern Battlecry

Listen now, my children, a story to tell
when the raging storm would not quell,
between the lies whispered in ears
and shouted across the mainframe tiers,
that make We the People want to rebel.

A battlecry for the masses to impel,
an oral history with morals, they spell
in poetry stirred by balladeers--
    within this Time for Change.

When it is easy to dispel
the ugly and dirty verbal shrapnel,
is when we need those seers,
the verbal bards to write down these years,
these memories from which we dwell
within this Time for Change.

OctPoWriMo Day #3: (Insecurities)

Poetic Form: Florette

Word Prompts: doubt, trust, overcome, embrace, secure

Call Them What-ifs!

When I am most alone, you know

when now they become a known foe;

and called the mighty doubt demons.

They practice at my expense, one art of show.

I am left to secure again

hijinx that they have begun then,

my own trust it seems they play at--

games of old-fashioned keep away, I will not play.

An easy topic to brainstorm on, but not so easy to write when present with a challenging florette. A poem of at least 2 four line stanazas  with the following rhyme and meter scheme - a,a,b,a; and 8,8,8,12.

I do not like it Sam-I-Am, I do not like one little bit. But, I wrote it anyway. Please leave me an honest comment, good or bad, constructive is the best. Florettes are not my forte, and I need a reason to wrote more. Maybe, Dear Readers if you give me a topic to wrote a florette about I will try again.

Meaning I want to try again, so please give me suggestions to try. No topic is too strange! I'm written a sonnet about Russell's Teapot for Pete's sake. In the meantime, please enjoy my florette.

OctPoWriMo Day #2: (Sing)

Word Prompts: sing, redrafts, practice, scribbles, loving

Poetic Form: Tanka or Cinquain

A Tanka is a metered poem, following the style of the haiku, but adding two 7 syllable lines after the standard haiku (5/7/5/7/7). I wasn't really inspired to write a poem with this until I watch a video, randomly, mind  you, of Jim Henson's colleagues singing his favourite songs at his memorial. The one song that stood out was "Just One Person". The words are simple, but the message is strong, and after this past month, it was a solid reminder that I do have believe who believe in me. "If just one person believes in you, deep enough and strong enough, believes in you, hard enough and long enough, before you know it...two whole people believe in you..." May I present my offering to the to goddess and muse, Erato, of the Lyric Poetry.

That One Moment

Singular moment--
when the swelling bridge begins
and there are no words,
your heart knows what it's doing,
"If just one person believes..."

There is not much more to say, Dear Readers. Thank you!

Day 31 - Journey To... (Pantoum)

Yesterday's prompt couldn't be more perfect for the end of OctPoWriMo. I didn't write yesterday. It was because of bit of a distraction or two of sorts. First, I had to finish watching Stranger Things, and I had to close out OctPoWriMo in the right way. It just took a day longer to find that way. What could be more appropriate to closing out a month of poetry than writing about things eternal and eternity.

I have talked about universe through this month, both the micro and the macro. Universes are things that surround, make up part of us and the things, people around us. I am the whole of the things around me. I am made up of universes, and am part of universes.

Today's poem is my closure on the month, but also a closure of the last year. See, this time last year, my now  ex-husband and I parted ways. A mutual choice as we both were going to different directions. It was a very hard Halloween weekend 2015. It was like being in a tunnel. Now a year later I am single, living in a new apartment, selling the house I shared with him since late 2009, and starting to find me again. I have been finding me along this path, every turn, every stop sigh, every moment I am finding out who I am. Halloween week/weekend 2016 finds  me stronger and facing my fears. It was a wonderful week. I have learned to move on. I am okay with being single, and am now (NOT) afraid to seek that which I want, even if it doesn't work out. I am coming out of the tunnel. 

from MorgueFile

Terminus is a place that is the end of the line, by the definition. But for me, Terminus is a end that leads to a beginning. I have my Terminus is my head and an actually place. It is a place of healing. I went there when I thought my aunt was dying. Thankfully she isn't. I understand why she was scared. We sometime  need to be scared, or  angry, are lost, because when we are found we realize that that fear made us stronger. 

from MorgueFile

Today's poem is dedicated to three people, these are people who brought about my joy this weekend, and beyond. First is my mentor and friend, James. Although he lives across the county, he has given me the strength to building y mythology, to tell my  stories, and to speak my truth (am a work in progress), Next is my best friend, Sara, unconditional is her love, as is her last name. She picks on me, but she encourages me. She listens and offers advise when asked. She pushed me to try harder, test the waters, and to not be afraid. Third is Cale, because sometimes it just is. Thank you for being an awesome friend! 

Thank you all! 

Truthfully I could go on. There are others to thank, but those three are the reason I am standing at the Light at the End of the Tunnel, staring at eternity, and finally seeing what I should have known long before now, but am seeing it with a fresh light.

Dear Readers, thank you for taking part in my flights of fancy and unorganized fall into chaos of the truth.

OctPoWriMo

Prompt: Eternal; Word prompts: Light at the End of the Tunnel, Eternity

Journey To...

When at Terminus, do you know

to fall to your knees is supplemation,

singing loudly of the praises

that brought you here to rest?

To fall to your knees in supplemation

after through the tunnel which you have traveled

that brought you here to rest,

within the light at the end of of it all.

After through the tunnel which you have traveled--

a journey of lifetimes

within the light at the end of it all,

you see how much stronger you became.

A journey of lifetimes

brought you to the beach

you see how much stronger you became,

when faced with such demons.

Brought you to the beach,

at Terminus' head to eternity's shores

when  faced with such demons

when faced with such feats.

At Terminus' head to eternity's shores

you find your heart is more whole 

when faced with such feats,

that you're not as afraid as you once thought.

You find your heart is more whole

when at Terminus. Do you know

that you're not as afraid as you once thought--

singing loudly of the praises. 

Day 28, 29, and 30: Poetry Slam (Poetry Trifecta)

Dear Readers, I have three poems to present to you. Why? Well, I got caught up in life and car repairs that take longer than planned. C'est la vie, then? I used all of the prompts in some way, although not all of the poetic form suggested. I really like a challenge, but this month has had its own challenges that I have faced. 

In a return to my theme of universes, I pulled from places that are like my own little universes, or pulled from my own internal universes. I'll let the poems speak for themselves. 

My question for you, Dear Readers, what universes exist for you? How do they work? What places-internal and external- are your haven, or healing places? Leave me a comment below.

OctPoWriMo

from MorgueFile

Prompt: sea shells; Word Prompts: beach, ocean, shell, coast

Upon

Upon the sandy shores,

rocky too

the lakeside shores

where beginning meets the end,

forgotten,

like broken bottle turned to gem stones

and the discarded homes of lake life,

sea shells and beach glass

at home in Terminus.

Prompt: upside down; Word prompts: topsy turvy, vice versa, contrary, unhinged, muddled; Poetic form: Acrostic

Universal Within

Under the water, topsy turvy
Pressure building around the
Silence encasing me.
Inside, I am lost, contrary
Delveloping a complex, I guess
Even though I feel weak, life is

Daring me to try harder
Of the fears that have
Within and without--
Never will submit to being unhinged any longer.

Prompt: simplicity; Poetic form: Haiku

Simple Haiku

Nary a moment

that the universe won't speak--

just listen won't you.

Day 27: Ashes to Earth (Ghazal)

Word Prompts: spice, essence, tangy, putrid, earthy; Poetic Form: Ghazal

Think fall and that is what I wrote about today. Just some of the simple pleasures that come with the autumnal bliss. Enjoy, Dear Readers!

OctPoWriMo

from MorgueFile

Ashes to Earth

Ashes to earth, the loamy earth calling,

With aromas of earth and sky calling.

Songs of musky damp leaves that mottle the landscape,

Or the distant warmth cooking of apple cider calling.

What do you know of the autumnal wastes,

As the world slowly dies, is still calling.

With spicy cinnamon or tangy pumpkin,

Nestled within all thing edible and calling.

What do you think of this season of diminishing,

Both beautiful and desecrated calling.