Showing posts with label Poetry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Poetry. Show all posts

Sunday, March 8, 2015

An Author's Purpose

Time off means time to think. I'm enjoying the leisure that comes with the beginning of spring break even though it doesn't feel like spring yet.  Four days ago I tromped with Madilyn and Sophie through layered snow amidst a path of trees out behind our house.  Beyond the greenbelt, train tracks were covered in ice and glistening white powder. Snug below a canopy of trees, we felt as if we'd wandered into Narnia. We traveled into one of those surreal moments that come few and far between.  I pondered over purpose.  Now, in this moment, the snow has melted, the sky remains grey, and I will write — today. 




 Some call it ADHD
         Others call it creativity
My friend calls it "diversified talent"
       I call it confusing.

There are those who know,
know why, know who, know purpose.
They ask the flight attendant for scotch
and she answers with cheap whiskey. 
The Knowers prophesy perfection,
but,
       do they ever question the blueprint?
In dark hours before dawn
           Does Doubt visit the architect?

I crave the frenzy,
     I swim in stormy waters,
               to catch the wave
of promised change.

Lenka says, "all I want to be is everything— 
at once."
Me too.

..........................................................Since the age of I don't remember,
the stories are of mothers, homemakers, writers, teachers, lawyers, poets, business owners, hairdressers, copywriters, postcard creators, interior decorators, fashionistas,  story builders.

Curiosity is the giver,
and the taker;
didn't he kill the cat?

My grandparents lived in the same house for fifty years.
I've lived in thirteen.

My grandmother, a preacher woman,
her profession was dedicated to helping others:

HER ENTIRE LIFE.

             I am what I am.
     
Study and obsess until I get good, at least proficient. 
Put in the time until time slows.
Then boredom sets in,
or I pass by greener grass, 
that damned grass!
Who tends the grounds?
How long has the landscaper scaped?

I pass another lawn,
     as green as the last,
         and I forget.

Tales told,
a cruel narrator who makes and murders.
Characters evolve, the setting moves,
onto the next.

I am the curator of my life.
Author Unknown.


Saturday, April 19, 2014

Blood Moon and Palindromes

Palindrome: a word, phrase, sentence, or number that reads or means the same thing forwards or backwards.

Blood Moon: a moniker for a lunar eclipse that gives the moon a warm red appearance.


http://i.space.com/images/i/000/005/941/i02/reddened-moon-lunar-eclipse-101221-02.jpg?1292951155
http://i.space.com/images/i/000/005/941/i02/reddened-moon-lunar-eclipse-101221-02.jpg?1292951155



     On 4-14-14 my student blurted out, “Mrs. H, did you know that the dates this week are all palindromes?  
    To which I responded with kind euphemism, “Tucker, please raise your hand if you have something to share and let’s keep our discussions relevant to the novel,” code for shut your mouth, that was random, and don’t interrupt me!  (NEVER would I say aloud.) However, as all good educators know, our students teach us, too.  Intrigued, I casually meandered to his table, and quietly asked him to explain more.

      “Tucker, when I write out the date, 04-14-2014, I don’t end up with a palindrome.  
       He responded, “No, you have to write the dates like this, 4-14-14, 4-15-14,… See? Now you have a set of palindromes."
     “Cool,” I replied, and nodded my head while muttering, “How interesting.”  

      The next day, inspired by palindrome dates and apocalyptic eclipses, I told my students to write a poem over the “blood moon” using 8 palindrome words.  If you missed all the moon hype, here is a link to witness the spectacular sight.





     Figuring I ought to implement what I instruct, I wrote a poem using palindrome phrases. 

Murder for a jar of red rum
Now do I repay a period won?
Was it a bat I saw?
Nurse, I spy gypsies, run!
Too hot to hoot,
Too far, Edna, wander afoot.
Was it a cat I saw?
Toot! Toot!
Mad? Am I madam?
4-16-14
No omelet did tele moon! 



    A poem devised of palindromic phrases proved harder than I thought, thus I borrowed heavily from: http://www.cs.arizona.edu/icon/oddsends/palinsen.htm
  
  Anyway, next time you trip acid, while watching the moon eclipse red, feel free to recite my cryptic poem, shouting it into a vast black interminable sky! (Disclaimer:  JUST SAY NO!  I do not condone the use of illegal drugs nor does this blog.) 

Let the ever eclectic fairytale continue...

~Truly, Cinderella

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

In Memory of a Sunset

Originally, I'd planned a lighthearted post for this week; however, after tragic loss, I've chosen a more somber tone.  A dear friend of mine unexpectedly lost her husband a few days ago and my heart breaks for her.  
Therefore, in honor of my friend:

~May your strength in spirit allow you to find peace, and someday, once the dust has settled, may you witness the beauty of a West Texas sunset again.

In Memory of a Sunset
The sun shines on her face, illuminating truth.

Before.  The inscrutable darkness, which consumed his conscious approached like rumbling clouds in a black, violent dirt storm. The air smelled of clay and the impending sand storm approached.  Mercurial moods orchestrated the production, indifferent to those who stood below.  Earth mother, the playwright, wrote the script long ago and the gods directed the actors: wind, sky and sand. Peering out onto that untamed stage, the woman noticed the trees shimmy and writhe, shaking their nerves before the play began.  They stretched and warmed their muscles diligently preparing for their mimes.  The clay and sky clasped hands, for on this day their characters aligned in quiet indignation and united in muddy colors of muted red and gray.  The trees angrily cried out to the sands, who nod and began their ascension to the sky.

The dust builds in prolific grandeur, producing a prodigious dark cloud of dirt.  Ominous and unyielding, the callous storm blocks the pleasant sun.  Onlookers grieve the sight and scurry inside to find shelter.  But shelter cannot be found, for the dirt creeps through crevices and settles on still surfaces.  If only all would rest atop a surface; instead particles crash and collide against the air, suffocating those who desperately desire the calming rays of sun.  Rain will not come.  The sun will not shine.  Blue skies remain at bay, blocked by cruel winds who pull from the desert floor and thrash grit across the landscape. Relief will not come.

Eventually the wind tires, eventually the haze of dust falls.  Vivid memories return like happiness in a jar released by the musty scent of dancing sprinklers, the distinct cool fragrance of earth covered by water.  Laughing children echo in a distant past.  Soft whispers are heard, whispers exchanged by lovers on back porches; lovers who know and keep shared secrets.  Time heals all hurts, so they say; gratefully, memories remain. The air is still now, the sun is setting.  And softly, the sun peeks over the earth's horizon to whisper goodnight, and with sincerest apology he offers his condolences.  "You see," he says, "the remnants of clay make for beautiful sunsets."  Shades of gold and burgundy fill the sky in monumental farewell, reminding us that the peace is found at dusk and the sun will brighten the Eastern sky in the morning.



Inspired by:
From In Memory of W.B. Yeats by W.H. Auden: 

  In the deserts of the heart
Let the healing fountain start,
 In the prison of his days
Teach the free man how to praise.

In the deserts of the heart Let the healing fountain start, In the prison of his days Teach the free man how to praise. - See more at: http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15544#sthash.DPIdoL6P.dpuf
In the deserts of the heart Let the healing fountain start, In the prison of his days Teach the free man how to praise. - See more at: http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15544#sthash.DPIdoL6P.dpuf
In the deserts of the heart Let the healing fountain start, In the prison of his days Teach the free man how to praise. - See more at: http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15544#sthash.DPIdoL6P.dpuf