a greeting

I have been searching
everywhere for you.  You were
here, too close to see.

Dissonance

In my arms, she sleeps.
On the screen, carnage unfolds.
In the trees, birds sing.

NaPoWriMo 15

The birdbath and the feeders are filled; all is still.
I sit, a coffee-sipping statue, waiting.

The notebook and the sketchpad are filled; all is still.
I sit, a coffee-sipping scrivener, waiting.

NaPoWriMo 14

Some days the words come
easy; then suddenly they
hide themselves away.

The first thing I read this morning was the news that Brennan Manning had passed away yesterday, and my thoughts keep circling back to his honest words, his wisdom and tenderness…

a note in passing, to Brennan Manning:

I can just see you,
nestled in your Abba’s arms,
happy to be home.

a found benediction, from Celtic Prayers from Iona:

At my end and new
beginning, the arms of God
welcome, bring me home.

NaPoWriMo 10 – Things I’ve Learned from You

To be strong but not hard
To be firm but not inflexible
To be principled but not holier-than-thou
To be traditional but not archaic
To be compassionate but not condescending
To be cautious but not crippled by fear
To be honest but not hurtful
To be disappointed but not despairing
To be cool under fire but not cold-hearted
To disagree but not disrespect
To make plans but not chisel them in stone
To set expectations but not beyond reach

To live with eyes, mind, and heart open
To love fully and freely

NaPoWriMo 11 – tanka

Some days you want a
blushing sunrise, heralding
bright blissful hours.
But some days a steady rain
is really all that will do.

NaPoWriMo 7 – A Mother Wonders

This is his birthday.
He is an adult, of age.
What am I to do?

NaPoWriMo 8 – ottava rima

Remember me when you are gone away,
for you’re the one who goes, while I must bide.
Don’t worry, I’m not asking you to stay;
You’ve things to do, and I still have my pride.
If you should think of it, call me some day —
Don’t promise; then it won’t seem that you lied.
And if your road should lead you back to me,
I’ll probably still be here…probably.

NaPoWriMo 9 – Vanished

Coffee, half-finished,
cold; back door standing open
to the summer night.

NaPoWriMo 4.1 – Unfortunate Conflict of Interest

It makes perfect sense;
however, my heart simply
will not come to terms.

NaPoWriMo 4.2 – A Fine Disregard for Awkward Facts

A lady does well,
I was taught, to learn not to
notice certain things.

NaPoWriMo 5 – a cinquain

Brahms and
birdsong mingle
through the summer screen door
serenading lavender and
jasmine.

NaPoWriMo 6 – a valediction

My calendar says
it’s thirteen years, yesterday,
since you went away

but I’m sure I heard
your voice just now in the still
of early morning.

Inaugurated in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets, April is observed in the U.S. as National Poetry Month.  For more information, ideas on how to celebrate poetry in your life, and to subscribe to receive a poem a day by email, visit http://www.poets.org.  April is also National Poetry Writing Month (NaPoWriMo), in which those of us who are so inclined are challenged to write a poem each day – more details are available at http://www.napowrimo.net.

Here are my efforts so far:

NaPoWriMo 1 – a found, mashed-up poem

Let us go then, you and I,
along the road less traveled by,
by which the sacred rivers run,
West of the Moon, East of the Sun.
Under the old trees let us lie
and see a star slide down the sky
while all the sands of life shall run
till time and times are done.

NaPoWriMo 2 – a lie

It never even
crossed my mind – the thought that you
could love me that way.

NaPoWriMo 3 – a late-night thanksgiving

Glory be to God for thunderstorms:
for lightning tearing through the midnight sky,
for echoes rumbling off into the dark.
Praise be for winds that roar,
for rain that pounds its reckless fury out
until it gentles to a lullaby.