after days of rain
the shallow rooted pine
succumbed to gravity
bare limbs brushing the clay
thicket creeper creeping
~kat
For today, a gogyohka. It’s meant to be concise (five lines) but free (variable line length with each phrase). No special seasonal or cutting words. No subject matter constraints. Just five lines of poetic phrases.
believing
prepared me for
leaving, headed
somewhere, far
into the empty
perhaps waiting
for me
~kat
A Blackout Poem based on the poem below by Heiu Minh Nguyen:
Uptown, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Even though it’s May & the ice cream truck
parked outside my apartment is somehow certain,
I have a hard time believing winter is somehow,
all of a sudden, over — the worst one of my life,
the woman at the bank tells me. Though I’d like to be,
it’s impossible to be prepared for everything.
Even the mundane hum of my phone catches me
off guard today. Every voice that says my name
is a voice I don’t think I could possibly leave
(it’s unfair to not ask for the things you need)
even though I think about it often, even though
leaving is a train headed somewhere I’d probably hate.
Crossing Lyndale to meet a friend for coffee
I have to maneuver around a hearse that pulled too far
into the crosswalk. It’s empty. Perhaps spring is here.
Perhaps it will all be worth it. Even though I knew|
even then it was worth it, staying, I mean. waiting for me.
Even now, there is someone, somehow,
wet
air, cool misty, damp
tiny rain drops pelt my cheek
sharp, breezy kisses
~kat 2020
there’s a firefly on my window
a golden dot strobing in the night
darkness, as he flutters out of sight
but for the faint, cloud-veiled moon-glow
can’t sleep, went to bed hours ago
closed my eyes hoping that I just might
there’s a firefly on my window
a golden dot strobing in the night
take a breath, give sleep another go
plump the pillow, turn off every light
restful sleep should not require a fight
morning will be here before we know
there’s a firefly on my window
~kat
A Rondel: ABba abAB abbaA.
It’s been a good week here in the foothills. We have three new Phoebe chicks nesting just under the eave of our house. My peace lily has four blooms…FOUR! That’s a first for me. The money tree is thriving. Got tomatoes and cucumber plants sprouting in a little back porch garden, the roses are blooming, blackberry buds are emerging, the weeds are blooming, clover is abundant, including a dozen or more four leafers, and I saw my first woodpecker! I’ve been on this earth over 60 years and never saw one in person until this week! And I actually had time to start reading a book. Oh my…a book!
It’s the little things, isn’t it? The little insignificant things that we missed when we were so busy going here and there, working from dawn to dusk in windowless cubicles and offices, the hours spent commuting, stuck in traffic. The virus has been disruptive, terrifying and devastating, but it has also forced us to slow down. And if we are wise, we take a moment to notice. Just notice. The little things will do the rest. They’ve been there all along waiting for you.
Have a week filled with little things my friends. Stay safe, stay healthy…peace.
Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 17 May 2020
I remember every first moment
i am like the wind
everything is gray
head in the heavens
I don’t need a new normal
diminutive perfection
~kat
A ReVerse poem (a practice I started many years ago) is a summary poem with a single line lifted from each entry of a collection of work over a particular timeframe and re-penned in chronological order as a new poem. Unlike a collaborative poem, the ReVerse features the words of one writer, providing a glimpse into their thoughts over time. I use it as a review of the previous week.
like mercury colliding... 