Category Archives: Challenges and Writing Prompts

April 1, 2025

day 90 ~ Na/GloPoWriMo 2025 off-prompt 4.1

By Kat Myrman 
s(h)elf life 

I passed my “best if used by” date
over a half a century ago
exposure to the elements 
has taken quite a toll

my skin is leathery and dry
my hair is turning gray
I need bifocals for my eyes
my hearing’s fine…wait, what’d you say?

my plumbing’s gotten leaky
my pipes are filled with gas
I‘ve lost control completely
might toot toot as i walk past 

expirations come, no warning
and the end, I’m sure, is near
luck will keep me ‘til the morning
may the fates grant me a few more years

believe me when I tell you
though I’m slowly losing steam
my mind still thinks I’m twenty-two
filled with hope and unspent dreams

~kat

Na/GloPoWriMo 2025 April 1: Well, I’m not sure where that came from based on the prompt. I started looking at musical terms and artist terms and paintings and ended up considering the concept of shelf lives and expiration dates and how they relate to aging in humans. I blame this detour partly on my day job which bothers itself with product lifecycles, expiration dates and the like. I suppose it’s a sad commentary on the reality of my lack of work-life balance. But I digress. 

And…there goes a butterfly…will ya look at that!

Much love, peace, and unlimited, unspoiled glimmers to you!

~kat

Here’s a link to today’s Na/GloPoWriMo prompt, just in case you want to give it a try. 

16 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , | posted in 2025, Challenges and Writing Prompts, Digital Art & Photos, Essays, Humor, napowrimo, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings, Rhymed Verse

March 31, 2025

NaPoWriMo Earlybird Challenge ~ Glimmer day 89

By Kat Myrman 
three generations

my first portrait
hidden deep inside the babe 
mother of my mother

~kat

There is a theory that the egg that became me (with a little help from my dad, of course) was carried inside my mother since all women are born with all the eggs they will have in their lifetime. Where it gets interesting is that, as your mother was developing in your grandmother’s womb, a part of you was there too. Having four daughters, three of whom have daughters stirs my imagination. To think that I once held the sparks of my granddaughters while I carried their mothers inside me.  Isn’t life a miraculous thing! 

That said, hidden in the old photo above is a glimmer of me. 

Much love, peace, and glimmers of promise to you!

~kat

NaGloPoWriMo 2025 Early Bird Challenge: try penning a portrait poem of your own. It can be a self-portrait, a portrait of someone well known to you, or even a poem inspired by an actual painted portrait.

8 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in 2025, Challenges and Writing Prompts, Digital Art & Photos, Essays, Haiku, napowrimo, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings

March 26, 2025

day 84 ~ by any other name

By Kat Myrman 
peace lily
.
she’s 
an imposter
known
by the moniker
lily…verifiably untrue
still she’s
ever green, a symbol
of peace, purity,
of healing…
a blessing
call her what you will 

~kat

A favorite indoor plant of mine is the peace lily, aka Spathiphyllum or Spathe for short. I always have one or two plants in my inside spaces. Every bloom is an exciting discovery and lasts for weeks!

It doesn’t matter to me what we call these wonderful plants. Even if they aren’t officially “true lilies” it’s hard to deny the blessings they symbolize. Inspiring things like prosperity, peace, tranquility, purity, innocence, hope, ambition, surrender and acceptance… what’s not to love about this evergreen plant that is not fussy to keep and regularly bloom’s beautiful flowers!

Peace, love, and true glimmers to you. And even “untrue” glimmers will do. Tonight I spent time admiring my peace “lily”, and what she symbolizes, and I wonder, what’s in a name anyway?

~kat

Oh…and I also was delighted by the antics of this guy, a resident wild squirrel bandit who regularly steals seeds from the bird feeder. He’s quite an acrobat!

…and a final look at the sun as it dips below the horizon:

13 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , | posted in 2025, Challenges and Writing Prompts, Life Lessons, Pi-Prime 11, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings, Social Issues

February 15, 2025

day 45 ~ and we wait & day 46 ~ affirmations

By Kat Myrman
Spent several hours in the office space where I worked for 7 years before the pandemic sent me home to work remotely. It felt like a ghost town, but was a haven in the storm where I was able to recharge our generator batteries. Thankfully we didn’t need to use them for more than a few hours. in case you missed it… a huge glimmer her and gratefulness for access to resources.

Some random thoughts as I catch up on the past two days 

day 45 ~ and we wait

blackout 

the prospect of one more night
of bitter cold, of darkness, of death
our tropical fish succumbing one by one
it’s an unbearable burden 
my best attempts to sustain us
woefully inadequate but I keep fighting
the warm-blooded souls under our roof
huddled, hanging on to the promise
that the services we depend upon
will be restored before day’s end 
heartened by activity, tree removal 
and utility trucks, in the neighborhood
trust slipping away by the hours 
as darkness once again swallows the light

but I digress…
is this what it will be like
In coming years as safety nets
are eliminated, as our country crumbles
as the loyalists of the king are rewarded
and those of us opposed or other are
excluded to fend for ourselves…
must prepare, must be better prepared 

huddled under layers of clothes and 
blankets I close my eyes in hope
that at least this night the light 
will break through, that power will
be restored, that we will be safe again
and then
a sputter, the hum of electronics, the
computer screens flash on, the printer
reboots and the heat growls to a start
i lay motionless, while the grid surges 
wondering if it is temporary or real
…waiting…wondering…waiting
hoping…as the room becomes warmer
a sigh, a full breath of relief … such relief
short lived, as my mind rudely intrudes must be better prepared…must prepare

~kat

An update. Just lost a few tetras…the other fish held on!
day 46~affirmations 

repeat after me…

I’m still here
I matter
I have value
I am worthy
I am brave
I am a survivor
I deserve respect
I deserve to be happy
I deserve to be free
I am smart
I am compassionate 
I am kind
I am light
I am love 
and yes I am here…I AM SO HERE!

Peace, love, and glimmers of affirmation to you, and remember, you are a magnificent soul. 

~kat

7 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in 2025, Challenges and Writing Prompts, Digital Art & Photos, free verse, Life Lessons, List Poem, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings, Social Issues, Spirituality

January 12, 2025

Day 12 – glimmer and grace

By Kat Myrman 
deer at the bird feeders

how lovely, these three
deer friends happened by, their grace,
prompting me to breathe
we coexist peacefully
sisters from different mothers

~kat

14 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , | posted in 2025, Challenges and Writing Prompts, Digital Art & Photos, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings, Spirituality, Tanka