Category Archives: Challenges and Writing Prompts

May 30, 2018

why so shocked – 42 Day 30

By Kat Myrman

why so shocked

it’s not like we didn’t know

such fools…we deserve this mess
and more, for our willful indifference

this monstrosity is our own doing,
every unearthed revelation, every vulgar tweet,
ironic, how greatness has become our undoing

~kat

For Jane Dougherty’s Daily Poem Challenge 42.

My political commentary for the day. Nothing should shock us anymore, and yet, we still find ourselves dumbfounded, mouth agape, staring blankly at our screens, every time a new “truth” comes to light and the talking heads jabber away with feigned outrage (secretly happy for the increased ratings to be had for their latest expose’).

One thing I have noticed has changed, however. We are no longer afraid of the “L” word. We no longer tiptoe around it as was the practice only a few short years ago. It is not uncommon to hear it proclaimed without even a blip of hesitation. “The president LIED.” “Well that is just a lie.” No more, “maybe it’s alternative facts”, “maybe he really believes it”, no more, “to say something is a lie, we must know the intent of the liar, and of course it is impossible to know intent…” Apparently, we are past giving a pass to this liar in chief who cannot tell the truth…ever. And that I believe is a good thing. Oh there are still the die-hards who believe every cockamamie thing that comes from his orange face; who believe every word he tweets with his tiny fingers. Nothing will ever convince them otherwise. But I am encouraged that the truth seems to be making a slow, steady comeback by default. Truth is still a bit elusive, but the fact that we can acknowledge a lie when it is a lie, is a good start.

Peace.

13 Comments   |  tags: , , , | posted in Challenges and Writing Prompts, Cherita?, Random Thoughts and Musings

May 29, 2018

42 Day 29

By Kat Myrman

time for replanting 

pale peace lily, a gift, rooted
in a dusting of dirt and gel beads

you’ve lasted for years, my hope
will you survive, now free, your feet newly
plotted in peat or die from the shock of change

~kat

For Jane Dougherty’s Daily Poem Challenge: “42”. I’m heading on vacation next week and bringing my plants from the office home, where they will stand a better chance of survival, and watering, if needed, by the cat-sitter.  It seems like a good time to re-pot this hearty little plant. I’ve had it for years. It is rooted in just a small amount of soil, plopped into a what was once a bright array of gel dots. They have since lost their color and shape. The plant now sits in a tall vase of goo that barely holds water. Certainly, I am hoping it will spread its roots with delight once settled into nutrient rich soil. But there is a part of me that wonders if plants like people get so used to the prisons they find themselves in, that once set free, they wither away from the shock of change. I’m hoping it’s not the latter. At the very  least I owe it to this little plant to give it a taste of real…or as real as it can be, life, in a clay pot.

Update…I’m thinking she likes her new digs…fingers crossed. 😊

8 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , | posted in Challenges and Writing Prompts, Cherita?, Digital Art & Photos, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings

May 28, 2018

42 Day 28

By Kat Myrman

earth after the tempest

rain drenched, grassy knolls
swelling waterways, sparkling

misty hollows, verdant lush
scent of blossoms, earthy musk
wetness becomes her

~kat

For Jane Dougherty’s Daily Poetry Challenge, “42”.

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

May 27, 2018

42 Day 27

By Kat Myrman

nothing to see on this overcast morn

the sunlight’s soft, muted, no shadows to swoon
no scampering squirrels, no birds on the wing

let’s happily linger between silken sheets
rhythmically purring, my predator sleeps,
blissful, not bothered as chickadees sing

~kat

For Jane Dougherty’s Daily Poem Challenge, “42”.

13 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in Challenges and Writing Prompts, Cherita?, Digital Art & Photos, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings

May 26, 2018

Shame – 42 Day 26

By Kat Myrman

what kind of monster

rips babies from their mothers,
asylum seekers; punishment for hope

liberty’s promise rots, dead,
behind walls, hate, it’s not safe
the monsters here are real

~kat

For Jane’s Dougherty’s Daily Poem Challenge. I read Jane’s poem today again after penning my own. It gives me hope. It is true that some parts of the world are becoming kinder. Not here. My poem reflects the polar opposite to Jane’s poem ‘Pride’. I am calling mine “Shame”.

I learned of a new border crossing practice instituted by our current leaders that is so heinous it makes me sick. (An article from the Houston Chronicle about this HERE.)

As a deterrent to asylum seekers, the border patrol is now separating children from parents. Then the children, some as young as 18 months are deemed “unaccompanied minors” and shuffled into a mismanaged foster system, making it difficult to reunite these families when the parents are released to be deported. These parents are not dangerous criminals smuggling over our border, mind you, but rather families who present themselves to border patrol authorities seeking asylum from horrendous conditions, and even the threat of death, in their own countries. For even thinking they might find safety here, they are rewarded with something even more horrible.

I am heartened by Jane’s happy “42” today. The sun is shining here too; birds are singing. I should be writing about that, but my heart is just not in it.

10 Comments   |  tags: , , , , | posted in Challenges and Writing Prompts, Cherita?, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings, Social Issues