Category Archives: Challenges and Writing Prompts

May 21, 2023

ReVerse Poem – Sunday, May 21, 2023

By Kat Myrman 
Whew!!! This week’s ReVerse poem is a whopper. I’ll blame it on the Landay, and the gut-wrenching, emotional, evocative tone of this short, sharp, to the point form. I’m not sure this stream of lines makes sense this week, except…it is very much like life itself. The highs, the lows, the joys, the sorrows, the incredible amount of grace it takes to get up every morning and do this thing called living again and again. The grace it takes to find gratefulness in being granted one more go at it. Peaceful journey to you. Remember to breathe and don’t be afraid to feel the feels! It makes life, all of it, worth living! 
ReVerse Poem ~ Sunday, May 21, 2023

when I smile, it’s me being kind, not flirtation.
In my youth, god was a mean, old man...
The blood of children is on your hands
birthing is a beautiful, exhilarating mess.
There are women I don’t understand,
How are we so different from them, 
My love knows me well, every cell 
Do not kiss me only with your mouth
it’s the pleasure you take harming innocent lives.
a weapon of hate wielded by carpetbaggers
I’m afraid if I tell you the truth
We are not free, to feel what we feel
even in her distress, she weeps grace-filled fragrant tears.

~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.

3 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in 2023, Challenges and Writing Prompts, Digital Art & Photos, Essays, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings, Reverse Poem, Week in Review

May 20, 2023

Landay – Day 6

By Kat Myrman 
issues….

We are not free, to feel what we feel
to say it out loud, to say what we think, to be real.

I’m afraid if I tell you the truth
you’ll reject me as other…it won’t matter, the proof.

When did voting become a dagger,
a weapon of hate wielded by carpetbaggers? 

It’s not that our politics don’t jive 
But it’s the pleasure you take harming innocent lives.

Landay – The Landay is the poetic form of Afghan women. The poem is 22 syllables long and contains 2 lines. 9 syllables in the first and 11 in the second. Rhyme is not specifically called for but a great many do rhyme at the end of each line. Subjects can include, but are not limited to, war, separation, homeland, grief, or love.

Pronunciation/Etymology. In Pashto, “landay (LAND-ee)” means “short, poisonous snake,” likely an allusion to its minimal length and use of sarcasm. Landays (or landai) often criticize traditions and gender roles.

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May 19, 2023

Landay – Day 5

By Kat Myrman 
speaking of love…

Do not kiss me only with your mouth
but with your voice, breath, eyes; love me fully, leave no doubt.

My love knows me well, every cell 
what I like, what I don’t, things true lovers never tell.

-kat

Landay – The Landay is the poetic form of Afghan women. The poem is 22 syllables long and contains 2 lines. 9 syllables in the first and 11 in the second. Subjects can include, but are not limited to, war, separation, homeland, grief, or love.

Pronunciation/Etymology. In Pashto, “landay (LAND-ee)” means “short, poisonous snake,” likely an allusion to its minimal length and use of sarcasm. Landays (or landai) often criticize traditions and gender roles.

3 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in 2023, Challenges and Writing Prompts, Digital Art & Photos, Landay, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings

May 18, 2023

Landay – Day 4

By Kat Myrman 
How are we so different from them, 
our women treated as chattel by power drunken men.

There are women I don’t understand,
who deny themselves, follow in lockstep with a man.

Burning burst of water, blood, and flesh
birthing is a beautiful, exhilarating mess.

~kat

Landay – The Landay is the poetic form of Afghan women. The poem is 22 syllables long and contains 2 lines. 9 syllables in the first and 11 in the second. Subjects can include, but are not limited to, war, separation, homeland, grief, or love.

Pronunciation/Etymology. In Pashto, “landay (LAND-ee)” means “short, poisonous snake,” likely an allusion to its minimal length and use of sarcasm. Landays (or landai) often criticize traditions and gender roles.

10 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in 2023, Challenges and Writing Prompts, Digital Art & Photos, Landay, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings

May 17, 2023

Landay – Day 3

By Kat Myrman 
The blood of children is on your hands.
You, with your guns, tell me how pro-life
you are again.

~kat

Landay – The Landay is the poetic form of Afghan women. The poem is 22 syllables long and contains 2 lines. 9 syllables in the first and 11 in the second. Subjects can include, but are not limited to, war, separation, homeland, grief, or love.

Pronunciation/Etymology. In Pashto, “landay (LAND-ee)” means “short, poisonous snake,” likely an allusion to its minimal length and use of sarcasm. Landays (or landai) often criticize traditions and gender roles.

8 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in 2023, Challenges and Writing Prompts, Digital Art & Photos, Landay, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings, Social Issues