Category Archives: free verse

May 10, 2025

day 129

By Kat Myrman 
just an old lady

I am a universe
a constellation of scars
black holes of abuse 
cratered by the meteoric blows
of broken men rendered powerless 
who felt eclipsed in my presence
my heart broken and mended 
time and again
I am a miracle of nature 
a patchwork of sorrow
a brilliant supernova of ecstasy 
my body is a life-supporting orb
its outer space a Milky Way 
of stretch marks
that trace paths across 
the soft landscape of my core 
where life bloomed again and again
erupting into new universes
as well as a shooting star
that left a trail of tears 
falling under the weight of gravity 
before disappearing into the night
I am the sun, warm, radiant, fierce,
and the moon, a reflection of all 
that is true, with the power to 
shift tides that erode stone set
in place for centuries, reclaiming
their course shards into the deep, 
leaving a soft, cool surface 
for children to sink their feet
I am a mystery, I am an open book
my eyes, pools of compassion, 
my voice dripping pearls of wisdom,
I am love, I am hate, I am day, I am night
some will say, 
oh, she is just an old woman
but lean in a little closer my dears
and you will see…I am a universe

~kat

It’s Mother’s Day weekend here in the US. It’s weird this year. So much of what we fought for in my youth is being eroded away by those who dream of the world before women were given rights. It wasn’t that long ago that women couldn’t own property, obtain credit, vote, or make health decisions for themselves. How quickly things slip away when we take them for granted.

And so, we celebrate mothers this weekend. If you are fortunate enough to have a loving mother who is still in your life, cherish her. Be sure to tell her that you appreciate her. And if your life is complicated…i wish you peace and healing.

Much love and glimmers to you. Today was a cool spring day. That was glimmer enough for me. I hope the sun is shining wherever you are.

~kat ✨✨✨💚💚💚✨✨✨

9 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , | posted in 2025, Digital Art & Photos, free verse, Life Lessons, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings, Social Issues

May 9, 2025

day 128

By Kat Myrman 
the navigator

she tells us where to go
how to get there actually 
what did we do before her?

we were intrepid passengers
wrestling with atlas or
folded sheets of triple A routes
that took us from home 
to the world and back…

starting route…
her familiar voice breaks
through my pop rock playlists
and…we’re on our way
set to arrive in 2 hours, 14 minutes
unless…life interrupts, construction,
fellow travelers’ journeys cut short,
a one-lane detour around fresh carnage
stretching our necks to see if
there is blood, grateful to have left
a few minutes later than we had planned
turn left at the next light in 200 feet…
turn left, turn left, TURN LEFT…
recalculating route…make a u-turn
then turn right at the next light…

whatever did we do…how did we ever
find our way, I muse to myself
parked on the side of the road…
I think we broke her, 
clearly she did not intend 
for us to cross through this cornfield…

the sun sits midway in the eastern sky…
we need to head north…
at next intersection let’s take a right, 
scenic route starting…we might
arrive a bit later than planned 
but we’ll get there, as the crow flies

~kat

I often think about life before tech. The tools of our simple lives did not require 24/7 attention. We had phones of course. Simple land lines, not smartphones that connected us via satellite to the world. If I wanted to learn about sea turtles, I would go to the library. Travel was an adventure. We learned to read maps. Verbal directions included street names and landmarks to get us to our destination. We learned how to tell time by looking at the face of a clock, how to tie our shoes, phonics and how to read and write using a pen and paper. When we paid for things we used actual money And television shows were in grainy black and white, with three channels that ended at midnight with the Star-Spangled Banner playing until the screen faded to black. The good old days some call it. Different from today to be sure.

These days we are tuned in, plugged in, and online day and night. Convenient, I suppose. Intrusive, definitely. But I have to say, I feel fortunate for my youth and the 20th century survival skills I learned. Next power outage I’ll be here if you need me. I know stuff! 😄

Much love, peace, and glimmers to you!

Today’s glimmer? A lovely new pope as of yesterday. While I am no longer a practicing Catholic, I do appreciate the character attributes that Leo XIV brings to this broken world. I think they picked a good one!

~kat ✨✨✨💚💚💚✨✨✨

10 Comments   |  tags: , , , | posted in 2025, Digital Art & Photos, Essays, free verse, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings

May 4, 2025

day 123

By Kat Myrman 
the ash tree 

I didn’t realize in autumn
when the leaves of summer 
were dancing on the wind, 
that this would be her last 
fall and winter, her limbs left
exposed to bear the bitter cold, 
I wonder now if she had already 
left before the first frost, 
for I had only known her
a few years, when her once lush 
raiment had already thinned…
I never rested in her shade
on hot, sunny summer days 
never saw her in full bloom, 
memories of nested fledglings
taking first flights, learning 
to bend with the fiercest of tempests
were things I could only imagine,
her bones exposed now against 
a beautiful sea of green, even now
the crows and mourning doves
perch on her brittle limbs 
surveying the landscape and me…
how is it possible to miss someone
you never truly knew, and yet I do
how I wish I had known you old tree, 
in the spring…

~kat

Another bittersweet day. We need to call a tree service to take this ash tree down. Her fragile condition threatens our vehicles and home should a strong wind overtake her. I’ve watched her slow decline since we moved here a few years ago. I knew it was just a matter of time. But I was not ready for it to be this year. She was a special tree. Recently I noticed this heart-shape hollowed out in the bark on her trunk…a parting goodbye I imagine and a gentle acknowledgement of my admiration for her. It’s as if she showed me her heart.

I am learning as I age the art of letting go…and I am grateful for the grace of these lessons. I think it may actually be a blessing. When my time comes I hope to slip away as gently as my friend, the ash tree.

Now there’s a glimmer for you.

Much love, peace, and gentle glimmers to you.

~kat ✨✨✨💚💚💚✨✨✨

9 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in 2025, Digital Art & Photos, Essays, free verse, Life Lessons, nature, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings, Spirituality

April 29, 2025

glimmer day 118 ~ NaGloPoWriMo 29 April 2025

By Kat Myrman 
a day in the life dawning 

even if I wanted to forget
they would remind me
rhythmic purrs growing
loud, louder under my bed
tiny toe pads tapping my arm
a stealth attack, razor sharp
teeth penetrating the blanket 
and my feet…OUCH! recoiling, 
my body contracting into
a fetal position, please go away
but they are relentless, my brood,
a diva dog, two white cat tyrants and 
a Schrödinger cat, jet black, who 
travels incognito through life… 
even when he’s not there, it’s safe
to assume he is…there…somewhere 
all this because it’s morning
time to take the pup out for the two p’s, time, good god mom! for breakfast…
time to get my opposable thumbs moving…
you don’t want us starving 
(you’ve heard of the old lady
with a house full of cats that ate her 
face when she died…don’t tempt us!)
no rest for the weary, breakfast is served 
just in time to watch the sun rise…
another day, another morning…
work, feed the brood, sleep, repeat

~kat

Oh, I protest…but I wouldn’t change a thing. I love living with wild souls in my home. Inside and outside I am surrounded by pure, beating hearts, some who depend on me entirely for their survival. And for my servitude they reward me with unconditional love and devotion. Today’s poem and glimmer are one in the same. The imp above is our kitty, Frankie. She’s very demanding but also very affectionate. She and her furry, feathered and scaled siblings give me a reason to get up each morning. how wonderful is that?! 🥰

Much love, peace, and glimmers to you!

~kat

NaGloPoWriMo 29 April 2025 Prompt:

Ordinary rituals
We do rituals all the time even if we don’t recognize them. We gather for things like birthday parties, baby showers, bachelorette parties, funerals, etc. Even these small mindfulness practices are a kind of ritual. For today’s draft, think of a traditional or habitual activity and write a poem about it. / Recommended reading: “Blessing the Baby” by Diannely Antigua

5 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , | posted in 2025, Challenges and Writing Prompts, Digital Art & Photos, Essays, free verse, Life Lessons, napowrimo, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings

April 28, 2025

glimmer day 117 ~ NaGloPoWriMo 28 April 2025

By Kat Myrman 
outside of the box

we arrive here naked, unencumbered 
only to be quickly swaddled in cloth,
socks and booties forced on our feet,
sleepers and onesies, snaps, buttons,
and safety pins; try as we might to
break free, to wiggle our bare toes,
to feel the breeze on our skin, eventually
we comply with humanity’s dress code
and spend a lifetime covering ourselves
in fashion (a term that makes it sound
fancy) as if the magnificent skin
inhabited by our soul was somehow
inferior, shameful even, best hidden… 
but those of us fortunate enough to live 
to be gray, with skin soft and thinning, 
who’ve grown comfortable 
as our souls begin to spill out,
some of us, I admit I am one,
relish losing the shoes and
the clothes, and the shame, 
planting our bare feet in tall grass, 
pressing our toes into the cool earth 
as the breeze kisses our skin 
under the glow of the  moon and stars, 
finally free to be as nature intended…
naked as the day we were born

~kat

Today’s glimmer…new tetras for the fish tank. This year’s long winter was hard on so many of us. We found ourselves without power several times. One time though when the temperatures were particularly frigid, we were without power for days…long enough to lose what was in our refrigerator, no water, no way to leave because we were iced in. We survived by wearing layers and huddling under blankets, but most of our poor little fish didn’t make it.  We were unable warm the aquarium water as the temperatures inside dropped day by day. I missed them. Miraculously two hearty souls had survived along with our big precious and catfish, but they looked so lonely. This past weekend we added some friends. The world feels restored, if only under my roof! Meet the fishes who brighten my day every day! 

NaGloPoWriMo 28 April 2025 Prompt:

Break the mold. Get out of the rut. Think outside the box.
Write a poem about a new way of doing something. / Recommended reading: “For When We Greet Each Other” by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer

3 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , | posted in 2025, Challenges and Writing Prompts, Digital Art & Photos, Essays, free verse, Life Lessons, napowrimo, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings