Category Archives: Shi Sai

February 23, 2025

day 54 – A Reverse Poem – 35 days of glimmers

By Kat Myrman 

day 54 - A ReVerse Poem - 35 days of glimmers

I was there that day
tendering moments of peace
you can be kind to others
diamonds light the dawn
it meant everything 
remembering…

a great gaggle of gobblers passed by
and moments of zen
I’m sure you’re thinking
there is no safe place

it was a good day until
rain fell dawn to dusk
darkness fading
defying abject cruelty
touching my heart and soul deeply
how are you doing?

the price is high, this choice you made
drenching earth where seedlings rest
time to breath
the earth will bloom

i’m having a moment
much ado to do
resting in quiet peace
the time to be prepared is now
an impressive confidence
they’re special that way

born of magic
I am a survivor
it’s an unbearable burden 
blanketed under winter

you owe it to yourself you know
grace before a storm
we are not broken
sometimes when words fail
it’s time that i accept the truth

~kat

It’s been more than a minute since I have put together a ReVerse. 35 days to be exact! My my how time flies when the world as we know it is imploding! Today’s creation spans all the way back to January, on the eve of Inauguration Day here in the US. It’s been a whirlwind hasn’t it? But we have survived on glimmers. Those daily glimpses of light in the darkness. They say if you do something for at least 30 days, it becomes a habit. And we need those glimmers more than ever now. Have you found it easier to notice them? I do most days. Like anything practice makes perfect!

So….Remember to breathe…and remember to be kind. It’s been a revelation to look back at what I was thinking over the course of a very eventful month and some. I’m giving it a moment to settle before pressing onward. 

Be safe, be kind, be you, and no matter what the coming days hold…Peace, Love, and many, many more Glimmers to you. 

~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…or in this case, over the past 35 days.

11 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in 2025, Digital Art & Photos, Essays, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings, Reverse Poem, Shi Sai

May 1, 2024

NaPoWriMo 2024 ~ the ReVerse

By Kat Myrman 
the windows in this house have never been dressed 

1-
when terrible truths rise up from the dead
ancients who reside on veil’s cusp 
I felt it in the deepest part of my soul
entranced, though certain death awaits 
happiness is this moment
a sure antidote for the insanity
Ordered a tea. Wish you were here.

2-
when my time comes, I hope it’s quick
centuries old, with eons of history 
so have a day, good, bad, don’t care
what worked in winter is not a good look for spring
we might have been friends, perhaps we were
We saw it with our own two eyes and lived to tell. 
I think I’ve learned a bitter lesson

3-
Wait until the time is perfect, 
a thought, we speak in code, 
begging to be touched, to feel 
it’s a worn out saying…no regrets
sweet on the tongue with power to sting
like birds to seed
we will never forget that day
is it gray or is it grey?

4-
to know the truth; what is truth?
you love deeply, so deeply
what will be, will be, it’s all good, whatever…
ask me anything
stars bursting ‘midst a sea of green
I’ve spent three days boiling driftwood,
like a tidal wave, you flood my senses, 

denouement-
don’t smile, avoid eye contact, let them be!
her entrance, well, it caused a stir

~kat

Happy May Day to you! Time to look back at the challenge that was, NaPoWriMo 2024, with a ReVerse poem!

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…or in this case, the past month broken into 7 “day” increments.

4 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , | posted in 2024, Challenges and Writing Prompts, Digital Art & Photos, napowrimo, Poetry, Reverse Poem, Shi Sai

March 24, 2024

autumn to winter to spring – a ReVerse Poem

By Kat Myrman

It’s been a minute…three seasons in fact, since I collected lines from previously penned poems and constructed a ReVerse Poem. The intriguing thing is that it seems as though I have landed right where I started…face toward the sun. Another odd thing I noticed was a repeat separated by months of me thinking myself silly for thinking. As Alice was known to comment, “curiouser and curiouser”.

I’m well into the second year of the new normal thrust upon us by a series of unfortunate medical events. It still feels foreign to my partner and me. When you’ve spent decades planning a certain thing and the universe throws a plot twist into your best laid plans… well, I suppose we are still grieving. Spring will be a welcome break from the dreariness of winter; its warmth and sunshine a healing touch. Just what we need.

The hummingbirds will be returning soon. Life does go on…yes it does. 🥰🌱🌼🌞🐣🦋🐝

autumn to winter to spring - a ReVerse Poem 

her full face at dawn
burdened with secrets and
lessons from the past ignored
silly me for ever thinking 

drawing us deep into the one
to sleep at the feet of our mother
the in between has lost its charm

when hope was a thing
I caught her smiling
she slumbers, dreaming of spring
once upon a time she was fierce, 

how silly of me to think it

it keeps me up nights
I see it clearly
it’s time…turn your face to the sun

~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…or in this case, the past several months.

11 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , | posted in 2024, Digital Art & Photos, Essays, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings, Reverse Poem, Shi Sai, Week in Review

September 3, 2023

A “Mash-Up” ReVerse Poem – Sunday, 3 September 2023

By Kat Myrman

Well it’s been a week. Took time away from my day job to catch up on a few big projects at home. Here in the US we call it a staycation but don’t let that close kinship to the word vacation fool you. Staycations are anything but relaxing, recharging, getaways because, as the name implies, one “stays”. All this to say after an exhausting week, I only managed to pen three poems. I really like the shadorma though, and will give it another go next week when life settles into normal.

With only three days worth of inspiration to glean from, I decided to do a full harvest of verse taking each line in sequence from each day. A mashup reVerse poem if you will, rather than waiting for another week to assemble adequate content. Amazingly, it works.

We’d less to say, the silly chores did not wait, but I have a much cleaner garage to show for it, several appointments finally attended after having been canceled when life sidetracked our plans, and I got a few naps in…boy did I need those.

I’m looking forward to this coming week, getting back to my day job and the routine I’ve perfected over the course of this challenging year. I’m still exhausted but it feels oh so good to be able to find a hammer when I need one!

Happy September and impending Autumn to you! The cooler mornings are exhilarating! 😊

A “Mash-Up” ReVerse Poem - Sunday, 3 September 2023

a day off
clouds hang low
this I know
with so much to do
a blanket of mist
when nothing seems true
but I’m trapped
dawn is east
underneath
on treetops 
dusk is west
two hundred pounds of pure love 
cool rain droplets dust my face
the sun rises, then it sets
silly chores can wait
this could be heaven
the moon lights the night

~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.

5 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , | posted in 2023, Challenges and Writing Prompts, Digital Art & Photos, Essays, Poetry, Reverse Poem, Shi Sai, Week in Review

August 27, 2023

A ReVerse Poem ~ Sunday ~ 27 August 2023

By Kat Myrman

Tried something a bit different with this week’s reverse poem. It actually covers the past two weeks. When I put together last weeks verses, I felt it needed more. So now I’ve included those short snippets in italics as background thoughts around the longer verses from this past week’s roundup. I think it works. It took a little more effort but it speaks to me of life right now in general.

Crazy as things may be right now, there are always flickers of beauty, splendor…magnificent. We can curse the dark clouds when they come billowing in or we can embrace the cool refreshing rain. It’s our choice. We have opportunities every day, several times a day in fact, where we can choose light over darkness, gratefulness over bitterness, goodness over evil, truth over lies, kindness over hatefulness. And especially this past week I have been keenly aware of the ways nature encourages us to look deeper. To find treasure in the midst of weeds. If not this, then we’re just taking up space and wasting air.

Choose beauty, light, love and truth my friends. It’s there…I promise! 🥰

A ReVerse Poem ~ 27 August 2023

like heavy fog settles in the hollows
     in a rush, longing for
dusk settles the dross
     you’re thinking…it’s worth
twenty-thousand serendipities to savor
     or two crows
when gaslights endlessly flicker
     …who saved who?
where swelling creeks giggle over rocks when it rains
     love, kindness,
     before hatred…trauma 
monsters don’t hide in closets, under beds, or in the shadows these days
     they assured me
there is always an element of sweetness in the bitter

~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, Reverse Poem, Shi Sai, Week in Review