Category Archives: Random Thoughts and Musings

personal effects

personal effects

mementos
treasured gifts
photographs, letters, sweaters
dust collectors, clutter, junk
rubble

~kat

Elfchen

Known as an “elevenie” in English, the German elfchen (which loosely translates to “little eleven” or “wee eleven”) contains 11 words separated into five lines: one word, then two, then three, then four, then one again. The first line of an elfchen is traditionally some single-word concept, thought, or thing, which the rest of the poem describes—what it does, how it looks, how it makes you feel, whatever strikes your fancy. The last line is often a synonym or some other overarching reflection of your first word.


to the bone

to the bone

work
life balance
work to live
or live to work
burnout

~kat

More fun with the Elfchen…

Known as an “elevenie” in English, the German elfchen (which loosely translates to “little eleven” or “wee eleven”) contains 11 words separated into five lines: one word, then two, then three, then four, then one again. The first line of an elfchen is traditionally some single-word concept, thought, or thing, which the rest of the poem describes—what it does, how it looks, how it makes you feel, whatever strikes your fancy. The last line is often a synonym or some other overarching reflection of your first word.


tea for one

tea for one

missing
your voice
sipping tea, conversation,
solving the world’s problems
alone

~kat

Day Two playing with the Elfchen. 

Elfchen
Known as an “elevenie” in English, the German elfchen (which loosely translates to “little eleven” or “wee eleven”) contains 11 words separated into five lines: one word, then two, then three, then four, then one again. The first line of an elfchen is traditionally some single-word concept, thought, or thing, which the rest of the poem describes—what it does, how it looks, how it makes you feel, whatever strikes your fancy. The last line is often a synonym or some other overarching reflection of your first word.

merry may

merry may

dark
becomes light
blessed be all
gather ‘round the bonfire’s
glow

~kat

A new short poetry form to play with. 

Elfchen
Known as an “elevenie” in English, the German elfchen (which loosely translates to “little eleven” or “wee eleven”) contains 11 words separated into five lines: one word, then two, then three, then four, then one again. The first line of an elfchen is traditionally some single-word concept, thought, or thing, which the rest of the poem describes—what it does, how it looks, how it makes you feel, whatever strikes your fancy. The last line is often a synonym or some other overarching reflection of your first word.

A ReVerse Poem

A ReVerse Poem

i’m not honest, not one bit
she is a wall at the forest’s edge
it’s zaniness, that’s what it is
i am not a fan of flying
devoured by madness
because what matters most
beyond conclusion
from dark dawn to dark dusk
turned into months into years
down, down, downsized
floor to ceiling windows
the sweet scent of buttercups
my heart swelling, splintering
did you know? I write poetry
by fireflies in pickle jars
she fancies herself organized
bitter, and smooth to the tongue

~kat

NaPoWriMo 2023 Challenge Day Thirty: Off prompt. Rather than writing a palinode – a poem in which you retract a view or sentiment expressed in an earlier poem, I decided to extract a line from several previous poems as a finale to this year’s daily challenge. Doing a ReVerse Poem* has always been my way to sum things up at the end of the day. Sometimes the combination of lines make sense…and sometimes, not so much. But it does give me a snapshot into each previous day’s endeavor. So, there you have it! Another NaPoWriMo in the bag. Until next year…😊

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.