Category Archives: Social Issues

April 26, 2025

glimmer day 115 – NaGloPoWriMo 26 April 2025

By Kat Myrman 
pandemics and zombies and dictators…oh my
 
 
yeah…I’m gonna pass…
the next apocalypse, that is
it’s exhausting 
get the vaccine, or not
wear the mask, or don’t 
whatever you do, don’t get bit, 
zombie cooties are lethal 
let us not forget, “you know who”
with his itchy, little fingers
has the nuclear codes now
and he’s not afraid 
to try them…oops
clean up on aisle 47…

instead, join me in the bliss
of the present moment 
I’ll bake us cookies
we can sip tea and watch 
the sun rise…and set
dream of nothing
not even tomorrow, because
tomorrow’s not promised
to any of us…apocalypses
come and go, but the question,
the question always is, 
did you live in full, 
the life you’ve been given…
don’t answer that
just do it,
leave the zombie slaying, 
and apocalypse surviving
to those who believe 
it will make a difference
because the truth is…
no one gets out of here alive

~kat

NaGloPoWriMo 26 April 2025 prompt:

Think fast
What would you save from apocalypse? What’s in your Noah’s arc or “just” in your car fleeing from some emergency? You have 10 minutes to gather your “valuables.” Write a poem about your most precious belongings. / Recommended reading: “Writing Poems in the Middle of a Catastrophe” by Özge Lena

I didn’t forget today’s glimmer. There is no pretty photo to share for this glimmer. I started the day like I usually do. Walked Gabby (my pup), fed all the critters under our roof and tossed a few peanuts outside for the crows, and then, I gifted myself with a morning nap. I slept deeply until noon. I had chores to do, and I got to those, but those few extra hours were lovely. A gift to myself. And a reminder to myself and you, dear reader…self-care, no matter how that translates to you, is not an indulgence, but it is essential to keeping you, you.

much love, peace, and glimmers to you. Take care of you! We need your light in the world!

~kat

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April 23, 2025

glimmer day 112 – NaGloPoWriMo 23 April 2025

By Kat Myrman 
made in China

americans love cheap shit
mr trump, with his golden toilets, and
gilded, garish opulence, doesn’t get us
why else would he declare war
on the only thing that makes our simple
lives livable…cheap shit, meticulously 
engineered, easy to assemble kits
of a gazillion pieces, pressed, laminated
planks with precisely pre-drilled holes, 
vacuum packed bolts and screws, 
tiny hex keys to put it all together, 
it’s an afternoon’s entertainment 
with a surprise at the end, like cracker
jacks (if you’re old, you know), and 
the satisfaction of building something
usable: a chest of drawers, lawn furniture,
toys, cabinets, shelves, and so much more
you have to admit china is good, very good
at producing the bargains we crave…
destroying democracy is not enough
for the vindictive tyrants in our crumbling government
they had to shut down our access to cheap shit too

~kat

I am proud to say I assembled the chest of drawers in the photo above, as well as a dresser, a nightstand, and recently an outside “egg chair swing”, an open coffee station rack, a bread box…clearly I am a fan of “made in China” stuff.  The latest tariff shenanigans are a real bummer. It’s the end of an era. 

But all is not lost…while I may not be able to afford made in China stuff in the future. I shall enjoy sipping tea while swinging in the warm summer breeze in my new egg swing…it is the perfect place to chill after a long day…the perfect place to write poetry!  And my glimmer for today!

Much love, peace, and “some assembly required” glimmers to you!

-kat

NaGloPoWriMo 23 April 2025 prompt:

The sum of its parts
Consider the objects in your home. How did they get there? What resources were required to produce them? Write a poem about the origin of one or more of your possessions. / Recommended reading: “Putting Together Ikea Furniture” by Clint Margrave

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April 21, 2025

glimmer day 110 ~ NaGloPoWriMo 4/21/2025

By Kat Myrman 
pancakes for breakfast

I felt her watching, ignoring 
us, glaring, judging, hating
our perceived sinfulness, 
determined not to serve us
as if serving us somehow
condemned their fragile faith
and threatened their entry into heaven
      I tried to ignore her
      we just wanted pancakes for breakfast
when I was sick
the ER desk clerk
asked, “who is SHE?”
SHE will need to wait outside
family only…but, she IS family
the doctor won’t see you 
if SHE is in the room 
      I try to ignore them
      I just wanted her with me when I was      
       sick
the whispers, snide side glances
accompany our travels, wherever 
we go…we second-guess safety
make mental notes of unsafe
people and places…they claim
we have an agenda, that we threaten
their families…but we are a family
         we try to ignore them
         we just want to live our lives
they voted for fools you know
the ones who enjoy dividing us
the ones who want to tell every
he and she how to live and who 
to be…the ones who want us to 
suffer and we wonder, how could 
people who say they love us, choose them
        we can’t ignore them anymore
        our lives depend on it
         
~kat

Today’s Glimmer…The Eight-Spotted Forester Moth. This one’s a beauty. Often mistaken for a butterfly because it travels during the day. Symbol of transformation, beauty, and the importance of embracing change.

Much love, peace, and glimmers of change to you!

~kat

NaGloPoWriMo 4/21/2025 Prompt:

Identity politics poetics
There’s lots about ourselves that we can’t (and wouldn’t want to) change. Some of those things put us at risk in a culture that, more and more (I’m looking at you, America), “others” all but the straight white male able-bodied experience. It’s critical that we document what that’s like to live with that reality. Maybe you experience harm from -isms or -phobias or maybe you experience privilege. Either way, write a poem related to how perceptions, assumptions or cultural “norms” impact you. / Recommended reading: “evening : girl” by Gabrielle Brant Freeman

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April 20, 2025

glimmer day 109 ~ NaGloPoWriMo 2025

By Kat Myrman 
the word on the streets deep in maga-land

it’s not as bad as you say it is
don’t overreact, it’s embarrassing
no one I personally know has been fired,
disappeared, or deported, and that new guy rfk, jr. confirms what I’ve been 
telling you all along…it’s the vaccines
and our food that is making us sick…
measles? they’ll go away soon. there’s 
this brilliant doctor, yeah I know…
who has the measles, but he said 
he is fine after a little fever, so it’s not 
that bad, anyhow, he’s working on it…
don’t talk to me about brain worms
that is fake news…where do I get
my news you ask? from several sources
I do my homework, and I also know 
someone who knows someone personally
who is in congress. the jobs are coming 
back, factories are already being built,
even the wall, finally, stuff is getting done,
the tariffs are working, and doge? well,
it’s about time our country is being run
like a business. Rights? Freedom? Choice?
more fake news…I know eggs are still 
expensive, but that’s because the other guy killed off all the chickens…I guess he
never heard of flock impunity, we are
so much better off in just a few short
months…the world is watching, and
our great nation has everyone begging 
to make a deal, just like our president 
promised…so…stop your whining, you
lost and we won fair and square, like
you said, elections have consequences

(And this is why I don’t speak to red hats anymore-these are actual quotes…
alarmed? that was so yesterday. I’ve moved on to full-on f-ing freak out.)

~kat

I promised you daily glimmers and glimmers you shall have! My gentle woodland friends stopped by to cheer me, and hopefully you as well. 

much love, peace and glimmers to you! 

~kat

NaGloPoWriMo 20 April 2025 Prompt from good universe next door: Don’t be alarmed

Write a poem where you are unbothered by something scary or dangerous. / Recommended reading: “Acclimated” by Sarah Carleton

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April 17, 2025

glimmer day 106 ~ NaGloPoWriMo 17 April 2025

By Kat Myrman 
radical

I smiled intentionally 
at a stranger today,
gave them my place
at the front of the line,
paid the extra change 
they were short 
at the checkout
then wished them well
as we parted ways
they turned briefly
and smiled back

it cost me nothing
well, two dollars and
twenty-one cents for
those who are counting
I wasn’t…nothing mattered
in that moment but being
kind, connecting with 
another person in a 
world that has forgotten 
how to care…in a world
where benevolence
is a radical act

~kat

I will let today’s glimmer poem speak for itself. My inspiration once again comes from gooduniversenextdoor.

“Seedbombing the desolation”
There’s so much in the world to fight against. So much. Our “go-to” strategies are taking to the streets, boycotting companies and writing elected officials, but for this prompt, write a poem about tiny gestures or symbolic acts that also signify protest. / Recommended reading: “Guerilla Gardener” by Sarah Carleton and “Political Action” by Bob Hicok

much love, peace, and glimmers to you!

~kat

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