May 3, 2020

Sunday’s Week in Reverse – 3 May 2020

By Kat Myrman

When I was researching yesterday’s poem I learned a thing or two about passerines. (AKA: perching birds or songbirds. Passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by the arrangement of their toes (three pointing forward and one back), which facilitates perching.) That robust singing you hear at dawn, especially in spring, and sometimes well before dawn, is produced with great effort and prowess by the males only. These lusty gents sing to let the world know that they survived another night, to establish their territory, and ultimately to woo a mate. I never knew that. Now you do too!

But what does that have to do with this morning’s ReVerse. It’s simple…simply this..every morning, if we are fortunate enough to see another day, we should do as the passerines do. Breathe deeply and sing heartily, “I made it through another night, I am here, let’s get on with living life!”

Normally, in addition to choosing lines from the week’s poems, I choose a favorite graphic as well. Today you get an original snapshot! I could not ignore the magnificent show this morning as the sun crested the mountain just outside my window. The sun seemed to be echoing the message of today’s ReVerse. “You made it through another night, you are here…get on with living life!”

These days when the days meld into weeks, into months it’s a good thing to pause as the sun is rising, to breathe, to embrace the moment, or better yet, let the moment embrace you, before heading off to do whatever it is you do, holding the memory of dawn to reflect upon throughout the day when the hours blur. It is good to pause to remember you survived another dark night and you are here. Celebrate it!

Sunday’s Week in Reverse – 3 May 2020

scent of blossoms on the breeze
pleasures stolen now and then,
won’t send a soul to hell
golden sunlight streaming
you have nothing to fear
the world stopped spinning,
life stopped living
imagine it with me
dawn’s first light, a symphony

~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.

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

May 2, 2020

Aubade of the Passerines

By Kat Myrman

at dawn’s first light, a symphony
of warbles, clicks and trills
love come hither, here am I, here am I
from love-nests in the trees
it is the gentleman who sing
to woo their ladies tenderly
hoping for a morning tryst
beneath the azure canopy
while the earth’s asleep and still
love come hither, here am I, here am I
aubade of the passerines

~kat

As promised, the Magic 11 poem – my variation on the Magic 9 poem, a 9-line poem that doesn’t have any rules as far as meter or subject matter–just a rhyme scheme: abacadaba. In my variation, the Magic 11 abracadabra poem, the r’s are intact, placeholders for a refrain. Rhyme scheme: abRacadabRa. (R for the refrain). I do love a good refrain!

10 Comments   |  tags: , , , | posted in Digital Art & Photos, Magic 11, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings

May 1, 2020

landlocked seafarer

By Kat Myrman

landlocked seafarer

like soft ocean waves, tree
leaves sing on windy days
‘neath a blue canopy
where the sun’s warm kisses
stir seashore memories,
a place far from the clay
where sand yields to the sea,
come away, come away,
imagine it with me

~kat

Happy May! – A little magic is appropriate for the month of May! I am exploring the possibilities of the Magic 9 poem – This 9-line poem doesn’t have any rules as far as meter or subject matter–just a rhyme scheme: abacadaba. (Or abracadabra with the r’s removed…though I may need to create my own variation for fun, with a refrain line inserted for the r’s. Stay tuned!)

5 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , | posted in Challenges and Writing Prompts, Digital Art & Photos, Magic 9, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings

April 30, 2020

the year spring never came

By Kat Myrman

the year spring never came

if we had paid attention to the signs that long, wet
winter, we might have known that spring would never
come, even though nature took her cues from the
moon and sun, as remnants of frosting melted and gentle
rain drenched the dormant soil, seeds sprouted toward
the warmth, toward the light; soon clusters of creeping
buttercups, henbits, chickweed, wild violets, dandelions
and daffodils lulled us into believing that it was
spring, but I tell you, spring never came that year,
the world stopped spinning, life stopped living as
we peered at each other from across alley ways and live
chat screens, winter held fast as the reaper jumped
season mowing us down with his sickle, a harvest
of untouchables, legions of them stacked floor to
ceiling on ice, mourners left with nothing to show
for their sorrow…no, spring never came that year,
summer too, lost her luster to empty streets, abandoned
subways, beaches, and empty watering holes where
masked ghosts hurried about never mingling, mercifully
autumn stepped in bidding us to let go, let go, let go, let go…
as another winter loomed darker still, no mention of spring

~kat

For NaPoWriMo/GloPoWriMo Challenge Day 30: write a poem about something that returns.

12 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , | posted in Challenges and Writing Prompts, Digital Art & Photos, free verse, napowrimo, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings

April 29, 2020

Accidental Cat Lady – NaPoWriMo/GloPoWriMo Challenge Day 29

By Kat Myrman

Accidental Cat Lady

I need to remind you, Matilda my dear

it was you who chose me in late May of last year,

delivering four kittens underneath my old house.

I couldn’t just leave you like some heartless louse.

I rescued you, fed you, found everyone homes.

Now safe from the streets you are, never to roam.

But since you have joined my cat family, now six

you still run and hide, when I’m too close, you hiss!

It’s clear I’m your servant, there’s no doubting that,

slaving away while you sleep and grow fat!

Would it kill you, Matilda, to trust me a bit,

bring your feral butt over and let me love it?

I need to remind you, Matilda my dear

you chose well with me, you have nothing to fear.

~kat

I am a reluctant cat lady. I never planned to have SIX cats, but Matilda decided differently when she had her kittens under my front porch! We rescued two boys and a girl ( the white trio above) straight away. The boys mercifully are thriving with another family. The runt, our Frankie is growing like a weed! Matilda and her one all black kitten, Schrodinger, so named because he and his mum eluded capture for over a month, were on the lam long enough to develop a feral attitude! I’m happy to say that after a year they are just now allowing me to touch them lightly, briefly. Baby steps, consistency and a lot of patience is paying off! That makes three new kittens added to my aging brood, Casey (marble/white Tonkinese kitty, age 16), Sebastian (fluffy gray and white, age 18) and his brother Merlin (black and white, tuxedo coat, age 18). I didn’t plan to be a cat lady. But what’s a lover of creatures great and small to do?!

For NaPoWriMo/GloPoWriMo Challenge Day 29: write a paean to the stalwart hero of your household: your pet.

16 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , | posted in Challenges and Writing Prompts, Digital Art & Photos, Humor, napowrimo, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings