Tag Archives: a month with yeats

November 5, 2017

Good Witch or…

By Kat Myrman

painting: The Martyr of Solway by John Millias, 1871.

“And like a sunset were her lips,
A stormy sunset on doomed ships;
A citron colour gloomed in her hair,”

From The Wanderings of Oisin: Book One by W. B. Yeats.

she lights up a room / she’s a sorceress
stunning, a vision / a hag, she’s a witch
who’ll take your breath away / a contentious crone,
intelligent, ebullient / never married, alone,
with eyes, deep pools of mystery / entertaining demons in her bed
fierce, strong, confident, fiery / crimson curls crown her head
the handiwork of deities / her strange affliction is plain to see
she listens to her intuition / practicing her alchemy
wise for her years, an inspiration / she sees things others cannot see
she is beautiful inside and out / poison runs through her veins

~kat

A Cleave Poem for Jane Dougherty’s Challenge: A month with Yeats: Day Five. Today’s verse is shown above.

I thought about how we think of women. How the very things we admire today in strong, independent women, might have gotten them hung or burned at the stake in previous times. Not that I’m overly optimistic. We still objectify beauty and youth. Methinks we have a little further to evolve before we get it right. Peace. 😊

A Cleave Poem is three poems in one. Read the left column, top to bottom, then the right column, top to bottom. And finally read each line across.

14 Comments   |  tags: , , , | posted in Challenges and Writing Prompts, Cleave Poem, Poetry

November 4, 2017

Counting Shleeeph

By Kat Myrman

For the sake of keeping in step with Jane’s Challenge “A Month with Yeats” – Day 4, I offer this silly little verse. I had been working on a lovely, mystical yarn on and off today, and dozed for a second with my finger pressed on the cursor, deleting all but a few words. Gone forever! Of course I couldn’t remember what I had written, and with the day fading, I plunked these lines together to satisfy the task at hand. I’m not as happy with it as I had planned to be…but maybe that is the point of Yeats’ words, in the prompt for today:

“…till the morning break

And the white hush end all but the loud beat

Of their long wings, the flash of their white feet.” W.B. Yeats

I’ve sensed their presence late at night
swooning close to count my breathing
‘midst restless dreams and tiny deaths
until the dawn

I don’t know if they are angels,
faerie folk or something grim
every night I reap their favor…
another day

won’t say I am superstitious
but just in case they’re listening
I say a prayer my soul to keep;
it doesn’t help me sleep…for that
I count some sheep

~kat

13 Comments   |  tags: , , , , | posted in 8 8 8 4 8 8 8 4 8 8 8 8 4, Challenges and Writing Prompts, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings

November 3, 2017

Wisdom Silenced

By Kat Myrman

“With all their ancient faces like rain-beaten stones,”—W.B. Yeats

Wisdom

Photo from Pixabay.com – Free Photos

wisdom is silenced behind sterile walls
while entertaining the reaper’s minions
attended by strangers with vapid intentions
sedated, benumbed by cruel inattention

wisdom is hidden ‘neath thin sheets of flesh
draped loosely on frames of sinew and bone
dull synapsed grey matter turning slowly to stone
pebbles of acumen dribbled softly in moans

wisdom remembers the lessons of youth
often repeating her tales of the past
the din of tweets twittering, rife media blasts
soon drown out her treasure, precious pearls vainly cast

wisdom is lingering, time’s running short
fools claim she’s crazy; that they can’t relate
in fluorescent lit hallways she patiently waits
one day they might miss her, but it will be too late

~kat
For Jane Dougherty’s “A Month with Yeats” poetry challenge – Day 3. I don’t know what poetry form this is…rhyme scheme abbb-cddd-efff-ghhh, syllable count: 10-10-12-12, but it worked for my thoughts today. It was such an interesting quote to ponder as I sipped my jasmine tea. 🙂

 

9 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , | posted in Challenges and Writing Prompts, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings