Tag Archives: essay

day 182 and day 183 – half a year of glimmers with a half more to go

thoughts on the most horrible, awful, terrifyingly sad day of a crumbling nation

silence is best when there are no words
when nothing one says will change what is done
when voices of reason now quelled; go unheard
silence is best when there are no words
when lies beget lies; when truth feels absurd
compassionate acts touch hard hearts one by one
silence is best when there are no words
when nothing one says will change what is done

~kat
a triolet poem is an 8 line poem that follows the following rhyme and repeated line sequence:

A (first line)
B (second line)
a (rhymes with first line)
A (repeat first line)
a (rhymes with first line)
b (rhymes with second line)
A (repeat first line)
B (repeat second line)

another irrelevant holiday

If our forefathers saw us now, this
Nation they held dear
Do you think that they’d be
Proud of what we have become?
Every word that they declared
Now silenced with a sneer
Delivering hate for all to see
Enriching greed with none to spare
Now the people live in fear
Can democracy be restored?
Each of us is called to stand, to show the world we care

Don’t expect a celebration on this day from me
As the powerful destroy what’s right and good for us, our progeny
You know it’s true this faux Independence Day

~kat
An Acrostic Poem is a poem where the first letter of each line spells out a word, name, or phrase, often related to the poem's subject

Another twofer. With, of course some glimmers to soften the blow of the last few days. We are halfway through a year of glimmers. Obviously I have shared some repeat glimmerers. You probably know I have some favorites.

Some favorite Glimmers from the archive:

I’m sorry…I just didn’t have it in me to write what I was feeling yesterday. I needed to sleep on it. I needed to see another beautiful sunrise to assure me that life can only be lived in moments now as many of us wait for that oppressive,  heavy left shoe to drop. For some of us it will come sooner than others. But none of us are immune from the hate and cruelty of the current government. I woke this morning to light! Just the glimmer I needed to get me out of bed, when in truth I’d be just as happy to stay here for the weekend, pull the covers over my head and hide…but that’s not healthy…I know. Thank you Sun for being the constant I so need in my life right now. 

And thank you Nature for holding me close under a lush canopy of green. Thank you cool morning breeze that is fragrantly sweet from newly cut grass, thank you wild creatures…the deer, the squirrels, the turkeys, the songbirds, the crows, and thank you my domestic critters, Gabby, Matilda, Frankie, Schrödinger, Mr Bean and the fishes, for loving me unconditionally and for giving me a reason to get up each day. Thank you as well to you dear readers, for stopping by and letting me know you see me. And to my family and friends, for choosing to share this life with me.

I have so much to be grateful for..so many reasons to light a fire in me to continue this little act of rebellion here. I will not be silenced. I will write from my heart what is true…and I will always, always, always choose love, and kindness. 

Much love, peace, and glimmers to you. 

~kat ✨✨✨💚💚💚✨✨✨ 


night 177 into day 178

no rest for the weary…

sleep comes easy for the heartless who’ve sold their souls to hate
to those who relish cruelty while hoarding privilege, wealth, and treasure
while the night hums with the prayers of souls, woke, who cling to hope for the dawn

evil under cloak of night…

the lawless are positively giddy in the dark halls of power
as they pull the plug on a dying nation’s life support
people die everyday…they’ll get over it…we won
and yet…on a final glimmering note:

i watched a squirrel atop a birdfeeder sending bits of seed
to the waiting mouths of landfeeders: deer, turkeys, mourning doves
even the smallest of creatures are capable of kindness

Even when I find myself exhausted from the troubling direction that the leaders of our country are taking us, the natural world draws me in to give me the assurance that everything is not lost. There is still order on the world. Night and day, the seasons, new life blooming and birthing all around me…and random fascinating acts of kindness from the smallest (my squirrel friend tossing seeds to those waiting below) to the tallest…the trees providing haven and shade on hot summer days. There is balance and a sort of routine to the natural ecosystem. Even nature’s predators are not being hateful when collecting their prey. It is survival…it is the cycle of life.

Humans, given our big brains, could learn a thing or two from the world around us. I try to focus on the things nature is trying to teach me, especially when the humans around me are acting badly. It’s tempting to retaliate, to have the upper hand, to win at all costs and then gloat over my rightness. I’m not always successful. Sometimes I get downright mad!

But at the end of the day those types of victories don’t fill me with happiness or contentment. Acts of kindness, a smile toward a stranger who receives it and smiles back, helping someone without them needing to ask, forgiving those who trample over me in word or action and hoping they might eventually figure out why they’re so angry that they have to hurt others. Hoping they find peace one day…maybe through kindness I can be a light. Those things give me peace…and a purpose, especially in times like this, when it’s easy to feel hopeless.

Much love, peace and glimmers to you…remember to be kind, let that light of yours shine. ✨✨✨💚✨✨✨

~kat


Poetry form: Sijo

A sijo is a traditional Korean poetic form, characterized by its three-line structure. Each line typically contains 14-16 syllables, resulting in a total of 44-46 syllables for the entire poem. The first line  is introduces a theme or situation, the second line develops it, and the third line introduces a twist or unexpected turn, providing the poem’s conclusion. 


day 148

there’s gonna be weather…

1-
pressure gently drops,
old knees ache before the storm—
barometer groans

2-
barometers drop—
inciting my knees to sing
sadly, out of tune

3-
storm brews in my bones—
barometer dips, aching
echoes through the rain

Haiku Fun with AI (ChatGPT). 

As I write today’s glimmer post with poem, I am once again feeling a bit under the changing weather. My sinuses do not like barometric changes in the atmosphere, nor do my joints! So I decided to do a simple haiku on the topic. 

And just for fun I asked Chat GPT/AI to write a haiku on the topic: barometers and knee pain. Can you tell me which haiku is AI generated and which is penned by yours truly? 😊 

I have to admit AI is an amazing tool. But don’t worry, you won’t find me deferring to AI to write my poetry. It is the creative process that feeds my soul! In case you’re wondering, my haiku is featured in the artwork below. 

Much love, peace, and authentic glimmers to you!!! 

~kat ✨✨✨💚💚💚✨✨✨

Did you guess correctly? This was a fun exercise!

reflections

I’m a bit late to the 2024 party. As fate would have it, I was exposed to not just one, but two nasty viruses on Christmas Day at a family gathering. First to darken my door was the flu…a nasty strain this year…and then, just as I was feeling human again a week later, on New years Day, COVID finally got me (a first for me). I suppose I’ve joined the herd. If not for the booster I got last November, the doc said I might not have faired as well as I did. Still it was not how I planned on ringing in the new year! Anyhow…we’ve been snowed in for a bit…things finally melting, and I snapped this view out my front door this evening. It blew me away. I am so grateful for the beauty that surrounds me. For each sunrise and sunset. I hope you and yours are well.

Before I close out this post, I must share another view of the photo above. I applied a mirror filter to it and lo and behold, there she was right there reminding me Gaia, (as I imagine her at this time of year) sleeping amongst the roots, deep underground waiting for spring! What a gift this slight of photo editing produced! Isn’t she amazing!!! If you look at the original, you’ll see her peeking out at you. Sometimes it takes a mirror to see things more clearly.

It’s a reminder to me that it’s okay to rest (I’ve rested a lot this year). A new year need not be tackled all at once. We have 365 (actually 366 days this year) to live the promise of 2024.

I wrote a little haiku too. Of course I did! Peace and much love to you!

gaia suspended

deep beneath the snow
she slumbers, dreaming of spring
winter lingers long

~kat~

ReVerse Poem ~ Sunday, 6 August 2023

a bonded pair of mourning doves ~ photo by Kat Myrman ~ 2023

Today’s Reverse draws its inspiration from each stanza from the past week since I fell out of my daily cadence for a few days. Sometimes my hard drive just needs a reboot or two to stop spinning. I hate that sound, the whirring out of control ringing, causing my RAM to scatter as my operating system slowly glitches to a crashing blank monitor. Yep, reboot is the only remedy when this happens. Or, in case you’re not following my geeky summarization, identifying the need for intervention, self care, deep breathing, very long naps, several of them.

So that’s how our week went…high anticipation…tentative, compounding disappointment, biting reality suckiness…high anticipation, again, tinged with trepidation, disappointment looming, biting reality suckiness…my beloved and I, as her caretaker, learning the hard truth that life will not be going as planned, and me racking my brain for plan D, E, F or G…I’ve lost count. To be honest we’re long past A, B and C. The villain? A rare disorder called CRPS (aka an incurable chronic disorder comprised of angry nerves and excruciating, unmitigated pain). I don’t know how she endures this day in and day out. She inspires me every day as she shows up to life. As for me…I’m girding my loins…I’m not really sure what that means, but I’m girding nonetheless, for the battle ahead in search ways to manage this, our new normal, for meaningful treatment, and ultimately for a cure. Plot twists are a bitch! Through it all we remain optimistic, and hopeful, and grateful for each breath. It’s life. It’s our life.

Oh…did I mention that I was privileged to witness the Carolina fledglings take their first flight? There was that too this week. 💚

I hope this finds you and those you love healthy and happy. Find someone…anyone really, and hug them. They probably need it. 💚


ReVerse Poem ~ Sunday, 6 August 2023

I’ve settled softly into my skin
lulling sleeping fools along
I’d dream of sleep, if only
slow drip, struggle is all I know
the cow jumped over the moon
but what’s a truth seeker to do
nothing’s left to be debated
signs are everywhere, can’t miss it
deceived by the cool breeze at dawn

~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.