Tag Archives: week in Reverse

July 1, 2018

Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 1 July 2018

By Kat Myrman

I’ve stopped saying, “things can’t get any worse,” because invariably they do, and did again this week. (I won’t bore you with the details. You know.) It means, of course, that we haven’t hit rock bottom. Not yet. And that’s a sobering, terrifying thought. The world has gone mad. It feels like we’re all passengers on a runaway train heading for a wall and there is nothing we can do to stop it. It makes me wonder if things really have to get worse before they get better, or if the night really is darkest before the dawn. Stupid platitudes…

Sometimes I think, “I’m in no hurry for the dawn. I’m perfectly fine pulling the covers up to my neck, and sleeping through that dark dawn phase. Wake me up when it’s over,” as they say. It’s no fun pulling an all nighter sober. And waking up to meet the dawn is a scary prospect. Who knows what the hell we will find when the consequences of our lunacy are revealed in the light of day.

And yet…I know you were waiting for that “and yet”. Well, I got nothing this week. There is no “and yet” this week in retrospect to tide us over until it’s over.

All I can offer you in the midst of this chaos is a hint into how I’m managing with a plug for living in the moment and remembering to breathe. Both are important elements of survival. It’s all we have; a fragile lifeline holding us while everything crumbles into oblivion around us.

I can tell you I had moments this past week. A smile from a stranger, lemon merengue pie, a glimpse of the full moon in all her glory, getting to know our new puppy, fireflies, today’s ReVerse. That’s how I do it folks. I suspect that’s how we all manage to get through each day. And that other thing? Breathing? Be sure you take a moment to give breathing your all. Close your eyes and just do it. You won’t regret it. The dawn will wait for you to exhale.

Peace y’all. Peace.

Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 1 July 2018

crystalline stillness,
everything I can’t remember
not scheduled
how bitter the blow
daylight slips away
Death coming to call
ground a muddy mess
bird on cable line
a pittance for lauds
with a few lyrics yet to write
from sleepless tides of lunacy
the wind feeds not our bellies but our souls
who will keep them safe
sometimes we must reach,
justice cannot come
from atop his lush throne
in the beginning
dew diamonds misting
garden, honey drunk,
still, they danced
never fading…

~kat

A ReVerse poem 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.

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

June 24, 2018

Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 24 June 2018

By Kat Myrman

It’s a new day and with it, a new opportunity to leave a positive impact in the tiny space you inhabit here. As so many are, this past week was a roller coaster of emotional drama playing out on the world stage. People in the U.S. are beginning to wake up to the atrocities and lies being perpetrated by our government. Being woke is a good thing, of course, but with it comes responsibility and frustration too.

It can feel as if the solutions to our problems are too big or impossible to solve. Of course this can lead to feelings of hopelessness. But we can counter those feelings with tiny acts of good right where we are at. It may not feel like we’re doing enough, but I can tell you, it is more than enough when added to the tiny acts of others who fight the urge to give up and let their own little light shine.

As for me…this week, when faced with the horrible situation at my county’s southern border I did my little part. I wrote about it, contacted my congressmen, contributed to an organization devoted to reuniting families…and, while I hadn’t planned it, found myself presented with an opportunity to save a life. Here is the little life that presented herself to me …

In her short life this little soul has suffered so much. She was dumped at a “kill shelter” (that’s an oxymoron if I ever saw one…) with her three puppies. Yes, at one year of age she had already had puppies, while a puppy herself. A rescue group saved them and contacted us with a request…”would you consider adopting this little girl?”

This week, when all my little actions felt like they were not enough, it was as if the universe was letting me in on a very big secret. As big and as powerful as the ocean is, it is made of tiny drops of water, the earth is made of specks of dust and a blizzard, millions of snowflakes. And sometimes, sometimes, the tiniest thing can make a huge impact.

How could I say no when this little opportunity arrived. Granted I am not changing the world and all its ills, but I did save a life this week. Her name is Gabriel, Gabby for short. Named for an archangel who just happens to be a patron for children and mothers, and writers, communicators and artists (I discovered this AFTER we named her…synchronicity at work? I love it!). Perfection. She is the angel that helped me see that doing what we can, where we are, no matter how small, is more than enough.

Have a great week. Do what you can to make your corner of world brighter, better. If we all do our tiny part, we will overcome the darkness by letting our little lights shine!

Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 24 June 2018

when walls aren’t talking
all it takes is people
so alive…
don’t look behind
i have watched you
when innocence roars
where are the babies
gloaming in the wings
routine ‘midst chaos
righteous cries of the innocent
submerged in pellucid pools
heaven’s tears

~kat

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

June 10, 2018

Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 10 June 2018

By Kat Myrman

I am in re-entry mode having been on vacation this past week. With no internet access and only a bar or two on my phone, I did my best to stay connected…to write a few lines every day. But there was something about being away for a few days…unplugged from my usual routine. It took me several days to finally breathe it all in. It was lovely while it lasted.

But the news of the world seeped in all the same. There were the untimely deaths of two celebrities, the escalating news of the inhumane treatment by our government, on refugee children at our southern border, and the increased isolationist tactics of our president from our greatest allies. As you can see, I didn’t completely unplug.

Being a mother, the stories of young children being ripped from their parents arms and held in scary warehouses affected me deeply, but it was the news of recent suicides that gripped my heart.

I know suicide. My father died staring down the barrel of a pistol, his own finger on the trigger, 38 years ago. 38 years. My mother abused opioids and herself into oblivion…a slower death, but suicide nonetheless. And I have entertained this monster myself on several occasions. Love for my children and a sense of responsibility for them was the only thing that saved me. Even now I rely on antidepressants and therapy to keep me afloat. Suicide is no respecter of persons; not impressed by smiles and projected stoicism in the face of adversity, of life’s ups, and bottom of the barrel, downs. It’s a greedy master requiring everything, for nothing in return.

Why am I talking about it? Because we all need to call it by its name. Suicide. It needs to be okay to say it…to ask for help. Ignoring suicide doesn’t make it go away. Keeping it locked away just emboldens and empowers it. I have faced this beast and declared, “no more!” Not because I am particularly strong. I’m not. By grace and through the power of love I have l survived.

My hope is that we begin to open our hearts to those who are other; to be safe places for our brothers and sisters…to begin the process of bridging our differences, to find healing. May we learn to listen to each other. May we be kinder to one another, as if our very lives depended on it. Because, the truth is, they do.

Peace my friends. Don’t be afraid to seek help if you need it. More than anything, please know you are not alone.

US National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

1-800-273-8255

Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 10 June 2018

night falls intensely
tree knob, eyes blinking
beneath deep green cover
a super storm was brewing
dusk softly shaded,
kissed by a breeze
when it’s silent
invisible pain
feels like rain
how can we be quiet?

~kat

A ReVerse poem 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.

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

May 27, 2018

Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 27 May 2018

By Kat Myrman

We press on. Through setbacks, calamity, disappointment, opposition, we press on, at hope’s urging, glimmers of light, so bright they have power to dispel the darkness. They cannot exist without each other; the darkness and the light. Neither can we live without life’s extremes; the good, the bad, the highs and lows. If things were perfect, happy all the time, would we grow weary of happiness? Would we even realize how happy, how blessed we are?

We were not meant for Eden. Utopia is an illusion. And I happen to believe that is a good thing. An utterly messy existence is good for the soul. It keeps things real and multiplies our joy when we are fortunate enough to embrace it.

Don’t curse the bumps in the road my friend…be glad that they are only bumps. Smooth roads are boring.

Have a speculator week!

Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 27 May 2018

what were you thinking
neath darkening skies, as storm clouds swell, glooming,
give voice to the flowers
they never did
there are always signs, something amiss,
leafy underbellies, sparkling
swept up in worry, forgetting
clearly not fragile
nose to stone, grinding
questions, unanswered
the monsters here are real
dreams to keep us
peace never comes easily
follow your bliss

~kat

A ReVerse poem 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.

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

May 20, 2018

Sunday’s Week in Reverse – 20 May 2018

By Kat Myrman

Sunday…another week spent. It was a bit of a roller coaster for me. It happens. All that to say, I was a bit distracted and on occasion, out of sorts. This is not a usually how I am, but I suppose like a boiling tea kettle life became a bit overwhelming.

A change in routine, even an uncomfortable shift, can be a good thing. It gives one a new perspective. So many of the things that seem important at the time can end up looking silly in retrospect. And then there are those little things that make all the difference. Like I said, a rollercoaster, distracted.

As a result, there are fewer poems this week, fewer lines in this ReVerse, but it’s perfect. The icing on my lopsided cake.

When all is said and done, I really want to be the best me I can be. Silly, isn’t it? This, from someone who has lived more than a few decades. I’m still reaching for goodness you know, still trying to figure it out. None of us are guaranteed tomorrow, but if and when tomorrow comes, there is this…a clean slate to scribble on. And with this reverse, a week summed up; tomorrow is another day.

Scribble away my fiends! There are moments to savor and memories to make. Roller coasters, good, bad, distracted…it’s life. It’s a gift. It’s all good.

Sunday’s Week in Reverse – 20 May 2018

remember me when the wind
whispers you away
…….that’s enough
have you heard
we were brilliant, dazzling souls
so bright
muted dawn and this
i could lose myself
so to feel the sun’s kisses
breathe…
cold sweat
it would be winter soon
you must love the rain…
shedding the burden of flesh

~kat

A ReVerse poem 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.

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