Tag Archives: week in Reverse

July 3, 2016

Shi Sai Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 3 July 2016

Its Independence Day’s Eve here in the US. When we are young being independent is our ultimate goal. Some of us start very early on our path to independence with our first words, “me do it!” How satisfying it is to accomplish things all by ourselves…when we are young.

But a lifetime has taught me that even though I am quite capable of doing for myself, thank you very much, there is something to be said for having a bit of company on the journey. It’s ironic I think. We are born with a fierce instinct for independence only to realize after a lifetime of surviving that we are inescapably bound to one another. For better or for worse.

How freeing it is to admit that I need you…collectively, globally, individually. Independence is not all it was cracked up to be. But I suppose I had to live it to realize it. And realizing it is like coming home. 🙂

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This week’s Shi Sai is a bit odd. I suppose there are times when things are simply not meant to make sense. Like this past week actually…so much if it didn’t make sense.

At any rate, happy Independence Day and all that jazz. As for me? I still have a few of those cookies left from last weekend. Care to join me?

Shi Sai Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 3 July 2016

I don’t have sweets around…
Hope’s gleaming promise…

Prayers for Instanbul

In the summer heat
when you can’t hear the music
It wasn’t enough…is it ever?
They’ll journey from the safety of the shore
Oft’ forgetting why

Earth bleeds crimson

Embodying all I am
It was just a stupid accident…or was it?
~ kat

The Shi Sai, (formerly known as a ReVerse) is a form created by Kat Myrman in April 2016. It is a poem created by taking one line of verse from several poems of an author’s own collection. The shi sai is done as a review of a series or collection of poems and therefore, each line should flow in chronological order of the dates the poems were written (from oldest to new). The lines chosen should be the author’s favorite from each poem. This form works best if the author resists the temptation to read the full new poem before all the verses have been added. (It helps one to resist the impulse to change a line to make it “fit”)

2 Comments | tags: shi saii, Sunday, week in Reverse | posted in Challenges and Writing Prompts, Essays, Life Lessons, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings, Social Issues, Spirituality, Week in Review

June 26, 2016

Shi Sai Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 26 June 2016

By Kat Myrman

Photo by Kat Myrman

Happy Sunday! I certainly did not expect this week’s Shi Sai to make sense, the week was rather nonsensical, but in an odd turn of the pen it actually does. What a strange, unsettling time it has been for so many in our world.

In my corner of it there were incredible highs and inconsolable lows. And through it all, a stream of silver lining weaved its way to my heart giving me hope.

I have hope because I was able to witness a band of underdogs finally tasting victory! And it was just as sweet, I’m betting even sweeter than they imagined it would be.

I have hope because even in the face of frightening uncertainty I still had busy today’s demanding my attention…bright sunrises and a fat, full heart-shaped moon that kept me grounded in the present moment. There where fragrant blooms, tasty kitchen creations and victories to be savored.

I have hope because I am finding that even in the midst of calamity, often of our own doing, more and more people are coming to their senses, realizing how naked the emperors are. Yes, there is hope for us all yet!

So here then is a quick look back to revisit the words and lines that tumbled onto the page this past week. I won’t dwell on it for too long though, because today, with its fresh slate of possibilities awaits and I have a hankering for shortbread. 😊

Sweet daydreams to you as always and Happy Sunday!

Shi Sai Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 26 June 2016

take a walk on the wild side
there will most certainly be
casualties,
when ripe for pricking
thus doomed to repeat history
take heart, remembering that LOVE never fails…
lean toward the extreme
the crowd does not always know the way
’til dinner is served
Let me see your happy faces!

~kat

6 Comments | tags: hope, mindfulness, Shi Sai, week in Reverse | posted in Challenges and Writing Prompts, Digital Art & Photos, Essays, Life Lessons, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings, Social Issues, Spirituality, Week in Review

June 19, 2016

Shi Sai Sunday’s Week in ReVerse ~ 19 June 2016

By Kat Myrman

I must say I faced this morning’s assignment with a bit of trepidation. It was not a good week for many in the world. Or at least my corner of it.

Reflecting on this, those last few words glared at me…”my corner of it,” gripping my heart, plunging me into an overwhelmingly painful “ah-ha” moment of truth.

How self-centered I am! Seeking joy and pleasure, expecting it even, day after day only to grieve when calamity knocks on my own door!

The truth is, horror and hardship happens every day to someone somewhere in this fragile broken world of ours. However do we go on under the weight of such adversity, when at any given moment one us is suffering? However indeed, because when one of us hurting, we all hurt.

At this point, I am feeling even more out of sorts than when I began, more disappointed in myself, than anything. So reluctantly, I pulled up this week’s posts to review my whining laments hoping to find something Shi Sai worthy to print. Something that didn’t have us all wallowing in despair and loathing…

How did this week’s reverse pan out? Well, it surprised me. And it answered my question. How do we go on, each one of us, when faced with inconsolable sadness? In a word, HOPE! Between the lines of angst and sorrow, I discovered layers of hope sandwiched in…like precious gold ribbons crushed between layers of clay and sedimentary rock. There is always hope. And I realized that that is how we do it. How we survive. How we find the strength to go on.

The worst thing that could ever happen to us is to find ourselves hopeless. There is a rhythm to the ebbs and flows…some of us riding waves of giddy exhilaration while others find themselves in the undertow. But the most important thing to remember is that we are all part of the same sea. The sea that at one moment glistens in serene tranquility and at others may become a raging temptest. We are all part of it…a sea of precious souls.

As I consider this I realize that I am being a bit hard on myself, but there is one thing I can do. When I am suffering it is acceptable to grieve, just as when I am having a good day, it is important to be grateful. But in that moment of gratefulness it is also important to consider those who are not, to say an extra prayer each time I give thanks for those who cannot.

May you too find the light of hope when you need it most. I’m going to try to be better at keeping the light on for you.

Shi Sai Sunday’s Week in ReVerse ~ 19 June 2016

Your life’s a precious gift infused with grace

under the skin we are the same

time is elusive

…Yes, you are

dawn looks swell on you!

midst clouds looming dark

hints, alliaceous. …

prized as medicinal

donning alliaceous bulbs

from nana’s kitchen…

to resist…futile

the night is long…then morning comes!

I made something special for dessert

…feeling the Love this morning

while some take to the sea to sun.

~ kat

The Shi Sai, (formerly known as a ReVerse) is a form created by Kat Myrman in April 2016. It is a poem created by taking one line of verse from several poems of an author’s own collection. The shi sai is done as a review of a series or collection of poems and therefore, each line should flow in chronological order of the dates the poems were written (from oldest to new). The lines chosen should be the author’s favorite from each poem. This form works best if the author resists the temptation to read the full new poem before all the verses have been added. (It helps one to resist the impulse to change a line to make it “fit”)

4 Comments | tags: hope, Poetry, Shi Sai, Sunday, week in Reverse | posted in Digital Art & Photos, Essays, Life Lessons, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings, Social Issues, Spirituality, Week in Review

May 15, 2016

Shi Sai Sunday’s Week in ReVerse ~ 15 May 2016

By Kat Myrman

Another Shi Sai Sunday Week in ReVerse. This week was rather busy in my 9 to 5. I did consort with my muse though, in the in-between and wee hours. When life gets fussy with schedules and deadlines and such, I am so grateful for poetry. As long as I can loose myself in iambic pentameter every now and again I can trudge through the necessaries and know that I haven’t lost my soul.
But I do miss my bits of flash, as in fiction. And my little story series that is hanging on the cusp. I promise to get back to it soon. 🙂

For now, I am happy to be here in the happy place. I celebrated a year of blogging this past week. And my friend Lynn of LynzRealCooking became a Grandma to twins this week. She posted baby pics! You have to go see them!

Another friend, Jacqueline honored me with an interview. You can check that out HERE. Thank you Jacqueline! Did you know she just published her first book of poetry? You should check it out. Jacqueline is a wonderful writer!

Oh, and to round out my week I found another heart shaped rock. I collect them. (And I occasionally give them away if I encounter someone who looks like they might need one.) They are everywhere, but rare at the same time. It takes a bit of hard knocks for a common rock to become a heart. Pieces of its roundness must be chipped away. It may suffer tosses and tumbles and encounters with sharp obstacles to “become”. We are kind of like that. Each of us sharing our hearts from the messy life lessons we’ve survived, as well as the joy and beauty of it all. It has made us who we are. I love the first line of this week’s shi sai… It says it all!

Shi Sai Sunday’s Week in ReVerse ~ 15 May 2016

We are connected by an invisible cord.
But truth…but Truth, sweet siren
songstress,
scattered randomly on air
enlightened souls
flower buds
more than a rainbow
she waits for dusk’s indigo sky
when life is fresh and roses drip with dew…
Now THIS, I can wrap my right-skewed brain around…
metamorphosis complete.

kat

4 Comments | tags: heart shaped rocks, Shi Sai, week in Reverse | posted in Digital Art & Photos, Essays, Life Lessons, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings, Spirituality, Week in Review

April 17, 2016

Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 17 April 2016

By Kat Myrman

A familiar sunny Sunday morning scene…lounging in while my cat, Casey, waits patiently for shadows of squirrels and birds to flutter by. Routine is a wonderful thing. Once entrenched, you hardly even notice it, and when you do it’s beauty and simplicity has a way of calming us amidst the chaos of life.

This week like so many recent weeks has presented with political undertones. But unlike some election seasons peppered with idealistic aspirations for the future, this cycle has been just plain angry.

And I get it. Things are not as rosy as we’d like them to be. Anger is a natural response to disappointment. But sustained, unchecked, venomous, fear-fueled anger accomplishes nothing. Like a raging fire it eventually burns out, but not without casualties.

Our better selves know intervention is called for to minimize the damage. Pure lunacy is adding more kindling and logs to the pit, which current politicians are loath to do. Alas, are beset with lunatics!

This week’s ReVerse is smattered with sparks of this hotbed of incessant blustering. Embers sucking air. But come Sunday I rely on the cool balm of routine. Casey chasing shadows. Sun-streamed bliss on a mattress. A call to pause and breathe. I live for moments like these! And I hope you have a Sunday time and place where you can rest and recharge too!

I would be remiss if I did not pause to remember the victims of recent natural disasters this week…Japan…and now…Ecuador. Peace and healing all.

And so…be safe this week my fellow word-pressers. Flex those word-bending super powers of yours, penning the light as well as the darkness. Each have their place; the light to warm and inspire us and the darkness, exposed, allowing us to release and to move toward healing. And one more thing…don’t forget to breathe. Peace.

Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 17 April 2016

This I can’t deny
Truth settles on shuttered minds, spinning in sound bites
suffer(ing) no regrets
promises to keep
each twisty turny
I remember when
Sowing seeds, midst fussy plots of weeds, their empty plates to fill
…because EVERYTHING is better with a little Sriracha!!!
It’s too late to regret
There’s nothing left to do but rise
There were a few brave souls but even fewer customers
Intrepid trekkers
engaged in trysts with metaphors
drunken noodles sweating steam
When the rose bush bursts in bloom
Sometimes fear is good.
Politicians count on this.

~ kat