etch
i didn't feel it while
it was happening didn't
even notice the marks
like a Mehndi on my
heart you've etched
your patterns into my
being they may not look
like anyone else's they
may not conform they
may not fall into proper
form but they're there
and i can't deny them
the traces of desire
the lattice of words that
want to come out the
bones of my essence
shifting beneath the
urge to stay with you
the urge to keep you
at my side you bring me
comfort now and ease
you let me be playful
you let me be unleashed
but most of all you just
let me be
Today brings us to the end of NaPoWriMo. I was hoping to close out the month using the last daily NaPoWriMo prompt at Poetry Thursday, but today's prompt isn't up yet. So I used a prompt from their new "Random Prompt Generator." That's right--a prompt generator filled with hundreds of prompts! (See the link in the middle column of their site.) Every time you refresh the page, you get a new prompt. The prompt I got was "etch." And that seemed appropriate because if it hadn't already, poetry has really etched itself into my being during this past month. I didn't write 30 poems this month, but I did write 29. When the prompt wasn't up yet the other day, I used the PT group poem as my NaPoWriMo poem, so at least I wrote one line that day. I don't know why it mattered so much to me to stick with NaPoWriMo this month, but it did. And as I said in a comment at Poetry Thursday, through everything I experienced in the last month (my aunt's death, the unexpected road trip, Spring break when I spent days in bed and work kicking my butt these last two weeks), I held onto poetry...and it held onto me.
I don't know where poetry will fit into my life in the coming days...I just know that it will (fit). Although I wasn't always prompt about doing so (sometimes forgetting for a day or two), I did cross-post all of the poems to my poetry-only blog, Moojo Cafe. (A couple of of poems might be out of chronological order there.) I posted only the poems--no prompt info, no photos, nothing else. I wanted to see if the poems could stand on their own with no explanation, no image references.
With everything that's happened, I didn't stay with everything I wanted to do this month. I've only done a handful of Wreck This Journal pages, but I plan to continue with the project. And I didn't do very many shadow self-portraits for Patti's 37 Days group, although I see I'm not the only one who's fallen by the wayside there. ;) (I imagine Patti would welcome images from any of us at any time, outside of any deadline.)
I'm quite behind in reading blogs, but I tried to spend as much time as possible away from the computer this weekend. I really needed to recharge. I slept, walked a lot, enjoyed the sun, checked out a bunch of ceramics exhibits, rode my bike, read a couple of novels, watched a couple of movies, just took it easy and slow. I even managed to keep the house tidy and paid a few bills. Jeffrey got home from his weekend road trip about 2:00 yesterday afternoon. I have to be at work early every day this week (our second week of STAR testing); it's going to be another hectic week. J's schedule this week: rehearsal in Oakland tonight, a gig at Santana Row in San Jose tomorrow night, and then he heads out Friday morning for another weekend on the road--Friday night in Santa Monica, Saturday night in Fresno, returning home on Sunday. Then he's at home for another week before hitting the road for a month. Maybe it's good that he has these weekend road trips before the tour, so I can get my road legs back--so I can remember what it's like when he's gone (because he hasn't been gone much during the last decade).
One last thing... I drank 'real' (caffeinated) coffee at work all of last week (and believe me, I needed it!), but stayed with my usual decaf all weekend. And the weirdest thing happened--I didn't get a caffeine withdrawal headache! It really makes me wonder if all the exercise and staying away from lots of sugar helped with that. Because I realize now that when I drink 'real' coffee, I often accompany it with something sweet. I didn't do that last week. But I have been doing a lot of walking at work--the room where our STAR materials are secured is way the hell and gone from the office, not to mention all the walking I do to and from testing rooms. And I walked home from work on Friday (it was very warm and I just felt like it). I picked up a pedometer yesterday. I'm always joking at work that I should be wearing one because there are some days I feel like I've walked miles on that campus. We'll see how much of an exaggeration that is. ;)
Have a good one!











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