Blessed

We met every Friday at 5:30

I gave without thinking

You were never poor in spirit.

Me, in my Abercrombie and Fitch,

You, with your Aromatic and Filth

We met every Friday at 5:30.

Pasta and tacos,

Admonishments and side eye

I gave without thinking.

Survival your strength

Laughter your life line

You were never poor in spirit

Thank you to Jamie Dedes at The Poet By Day for this Wednesday Writing Prompt. Her challenge: Based on your experience or observation, tell us about poverty.

I used the cascade form for this piece. Thank you to Michele Vecchitto at Writing and Reflections for introducing me to this lovely poetry form through her poem, “Quiet Spaces.”

Poverty comes in many forms – not just material and monetary poverty, but poverty of spirit and soul – a much worse malady in my opinion. The poem above stems from my time volunteering at a soup kitchen. It’s where I learned compassion and what being rich truly means.

©️ iido 2018

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What I Can’t Live Without

Another fun challenge for the Go Dog Go Cafe Tuesday Writing Prompt: Write a poem about the one thing you can’t live without. Within it, try to state why. Their last challenge involved doing an acrostic poem about our greatest fears (here’s mine). I thought it would be fun to do an acrostic poem for this challenge as well.

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Written down

Or spoken or

Running unabated in my head

Daring my pen to play or pause

Sharing connective catharsis

(I cannot live without WORDS!)

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Words have always been a big part of my life – even before running was, actually even before walking probably! I have always loved words – reading them, saying them, writing them, researching them, playing with them. Now that I have found a wonderful writing community in WordPress and IRL, I realize every day the importance of words in my life – for communicating and commiserating. I’ll even admit, that I would not love running as much if it wasn’t for the wonderful conversations I have had during my runs.

Our words shape our lives as much as our lives are shaped by our words (and sometimes the words of others). What words are you using today?

©️ iido 2018

Empty

This has been such a full week for me with a lot of additional activities besides our usual ones. Yet it is sometimes when I am busiest that my thoughts tend towards the opposite direction: loneliness, quietness, stillness. Hence, Patrick Jennings’ Pic and Word Challenge #153 – Emptiness, hits the spot again! While his lovely words look at outward, mine veered inward. Opposites….

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Empty

My womb is empty

No more sparks of life

Like fireflies on a summer night

A fleeting hope twinkling into sad thought

My womb is empty

Candle wishes extinguished

The birthday banner ripped and askew

Only cone hats left to point fingers at who’s to blame

My womb is empty

An unwanted Frankenstein

Stitched and stapled, stretched and scarred

Lightning bolts of regret

My womb is empty

It can add no more

4 out of 6 is more than statistical chance

Minus its function – a fraction of its worth

My womb is empty

Of sad thoughts

Of blame

Of regret

Of function

Now what will I do with all that space?

©️ iido 2018

The BeZine, Sept. 2018, Vol. 5, Issue 3, Theme: Social Justice

Sharing this – not just because they published four poems that I wrote and submitted – but also because of their focus on Social Justice, which is a subject near and dear to my heart…

THE BeZINE

Sunspot—May Peace Prevail on Earth (3 languages)
Digital landscape from photos
©2018 Michael Dickel

Social Justice

The Zeitgeist of Resistance—a Historical River Flowing

Justice is a historical river flowing to us, around us, and through us, toward freedom. The river’s current, like our current Zeitgeist, is one of resistance. In times of extreme injustice(s), people rise. This issue of The BeZine dedicated to Social Justice brings you some of the history and much of our Zeitgeist of resistance.

You will read about the current White House occupant, the state of race and gender relations, economic disparity, oppression, and more that disturbs us in our time. However, coming to The BeZine from unrelated directions—some invited, some offered, some come across by seeming chance—history has sent reminders to us that we are not alone. Others have lived in times of extreme injustice(s). And people rose up to defy and resist injustice…

View original post 1,903 more words

NESCITUR IGNESCITUR -Unknown It Burns

Seventeen years ago, September 11, 2001, was a cloudless, bright blue Tuesday morning. This year, it was a cloudy, humid Tuesday morning. Still, we remember.

In Patrick Jennings’s Pic and a Word Challenge #152 – Fire, his poem for this prompt evokes a warning from a toxic threat. The Tuesday Prompt at Go Dog Go Cafe, inspired by the events of 9/11, requested: “Write about a time that you were challenged by an outside force, and talk about what you did to overcome it? More importantly, how did it change your view of yourself and/or the world around you?” Lastly, I was introduced by Linda Lee Lyberg at Charmed Chaos to a poetry structure called the “reverse Nonet”. This is a poem whose syllable count is: 9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9.

Read on for a poem inspired by past and current fiery events, written in reverse nonet. The picture is an oil painting by Dante Gabriel Rosetti depicting Pandora and her infamous box (he also wrote a sonnet to accompany this painting). In the painting, the words on the box state “Nescitur Ignescitur” meaning “unknown it burns”.

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Pandora’s Fire Box

or

NESCITUR IGNESCITUR (Unknown It Burns)

In tears I watched my world burning down

Like twin towers of faith and hope

Rumors about That Woman

Hatred for That Black Man

I am still held down

My disbelief

Progressing

Fearing

Fucked

Hurt

Anger

Loss of voice

World view shattered

Land of the “what now”

Home of the “not our job”

Reclaim the tiki torches

Be a beacon to light the way

Dried tears fuel the fire of freedom

(“Pandora”, Oil painting by Dante Gabriel Rosetti. Public Domain)

©️iido 2018

Fighting Age

Brian at Vita Brevis has issued another haiku challenge competition which I couldn’t resist. Since my last few poems have been on the “heavier” side, this “lighter” haiku called to me. There is still time to enter your haiku – come join the fun!

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“Fighting Age”

Combing through darkness

Five stand, admitting defeat

Plucked out – victory!

I’ve written a lot of poetry lately, but I’ve also done a fair share of running this past week. Thursday’s short 4 mile run was so hot that I couldn’t even even run the last two miles of it. My head was pounding and I was starting to feel dizzy. I felt defeated and annoyed at my inability to do these minimal miles.

Saturday, I ran 11 miles in cool weather with a slight drizzle and I felt great! I felt like I could have finished another 2 miles for an impromptu half marathon (I didn’t though, as coffee and a bagel was calling my name). I felt elated and victorious, ready to conquer the rest of the day.

Poetry and running keep my soul from getting old and stagnant. I never know what to expect but the range of feelings I experience before, during and after every run is similar to my writing experience. What a blessing to have both in my life and to also have a community of wonderful people to share it with!

©️ iido 2018

Details

This poem was inspired by Pic and a Word Challenge #157 – Details. While I love details in architecture and nature, I am fascinated by details in people, from their looks to their behaviors. This poem takes some “creative license” but I hope its narrative captures an honest reality.

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I zero in

On the cracks in the walls

The spaces between the tile and grout

The layer of dust on the grand piano

The peeling Formica under 80’s sought after giveaway cups

The places where your innovative nature took precedence over getting the job done right.

I zero in

On the grays in your hair

And the spots on your hands

The slowness in your cane aided walk

Your mouth agape during your afternoon nap

The hand me up shirt you’ve been wearing for decades because it still fits

I zoom out

And see the humor and kindness in your eyes

The hands that lovingly prepare my favorite meal

The 20 year old bed that fits generations

The clock where time has stopped but happiness lives on

The struggle of remembering and honoring and forgetting and accepting.

I zoom out

And notice what you do without

What you’ve sacrificed

What you’ve preserved

What you’ve done with love

What you’ve done for love.

I zero in on that detail.

©️ iido 2018