Broken Hearted

The consensus was that leaving would be the kind and honorable thing to do. It’s what one would do if they loved the other more than themselves. Still, the first step felt like the time I drew the short stick and had to test the ice on the lake. Everyone was watching, except me. I closed my eyes before taking that first step, because I am not brave or self-less, just guilty enough to not be able to shirk an obligation.

Cracks in winter ice

Intentional shattering

A heartfelt goodbye

For the visually challenged reader, this image shows a sculpture of a man holding a bag. The statue is on waterside, and part of the statue is intentionally missing.

Sadie’s What do you see #171 provided the perfect picture for Frank’s Haibun Monday prompt at dVerse. Doesn’t the missing part of the statue look like a heart?

While I have never had to walk out over a frozen lake to test the thickness of the ice, I have experienced heartbreak. I remember telling my mom when my first love broke up with me that I felt like my heart had been physically ripped out of my chest. It was such a visceral reaction that I thought I would die from the heartache.

Of course, I didn’t die. And I went on to fall in a love twice more before I found the one who currently holds my heart with tenderness and compassion.

Not all break ups are bad ones. Some are done for good and loving reasons, the “right” reasons – those are probably the most painful. Each break up adds to the “baggage” that one brings along in life. And sometimes, that baggage still weighs heavy even after years have passed.

©️ 2023 iido

Thoughts at a Party While Talking to a Hottie – A Quadrille

The flatness of the wall – so interesting 

Compared to your thick hair 

And even thicker lips that smile 

An unknowing temptation 

For me to nibble on their juicy apple redness

Must focus on the bland beige behind you since

We are out of ice. 

Photo by Rafael De Lancer on Pexels.com

This poem was inspired by my Hubby (who is currently away on business) and two prompts: the Sunday RagTag Daily Prompt – Temptation and d’Verse Quadrille #168 – Ice.

My Hubby and I did actually meet at a party in college and his lips were definitely one of his features that I found attractive, along with his deep voice and his leadership skills (and no, that is not a euphemism for something else!!). I have to admit, I didn’t even notice him the whole night at this party. It was only in the wee hours of the morning, when he and I were sitting across from each other at a diner (‘cuz that’s what you do after a night of partying), talking about our fathers (of all things!), that I started to pay attention to his lips as he is speaking and then I have this distinct memory of a voice in my head saying, “I can see this man being next to me while I’m giving birth.” Weird, right? Who has that thought after just meeting a person? But it did make me wonder, “Is this what they mean by ‘when you know, you know?'”

It’s been 21 years now that we’ve been married (plus an additional 6 years of mostly long distance dating). At this point, I’ve known my Hubby longer than I have not known him! And he was there next to me during the births of all our children!

As I was explaining to my teen age daughter who has friends who are starting to date, attraction is sometimes instantaneous and sometimes not; what is attractive to one person, may not be attractive to another; and there are many different aspects of people that we can find attractive (physically, mentally, emotionally, socially, spiritually). What attracts you to someone may be easy to explain – but there may be times when you can’t explain it, you just know it. And when attraction finds you at a time you least expect, having that bucket of ice, can be helpful!

©️ 2023 iido

Holding My Breath

The surf lies with its rhythmic sensuality

The ebb and flow gliding smoothly

Hiding gloomy coral and biting rocks

The caress of water on sand

Lazy eddies swirling promises that aren’t kept

The seagull’s macro view asks:

Waiting? For what?

What answers can be found in the soothing sway of liquid lies?

The seagull’s cawing, an alarm clock of mocking laughter, jeers:

There is no friendship in the water

It’s glory lies in the chase, the back and forth of its waves

The seagull warns:

Enjoy the water’s languid limbs wrapped around your body

But don’t breath in.

©️iido 2022

Inspiration finally returned in these last days of 2022. I’ve taken an unwanted hiatus from all types of writing these past few months, a potent combination of pessimism, anhedonia and general life busy-ness. Functional depression is a thing!

So easing in to 2023…much thanks to Patrick at Pix to Words (#330-338 included in this poem)! I had a streak going and plan on getting that back!

Wishing all my WordPress Family a great start to 2023!!

©️ 2022 iido

Reconciliation – A Haiku

Enveloping warmth

Belie the many winters

Words were left unspoken

For the visually challenged reader, this image shows an elderly man and woman embracing. In the background, people can be seen going about their business.

Sadje’s What do you see? instantly inspired this haiku. The expression on the man’s face seems so…satisfied, relieved, joyful.

I would hope that would be the look on our faces when the divisions brought on by politics and this pandemic is over.

©️ 2021 iido

WOMAN – An Acrostic Poem

Waters of life connect us

Over millennia, we birth and love,
                we cry and learn, 
                we bleed and live

Mother to daughter and mother 
       to daughter and mother 
                        to daughter

Awash in power and persistence

Now let us open the floodgates!

Yesterday was International Women’s Day. I wanted to write a poem to celebrate the great accomplishments of women in the world, historically and more recently, as well as acknowledging the women in my life who are great, accomplished women. This includes:

• my mother
• all the wonderful women here in the WordPress blogosphere (Gina, Punam, Kate, Mich, Jamie, Jane, just to name a few)
• my running tribe (Michele, Nada, everyone in MRTT/SRTT, of course)
• my west coast fam (Karla, Ellen, Jane, Henny, Trucs, you know who you are – don’t make me call you out!)
• my east coast fam (yes, that includes you if you’re reading this!!)

I know the “water is wide” with regards to how far women still need to go to achieve true equality…it would help if women were (at least) met half way, don’t you think? Still, we have moved forward and hopefully, together, we will continue to do so.

* The link above is to a song by Joan Baez called “The Water is Wide”. I wasn’t able to embed the video in the post. I love the first verse of this song (it always makes me teary) and thought it went well with the poem. The verses after…eh…

This acrostic poem is also linked to Patrick’s Pic and a Word Challenge #222 – Connections and to Punam’s Saturday Ragtag Community Daily Prompt – Water.

©️ 2020 iido

Tygpress is NOT Authorized to Reprint My Blog Content

This post is a follow up on my previous post about Tygpress (hosted by Digital Oceans). They continue to scrape my blog as well as others’ blogs. We have lost one blog (maybe two) because of this issue and that makes me very sad.

Fandango created a badge that he kindly allowed other bloggers to use. I am going to be using this badge on all my posts going forward.

Also, check out this post at Renard’s World. He wrote a thoughtful article about this issue with some excellent explanations and suggestions about how to further handle this issue.

I hope you are not affected by this issue, but if you are – know that you aren’t alone and that there is something you can do about it. As for me, I will continue with my posting and and my brand new badge while continuing to explore options to shut down this unethical website.

©️ iido 2019

Winking – A Quadrille Acrostic Poem

While I laughed my best fake laugh

Instead of joining in the conversation

Nestling your hand in mine

Knowing I was only there because of you

I saw your eyes widen then flicker

Noticing the beauty across the table

Giving your best singular smile

This there such a thing a Quadrille Acrostic Poem? Well, there is now! De Jackson (aka WhimsyGizmo) at dVerse Poets requested a Quadrille (a poem with exactly 44 words) using the word “wink”. I used “winking” as the acrostic word – hope that counts!

This poem continues the theme of relationships that seems to be prominent on my blog this week. I wonder what the universe is trying to tell me?

Promises – A Quadrille

Why promise sunshine

When stormy clouds beckon warm snuggles under blankets

Why promise safe harbor

When tempests rock the rhythm that brings quivering joy

Why promise white picket fences

When unknown roads uncover the places of soft sighs

I will only promise my heart.

******

Trying something new today – yes, I know it’s Tuesday and this was a dVerse Quadrille Monday prompt….well, better late than never, right?

What is a quadrille poem, you ask? It’s a poem of exactly 44 words (not including the title) with the prompt word embedded into the poem. The challenge this Monday was to include the word “harbor” or a form of the word (verb, noun, even using poetic license is allowed) however using a synonym does not fulfill the prompt. A quadrille is also an 18th/19th century dance performed by four couples in a square formation (the precursor to square dancing according to Wikipedia). I’m not sure how the dance became a poem – if you do, please enlighten the rest of us! However it came about, keeping a poem to 44 words was a challenge for me (can you tell by the rambling I’ve done in this section? 😂). Thank you Lillian at dVerse for getting me out of my safe harbor and trying out this new form!

©️ iido 2018

My Gift to You As Long As We Both Shall Live

Sometimes my life gets consumed by kids and schedules and errands and running and writing and whatever else, that I forget that I have a life partner who can help with some of those things and who also needs attention. This poem was inspired by my Hubby and by the Go Dog Go Café Writing Challenge – The gift you share. Specifically, the challenge was to write about your gift of happiness to someone. I read this to my Honey before posting it – I think it made him happy!

******

I make you happy.

If by happy, you mean, angry

With my still over packing at 3 am for our 6 am flight

And my inability to see the piles of pots and dishes and projects and wishes.

I make you happy.

If by happy, you mean, annoyed

With my running on Filipino time Apple watch

And my need to open every light and closet door just to give you an extra chore.

I make you happy.

If by happy, you mean, exasperated

With my up at night rhymings that don’t pay the rent

And my obsessive infraction of WordPress distraction.

I make you happy.

If by happy, you mean, loved

With my morning drool running down your shoulder

And my super power that relieves you of all the stress that makes you glower.

I make you happy.

It’s my gift.

©️iido 2018