Poetry thoughts

My lack of creativity wasn't total during January & February.  I did manage to attend some online poetry workshops.  The good thing about zoom is you can turn the camera off so the other participants don't know whether you're even there.  And certainly one of the sessions I was particularly vacant, even though I was actually in the room with computer!

For this first poem we were asked to make a list of words that go together.  For example, pencil and paper, cats & dogs, up & down, etc.

Where?
Let’s stay here. Here
where comfort lies.
Here, where my concerns
are contained and specified.
Here, where I feel safe. 

Let’s go there. There
where adventure waits.
There, where worries fade
amidst the new found space.
There, where I feel free. 

The second poem we were asked to write was about travelling solo.

Frustration
What if I packed a bag
and ran away from home?
What if I leave no note or
explanation; no forwarding address
or plan of destination?
What if I turn off my phone
to enjoy the silence of a solo
retreat? Retreat to times past
when communication was simple.
What if I set out one sunny day
choosing a road to travel to
who knows where; then turning
East or West after half an hour?
What if? What if I don’t?

This third poem is an ode to make something unimportant become significant. 

Taking Out The Bins
Monday’s chore. To empty
inside bins into
a plastic sack and place it
in the grey bin. Outside
whatever the weather, ready
for Tuesday’s collection.
A simple task held lightly
by him, but seen as a love
language to her. 

Thanks for joining me today
Bernice

More Poetry

For the next few weeks I'm only going to post once a week on a Saturday rather than twice a week.

In our Write Poetry zoom group Sara-Jane introduced us to poems that had strong emotions and an element of urgency.  Here are my poems from the three exercises we were given.

The persistence of why 

Why is the sky blue?
Why does the moon move
in the night sky?
Why aren’t the stars out tonight?
Why do the clouds hide the sun?
Why do I have to get up?
Why do I have to clean my teeth?
Why do I have to eat green vegetables?
Why do I need to wash?
Why do I have to go to bed
when it’s still daylight?
Why can’t I roll in the mud
like the dog does?
Why can’t I jump in the puddles
like the raindrops do?
Why can’t I swim in the sea
when the waves are high
and crashing on the beach?
Why do you always answer
‘because I said so’? 

Sometime Never

Make the time,
take the time to rest,
to dream of future hope.
Don’t say sometime I’ll take the time
to dream and rest
as sometime never comes.
Take the time to take notice
of what you’ve done,
of where you’ve grown,
of where you’ve come from,
of where you are now.
Ignore the social pressure of
‘you’re not enough’.
It’s not true.
You are enough.
You are you, in all your beauty
and your imperfection.
So, take the time, make the time
as sometime never comes.

Not Invisible

I am standing here
Can you not see me?
I am here in front of you
Surely you can see me.

I am standing here
a sixteen not an eight
Quite large really, almost plus size
not a catwalk stick insect.

I am standing here looking
at the shelves, choosing
a flavour of yoghurt
but you step between.

I am standing here.
Can you not see me?
Pushing your trolley
into me while I’m standing here.

I may not be dressed in purple
or wearing a red hat. I’m not
so old that I’ve withered
to a ghost of my former self.

I am standing here,
standing right in front of you,
surely you can see me.
I am not invisible. 

Thanks for joining me today
Bernice

More poetry. One photo

And the photo isn't mine!

I spent another very productive couple of hours on a Write Poetry zoom call run by Sara-Jane Arbury. You may remember me mentioning her last month.

(c) Element5digital

Again we did 3 exercises.For each exercise Sara-Jane introduced us to a poem, talked about its form, language and punctuation and set us off to write a poem of our own.

The first exercise was to write something about a first experience or step.

First Day 

Bag unpacked, reading books primed
ready to be heard.
Pencils sharpened, crayons
corralled in tins upon the desk.
Small tables, small chairs
for small people. 

The smell of disinfectant.
Why do school toilets smell the same
whatever the school? 

The bell tolls. The day begins
with registration. Each child
acknowledging their presence
to the teacher. A new term for them.
A new job for me. 

The second was about watching somebody who doesn't know you are watching them.  It was suggested we start with 'I see you'.

I see you growing

In your ballet dress I see you
Twirling and smiling
Lost in the wonder
of the dance. 

Sometimes dressed as Elsa
Being a princess. Frozen
on a screen as Mummy
takes a photo. 

I see you cutting up cucumber
And putting snacks in a box
ready for daycare.
Mummy’s little helper. 

I see you colouring in pictures
in a colouring book
whilst you wait for your brothers
to finish their martial art. 

I see you.
But I can’t touch you.
I see you in a photo. In a video
your mummy shares with me. 

I can’t reach through the screen
to touch you 12000 miles away.
But, my beautiful granddaughter
I see you growing. 

 

The last exercise was writing about a place that was deep inside you.  The example was Orkney/This Life by Andrew Greig.   Coincidentally I have been doing an online Masterclass called Essence of Identity with Donna Watson, where one of the modules was about sense of place.

A sense of place 

You have called me.
You have invited me.
Set a table before me
covered with life-giving food. 

You have called me.
You have invited me
to walk in the river,
A river set in the middle of the street
in the middle of the city. 

You have called me.
You have invited me to view
the trees on either side of the river.
Their life-giving leaves
bring healing for the nations. 

You have called me.
You have invited me
into your family.
Adopted me.
Called me your own. 

You have called me.
You have invited me.
You have set eternity
in this human heart. 

Thank you for joining me today
Bernice