AT LONG LAST #56, FRONT ROW SEATS #57 #58 Purple Socks All Winter

ANOTHER NEW BEGINNING

70 Poems for 70 Days 

 is a collection of poetry I wrote as a birthday present to myself and gifted in book format to 70 of my friends and family members. Over a period of 70 Sundays, I am submitting the poems in the order of composition, along with a short comment about the poem’s style or theme,
often including a complementary photograph.

With linked poetry, a form of Japanese Renshi poetry,

the last lines of one poem are used to form the title of the next poem,

then the next poem shifts to a different topic.

I hope you find a few entries that bring a smile to your face or a long buried memory to the surface of your consciousness. Poetry is like that, whether you are the reader or the author.
 

56

At Long Last

 

 

 

Waiting, when there is

nothing to anticipate

every conversation leads

to war 

Socks the wrong color,

heat set too high, too low

too much garlic, not enough salt,

and the gas tank’s dry, again. 

At very long last,

free to be the real me

purple socks all winter,

floor fan after March 

Gone the need to capitulate,

with no control on topics

ranged from condiments

to front row seats.

  

Of course, this is written “tongue-in-cheek.” If only all conflict confined itself to difference of opinion in sock color and choice of condiments! Then again, any mystery writer worth their salt, and pepper, could execute a story that involved death by choking on a gold-toed stocking or asphyxiation by chili powder.

*****     *****     *****

 

 

While some of the poems in this collection were written with a bit of humor, others focus on more serious, and often, quite emotional topics. The topic of the following poem falls into the latter category. These thoughts did not come easily and were not written with a light heart.

57

Front Row Seats

 

Back yard

Saturday night

Full moon rising

Open to the force, electric

In its delight. 

Twirling dancers

Shining stage

Violin concerto

Emotions swell, the pleasure

Uncontained. 

Front row

Thursday morning,

Silence trickles down

Incomprehensible, to view

The tiny casket.

*****     *****     *****

 

 

58

 

EVERY DAY, ANOTHER HOLIDAY #46, #47, and #48

Life has a way of moving forward, even when you feel you are making no progress. Each event is part of living. Not everyday can be a celebration or a holiday, and the troublesome times make the good times all that much better!

#46

Good Life Ahead

 

Heliconia Blooming in the Backyard

 

Unpaid leave, hospital stay

then home, empty-handed again.

Cupboards lacking

Wallet bare. 

Part-time work, nights

at the old folks home.

Salted crackers and loose tea bags

From the commissary cart. 

One day you will be

rich as Midas, with golden

sunshine gracing the lanai and

mangoes ripening on the shelf. 

Every day, another holiday.

 

* * * * *

 

#47

Another Holiday 

Her birthday and

opening day of fishing

clashed each year.

She said it did not matter when

they celebrated, or if the gift

was wrapped. 

The game continued

year to year:

he never forgetting to

plan ahead

she always joking that

one day the rules would change.

This year the same as last,

but different. Far beyond retired,

the fishing tackle sold.

The cake awash with surreal light,

they celebrate on Cloud 99.

Candles not required. 

This year the parents celebrated their 99^th birthdays in heaven, surrounded by the brilliant light of many relatives and friends. Their marriage was a loving partnership that allowed disagreement and compromise as acceptable avenues of dialogue. They instinctive knew how to pick their battles.

 

 * * * * *

 

#48

No Candles

Your special dessert, Auntie,

bring enough for everyone

Picnics in Neshotah Park;

Potluck; Easter on the farm. 

Memories accumulate.

The canvas fills with poppies,

like distant stars waking in

A shimmering sky. 

One final request,

if you have the time.

Can you bring

your special dessert, Auntie? 

I’ll wait for you.

 

A tribute to Auntie Lucille for her love-filled poppy seed cake with cream cheese frosting; and to Leigh for a final request fulfilled.

 

 * * * * *

 

This trilogy of linking poems is more personal than some of the other offerings of linking poetry within Another New Beginning. While each poem was written from remembered thoughts of past experiences, these three reflect a stir of memories accurately represented by a smile of sadness. Sad only because life is so fleeting and we don't become aware of its rapid passing until we look at it from a position of stillness.

With the sound turned off, every action has a new interpretation.  That thought just came to me and may not apply here, but I liked the feel of the words as they rolled around in my mind. Before you write  the final chapter of your life, before you ask for that special dessert, before you reach Cloud 99, take some time to turn the sound off in your hectic life and absorb the sight of a shimmering sky, the flavors of a favorite cake, conversation with a loved one, and turn your differences into a successful enterprise.

Enjoy the good life ahead, before you spend another holiday with no candles.

 

 

POSSIBILITIES: Poem #44 from #AnotherNewBeginning

#44

Possibilities 

 

Happiness bubbles up from

a cauldron of endless possibilities,

giving rise to celebrations

only imagination can provide. 

At sunrise, reach for the sky

atop Mount Haleakala,

or from the comfort of

your own back yard. 

Drink sparkling liquid

laced with fresh-peeled lychee

while relaxing in the sensual

jet stream of a soothing hot tub. 

Hear the waves splashing along

Atlantic and Pacific shores; dance

flamenco in Madrid; enjoy the swans

in Brugge and Boston Common. 

All this, and more, isn’t

happiness realized;

knowing you can dream

is the true fulfillment. 

 

This is one of those prose poems that needs little explanation beyond the reader's own interpretation.

Pleasure is often derived from lingering upon memories that once brought happiness. But the knowledge that you can continue to find happiness in everyday life, without chasing rainbows or searching for pots of gold, is what truly matters.

Knowing that contentment is within easy reach, within yourself, is happiness realized.

*****     *****     *****

 

TOGETHER: Poem 10 of 70 from ANOTHER NEW BEGINNING

10
TOGETHER

LION DANCE IN WAIKIKI

 

If you’ve ever enjoyed a Chinese New Year’s lion dance, you will understand the necessity of working together to accomplish a difficult feat. The task of moving dragon-bodied lions along a parade route is difficult. As the animal’s head is raised and lowered in rapid succession, you wonder where the marcher gets the strength to remain in perpetual motion. After a period of time, the performers switch places. The energy expended is tremendous and such action cannot be safely sustained for long periods of time. 

Along with this coordination of efforts, each performer supporting the lion’s body works in sync with the others to produce an undulating motion. All this occurs while the pageant moves along its route, keeping the character dancing to elicit smiles. The red donation envelopes of good-luck help keep the energy level high. 

A writer’s goal is to offer readers this same level of entertainment. She develops characters that appeal to the reader’s senses and emotions, much like the colorful and expressive New Year’s lion. The writer works in solitude environment, venturing out only for hands-on research or a bit of fellow-human contact. She uses the muscles of her mind, exerting great energy to create setting and characters; tension and excitement; plot and climax. This collaborative effort is meant for the reader’s benefit.

 

Once the hard work leads to “society’s pleasure” the writer stands, mouth agape, waiting for the good-luck dollar!

 

Together

 

Writing is a solitary activity,

sitting alone for hours

at typewriter or computer

with a tablet or notepad.

Inside the author’s head

drumming up ideas

scenarios, settings

a plot slowly forms.

Characters dance and

story line develops.

Everything comes together

to build tension and

create meaning.

To tell an engaging tale

and elicit smiles, or tears.

 A solitary pursuit evolves

Becoming society’s pleasure.

 

 

SMILING BACK: Linking Poetry Japanese Renshi style

In my book of linked poetry, Another New Beginning, the first poem is entitled A Tiny Flower. It spoke of a small, surprise act of kindness extended to me on King Kamehameha Day. The following words, the last line of the poem, are used to form the title for the next poem:

Air brakes lift

We roll forward, and

the universe smiles back.

 **********

 

 **********

My poetry is loosely patterned after the intriguing renshi poetry of Japan. The Japanese word, ren, means “to link.” The final words of the previous poem suggest the title for the next one, thereby linking them. Then there is a shift as the new poem changes topic or idea to present a new thought. 

In today’s poem, Smiling Back, one of my alter egos of past decades recalls “after hours” fun times with co-workers, eventually overshadowed by shifting lifestyle. Anyone over the age of awareness knows life does not move forward at a predictable pace but shifts and changes, often with the wind. This is colorfully expressed in Steinbeck’s “best laid plans of mice and men” which suggests that things do not always work out as planned, no matter the extent of preparation.

 

Those flexible enough to bend with the wind will most comfortably weather the storm. Over the years, I’ve weathered many storms. I believe learning to give thanks and forgiveness has allowed me to become a content person, comfortable with my inner being.

 

 

Smiling Back 

From shadows,

smiling back at me,

clear memories

of frothy rapids

while tubing down

an apple-scented river. 

 

Company softball games,

cheering on my teammates

win or lose, celebrating

El Torito style.

 

All too soon, highways

move me state to state,

major life changes

blinding me to loss. 

 

Above the clouds

endless open skies

ease me from the past; with

lazy eagerness, promises appear

of another new beginning.

 

**********

 

 

NO CHOICE BUT TO FOLLOW: Paying It Forward

My inspiration to write a book of poetry came from meeting four special local poets. I felt the excitement in their voices as they spoke of the steps involved in producing individual works for their published book of poetry. I enjoyed hearing them recite the poems live and listening to their complete recital of the full collection of poetry on compact disc. The following appears in my own publication:

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 

My book of poems, ANOTHER NEW BEGINNING, is fashioned after renshi, a Japanese form of linked poetry. Each poem’s title is suggested by the ending of the previous entry. My first introduction to this form of poetry was through Ann Inoshita, a local poet invited by author Michael Little to speak at a monthly writers group meeting in Honolulu (currently Hawaii Fiction Writers.) 

Ann read excerpts from a book of poems she and three other local poets published with Bamboo Press in 2008. Ann shared her knowledge of the Japanese poetry called renshi. Some months later, Ann’s fellow poets joined her at another meeting to give a reading from their book entitled: 

No Choice but to Follow

No Choice but to Follow

This book includes a CD featuring the authors reading their poetry, each taking their turn in the order of how they originally wrote and submitted their poems, one per month for twelve months. 

The fascinating concept that defines renshi poetry gave me the idea to write 70 poems in 70 days to recapture some of the high- and low-light experiences of my first 70 years here on God’s green Earth.

To these four talented poets, I offer a special Mahalo Nui for their exceptional presentations, amazing talents, and selfless inspiration.

 

You were indeed my true north for this project. 

Ann Inoshita

Juliet S. Kono

Jean Yamasaki Toyama

Christy Passion
 

Me ke aloha,

Gail 

***  ***  ***  ***  ***

 

Beginning October 18, 2015, and each succeeding Sunday for 70 weeks, my internet blogsite will feature a poem from ANOTHER NEW BEGINNING. A short observation, sometimes informative, other times humorous, will accompany the poem, along with a complementary photograph.
 



 

 *****     *****     *****