HOLIDAYS and GRATITUDE #62 and #63

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.

62

Now The Pie

 

Holidays bring family close together

with birthdays a favorite, for the cake.

Chocolate is the choice most every time.

 

The 4th means potlucks and fireworks

displays in the park, on the island,

or near the shore. With watermelon

chilling in the cooler for dessert.

 

Thanksgiving’s feast means

now the pie takes center stage, topped

with vanilla ice or fresh whipped cream.

 

Christmas is a winter solstice celebration

most anticipated every year. The sacred

offering of bread and wine consumed with

wrongs forgiven and gratitude expressed.

 

 

*****     *****     *****

 

 

63

With Gratitude

 Geckos on my lanai bring

good luck into

my home.

With gratitude

I watch their

high-speed sprints.

 

 Birds on the high wires

chirp me awake

the sun our silent clock

Their downy feathers

floating on trade winds

demonstrate a ballerina’s grace.

 

Nature delivers peace

at morning’s start,

lightening my cares.

Sipping caffeine black,

the pain subsides

leaving only re-occurring thoughts.

 

 

Ah, the unparalleled pleasure of sipping morning coffee on the lanai before the weight of the day demands your full attention. Still not fully awake, unmindful of opinions pressing down with unrelenting force, obligations stacked for later consideration, and disorderly expectations of unruly humanity. 

 

Soon, the geckos scurry for cover,

the birds' chirps become more frantic,

and the sun's golden rays appear to tarnish

 

Back to a world of reality. 

 

 

*****     *****     *****

 

 

#IWSG What is Your Favorite Aspect of Being a Writer?

 

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

November 2 Question: What is your favorite aspect of being a writer?

Alex J. Cavanaugh's awesome co-hosts for the November 2 posting of the IWSG will be Joylene Nowell Butler, Jen Chandler, Mary Aalgaard, Lisa Buie Collard, Tamara Narayan, Tyrean Martinson, and Christine Rains!

*****     *****     ***** 

 

If you've ever participated in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) you know the importance of setting goals. With NaNoWriMo, the objective is to write 50,000 in 30 days. Basic math suggests that writing 1,666 words per day will get you smoothly to that goal. Simple, right?

The title of my previous post suggests there is: No Wrong - Just Write-Write-Write!

 

Each year that I've participated in the November event I've learned a bit more about how to become a 'Winner' (completing the goal of writing 50k words.) This year, I made an outline of the basic story, decided on the general progression of the plotline, and laid out the order of scenes. This doesn't mean I confined myself to a narrow framework or a boring ritual, though.

 

On day one, my characters surprised and fascinated me. After layering my basic knowledge of a topic with imagination, I created scenes that never existed until I started typing. Kinda gives new meaning to "let your fingers do the walking." In this case, it's letting them do the "talking."

 

Where else can you be so totally in control of your work? Let your imagination run wild, create extreme characters, build psychedelic scenes or develop an outrageous plotline.

 

This is my favorite aspect of being a writer!

*****     *****     ***** 

 

Applying this freedom to another area of my life, I've decided to change my menu to non-cooked meals, at least during NaNoWriMo. Here is a picture of what lunch consists of for the next 30 days:

 

 





*****     *****     ***** 

Are you participating in NaNoWriMo 2016?