The breeze is cool and the house is quiet. There is only me and the chirping robins, only me and shifting curtains, only me and my comfortable darkness, dappled now in maple-leaf light. The Prompt Yesterday, I had the rarest of rare mornings—my youngest child slept a solid two hours past his normal wake up time. I sipped coffee on the front porch, made the 40-minute roundtrip drive to drop one of my other children off at his cross-country practice, walked our dog for several miles, made pancake batter, and
This is one I wrote this week in a similar downtime. I was up and dressed for the day and waiting on my mom so I decided to go outside to the public balcony with a book and journal. I shared it as a part of a larger entry yesterday.
Morning at the Crescent
..
The storm has passed but a steady light rain falls.
While the birds resume their morning gossip,
A coolish breeze belies the date on the calendar,
And the misty clouds are so low that heaven and earth meet,
I don't think you cheated - I think you deserve extra credit! And what a lovely poem. "I was born droves of birds ago / and am finally a hermit." So many beautiful lines, but those might be my favorite.
Ohhh, I love how the vibe of this poem feels sort of calm and reflective and then all of a sudden, it lights on fire at the end . . . just like those displaced feelings, hiding with matches in the corner.
And there are fires which need to be started; controlled burns if you will! We need a spark to light those fires and get us going. Thanks for the inspiration 😘
Ah, Keith, another gem! "Where emotional sediment/comes to settle." Wow, that is wonderful. I love the movement of your poem, and the sparkling ending, with sparks and possibility of fire. What a writer you are!
I love this poem and how you came to it. I have found myself in a similar pocket and wrote about how it makes me uncomfortable. 🤣 I don't know if it's finished yet, but I'm trying not to overthink it.
My husband and children have a habit of slipping away unannounced, as a way of giving me space,
which is such a rarity that I should really enjoy it more, but I can't help feeling like something has been stolen from me - a goodbye, maybe,
or the possibility of spending these moments alone more intentionally.
I love the simplicity of the ending - "I need a warning," and I can totally relate to the sentiment. A warning and also a schedule of when the quiet will end again, so I know what's possible in that time. Is this just a go-to-the-bathroom-uninterrupted pause, or should I brew myself a cup of coffee and work on my novel?
oh wow, the idea of having a goodbye stolen from you really landed. I feel that, deeply. And the last line really packed a punch. The poem itself really expresses so well the gap that can exist between intent and impact.
My partner would agree with you 100%, A. It is amazing how our mutual good intentions stumble on the field of our personalities, stylistic tendencies and idiosyncrasies. I am always learning how to intentionally communicate; one day I’ll get there!
Without fail, there is always some line in your poems that catches me completely by surprise and puts a big smile on my face. "Tiiiiii-ahhhhiii-eee-uummmm" is certainly such a line!
Thank you., Lisa! And what a treat to read your poem . . . tintinnabulation is such an incredible word. And "deafening reminders / of a God long abandoned" is a beautiful and intriguing ending.
"Micro raptures of the spirit" - I adore this description! And what a lovely hug of a landing - "you are not alone." Thank you for this beautiful poem, Larry.
This is a delightful poem and prompt to see on a lovely Saturday! I like that you had the gift of some found time yesterday, and you had the wisdom to fill it with what came in the moment. The gift of sleep for your son and the gift of small moment time for you. I like that phrase “my comfortable darkness!” And that the beginnings of this sweet poem started with a morning breeze. You are a morning breeze to us, your merry band of poets, every prompt and poem you share!
Thank you so much for sharing this! I feel like that simple phrase, spoken to yourself - "I have time" - has such incredible power. It's a door opener, a muscle relaxer, a permission giver. I'm so glad you shared your experience!
This is one I wrote this week in a similar downtime. I was up and dressed for the day and waiting on my mom so I decided to go outside to the public balcony with a book and journal. I shared it as a part of a larger entry yesterday.
Morning at the Crescent
..
The storm has passed but a steady light rain falls.
While the birds resume their morning gossip,
A coolish breeze belies the date on the calendar,
And the misty clouds are so low that heaven and earth meet,
On this rainy summer morning.
I love how you pull me right into the moment with you! This is lovely.
that's really atmospheric, it takes me to your world with the words
"and the misty clouds are so low that heaven and earth meet" - gorgeous line, and what a vivid scene you paint with your words, Karri.
Resuming their gossip. 🙂👏
This is beautiful, Karri. I feel like I'm there.
I love this Karri! It is so evocative, vivid and descriptive! I do love “while the birds resume their morning gossip”. These morning sentries!
I kind of cheated here and played both with the "unexpected pocket of time" theme (sitting on the road) and the "you" prompt.
.
When my chatter box won't run
I do weird things like
hide from my neighbors.
Granted, this is the sticks:
a place where hiding can feel
like a plausible extension of
not trespassing and
almost neighborly.
.
The morning I sat down on the road
to avoid overtaking you
on our regrettably coincident walks,
a chickadee popped out to say hi
without even parting the curtains.
.
He was born yesterday
and is already an ambassador.
I was born droves of birds ago
and am finally a hermit.
.
We are both in the right place,
this many-treed patch
where he can share the feeder
to his heart’s content
and I can wish you well
from a distance.
I don't think you cheated - I think you deserve extra credit! And what a lovely poem. "I was born droves of birds ago / and am finally a hermit." So many beautiful lines, but those might be my favorite.
I think not necessarily weird
Haha, I'm glad you get me, Chuck!
I think I toned my "hiding" skill the most at church.
"I was born droves of birds ago and am finally a hermit" is so perfect. I love this.
I live this Rebekah, and can certainly relate. The last stanza is superb and connects the beginning and end so nicely.
What a lovely, peaceful poem, Lisa. I love the landing of you in your comfortable darkness, dappled in maple-leaf light.
*
Those empty pockets
of time are not what gets
top billing when looking
back over a day.
Yet those small quiet spaces
are the exact places
where emotional sediment
comes to settle.
All those traces
of displaced feelings
collecting in the corners,
like so much lint that,
left untended,
might well start
a fire.
Ohhh, I love how the vibe of this poem feels sort of calm and reflective and then all of a sudden, it lights on fire at the end . . . just like those displaced feelings, hiding with matches in the corner.
Thanks, friend :))
And there are fires which need to be started; controlled burns if you will! We need a spark to light those fires and get us going. Thanks for the inspiration 😘
Oh, the idea of a controlled burn...yes! That can be part of the "tending to!"
Well judging by events of today there are sparks. Lo.
There is never a shortage of sparks. Ever!
I'm rereading a book right now which describes magic dust in the same way I'm picturing your "emotional sediment" and I just love this imagery.
Thanks, A. And I love the imagery of magic dust...emotional sediment can be magical dust (can be)!
Ah, Keith, another gem! "Where emotional sediment/comes to settle." Wow, that is wonderful. I love the movement of your poem, and the sparkling ending, with sparks and possibility of fire. What a writer you are!
Thanks, Larry - as always, grateful for your kind and affirming feedback :))
I love this poem and how you came to it. I have found myself in a similar pocket and wrote about how it makes me uncomfortable. 🤣 I don't know if it's finished yet, but I'm trying not to overthink it.
My husband and children have a habit of slipping away unannounced, as a way of giving me space,
which is such a rarity that I should really enjoy it more, but I can't help feeling like something has been stolen from me - a goodbye, maybe,
or the possibility of spending these moments alone more intentionally.
I need a warning.
I love the simplicity of the ending - "I need a warning," and I can totally relate to the sentiment. A warning and also a schedule of when the quiet will end again, so I know what's possible in that time. Is this just a go-to-the-bathroom-uninterrupted pause, or should I brew myself a cup of coffee and work on my novel?
Yes!
Yes! The opportunity to plan what to do with one’s time!
oh wow, the idea of having a goodbye stolen from you really landed. I feel that, deeply. And the last line really packed a punch. The poem itself really expresses so well the gap that can exist between intent and impact.
My partner would agree with you 100%, A. It is amazing how our mutual good intentions stumble on the field of our personalities, stylistic tendencies and idiosyncrasies. I am always learning how to intentionally communicate; one day I’ll get there!
Ticking away the moments
that make up a dull day.
It's the time of the season
to fritter and waste the hours
in an offhand way.
But
Tiiiiii-ahhhhiii-eee-uummmm
is on my side.
Yes it is.
I wonder if jagger still thinks that.
Does anybody really know?
The times they are a changin'.
Without fail, there is always some line in your poems that catches me completely by surprise and puts a big smile on my face. "Tiiiiii-ahhhhiii-eee-uummmm" is certainly such a line!
🙂
Was in the middle of some weepy "life sucks when you get old" thing when Pink Floyd came on the radio.
Bring it home, Chuck!
"My comfortable darkness" what a line.... I love it
Your poem is beautiful, thanks for sharing...
I wrote this as I listened to the local church bells ringing for half an hour as I relaxed this afternoon
Church bells ring, are you listening?
Church bells
Clanging loundly
Ringing noisily
Out of tune
For what purpose?
I sit uncomfortably
the tintinnabulation of the bells
disturbing my peace
deafening reminders
of a God long abandoned
Thank you., Lisa! And what a treat to read your poem . . . tintinnabulation is such an incredible word. And "deafening reminders / of a God long abandoned" is a beautiful and intriguing ending.
I've had similar thoughts about local church bells.
Maybe just it's the bells themselves, the joy in unleashing their sound for a little while?
Very nice, Lisa!
<3 lovely
“Living inside a poem”. What a wonderful way to describe life! And so glad you got some unexpected time.
Thank you so much, Karri!
Late moring Sunday offering after church:
Small Spaces
^
Heat wave finally broken,
leaving in the dark of night,
with a subtle reminder on the morning dew
‘I’ll be back.”
Bellwether bible of the times.
^
My bicycle glides along Ocean Road,
sweet promise of a summer breeze,
mind rolling like the revolution of the wheels
scrolling through the lines of long ago:
“cast your seasons to the wind
and hold me dear, hold me dear.”
The slender beauty of the small moments,
micro raptures of the spirit:
Reegan’s bright smile piercing every shadow,
Alexia’s vision of a future on the edge of adulthood,
Dan's discovery of love once again.
^
Stories of hope, stories and heart
shared in small spaces every day.
Brown eyed boy on ocean jetty
proclaiming “I am a whale.”
Joyful screams of hot skin touching icy waters
sun drenched elder waking from sacred sand nap
to the words “I love you.”
^
Let us each be the lights to a brighter day.
Coolness in the heat waves;
warmth in the stubborn occupation of winter,
bridges of grace in times in between,
sparks of light creeping into the despair,
singing an ancient tune,
“you are not alone.”
"Micro raptures of the spirit" - I adore this description! And what a lovely hug of a landing - "you are not alone." Thank you for this beautiful poem, Larry.
Thank you for reading and commenting, Lisa!
Beautiful, Larry. That last stanza is especially comforting to me.
Thank you A. Looking for bridges of hope in the times!
I'am not poetically inclined but nice photo of you!
This is a delightful poem and prompt to see on a lovely Saturday! I like that you had the gift of some found time yesterday, and you had the wisdom to fill it with what came in the moment. The gift of sleep for your son and the gift of small moment time for you. I like that phrase “my comfortable darkness!” And that the beginnings of this sweet poem started with a morning breeze. You are a morning breeze to us, your merry band of poets, every prompt and poem you share!
Thank you so much, Larry!
You had "the experience," where you realize your life is a living poem and you are living it. Gorgeous! 🥰
Thank you, Danielle! That's definitely how life feels to me - at least most days.
That's lovely! Thanks for sharing it with us. XO
I love this analogy, Danielle!
Thank you, Larry!! XO
Thank you so much for sharing this! I feel like that simple phrase, spoken to yourself - "I have time" - has such incredible power. It's a door opener, a muscle relaxer, a permission giver. I'm so glad you shared your experience!
This is great! Bravo to you for sitting in on yoga’.