In Honor of Poetry Month

Cheryl Fassett ♦ April 22, 2015 ♦ Leave a comment

I don’t think it would be fair to close out poetry month without adding a few of my own poems to the mix. 🙂 Bare in mind that I am NOT a poet! But I do like to dabble and play with words.

The first two poems are from some exercises I was working on in The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Writing Poetry. [Hey now, no laughing! It is actually a very well thought out book and was very helpful in stimulating my imagination!] The exercise was to first write a poem in one form and then in another. And I will admit, it was so many years ago that I no longer know what the forms are that I wrote in… but here it goes…

Your note arrived today at noon
surprising like snowflakes in June,
a stolen kiss with mistletoe,
a ray of sunshine melting snow.
Shaky lines the color of smoke
within purple folds, your words evoke
a picture of a well-lived life
painting years of joy and strife.
It whispers – know that life is brief
as nightfall brings the sun relief
and spring breaks winter’s frozen stay
a curtain must close on every play.
While you are here – live, dance and sing.
Life is a bee  – both honey and sting.

A letter arrived today –
unexpected, like snowflakes in July
Or a stolen kiss under mistletoe.

Spidery, smoke-colored lines
in crisp lavender folds,
paint a picture of a life well-lived.

It whispers – life is brief!
a play that must close
despite good reviews and ovations.

Your letter arrived today –
a ray of sunshine
after a long, dark night.

And I lift my eyes to heaven
and shout –
Bravo!

Fear

descends on me,
overwhelming
like a towering storm cloud
gathering intensity.
Doubt
smothers me,
stifling
like a thick winter coat
zipped tight around my neck.
Demons
dance in my head
taunting
like a bully on a playground
cornering me against the fence.
As I stare are the blank page.

Ah, that writer’s block… It gets you every time. 🙂