I wanna thank you

How do you say thank you
to people who’ve given so much
when you’re supposed to poet
but get stuck on gratefulness?

How do you say thank you
for all the prompts
words, images, forms suggested
and the invitation to ignore them at want?

How do you say thank you
for the poems you got to read
that touched your heart
touched your soul
made you smile?

How do you say thank you
for darkness bared
hopelessness shared
feeling shaken
and stirred?

How do you say thank you
for being read, receiving comments
feeling appreciated, feeling valued
feeling connection?

How do you say thank you
to people
for being different
for being the same?

How do you say thank you
for showing up
for trying
for being a witness
for creating a spark?

This ‘you’ turns to music
Thank you!

If you weren’t participating in the #OctPoWriMo challenge yourself, you may not know about all the wonderful participants out there. I’d like to recommend some, in random order. I’ll introduce you to a specific poem if I can, but I recommend you to read many more on their blog, since the prompts led to many different writings.

because #metoo is just too much by Wanda Olugbala – a poem about growing up where harrassment seems to be the norm, not the exception

Ghouls by Pat R – a lovely short and claver take on modern ghouls

My mind on arts by my friend Dawn – she’s written an ode to her own mind, without leaving out the darkness

Reflection by Jenni Astramowicz – a poem about missing your mum, not being allowed to cry and not having a face

Don’t buy the bullshit by Cara H – who tells busiebodies who like to talk about people’s bodies what she thinks of them

Fighting the urge to vomit by Annis Cassels – a poem about desperately wanting to share your knowledge for the benefit of others and doing that by not doing it

Rings by Michele Vecchitto – a Fibonacci poem about the mother of her stepchildren

Fear of unfeeling by Jennifer Patino – about the lure and dangers of feeling and breathing

be like them by Annie R. Ray – a punchy poem about walking your own path

https://kryptic.blog/ –> a beautiful combination of collage and words

I want to add more, but at the moment I’m cross-eyed from reading more than I can handle.

A special shout out to the people who’ve made this month possible for all participants:
Morgan Dragonwillow at Wild Woman Mysteries
Amy Phelps McGrath at The Rabid Artist
Beverly Tan at @BeverlyTanFilm
Tamara Woods at Pen Paper Pad
Annis Cassells at Poems by Annis

Into the vaults of administration

I welcome Halloween, the season of fright
I enjoy my shivers with dark delight
I’ll eagerly visit every haunted house you know -but
into the vaults of my administration I will not go

I’ll walk into cobwebs without a fright
I’ll visit a graveyard in the middle of the night
I’ll face all skeletons in my closet, but no
into the vaults of my administration I will not go

Endless miles of piles of files
Papersscattered, battered, shattered, tattered
A mess, such stress, faith less, digress
procrastin- destin- admin is tr ation

I welcome Halloween, the season of fright
I’m haunted by papers every night
they rustle ‘n’ bustle, they fee-fi-fo
into the vaults of my administration I will not go

I’ll bury my body with dark delight
I’ll feed my brain to zombies without a fright
My gravestone doesn’t scare me but lo and woe
into the vaults of my administration I will not go

I thank my friend Lisa Cole for part of the third stanza. She’s written a book called From Piles to Files about easily decluttering paperwork in five days or less. It’s gotten rave reviews. I will use it – as soon as I’m willing to go into the vaults. Which in my case is an attic that’s supposed to be my office space as well as a place to relax. I promise November will be the month!

Psycho Logic Ally

Acknowledge your needs, she said

I tend to be too busy denying them
or DIY’ing them away

Speak up for your needs, she said

I’m either silent
or screaming like a banshee

Enjoy your needs is what she didn’t say
I would have been addlepated

#OctPoWriMo day 29. I got to use the word addlepated. My favourite English words has always been flabbergasted. From today onwards, addlepated is runner up.

Look, or look away

I belong to the people
I take a knee
You’ve taken too much, too many

I belong to the Cosby family
Drugged, taken
No consent, no fight

I belong to the people
My kingdom for a tweet
Make me great again.
Again and again.

I belong to the garbage
white trash
living in a trailer park

I belong to my family
I love them
even when they make me angry sometimes

I belong here
Please save more than the rainforest
This planet is not yours to give

The prompt for #OctPoWriMo day 28 is belonging.

Show don’t tell (paint by numbers)

Depression, perfect crime of the mind
unsolvable, a technical achievement
mysterious, unattributed, unkind

Depression is a joke
where no one’s laughing
Depression is a movie
screened without light

Depression…

Show, don’t tell
I can’t be bothered –
You want a poem painted in black?

Mark my words
with a giant marker
or use spray paint
for all I care

Today’s prompt was the scent of a flower. Safe to say I’m off prompt – as we are always at liberty to do. The prompts are there to provide inspiration, not pressure.

This poem demanded to be written and it demanded to be shared. I obey.

Day 27 of #OctPoWriMo done. Four days to go…

Tired – am eye?

I’m tired
I’m tired of being tired
Tired to the bone
Tired, hung, drawn and quartered
Quartered by the skin of my teeth
Quartered, keeping my chin up
Up, warts and all
Up, turning a blind eye
All fingers and bones – I
All flesh and blood – I
I keep my hands clean
I keep my nose clean
Clean, by the skin of my teeth
Clean, knuckling down
Teeth, foam at the mouth
Teeth, skin and blister
Mouth, hand over fist
Mouth, stiff upper lip
Fist in your face
Face the thorn in your flesh
Face the wool over your eyes
Flesh wins hands down
Flesh, the beast with two backs
Down, your upper hand
Down, take the bit between your teeth
Hand – pull your finger out
Hand – put up your dukes
Out, keep your nose clean!
Out, keep your pecker up!
Clean -putting my best foot forward
Clean- keeping my nose to the grindstone
Forward, turning a blind eye
Forwards, setting my teeth on edge
Eye – no sight for sore eyes
Eye- no blood out of my stone
Eyes – Off with your head!
Eyes – You nosy parker!
Head first, bum second
Head over heels, guts for garters
Second skeleton in the closet
Second head buried in the sand
Closet – my heart’s content
Closet – the cat has my tongue
Content with my blind eye
Content there’s no heart upon my sleeve
Eye – am feeling finger lickin’good
Eye – am keeping body and soul together
Keeping together
That’s good

A once and unruly mind is the prompt today. Which perfectly matches one of the form prompts I hadn’t tried this year – the blitz. I’m not sure how I feel about blitzes – or maybe I should say about my blitzes. I’ve tried some before. But I know when I read them back later I find them interesting, even when I’m doubt their quality. Maybe in my head rambling and quality just don’t go together, whereas at the same time I love fast association.A blitz is not supposed to have interpunction – but that’s what poetic licence is for 😉

The poem consists of phrases used in a different way. If you don’t know all of them (like me) you can look them up here.

Comic books used to be better

An underground pit of hungry crocodiles
becomes aware of Gotham city’s radium supply
and plan to steel the precious metal

Bruce’s girl friend Linda Page
thwarts America’s Victory Plans
via an electronic brain implant

Batman sends his American henchmen
along with a zombie (gagged, and unconscious)

With breath-taking rapidity
the hungry crocodiles prevail
– after a terrific battle

Once upon a time there was a prompt about a story telling poem. I didn’t use it. Then along came a prompt that suggested to write about the taste of satisfaction. I didn’t use it. But when a fairy godmother told me to paint, I did. And then seven little dwarfs suggested I could use wikipedia to write an accompanying poem. I did. You will live happily ever after.

He likes mornings

He chitters, chatters, clitters, clatters – he likes mornings
I mumble, stumble, grumble, fumble
I don’t like mornings

He hums, drums, sings, swings – he likes mornings
I flump, bump, grump, wanna thump
I don’t like mornings

He sways, strays, plays, finds ways – he likes mornings
I hide, abide, guide, chide
I don’t like mornings

He moves, grooves, screams, beams – he likes mornings
I love him, want to shove him, but I love him –
even when he likes mornings

Inspired by today’s prompt, though not exactly following it. We’re on day 24 of #OctPoWriMo. I’m amazed that I’m still able to write, even on days when I feel like all ink has dried up in me.

My truth

I was going to write
about how your truth matters
and that no one can take
your truth away from you
But I can’t

There are truths out there
based on lies
There are truths out there
based on predjudice
There are truths out there
based on unequal opportunities

I don’t care about those truths
I want them taken away

No one knows the truth
But everyone knows a lie

The prompt for #OctPoWriMo day 23 is What’s the message. This is what came up for me.

Shifting

Caterpillar and ugly duckling
got so fed up with
comments about their looks
they made a pact with each other

Caterpillar spun a cocoon around them both
– impenetrable, unbreakable –
then ugly duckling swallowed him whole

No one would say
they weren’t beautiful
ever again

Their plan failed

The cocoon broke
Ugly duckling crawled out
She had brightly coloured wings
and conspicuous, fluttering flight

The prompt for day 21 of #OctPoWriMo was Nothing reamins the same. Somehow this is where that led me. I might try and draw the fluttering duckling tomorrow, but I’m not sure if I am able. I still long for a drawing to go with one of the earliest poems I wrote. I see the picture in my head, of an old fashioned bath (one of those with legs, words streaming from the tap, colouring the water…