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Wednesdays are for Poetry

This week I had a clear poetry dream. I woke with the words floating around me and I managed to capture a few of them in my journal. The entire concept of the poem, however, isn’t complete. I’m hoping when the school year is over and we get through graduations and parties, I’ll have time to sit and fully complete my strange little cheese grater poem. Stay tuned.

I want to thank the WordPress poetry community. You have created such a positive and safe space. I’m honored and humbled so many have read and commented on my poems. Thank you. You sure do know how to make a gal feel welcome and encouraged. I haven’t had as much time to read and comment lately, but this summer I’ll be deep-diving into all your wonderful words. There is an abundance of talent and inspiration here. Thank you for making me feel so welcome.

My offerings this week:

  • Free-verse poem processing my feelings after dropping my daughter off in the woods (pictured above) for her 8th-grade trip. She’ll be fine. I mean, right? Right??
  • Erasure poem created from a page of “A Court of Wings and Ruin” by Sarah J. Maas
  • Erasure poem created from page one of “The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue” by V.E. Schwab

Both of the Erasure poems were a gift for a dear friend’s birthday. I didn’t get a great photo before handing them off, but still wanted to include the process and the words.

Erosion

tiny increments of sand
tiny toes and hands
barely perceptible
yet unbreakable
changes everything
changes nothing

wind, water, waves

latched together we begin
as not two
but one plus one 
merging all moments
hearts beating, meeting 
together in time

wind, water, waves

tempest tantrums force
skinned feelings as
two become two
linked by still fused
hearts beating, meeting 
together in time

wind, water, waves

finger by finger hands
pry free, move toward
monkey bars and swings
pushing, pulling as still
hearts beat, meeting
together in time

wind, water, waves

warring words rage
as torrential tears
fall between two who
don’t see how to keep
hearts beating, meeting 
together in time

wind, water, waves

standing taller than 
mother, biting hard 
at tethers outgrown, words
sting eyes, burn places where
hearts beat, meeting
together in time

wind, water, waves

spring becomes winter
winter becomes spring 
old-growth gives way to
loves eternal connection
hearts beat, meeting
together in time

wind, water, waves

acres and acres of sand
brushes between same-sized hands
barely perceptible
yet unbreakable
changes everything
changes nothing

*Thank you Chris for inspiring me to record myself reading my poetry

The Artist

Painting a lie 
bright pale, blooms 
fat sunshine, idle 
rose lurking, open
thorns, satiny hills 
distance—unrelenting.

Painted flesh-shredding
flowers, chocked off
sunlight, smaller stained 
brushstroke, wide calculated 
dab—swirlcolors. 

Portray not idyllic 
disposition, not too
happy, finally healing 
horrors, divulged past 
crafted—demeanor.

I chose.

Don’t Look Back

Running air burns back 
angry mobs. Lanterns glow 
breaks horizon, spills tangling 
woods to beat dying wind.

Shadow blurring flowers from 
ground. Stars wake like freckles.

One love.
One life.
One god.

Mock promises.

Doesn’t slow.
Doesn’t look.
Doesn’t want.
Stands static.

She runs.

55 thoughts on “Wednesdays are for Poetry”

  8. Wow, I enjoyed listening to you read that first lovely poem, Bri. The repetition of the one-line stanza gives it a perfect rhythm. I love the picture you painted in our minds using yhe words and the inspiring poem that follows. These are wonderful and enjoyable to read.

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  13. I need to give that first poem more thought! You provide delightful turns of phrasing and imagery to reflect on. But even the first reading gave me a worthy glimpse of the wind of parenthood, blowing new seasons of development upon us as the years go by, the water of time slipping through our fingers (Our children grow up so fast!), and the waves of everyday experiences that repeat over and over, and we can miss their beauty if we’re not careful. At least that’s what i saw in my mind’s eye upon first reading! You write with richness and depth, Bridgette!

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    • Thank you so much, Nancy for such a thoughtful comment! This was precisely the feelings I wanted to capture, the way the days sweep into years, erosion seems almost invisible as it happens over such a great period of time-yet as parents we experience a similar sensation of our children growing and we can’t seem to really see it day to day until we look at them and wonder how it all happened. It’s such a strange and beautiful thing, raising a human.

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  14. That’s so cool that you had a poetry dream and recalled some of it! I had a dream like that, only with song lyrics – in the dream, the lyrics were so vivid, but then I couldn’t remember any of them when I woke up. So frustrating!

    Tiny increments of sand is such a great image.

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    • That does sound so frustrating!

      I am a very vivid dreamer and I get some story ideas from my dreams, but this particular dream had the words floating around the character. It’s an odd poem, but I should be posting it later today.

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    • Thank you, Selma. I might know the blogger you are talking about. There is such an abundance of talent here. Erasure poems are my favorite-I love how you can look at a page of words and carefully piece together a poem. It feels like it was already there waiting to be found. It’s magical!

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      • Bridgette thanks for the reply. Truth is I hit send prematurely and nothing I did brought you back. Couldn’t find you. Sheesh. Forgive. Yes. I was talking about Sunra.
        She’s inspiring.
        Glad you already have a good grip on erasure poetry. So cool. Be well dear one. I bless you. Xo

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      • Sunra, yes! She’s very inspiring indeed.

        I do wish WordPress would allow you to edit a comment. I’ve done the exact thing several times, hitting send before I was ready.
        Thank you for kindness and your comments.

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