G is for GOSSIP REIGNS #Poetry for #AtoZ

April #AtoZChallenge and #PoetryMonth

 

Three goals I had in mind while writing my collection of linked poetry:

1. To celebrate my appreciation of life

2. To experience the process of writing linked poetry, a form of Japanese renshi

3. To give thanks for and better appreciate a life well-lived.

 

The flowers are a colorful bonus for the #AtoZChallenge

 

***   ***   ***

G is for Gossip and Gladiolas (and Gail)

 

 

 

 

GOSSIP REIGNS

On lazy sun-washed afternoons

imagination turns to thoughts of

courtyard pubs, where friends gather to discuss

whatever most consumes their waking hours.

Tucked away behind the Seine in Paris, or

a secluded nook of Gloucester’s harbor,

topics range from art and plotlines, to the

tantalizing satchel in the local consignment shop.

Gossip reigns.

Food arrives, sporadically.

People pick at plates of

battered squid and cherry peppers.

Wash down Gorgonzola cheese-stuffed mushrooms

with dark beer and fresh-brewed coffee.

Or some exotic drink,

served in mugs sporting

a hodge-podge of designs.

Each holding a life’s story at the bottom,

shimmering for patrons to review

at leisure between sips.

Reality appears on no menu

in these flights of fantasy,

these parcels of precious moments,

free of conflict.

Close your eyes, relax.

Breathe deep.
 

 ***   ***   *** 

 

Is poetry well-suited for sparking the imagination and taking the reader on flights of fantasy?

F is for FULFILLMENT #AtoZChallenge #Poetry

April #AtoZChallenge and #PoetryMonth

 

Three goals I had in mind while writing my collection of linked poetry:

1. To celebrate my appreciation of life

2. To experience the process of writing linked poetry, a form of Japanese renshi

3. To give thanks for and better appreciate a life well-lived.

 

The flowers are a colorful bonus for the #AtoZChallenge

 

***   ***   ***

F is for Fulfillment and Flamingo Flowers (Anthurium)

 

 

Fulfillment 

Happiness bubbles up from

a cauldron of endless possibilities,

giving rise to celebrations

only imagination can provide. 

At sunrise, reach for the sky

atop Mount Haleakala,

or from the comfort of

your own back yard. 

Drink sparkling liquid

laced with fresh-peeled lychee

while relaxing in the sensual

jet stream of a soothing hot tub. 

Hear the waves splashing along

Atlantic and Pacific shores; dance

flamenco in Madrid; enjoy the swans

in Brugge and Boston Common. 

All this, and more, isn’t

happiness realized;

knowing you can dream

is the true fulfillment.

 

***   ***   ***
 

Are happiness and fulfillment two sides of the same coin? Can you have one without the other?

E is for ELIXER #PoetryMonth #AtoZChallenge

April #AtoZChallenge and #PoetryMonth

 

Three goals I had in mind while writing my collection of linked poetry:

1. To celebrate my appreciation of life

2. To experience the process of writing linked poetry, a form of Japanese renshi

3. To give thanks for and better appreciate a life well-lived.

 

The flowers are a colorful bonus for the #AtoZChallenge

 

***   ***   ***

 

E is for Elixer and Eucalyptus

Elixir

My dreams of youth

recall an endless ride.

 

Freedom to travel the fields
and back roads, racing
across shadows tossed to earth
by pines and ancient oak.

The sun, a steady companion,

often present, always eager
to return when showers end.
Wind, both friend and foe.

Youth, the elixir that turns

a long stretch of summer
into a magical adventure.

Memories of those early years of such freedom seem to get better with each recall, don't they?

D is for DREAMLESS #PoetryMonth #AtoZ

April #AtoZChallenge and #PoetryMonth

 

Three goals I had in mind while writing my collection of linked poetry:

1. To celebrate my appreciation of life

2. To experience the process of writing linked poetry, a form of Japanese renshi

3. To give thanks for and better appreciate a life well-lived.

 

The flowers are a colorful bonus for the #AtoZChallenge

 

***   ***   ***

D is for Dreamless and Dandelion

 

 

 

DREAMLESS

The effort leaves her spent

filled with joy

Breathless.

She leans back

takes inventory, reveals

Satisfaction.

Dreamless, she sleeps,

gaining strength

Healing.

Preparing for what comes next

Already knowing, this child also

Will give her no rest.

 

***   ***   ***

 

Were you expecting this poem to take you in a different direction?

 

C is for CHILDHOOD #Poetry Month and #AtoZChallenge

April #AtoZChallenge and #PoetryMonth

 

Three goals I had in mind while writing my collection of linked poetry:

1. To celebrate my appreciation of life

2. To experience the process of writing linked poetry, a form of Japanese renshi

3. To give thanks for and better appreciate a life well-lived.

 

The flowers are a colorful bonus for the #AtoZChallenge

 

***   ***   ***

C is for Childhood and Camilla

 

Childhood

A Magical Adventure

 

Gramma Anna shuffles the deck

for another round of five-card Rummy.

I am four years old.

The crystal candy dish visible

in the glass-front dining room hutch

holds round white mints with xxx on top.

My mouth waters at the thought of

those sugary xxx marks on my tongue,

melting. 

Deep purple plums, tangy

in their under-ripe bitterness.

At age six, a secret treasure mined

From Gramma Julia’s garden.

Kitchen fragrance,

dough rising beneath a clean

flour-sack towel.

Fillings of poppyseed, raspberry, and prune

crowned with sweet whipped cream.

Childhood

in retrospect

outshines the brightest star.

 

 ***   ***   *** 

 

Visits with my grandmothers, Anna on my mother’s side, Julia on my dad’s side, are recalled in the context of food. Both baked excellent pies, cakes, breads, and biscuits. Their candy dishes were always full.

Why do you suppose this poem might offer either a feeling of contentment or wash over someone like a wave of sorrow?

B is for BLESSED SLEEP #AtoZChallenge

April #AtoZChallenge and #PoetryMonth

 

Three goals I had in mind while writing my collection of linked poetry:

1. To celebrate my appreciation of life

2. To experience the process of writing linked poetry, a form of Japanese renshi

3. To give thanks for and better appreciate a life well-lived.

 

The flowers are a colorful bonus for the #AtoZChallenge

 

***   ***   ***

 

B is for Blessed Sleep and Bougainvillea

 

Scene in Kaimuki on O'ahu
photo by Gail Baugniet

 

Blessed Sleep

 

With eyelids squeezed tight

you count down from ten

then twenty, fifty, a hundred

to no avail. 

Silence begs for shouting

to distract the thoughts

that won’t allow, grant, permit

blessed sleep. 

Sirens peel strips of flesh

from your insomniac mind,

daring fingers and lips

to remain still.

 ***   ***   ***

This poem describes an accelerating reaction, as a taunting voice issues a dare to find peace outside the pain of noisy chaos. Sleeplessness leads to growing agitation. Worries mount, seeping into the conscious mind and likely assuring that any hope of sleep is futile.

What thoughts surfaced as you read the words of this poem?

A is for ANOTHER NEW BEGINNING #PoetryMonth and #AtoZChallenge

ANOTHER NEW BEGINNING

70 Poems for 70 days available at Amazon

 

70 poems for 70 days is a collection of linked poems. They are patterned after renshi poetry, which links each poem to the next. I introduced these poems during an #AtoZChallenge for bloggers during a  poetry month of April. I wrote each poem as part of a larger project, linking the poems together renshi-style. However, the poems are being posted here with an eye toward the alphabet, as viewing things through a different set of eyes often gives one a new perspective. I am eager to see how my poetry presents itself when removed from the structured context. May this prove to be an interesting experiment for everyone.

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The impetus for this collection of poetry was an occurrence still fresh in my mind. The ink for my first poem fairly spilled onto the page as I recalled the words of a nice college-aged young man who had sauntered over to me at a Honolulu bus stop on June 11th, King Kamehameha Day. 





Lei draping on King Kamehameha Day



 

The young man offered me a tiny yellow blossom. He smiled and said, “A beautiful flower for a beautiful lady.” I’m sure my appearance reminded him of  his (exceptionally alert  and  spry)grandmother. Perhaps he was feeling nostalgic for home. I accepted the flower and smiled back. With a light step, he departed, and I felt he had made the world a brighter place for having shared his joie de vivre.

 

                          **********

 

 

A Tiny Flower

 

Gold, each tiny petal

unites to form the helmet

of a flower’s bloom.

 

Together, their beauty

like solid sunshine

takes my breath away

 

A kind word, shared

without expectation, forms

a binding link to the universe.

 

Gazes remain fixed

as I board TheBus in silence

and still smiling, take my seat

 

Air brakes lift

We roll forward, and

the universe smiles back.

 **********

Gold, each tiny petal

 

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