I is for IMAGINE #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

 

***   ***   ***

I is for Imagine and Iris

 

 

IMAGINE

Imagine

sinking

into steaming water.

So relaxed you cannot move. 

Egrets

turn the air white

with swirling feathers.

Ever moving, while you remain still. 

Fearful

of sprouting roots,

you ask forgiveness.

And vow to stop the madness.* 

*Within this context, the madness represents society’s expectation that one must always be actively productive (or could it be your expectation of yourself?)

 

 

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?

U is for UNEXAMINED MADNESS #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

 

***   ***   ***

 

U is for Unexamined Madness and Umbrella Palm 

 

UNEXAMINED MADNESS

 

No war, no pollution

Not global arming*

Or racism 

Nuclear threats, bigotry,

High cost of living,

And joblessness 

Nothing will be resolved

Until unexamined madness

Of Self-loathing and

Bloated egos ends. 

Denial of equality

Continues to

Generate war, pollution,

Racism and bigotry 

Stop the denial and know:

I am you

You are me

Together 

*Global arming: This began as a typo but seemed even more appropriate than the intended: global warming.

Would you agree?

(Author's note: This is an apolitical poem, written in August, 2015.)

***   ***   ***