NaPoWriMo 2024 Day 3

Posted on April 3, 2024 by Mary Beth Frezon

And yes, it’s a Wednesday, a cold, windy, rainy Wednesday that wants to be snowing and icing and is trying very hard. Wednesday has been hard, extra hard since 2020.

loose scraps of paper
where’s that wandering notebook
rounding up the words
typing up the words
wrangling words is hard
wednesday is hard
trying to capture
that single moment is hard
fighting the pull of the world
fighting all the time
pushing back stupidity
all the time is hard
putting the lines in order
keeping the beats in line
letting go in the moment
so many choices
where is that paper
where is the current notebook
you go first no you
five then seven five
then let me go first
wednesday is hard

In the good news department, in the past couple days I’ve gotten four! postcards from various friends which, let me tell you folks, is worth the little effort and a stamp! Send mail to everyone you know!

cold wind filled with rain
another few degrees and
winter revisits

morning messy hair
after the second coffee
now it’s afternoon

Posted in deadline, Do the Work, haiku, landscape, NaPoWriMo, Poetry and Lyrics, taking time to look, the creative process, weather | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Day 2 NaPoWriMo 2024

Posted on April 2, 2024 by Mary Beth Frezon

While waiting for Mom doing her PT, I pondered today’s prompt:

…write a platonic love poem. In other words, a poem not about a romantic partner, but some other kind of love – your love for your sister, or a friend, or even your love for a really good Chicago deep dish pizza. The poem should be written directly to the object of your affections (like a letter is written to “you”), and should describe at least three memories of you engaging with that person/thing.

And as I slurped the last of my coffee, it came to me in a flash!

This familiar paper cup
This brown cardboard sleeve
this carefully molded white lid —
How I look forward to our meetings!
I know the level of half and half
I know how much sweetener
I know how to pour the fragrant liquid
quickly and neatly
I have exact change ready
We fling open the door
to face the day!

And a couple haiku:

A card from a friend
pen to paper, add a stamp
reading in the yard

Three postcards today
happiness in the mailbox
unexpectedly

Posted in coffee and tea, deadline, Do the Work, family and friends, gratitude, haiku, NaPoWriMo, Poetry and Lyrics, the creative process | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

NaPoWriMo 2024 Day 1

Posted on April 1, 2024 by Mary Beth Frezon

Mom and I are having a busy week of appointments and such but tonight we listened to Ada Limon host three other poets: Kevin Young, Patricia Smith and Ilya Kaminsky and an actor, Crystal Dickinson reading from her newly released book (part of her stint as Poet Laureate of the US), You Are Here.

The cat sits on me
pretending to listen as
poetry unfolds

And even better, came home to find three postcards from three wonderful folks that I was just thrilled to hear from!

Posted in cats helpful cats, CatsOfMastodon, Do the Work, family and friends, haiku, NaPoWriMo, Poetry and Lyrics, taking time to look, the creative process | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Eve of NaPoWriMo

Posted on March 31, 2024 by Mary Beth Frezon

Yes, we’ve circled back to the end of March, which means tomorrow is April Fools Day and YES National (Global) Poetry Writing Month.

NaPoWriMo headquarters has issued an early bird prompt and it spoke to me.

You can do this. All the days, some of the days, post them publicly or not. It’s all up to you. Just do it!

A Window

Through the window it all came
the many stories of birds
the reminders of wind and
forgiveness of rain or
its sudden brutality.
At night a distant train
called to remember the
railroad men who lay at rest
In season, the peepers,
the crickets, the katydids
In came the sound of owls
calling to each other
as though no one else heard
At times a fox yells
for the sake of yelling
or a lonely cat for the
sake of its wanting.
Come morning and the light
slices in through the blinds.
Comes a night and there’s the
ringing of snow on the glass.
Come another night and
the air can only be perfect
then moving on to rustle
the leaves outside of sleep.

Watercolor painting, square format: A pot of yellow miniatures roses and green foliage on left with a cylindrical carved wooden jar to the right. Two yellow daffodils are seen above the wooden jar.

Posted in Art in the world, deadlines, Do the Work, NaPoWriMo, Poetry and Lyrics, the creative process, watercolor | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

One Good Thing EveryWhere EveryDay

Posted on March 3, 2024 by Mary Beth Frezon

In a classroom, long ago and far away, a junior high science teacher, Mrs Sheehy taught us a bunch of interesting things that didn’t always seem like a science class. She taught us how to identify birds by their appearance and calls. She taught us all about the upcoming Apollo moon mission.

Each year she had us keep a list of signs of spring. She gave us hints on what to look for – different birds appearing, plants changing, ground changing, weather changes.

In other words – pay attention to the small stuff and be prepared to be amazed. A leaf here, a bird there, and before you know it spring has sprung. If you hadn’t looked you might have missed the whole wonderful thing!

Posted in badass-ness, Do the Work, gardens and flowers, life around us, taking time to look | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments