Tag Archives: poetry

Writing Prompts

WOD Challenge 4-10-22 Danger of Frost

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Danger of Frost

Shoots are emerging
Birds are tweeting
Temps are rising
Winter is fleeting

Don”t plant yet
Or all could be lost
Garden afore April
There’s a danger of frost

Best wait for Easter
When danger has passed
Mother Nature will cooperate
It’s Spring at last!

I wrote this little poem while at bass camp, staring up at a budding tree and listening to the buzzing of insects and singing of birds. It’s so peaceful and quiet there compared to suburb life, yet I see all the same signs around here. I’ve prepped the corner bed for plants, but cautioned Dave to wait on planting his garden for one more week.

It’s so nice to have all the windows open with the breeze blowing through the open doors, the sounds of birds tweeting and the wind chimes making their merry music. Spring is a time for renewal so what great news to hear my niece by marriage, Tori, had her first baby Friday night. Meet Charlotte, named for her father, David’s late older brother, Charlie. I’m sure it was a bittersweet moment when she came into the world.

Charlotte Sadie Atwell

I just want to pinch those cheeks, and looking at her now, she has her late great grandmother’s chin. I wish they were all here to see her, yet I’m sure they would be proud.

We are preparing a birthday dinner for my brother, Kevin, who’s birthday was actually on the 7th. During down time, we are watching The Masters. I’ve learned to like golf and even want to play, but I think putt-putt is more my speed.

We will be enjoying baby back ribs, pulled pork, potato and green salads, and home made cowboy beans, with banana pudding for dessert and bacon-wrapped, cream cheese stuffed jalapeños. What a feast!

I hope my stomach settles before then, it’s been upset all day for some reason.

Enjoy your beautiful Palm Sunday Spring afternoon and have a productive week!

Word of the Day Challenge
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Writing Prompts

Check My Assignment

Good day everyone! Whew! I just finished my morning walking workout, which was mostly a workout, lol!

In class on Tuesday, we were given a prompt for our first poem, and I was wondering if you’d check it out and see what you think about it. Does it need tweaking, for instance? Any poets out there are welcome to comment or send a suggestion. Here goes:

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Grandmother

I wonder
If she knows
That I never forgot that day

That she taught
Me Psalm twenty-three
And how to kneel and pray

At the time
I knew not what it meant
For I was only three

But now I know
I’ll never forget
The gift she gave to me.

Well, there you have it. The assignment was to write about a moment in your youth that helped to shape your soul.

My grandmother raised me from the time I was born to about the age of three, though I saw her often even after that. She taught me that Psalm when I was very young, and gave me a pocket Bible that I still have to this day. Because she gave me the basis for my religious upbringing, I believe she helped shape my soul and I have never forgotten that moment in time.

It’s still my favorite Psalm, and every time I hear it, I think of her. My grandparents taught me many things and loved me very much, but this is the memory that stayed with me the most. I don’t know why. My religious upbringing is spotty at best, raised Catholic, I was involved in the Youth Group in my church until I exhibited a liking for the boys, and then I was yanked out. (My parents were very overprotective, but I was boy crazy and they knew it)

Anyway, once I was in the service and afterward, I was invited to many different churches, “saved” a number of times, and finally after getting married, was baptized in the Christian church at Haltom City Christian. Later on, my husband and I compromised and became Methodist. We attend First United Methodist in Hurst.

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Writing, Writing Prompts

WOD Challenge 3-9-22 A Surprise Class at Church

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I have a few things to cover today, so let’s dive in!

When we went back to church on Sunday, I opened the bulletin, and there inside was a separate paper detailing the new Masterclasses being offered by the church, one being creative writing! I vowed to sign up immediately, which I did as soon as I went home. The classes are being offered every Tuesday for the next month, and last night was my first one. It was on poetry, but that’s ok, I’ve been writing more poetry than ever since joining Medium several years ago.

I was excited to be doing something not only through my church but in my chosen field. When I got there, we all met in the fellowship hall to eat our brown bag dinners, and then we were led to our prospective classes. (There are several going on, including DIY, Art, and Journaling) I was surprised that our instructor for the Creative Writing class was our associate pastor Holly’s husband. I’d never met him or the three other people in the class, so here is another benefit: getting to know more people at church!

The first thing he talked about was the poetry of two different people so he could compare their styles and give a brief history on both. I was instantly intrigued by the work of Dorothy Parker (the queen of satire) and when I got home, I googled her for more in-depth info. What a woman! For being a poet from the 20s and 30’s era, she was quite an outspoken and brash sort of woman, yet funny too. Check out her poem, Comment:

Oh, life is a glorious cycle of song,
A medley of extemporanea;
And love is a thing that can never go wrong;
And I am Marie of Romania.

She’s a hoot, isn’t she? Read more here.

The next poet was William Carlos Williams, whose poem was super simplistic, yet said a lot:

This Is Just to Say

I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox

and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold

What a difference in style and tone, right?! After those two were discussed and their styles explained, we moved on to meter, rhyme, and metaphor. He talked about hymns and how to identify the meter, rhythm, and syllabic structure in each one. I don’t want to bore you with everything, but it was a very interesting class, and we were even given an assignment for next time! I can’t wait!

On a totally different subject, yesterday I got busy cleaning out and straightening a couple of cabinets and the closet in the game room that holds all the boxes we never unpacked, plus a few we brought home from Claudette’s house after she passed away. I was mainly trying to downsize the boxes, which I did, and reduce some clutter. I seem to be in spring cleaning mode. It is probably still me dealing with the grieving process, and that’s ok. It’s better for me to stay busy so I don’t have time to think or dwell on things that make me sad. One good thing that came out of it was that I found another beautiful box I had previously used to hold junk or something, that I can now use to store mementos and pictures of Dad. I already had one for Mom, so this was a perfect find.

The next and hardest task will be to go through pictures and make albums and frame up some pictures to hang up.

In due time. 😉

Word of the Day Challenge
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Writing, Writing Prompts

#JusJoJan 1-28-22


Your prompt for JusJoJan January 28th, 2022, is “abscission.” Use the word “abscission” any way you’d like. Enjoy!

My corner garden a few years back.

The Garden

The garden’s abscission

Creates a soft cushion

Protecting the bulbs from the frost

Springtime comes and we rake it away

Making room for new growth

The bulbs were a gift, and pots I add later

But goodness knows I love them both!

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