2016 Weekly Writing Experience: February 8th to 14th

Write a 5 line poem about the morning after

The furthest point I will ever be
From that dreaded day again;
Nothing like a whole new year
To wash away the loneliness
Of a forlorn Valentine's Day.

2016 Weekly Writing Experience: February 1st - February 7th

Write a poem about a beginning, a middle and an end

The Beginning

In the beginning there was nothing.

Nothing to behold or touch or feel.

There was a not knowing of what,

Or who, or even why.

In the beginning there was no sensation

Of what was to come so soon

(so much sooner than expected)

And yet the waiting was agony.

In the beginning there was fear of the unknown

And a nervousness which filled me with butterflies –

So many that my stomach turned in knots

To try to expel them from their cell.

In the beginning there was hope,

A soft, reserved hope that dared not speak

But only dream a magnificent, multi-coloured dream

Of wide-eyed wonder and cosmic expression.

In the beginning, it was the beginning,

Where all things must begin,

When time begins afresh, anew, anon

And the other beginnings are gone.

The Middle

The butterflies were turfed out

By something of more substance –

Perhaps a tiny boxing kangaroo

Warming up for the prize fight.

I caught my breath more than once

For reasons too many to list,

Most often just through a wandering mind

Imagining all the possibilities.

I am woman, hear me roar?

I haven’t earned my tiger stripes.

Though I feel completely transformed,

I have barely changed at all.

I wake almost every night,

Sheets soaked through with sweat,

With images haunting my mind

From behind eyelids closed so tight.

I feel so very alive,

As if I could live forever.

I want to live forever,

To keep this feeling forever.

The End

I may have earned those tiger stripes

But I cannot manage a whimper.

Maybe I should have fought harder

For my little joey once fighting strong.

I would have given anything for 21 years,

But 21 weeks was all I knew,

Along with these few brief moments

Face to tear-stained face.

All we ever wished for,

You delivered in almost every way –

Ten little fingers, ten little toes;

Two bright eyes, one button nose.

Those breaths I so struggled for –

I would gladly give up every one

To allow you all that was promised

But never followed through.

My heart could fill the room I’m in

And you have filled my heart.

I will treasure you every day

Because time begins afresh, anew, anon.

Denouement

I cannot think of red roses

Or boxes of chocolates right now;

There's no romantic dinners

Or strolls by the beach after dark.

It hurts too much to be hopeful

When it's unrealistic and unwise.

My heart will not take the rejection

Nor the knowing without having to ask.

I must sleep alone in this bed

As I have always done.

There can be no other option

And I cannot wish for more.

If I believed in God I would pray

But that seems a futile exercise

When the air cannot hear my pleas

Nor respond with anything by sighs.

I so desperately want to fill

The void in my soul right now,

But hopes and dreams melt away

Until I am cold and alone once more.

In my darkest hour

In my darkest hour

     You shone a light

     A beacon bright

     In the deep, dark night

You returned the smile to my voice

With barely a word from your lips,

You dried my tired, aching eyes

From across the breadth of the city,

You eased my mournful heartache

Simply by thinking of me,

You calmed my racing thoughts

And I cannot even tell you.

In my darkest hour

     You were always there

     A love beyond compare

     Showing that you care

You comforted me

Without need to play the fool,

You embraced me

From the other end of the phone,

You soothed me

Simply by speaking to me,

You reassured me

And I cannot return the favour.

In my darkest hour

     You healed me

     A gift from thee

     Expecting no fee

Inconceivable

Inconceivable

That I may aspire

To such lofty heights

In heart and mind

As those ill-fated lovers,

Romeo and Juliet.

Intolerable

That I should abandon

Any dream-filled notion

Of finding my prince,

Charming or otherwise,

From within these walls.

Inconsequential

That I should be left

Alone and wandering

Through fields of jealousy

For a prize not mine to win

No matter my desire.

What sight for sore eyes

What sight for sore eyes

Stands before me now;

What grand majesty

Before which I must bow?

Do I dare to look,

Captured by a glance;

Incomplete without you,

Your magnificent countenance?

The sound of my heart

Echoes in my ears;

Its beat ever raging,

Racing faster than my fears.

Your smile reassures me,

Your touch calms my nerves.

I am yours, only yours;

It is you my soul serves.

On nothing

If I told you how I feel about you
That would make me as bad as you.
Maybe even the fact I feel this way
Means I already am.

I don't hate you at all,
Though I'd have every right to do so,
After what you said to me
I should hate you through and through.

You had no right to put me down
Or to rub your happiness in my face.
I know you wanted to get a rise out of me
But I wouldn't give you the satisfaction.

How you treat people is a reflection of you,
It has nothing to do with me as a person.
If you want to compare me to swine
There's nothing I can do about that.

I don't know what brought on the attack,
Your poor attempt at an answer failed.
I don't care what you call me anymore
Because your words are meaningless.

You told me I was dirty - I laughed -
Clearly only in retrospect, I suspect
As I was good enough in your eyes
To share your bed when you were lonely.

You removed me from your life,
I didn't give a single damn,
But showed you your reflection
And I hope it bit you back.

I only ever offered you friendship,
I never judged you for past indiscretions.
I never hurt your feelings or your body
Or asked anything of you in return.

You thought you were hurting me
Or being so incredibly tough
but a real man has no need
To play such childish games.

The phase you were going through
When you called me such vile things
Is hopefully long since put to rest
And you are better than that now.

I hope the girl I was so harshly compared to
Get the best you have to offer
Because I have see a side of you
That I'm sure is not the worst.

This is the consequence of your action -
Not loud, vexatious words -
A calm civility and politeness
That anyone might hope to receive.

The nearly thirty years I'd known you,
Since you were a babe in arms,
Are a memory of a person long gone
And I mourn the loss of that soul.

But you are not that person -
That person is dead and buried,
Though no grave exists,
Nor tombstone to mark a life thrown away.

You, so callous and unfeeling,
Cannot hope to endear yourself to me
Nor claim any of the affection
That I had for that boy now gone.

I loved that boy as family
And you used his name in vain
So there is no more love to give,
The well has now run dry.

How I feel about you today -
After all you said and did -
Is a fraction of the emptiness
That fills the void between us.

It is something less than nothing -
Exactly what you thought of me.
You might have sought to bring me down
But your infantile insults fell far too short.

I say, "Good day to you, good sir."
Bow my head politely in your direction,
But the words are hollow vessels,
And I bid you (fond) adieu.