2020 First quarter writing Wrap Up

Hey! Tomorrow is the first of April  which means it's a new quarter and time to revisit the goals I set for myself for Quarter one.  I persevered in writing almost every single day, some of which I posted. I pretty much failed with my current WIP-RT.  I did print it out and put it in a notebook, but other than that no progress.  Lent arrived and I concentrated on free writing.  

I'm still reading "A Year of Writing Dangerously: 365 Days of Inspiration and Encouragement by Barbara Abercrombie. I've been forging ahead, reading a few entries at a time, quotes and conversations inspiring me or full of synchronicity.  Such as

"It's the imagination that gives us poetry...You have to follow where the poem leads. And it will surprise you.  It will say things you didn't expect to say. And you look at the poem and you realize; that is truly what I felt. That is truly what I saw." ~ Philip Levine. 

I don't consider myself a poet and there are very few poets I read unless doing research for the next 52 Books sunday post.  However, I'm writing more and more poetry along with snippets of conversations with myself and characters and the universe, a few story scenes. Whatever comes to mind.  I'm  tempted to commit to A to Z poetry and post a poem every day for the month of April.    I'm also tempted to do the A to Z writing challenge.  However, I know I wouldn't be able to keep up with it. I'm unofficially setting a goal to continue writing every day during the month of April as I have been for the first quarter, diligently for Lent and after Easter as well. And if I happen to come up with enough poems to post everyday, that will be just groovy. I'm not going to force it though and we'll see what happens. 

I filled my first quarter goals with my eyes are bigger than my stomach syndrome and planned way too much.   I gave up on Crafting the Personal Essay and Dinty Moore's Flash Fiction as neither inspired me.  Both were books I'd used before and for some reason, once I'm done with a book, I don't like to go back.  I have several writing books on my shelves, including Barbara Abercrombie's Kicking in the Wall as well as Anne Bernay's What If, which  I have yet to utilize so I'll be drawing on them for a variety of reasons which includes helping me finish revising WIP-RT. 

I have a tendency to quit writing when I'm stressed and I'm trying hard not to let the stress of the day stop me.   

I'm following the KISS method this time!

~Cheers~

Artful Wednesday: Steampunk Koala

A to Z Poetry: Nature's Washing Machine

Nature’s Washing Machine 

If you could stop the world

for a moment, a day, or a lifetime, 

would you’d sit on the shore
and contemplate the view, the moment,
the past, or the present?

A word or sentence or phrase comes to mind,

speaks to you, leads you, 

raises a question, demands an answer,

literally and figuratively.  

You sit down on the beach

and count the grains of sand. 

Impossible… maybe.  

Fragments shift across your palm,

hot and parched, some moist and cold. 

It flows through your fingers,
grains adhere to the lines and 
wrinkles of your palm.

between your fingers, under your fingernails, 

Sparkling, shiny bits of dust. 

All shapes and sizes: rough or smooth,

large or small, hard or soft.  

Just like your thoughts.  

Hard edges, soft moments.  

You can hold on or brush them away.

Countless grains, 

Particles of life.  

Is it possible to catch the thoughts 

of the person who sat here before you,

when they ran their hands scooped up the sand 

and let it drift through their fingers?   

So many grains of sand, 

so many thoughts left behind.  

Where do they all go?
You reflect and imagine   

they tumble out to sea in a wash of waves.

Cleansed and returned, 
with the flow of the tides,

full of peace, full of quiet power. 

Artful Wednesday: Colorful wheelhouse

A to Z Poetry: Present

Courtesy Dimitri Otis 

This poem was prompted by something hubby said the other day, when once again kiddo was analyzing past actions.  I'm a stay present, learn from the past and move on, optimistic, glass half full, type of gal. But both my guys love to analyze, reminisce, and discuss over and over again which I've learned not to let it drive me too crazy.  His analogy.  I ride the waves, balanced, living in the present, focused on the day.   If I look back, I'll lose my focus and fall off and the negativity makes me cranky because I can't do anything about it.  I don't look too far forward, because again loss of focus and because it annoys me to worry about something that has yet to happen.

Present 

You 

ride the waves, 

you don't look back,

Nor tilt too far forward.

Balance precarious, you

 stand, 

arms reach, knees flex, 

toes grip the board.  

An ever cresting wave 

surges beneath your feet.

There is no fear in failure, 

only lessons to 

unfold,

and gather in your heart

and teach you to be bold. 

Waves; large, small, fast or slow

You plow through the tunnels

and climb on the crest. 

There's not time to 

rest.

But if you fall, 

an option you can't avoid, 

Waves may wipe you out, 

But you'll never be destroyed. 

Our failures are our teachers

Strengthens 

us to our core.

So you'll climb back on

and ride the rail some more. 

You balance, ever present to

life's demands and 

rewards. 

Artful Wednesday: Whooo Whooo!

A to Z Poetry: Dust

Dusting off some Words by Jabbokdawn

One of the words for the day in Pause for Lent is dust which prompted some interesting thoughts.

Dust

Our bodies.

Earthly vessels.

Neither a hindrance,
Nor a necessity.

Crumble and fade,
as our souls soar 

to heavenly heights.

Do we return as dust? 

A grain of sand,  quintillion atoms

float and gather.
All we see and do not see,

everywhere surrounds us.

In the air we breath.
On the furniture, the floor,
picture frames galore. 

Particles of souls long gone. 

Foundation for our feet.
Nutrients for our bodies.

Dust.
Beginning to finish,  

Start to the end.  

Father, Son, and Holy Ghost

Those we love and miss the most.

Beloved dust. 

I am you and you are me.

We are dust and to dust

we shall return. 

I never thought I would appreciate dust and will never look it the same way again. Prayerful dusting shall be the rule from now on.