It was a beautiful, warm spring afternoon Perfectly staged for a romantic picnic No sooner had I laid down a boundary How this would go between you and me I was offered a private party for two An adventure to another country Followed by a late night text from an ex Three that same day tempting fate So … Continue reading Tempting Fate
love poetry
Traveling Light
The road I travel will always be bright, because it is and forever completely mine-- Your inability to see me for the beauty and light that I am does not dull my shine-- It simply makes your path darker. ~Just L (April 16, 2016)
An effort to make sense out of the essentially senseless
NaPoWriMo Day 14: Today’s prompt comes to us from TJ Kearney, who invites us to try a seven-line poem called a san san, which means “three three” in Chinese (It’s also a term of art in the game Go). The san san has some things in common with the tritina, including repetition and rhyme. In particular, the san san repeats, three … Continue reading An effort to make sense out of the essentially senseless
Indecision becomes a decision with time
NaPoWriMo Day 9: This one sounds simple, but it can be pretty difficult. Today, I challenge you to write a poem that includes a line that you’re afraid to write. This might be because it expresses something very personal that makes you uncomfortable – either because of its content (“I always hated grandma”), or because … Continue reading Indecision becomes a decision with time
Admire From Afar
NaPoWriMo Day 8: It’s Friday, and writing poems isn’t easy! So let’s give ourselves a break with a simple prompt today. Poets have been writing about flowers since, oh, the dawn of time. So today, I challenge you to add your own poem to this long tradition, by finding a flower, and versifying in its … Continue reading Admire From Afar
One Cannot Attempt or Invent Perfection
NaPoWriMo Day 7: Our prompt for Day Seven comes to us from Gloria Gonsalves, who challenges us all to write a tritina. The tritina is a shorter cousin to the sestina, involving three, three-line stanzas, and a final concluding line. Three “end words” are used to conclude the lines of each stanza, in a set pattern of ABC, … Continue reading One Cannot Attempt or Invent Perfection
The Legend of Antirrhinum
NaPoWriMo Day 5: April is a time for planting things. At any rate, I’ve recently been paging through seed catalogs, many of which feature “heirloom” seeds with fabulous names. Consider the “Old Ivory Egg” tomato, the “Ozark Razorback” or “Fast Lady” cow-pea, “Neal’s Paymaster” dent corn, or the “Tongues of Fire” bush bean. Today, I … Continue reading The Legend of Antirrhinum
Profoundly Ruined
I hope my mouth does not taste love. It will ruin me. Profoundly. ~Just L (April 4, 2016) (An excerpt from two former works “Lost and Found” November 10, 2014, and “Found and Lost” January 19, 2015)
But the Distance
NaPoWriMo Day 4: In his poem “The Wasteland,” T.S. Eliot famously declared that “April is the cruelest month.” But is it? I’d have thought February. Today I challenge you to write a poem in which you explore what you think is the cruelest month, and why. Perhaps it’s September, because kids have to go back to school. … Continue reading But the Distance
Another Term for a Submarine Sandwich
"Death cannot stop true love." –Westley (The Princess Bride, 1987) I believe in a hero Mine may not have to forge rivers and streams But overcoming doubt and fear can be just as extreme Dare come to my door and press your luck Or better yet press your body against mine declaring, “Let’s...” Avow our undying … Continue reading Another Term for a Submarine Sandwich
Just L Poetry 