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
Authorized Version of the Day
NaPoWriMo Day 17: Today, I challenge you to find, either on your shelves or online, a specialized dictionary. This could be, for example, a dictionary of nautical terms, or woodworking terms, or geology terms. Anything, really, so long as it’s not a standard dictionary! Now write a poem that incorporates at least ten words from … Continue reading Authorized Version of the Day
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)
“For Women Who Are Difficult To Love”
You are a horse running alone and he tries to tame you, compares you to an impossible highway, to a burning house. Says you are blinding him, that he could never leave you, forget you, want anything but you. You dizzy him, you are unbearable. Every woman before or after you is doused in your … Continue reading “For Women Who Are Difficult To Love”
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
Minda
NaPoWriMo Day 11: Today, I challenge you to write a poem in which you closely describe an object or place, and then end with a much more abstract line that doesn’t seemingly have anything to do with that object or place, but which, of course, really does. I think of the “surprise” ending to this James … Continue reading Minda
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
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)
Just L Poetry 