Ode to Poetry Month

April is over and what a ride - still standing 

I started back into writing and blogging last September and writing poetry in mid February and this post will mark the 50th poem I've written for Poetry Month. That's what we call baptism by fire where I come from. I've particularly enjoyed writing and learning about Haiku and Haibun from Chevrefeuilles Carpe Diem and Haiku Heights. I have been following their daily prompts for April. Through these prompts I was able to keep up with the Blogging from A to Z Challenge as well.  

I read, watched and listened to a plethora of poetry during Poetry Month. Velvet Verbosity and their 100 Word Challenge provided some kick-ass links to contemporary poets and spoken word performances.  I have spent hours YouTubing - Katie Tempest and Katie Makkai were pretty intense. There are other poetry challenges I have partaken in such as Recuerda Mi Corazon this past month and I have been a regular at the Trifecta, Yeah Write and Write on Edge challenges which are mostly flash fiction. 

It's been a little overwhelming.

My YouTube poetry tour both inspired and depressed me. I noticed that my demographic, middle-aged-heterosexual-white-men, were not only under-represented but quite often the target of poetic angst. That's okay, I didn't take it personally; however, it was the inspiration for my poem It's Not Pretty. 

I truly love poetry, both writing and reading. If any of you have recommendations for inspiring poets I would love to hear your suggestions. I am interested in all forms of poetry. My  colleagues in the challenges I partake in are my main inspiration. It is a great community that I have stumbled upon and I am grateful and humbled to be a part of it. 

There have been some great moments. 

Muchos Gracias (as we say in Canada).

As the last post of Poetry Month I am going to wrap up my A-Z obligations with Haiku Heights and the last prompt of April for Carpe Diem. I am left with three prompts: Honey, Youngling and Zebra.

birds and bees

pooh bear's empty tummy

yummy honey

wasted youth

fuels the written word

poetic justice

a zebra

without its fancy stripes

is a horse

mornings with mary
a simple prayer of thanks
and we are set free

poetry

A to Z in April

last stanza

The Riddler

"Stop mumbling you twit. I can never understand you!!" The boss was in fine form this morning and I’d managed to get him extra crispy by mumbling into his bad ear. 

And I was feeling quite smug about it.

"Oh um, I said ‘it only takes a thimble full’ Sir?" My voice raised a few octaves at the end in an attempt to transform my weak-ass recovery into a hopeful question.

His brow furrows.

Oh god, not now - I start giggling.

"A thimble full of what? What in god's name are you talking about? What's so goddamn funny?"

"You wouldn’t find it funny sir, trust me." Repressed giggles threaten to leak from my ears.

Face now crimson, “Oh is that so. I’ll decide what is and what is not funny. Now what’s so fucking funny?”

As I take a deep breath and choke back the giggling I hear the distinct sound of another door slamming shut on my career.

“Well sir, every Monday for the past seven months I have come into your office to 'debrief'. Now, I don’t just walk in and start talking. I put real time and effort into my pitches. I am always sure to be on time, focused and in touch with current events.

And every Monday you fidget, snort, grunt and give me the same blank, backwards stare. You then proceed to hand me an assignment based on what you had for dinner last night or whom you are currently fucking.

The trouble I have is where to fix my gaze while you hand down my weekly punishment. I would look at your beard but there is always disgusting crusty bits lurking there. Looking in your lazy eye is equally objectionable. I settle on your forehead.

Herein lies the problem.

What’s funny, Sir, is when you furrow your brow the lines on your fat head contort into a perfectly formed, and quite hilarious, question mark and some of us have taken to calling you the Riddler.”

Tricefta Prompt: Door

Word Count 333

Carpe Diem: Awakening

Today the prompt is Awakening. Kristjaan explains on this site what awakening means to our Buddhist friends. 

"Bodhi in Buddhism is the understanding possessed by a Buddha regarding the nature of things. It is traditionally translated into English with the word enlightenment and literally means awakened. Bodhi is knowledge of the causal mechanism by which beings incarnate into material form and experience suffering." Carpe Diem

I'm no expert in Buddhism but I understand that the ultimate goal is enlightenment and that is described as the absence of suffering. I live in a Christian home and go to church and do all the things that Christians do (not all). None-the-less, I do appreciate Buddhism for the pure and very accessible spiritual belief that it is.

I have a saying: "the more I look at what Jesus, Buddha, Mohamed, Moses and the Indigenous spiritual leaders are saying the more convinced I am that they all went to the same high school." 

For instance, this Buddhist idea of "absence of suffering" the Bible talks about "Peace that surpasses all comprehension". As for awakening, well I don't think I have to explain the parallel here. 

I want to thank Carpe Diem for pointing out to me once again that there are far more similarities between people, cultures and even religions that we like to believe.  If we could learn to embrace this our World would be a much better place. 

I don't care who you are, we could all use a little "Bodhi!"

awakening

 suffering happens

absolute truth

awakening

suffering has causes

absolute truth

awakening

suffering can stop

absolute truth

peace beyond 

all comprehension

 suffering ceases

I can do all things 

through Christ who strengthens me

absolute truth

arguing about

religion causes suffering

absolute truth

loving our 

brothers and sisters

suffering ceases

Fear creates 

what only Love can cure

Love more fear less

Carpe Diem: Story Teller

We have been asked to write a Haibun for today. A Haibun is a "prosimetric  literary form that combines prose and haiku". Carpe Diem

I am Irish and my wife is First Nation's. This means that our children should be all time heavyweight storytellers. The Indigenous people where I live in British Columbia, Canada re called the Secwepemc (Shuswap) Nation, my wife's people. In general, the Shuswap People are great story tellers. In fact, they depended on their stories to keep their culture alive as they did not have other means to record their history. The Irish, on the other hand, did have recorded history but were too drunk for the most part to write anything down. So their story telling was equally important. It is my plan to post less but post better moving forward out of National Poetry Month - April. This will translate to allot more haibun and storytelling. I hope to do a god job and make our ancestors proud.

*******

language and culture

storytelling from the heart

irish indian

our storeys

gifts from ancestors

with our twist

land and people

connected by their stories

child's birthright

The Traveller

I travel to the ends of time
searching for myself
arrive at darkened destinies
missing me by moments

Successful in eluding
I don't know where I am.
Doubt and pity by my side
my search will never end

From place to place I wander
it is the pace that keeps me safe
I caught up to me in Haiti
then I made my own escape.

I'm really not that hard to find
I get there and there I am
I just can't seem to face myself
So catch me if I can.

Submitted for dVerse

Six Word Saurday

Frigging golf clubs for sale - . CHEAP! 

Haiku Heights: Xerox

xerox xerox xer

ox xerox xerox xerox

xerox xerox xer

xerox xerox xer

ox xerox xerox xerox

xerox xerox xer

xerox xerox xer

ox xerox xerox xerox

xerox xerox xer

Inspired by the theme at

The Debt

Dark, amorphous energy impatiently waits at the edge of consciousness.

The moment Life slips away, payment is recovered from my broken body.

Tear-soaked family, oblivious to my predicament, shudder uncontrollably as I'm taken.

Haiku Heights: Waterfall

waterfall

washed away sins

keep a few

Inspired by the theme at

Carpe Diem: Chocolate

WARNING: 

If you are of a delicate or easily embraced nature please stop reading now. 

I am not sure I will be able to contain myself.

 Chocolate.  

This Christmas Santa put some of the richest, darkest, chocolate fudge in my stocking. It was so heavenly good that I have since learnt how to make it myself. Subsequently, chocolate has become one of the major food groups in our home - to which my ever-widening ass will testify. 

There is a definite orgasmic quality to the taste of deep, rich chocolate.  My wife, being German and Secwepemc (North American Indian), has many of the desired qualities of chocolate, although in complexion she holds a closer resemblance to carmel.

she melts in my mouth

and at just the right moment

she melts in my hands

soft, dark and sweet

my chocolate surprise

with carmel eyes

Carpe Diem: Full Pink Moon

Carpe Diem

The Algonquin Nation historically called April’s full Moon the Pink Moon because this full Moon heralded the appearance of the moss pink, one of the first spring flowers.

This Friday, the Full Moon occurs when the Sun in Aries opposes the Moon in Libra. The Full Moon is a time of culmination and the promise of fulfillment of that which was started at the New Moon. It is an emotional time - a time of romance, fertilization, and relationships. (www.goddesslife.com)

full pink moon

prosperity and romance

April's gift

Haiku Heights: Volcano

beneath the surface

 pressure slowly building

volcano erupts

Inspired by the theme at

Haiku Heights: Uproot

Uproot all your fears

plant seeds of faith and courage

reaping the rewards

Inspired by the theme at

Carpe Ciem: Cool Rain

Today's prompt is "Cool Rain" and Kritjaan reminds us of cycle of life and the cherry blossom in his striking cascading Haiku. Apparently there is a cheery blossom festival in Vancouver that I have never heard of. I live close to Vancouver so maybe next year I will check it out. I took two whole days off of writing. I was getting bogged down and overwhelmed and needed to clear my mind.

The cool rain prompt is a nice way to ease back into things. I have many inspirations in art, music, literature  film, comedy ... one of my all time favourites is renaissance man and modern day poet Pete Townsend. This particular prompt reminds me of his classic "Love Reign O'er Me" which the Who perform live in Madison Square Gardens.

"Love Reign O'er Me"

On the dry and dusty road,

The nights we spend apart alone.

I need to get back home 

to cool, cool rain.

I can't sleep and I lay and I think,

The night is hot and black as ink.

Oh God, I need a drink 

of cool, cool rain.

Too damn full of life
to die before he got old
just like cool cool rain 

Haiku Heights: Tsunami

A break from haiku

creativity rushes

like a tsunami

Like a tsunami

advancing and receding 

equal in power 

Equal in power

the lonely tear of a child

and a tsunami

Inspired by the theme at

Carpe Diem: Treasure

Carpe Diem

I haven't been writing Haiku for long.

Here is my favourite set so far.

FATHERHOOD

Expecting

Courage under fire

intestinal fortitude

not for faint of heart 

Delivery

Savage princess bride

front row seat to horror show

magic puff of life

 Home Alone

Ecstasy and fear

two o'clock feeding surprise

little poop machine

Infant Joy

My infant jabbers

endless mumbo jumbo scat

thought I heard "dada

Toddle

"Why Daddy why?"

machine gun question attack

fall asleep at eight.

School

Band-Aids and bullies

I'm tough enough to wear pink

Sports day keeping score

Teenager

"OMG Dad please"

"whatever you're so not cool"

tongue ring heart attack

Surrender

Three daughters, one wife

my life is a tightrope of

calm apologies.