I am not so good at
goodbyes
I cry.
I cry.
Today a friend said
she’s maybe not so good
at transitions
Transitions.
Almost everyone I talk to
is overwhelmed.
over.
whelmed.
Overwhelmed.
I thought maybe
I’d just like to be
plain old
whelmed
but then I
looked it up
Whelm:
to submerge; engulf
to overcome utterly; overwhelm
I guess
somehow
whelm
is a synonym of overwhelm
Then I thought I had it figured out
underwhelm!
But.
Then I looked it up
Underwhelm:
to fail to impress
Well.
strike that
I’m pretty good at
whelm
over, under,
just pain
whelm

I’m looking for poetry challenges. Today I did a Free Verse. Free Verse Friday! It’s a thing. Because I made it a thing!

I’d like to write
about time
but
it’s too late

It’s April. So, I’m writing poetry. 🙂

“Let your brain dump.”
Um
I actually try
not
to dump
my brain
I know what it feels Iike to
be dumped
and it seems like that would not be the kind of thing to do if you were
attempting self love:
Dump
your
brain
But- honestly my therapist would probably like me to dump my brain – the one that overthinks and judges judges judges myself.

“What if you just did it,
but without judgement?”
She often asks me.

What if, indeed!

I’m looking for poetry challenges. Today I wrote inspired by The Brain Dump on Ethical ELA, even if didn’t actually do the prompt correctly :0)

Ode to Goodbyes

Oh goodbyes
thank you for giving us
a reason to celebrate
and cry
or hold back tears
while celebrating
the ends of things
one door shuts
another one opens
somewhere
down a long hallway

Without you, goodbyes,
would we think
to stop
to appreciate?
to give each other
gifts and cards
and kind words?

Once I sobbed on the last day of school.
My second graders were very confused.
Once my sixth-graders sobbed on the last day of school
I stood back and watched them say
Goodbye.

I’ve said goodbye to friends
a man I thought I knew
countless children I called
“my class”
And now I say
Goodbye
to
you

I’m looking for poetry challenges. Today I wrote inspired by An Ode to the Unworthy on Ethical ELA…

A ball of purple

Do not think
paint ball
light ball
purple marker on a page
food coloring
ink blot
playground ball
crayon shavings bunched up
water color drops
ball-shaped pillow

NO.

This is a
ball of
purple.

PURPLE.

the
color
is
it

When the lights turn off
and you think there is no color
the ball of purple
falls in your outstretched hand

defying the laws of
color science
leaving no mark

besides
the smile
the laugh that escapes you
in pure
purple
joy

I’m looking for poetry challenges. Today I wrote inspired by Surprising Supplies on Ethical ELA… And my long-time wish that color didn’t have to be so scientific.

What if
one day
I stopped
writing?
Would my
fingers type
in the air
like they
sometimes still
play piano
in the air
years after
I stopped
playing piano?

I’m looking for poetry challenges. Today I wrote a What If poem… that I made up. Because somewhere on a some poetry form website I read that most forms are just someone making it up.