April Poem a Day Challenge – Poems 6 through 12

I’m keeping up with my April Writers Digest Poem a Day (PAD) Challenge.  For week two, we were given a variety of diverse prompts each day.  Below is my poetry written from day 6 through 12.

For Day 6 we were prompted to write “Things Not as They Appear”

I thought about reflection in a mirror with this topic.  My mind then drifted to how a person’s physical appearance does not indicate the true image of a person.  Women especially can be judged for aging and their limitations.  This is what I composed:

PAD Poem # 6 – Altered Reflection

Wrinkled, fine lines, stretched skin
Overshadows the young lady at heart
Thinning hair and wispy voice
Diminish the strong opinion held
Slower steps and winded breath
Don’t reveal the miles marched
Shoulders weak, forming a hunch
No indication of what they carried
Knees buckle, feet stumble
Hurting desire to move forward
Appearance refuses possibility
Showing judgment and limitations.

———————-

For Day 7 we were encouraged to write two poems, “A Love and Anti-Love Poem”

For this prompt, I thought about my own experiences in love and marriage.  I remembered how I fell in love and I recalled memories in my partnership that seem loveless but are part of being married.  Here are the two poems I wrote:

PAD Poem # 7 – Love
Could this be Love?

Two hours in
We still linger for more
Neither of us want
The conversation to end
We meet in one week
Could this be Love?
The sound of his voice
Sends my heart racing
He listens to every word
Asking thoughtful questions
He calls me by
My first and middle name
With an affection
I’ve never felt
Music discussed, our favorites
Parents and sibling stories shared
I know so much
I feel too much
Are we going to be a cliche’?
Characters in a romantic comedy?
I don’t hold back
He pours out himself
This is real
We are beginning
We are falling hard
From a “click” to an email
From a call to a date
Here we are
New to each other
Yet in love.

PAD Poem # 7 – Anti-Love
Loveless Moments in Marriage

Rolling my eyes
Muttering to myself
What a jerk
Must I repeat
Your farts are not foreplay
Take out the trash
Wash a dish
Say something nice
Do an act of value
Make me love you again.

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For Day 8, we were prompted to write about a “dare” or being “daring”

When I read the topic, nothing came to mind however, I was eating breakfast with my kids.  A fly was buzzing around their milk and muffins.  My two daughters were becoming annoyed about this bug interrupting their meal.  That is what inspired me to write this poem:

PAD Poem # 8 – How Dare Ye

How dare ye come here
Uninvited, unwanted
Preying on the feast
Our happy family moment
You plot to take
Eyes set on the prize
‘Tis not for you
Succulent, enticing
You buzz around
Waiting to close in
Determination unwavering
Stopping at nothing
You have such nerve
Closer you tread
Until finally here
Landing in the middle
Of our picnic apple pie
Fly swatter hits you
Smack, wing goes down
Fruit and bug pieces scatter
My toddler un-phased
Dips her fingers into slice
Braver than all of us
Eats the treat with fallen wing.

———————–

For Day 9 – we were prompted to write something related to “work“.

This is one area where I can always come up with words to include.  Yet I thought back to a short story I wrote two years ago about being an “Office Assistant” and how it can be real grunt work for some folks.  I used that story to inspire me to write this poem.  It’s an exaggerated example of a personal assistant.  Think The Devil Wears Prada.

PAD Poem # 9 – Office Assistant

Stack of papers to file
In color-coded folders
Tabbed in an A to Z system
Over fifty emails to read
Fourteen messages on the phone
Did I remember to buy coffee?
And those specialty cheeses she likes?
The royal blue ballpoints arrived
Specific color and weight required
To mark all over my proposals
Only 8:58 a.m. and I need a break
Will I have to pick up dry cleaning?
Or her facial products today?
Salon appointments, theater tickets
My college degree reduced to this
I groan and sigh with distaste
Meetings are packed in the afternoon
Note-taking and orders to be done
Deep breaths and inner pep-talk
Help a little to prepare for what’s ahead
Almost two years in this role
“Everyone must start somewhere,”
My family and friends tell me
As I plot to lace her caffeine with laxative
So I can have one hour, one day
Of peace and pride to myself.

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For Day # 10 – We were prompted to write a “How To” Poem

The author was left to fill in the blank as to how to ___ do anything of our own choosing.  This was a Friday for me and I was feeling happy and easy-going.  I wanted a light, sweet poem to reflect my mood.  I was also in a rhyming mode so I came up with this one while I was driving to work in between traffic stops.  This was based on real events between my husband and me too.

PAD Poem # 10 – How to Make Her Blush

Restless night, tossing and turning
To-do list brewing, dreaming yearning.

Lost in thought, what is the date?
A full day of tasks and stress await.

She sits down in the dining room chair
Runs chipped fingernails through her wet hair.

He hands her coffee and a scrambled egg
Puts his warm hand on her left leg.

Looks at her face, with eyes so sincere
Whispers, “you are beautiful” into her ear.

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For Day 11 – the topic given was “Seasons“.  We could write about one or all of the seasons in life.

On this Saturday, I felt like rhyming again and mentioning a few highlights of each season.  I just wrote the notions that came to my mind for each of the four seasons.  Here is the end result:

PAD Poem # 11 – Seasons

There are many reasons
To love all the seasons

Spring brings us rebirth
Celebration of mother earth
Bees buzzing, birds singing
Tree climbing, park swinging
Rainy, windy, kite-flying days
Gardening and grass to graze

Summer gives us heat
Beach sand beneath our feet
Thunderstorms, lightning bugs
Juicy watermelon, lemonade jugs
Attending camp, jumping in the pool
Reading, sleepovers, hooray no school

Autumn prompts us into long sleeves
Beautiful, changing colors of leaves
Pumpkins, harvest, even past Halloween
Feasts, festivals and sights unseen
Offering thanks, attend outdoor sporting events
Crisp apples and spices make up the scents

Winter beckons-slow down or slumber
Our surroundings evolve into white wonder
Mittens, jackets, boots galore
Bundled up as we leave the door
Warm inside with hot cocoa or tea
Snuggling, gift wrapping for you and me

These are the notions that come to mind
As seasons and people change over time.

____________________

For Day 12 – our writers prompt was “Damage“.  The damage could be physical damage or emotional damage.  References to storm or hurricane damage was mentioned.  I’ve written plenty about that already going through Hurricane Katrina and floods in the past.  This morning I instead thought of the personal damage we do to ourselves.  I reflected back to being a teenager and how I had really low self-esteem.  This poem came out of that:

PAD Poem # 12 – Self-doubt Damage

My hair is too frizzy
My eyes are too spaced apart
My nose is too big
My teeth are crooked
My shoulders are misshapen
My chest is too small
My hips are too wide
My belly is too flabby
My legs have too many veins
My feet are not attractive
I am not pretty or special
My mind has many doubts
My confidence level plummets
My skills begin to dimish
My talents disappear
I crawl into a dark hole
That I dug for myself
Surrounded by a world of doubt
Struggling to climb out
Before the dirt swallows me.

___________________________

And that is it for this week’s poem a day challenge, poems 6 through 12.  That is quite a mix of deep, dark, playful and fun words once again.

Come back and see me next week for poems 13 – 19.  My plan is to post them on Sunday. If you missed my previous poetry posts, you can view them here:
Poems 2 – 5
Poem 1 and the Poetry Challenge

Until next time, “Poem your heart out”!  Write and read every day to be a better, more uplifting person.