OFFICIAL DUP Glo/NaPoWriMo 2021 Competition
29/30
*Late because of personal reasons
6 Months
The last 6 months have been hell
I went from worrying about my first year of college
To worrying about my dads health
6 months has changed my life
Knowing the doctors can’t do anything else hurts
Knowing I’m so far away right now makes me sick
I just want to see him before he’s gone
I really don’t want to think about that
I’ve cried the majority of the past 24 hours
I don’t know how anyone takes this news
How do I cope with the idea
That my dad won’t live to see me turn 20
Or graduate college
Or get married
It hurts
*Late because of personal reasons
6 Months
The last 6 months have been hell
I went from worrying about my first year of college
To worrying about my dads health
6 months has changed my life
Knowing the doctors can’t do anything else hurts
Knowing I’m so far away right now makes me sick
I just want to see him before he’s gone
I really don’t want to think about that
I’ve cried the majority of the past 24 hours
I don’t know how anyone takes this news
How do I cope with the idea
That my dad won’t live to see me turn 20
Or graduate college
Or get married
It hurts
30/30
Day 30
My mind is full of so many other things right now
Yet it is day 30 or 30
Somehow I’m here
I thought for sure I wouldn’t be
It’s been a hard month to say the least
I do not know how to write anything anymore
My brain just doesn’t want to work
Not after everything
And yet I’m still here
Trying to reach that 50 unique word count as quickly as possible
Day 30
My mind is full of so many other things right now
Yet it is day 30 or 30
Somehow I’m here
I thought for sure I wouldn’t be
It’s been a hard month to say the least
I do not know how to write anything anymore
My brain just doesn’t want to work
Not after everything
And yet I’m still here
Trying to reach that 50 unique word count as quickly as possible
( 30/30 )
Defined: That which is not
Death—an ever-present
integral part of existence;
a cyclical occurrence
of essential transference
Her gravitational magnet
draws our spirit home;
we ebb to an ancient pattern
of rebirth, our soul
traversing a tidal pull
A circular Ellipse
about the Earth—
anticlockwise we turn;
a bowstring pulled back
ready to shoot gravity-bound
energy into its next home
"In my Father's house
are many mansions"
Thus, we are all satellites
floating through space
inhabiting various hues
and shapes of skeleton:
human blood and bone;
plant or animal
in multiple dimensions
on manifold worlds
In every observation of her orbit
in every intention of offering
to her dark veil or luminescence
one receives far more
than they ever sought;
we transfer, in and out
of multiple lives
when the shell collapses;
energy survives like love
after war; or words
centuries from now
Of all arrivals and departures
of lifetimes, she was destined
to remain alabaster tissue
tidally locked in her orbit—
an iron ball at the end of a chain
And to this day, when you look up
“Her ghost is still orbiting Earth. . ."
~
Defined: That which is not
Death—an ever-present
integral part of existence;
a cyclical occurrence
of essential transference
Her gravitational magnet
draws our spirit home;
we ebb to an ancient pattern
of rebirth, our soul
traversing a tidal pull
A circular Ellipse
about the Earth—
anticlockwise we turn;
a bowstring pulled back
ready to shoot gravity-bound
energy into its next home
"In my Father's house
are many mansions"
Thus, we are all satellites
floating through space
inhabiting various hues
and shapes of skeleton:
human blood and bone;
plant or animal
in multiple dimensions
on manifold worlds
In every observation of her orbit
in every intention of offering
to her dark veil or luminescence
one receives far more
than they ever sought;
we transfer, in and out
of multiple lives
when the shell collapses;
energy survives like love
after war; or words
centuries from now
Of all arrivals and departures
of lifetimes, she was destined
to remain alabaster tissue
tidally locked in her orbit—
an iron ball at the end of a chain
And to this day, when you look up
“Her ghost is still orbiting Earth. . ."
~
30/30
La Fin
There’s always an end.
A choice is made to see it coming.
Or not.
Like summer camp for poetry,
Every day for thirty days~
(Thirty...long...days)
I wrote a poem.
Each day!
The hook, it didn’t have to be great.
The bait, it could be about anything.
The lure, was the Trophee at the end.
But!
An extraordinary thing happened.
Along the way
I met and became
acquainted with
other poets
and their
wonderful works.
They wrote
with open hearts
and honest truths.
These poets-
so full of
talent and creativity
would help
and encourage,
support and cheer
each other
AND
me!
My scribble doodles,
sentence fragments,
and otherwise
questionable ideas
of poetry,
graciously applauded.
I’d have laid odds
against me
staying and
not having
Muddah and Faddah
come get me.
But I did it.
You want to know what?
It was MAGNIFICENT!
Congratulations everyone!
(76 unique words)
La Fin
There’s always an end.
A choice is made to see it coming.
Or not.
Like summer camp for poetry,
Every day for thirty days~
(Thirty...long...days)
I wrote a poem.
Each day!
The hook, it didn’t have to be great.
The bait, it could be about anything.
The lure, was the Trophee at the end.
But!
An extraordinary thing happened.
Along the way
I met and became
acquainted with
other poets
and their
wonderful works.
They wrote
with open hearts
and honest truths.
These poets-
so full of
talent and creativity
would help
and encourage,
support and cheer
each other
AND
me!
My scribble doodles,
sentence fragments,
and otherwise
questionable ideas
of poetry,
graciously applauded.
I’d have laid odds
against me
staying and
not having
Muddah and Faddah
come get me.
But I did it.
You want to know what?
It was MAGNIFICENT!
Congratulations everyone!
(76 unique words)
30/30
From dawn to sunset
From dawn to sunset, a month has passed
persistence pulled from the magician`s hat.
April`s span brought fresh demands
and pull the cat out of the bag, with slight of hand.
To just keep pace and not be left behind.
The plague`s of beast`s that tried to steal
intrigues that JB did reveal.
To overflow each jar and flagon
50 unique words without comparison
Visions that each poet cast,
a welcome flag run up the mast.
A great gallion, each pulling their own oar
approaching May, the welcome shore.
With tired elation. singing cheers and whoops
the hold is empty, time to rest, recoup.
Shell shocked and weary, just loosing the plot
try not to STOP, even though the finish line is crossed
From dawn to sunset
From dawn to sunset, a month has passed
persistence pulled from the magician`s hat.
April`s span brought fresh demands
and pull the cat out of the bag, with slight of hand.
To just keep pace and not be left behind.
The plague`s of beast`s that tried to steal
intrigues that JB did reveal.
To overflow each jar and flagon
50 unique words without comparison
Visions that each poet cast,
a welcome flag run up the mast.
A great gallion, each pulling their own oar
approaching May, the welcome shore.
With tired elation. singing cheers and whoops
the hold is empty, time to rest, recoup.
Shell shocked and weary, just loosing the plot
try not to STOP, even though the finish line is crossed
30/30
[ Observation Points ] Wardrobe Malfunctions
You are not stifled
in an uncomfortable suit of skin
environment or century
tugging at a broken zipper
What you are is so much more
unfolding, being laid out
atop a moonlit bedspread
---a coming of age attraction
in the changing room
soon to be on parade
during a glorious day
sundressed;
naked
yet capable of making a difference
in the world and lives of others
by simply being yourself
but you won't be
if this tailor-made lifetime
is squandered with excuses
as to why you can't change
your own;
refusal to figure out
who that person is
slips squarely on your shoulders
as you skirt around taking
responsibility for your own
happiness
[ Observation Points ] Wardrobe Malfunctions
You are not stifled
in an uncomfortable suit of skin
environment or century
tugging at a broken zipper
What you are is so much more
unfolding, being laid out
atop a moonlit bedspread
---a coming of age attraction
in the changing room
soon to be on parade
during a glorious day
sundressed;
naked
yet capable of making a difference
in the world and lives of others
by simply being yourself
but you won't be
if this tailor-made lifetime
is squandered with excuses
as to why you can't change
your own;
refusal to figure out
who that person is
slips squarely on your shoulders
as you skirt around taking
responsibility for your own
happiness
30/30
Walk With Gratitude
The richest feeling: gratefulness
possesses an uncanny ability
to saturate every facet of existence.
A shining gem cut from kindness.
Not showy in its presentation: though
it glitters magnificent radiance, so long
as simple generosity exists.
Mindful living creates lasting
appreciation for small
things, often overlooked.
Walk today, with gratitude.
Walk With Gratitude
The richest feeling: gratefulness
possesses an uncanny ability
to saturate every facet of existence.
A shining gem cut from kindness.
Not showy in its presentation: though
it glitters magnificent radiance, so long
as simple generosity exists.
Mindful living creates lasting
appreciation for small
things, often overlooked.
Walk today, with gratitude.
(30 of 30—Official DUP NaPo/GloPoWrimo2021)
sonnets among my scribbles
my mother’s apronsongs
sonnet #30
my mother's apronsongs have gone to sleep,
down where my father's baritone reprieves.
each melancholy memory relieves
my sullen spirit by the tears that weep
their threnodies upon my orphan bed.
my mother's sweet, soft voice tells no more rhymes
of how she met my father in good times,
before her garden rose reclined its head.
my mother's faultless love knows not the tomb:
where lies interred her body, not her soul!
just one last slumber; she shall be more whole
than when she was perfected in the womb.
my mother's faith envisions golden days
that time on earth can never paraphrase.
© Copyright 2021 April 27
by Clyve A. Bowen♫
UWC = 81
30/30
UKULELE
Here it is
Arrived
In my hands
From British luthier
Crossed the sea
To end one great adventure
And begin another
In my living room
I am scared
Not feeling worthy
Like a kid
With uneaten food
Left on the plate
At grandma’s house
But that’s not why
I had to name her
After Ethel
So much jazz
Texas tornado
Laughter and wild
Sparkling eyes
That is the scene
I will spend
A great deal of time
Working to invoke
UKULELE
Here it is
Arrived
In my hands
From British luthier
Crossed the sea
To end one great adventure
And begin another
In my living room
I am scared
Not feeling worthy
Like a kid
With uneaten food
Left on the plate
At grandma’s house
But that’s not why
I had to name her
After Ethel
So much jazz
Texas tornado
Laughter and wild
Sparkling eyes
That is the scene
I will spend
A great deal of time
Working to invoke
30/30
At Napo's End
Drawn from the pen
as ink from a stone
water borne thoughts
no longer swim alone.
This communal place
where spilling of voice
the loudest shout
as is their choice.
We are the ones
who seek to find
the fullest potential
that lives in our minds.
This is it the full array
and we've had so much to say
as artists who express our hearts
and let each other play a part.
Now we know we've reached our goal
as everything we seek to know
will still be there and yet we'll find
all our Napo moments behind.
Great job everyone,
See you on the flipside..
At Napo's End
Drawn from the pen
as ink from a stone
water borne thoughts
no longer swim alone.
This communal place
where spilling of voice
the loudest shout
as is their choice.
We are the ones
who seek to find
the fullest potential
that lives in our minds.
This is it the full array
and we've had so much to say
as artists who express our hearts
and let each other play a part.
Now we know we've reached our goal
as everything we seek to know
will still be there and yet we'll find
all our Napo moments behind.
Great job everyone,
See you on the flipside..
30/30
I'm At Home
Endlessly I sought the lines of a poet’s verse
Writing day and night in a sheltered hearse
My pen was the sanctity that kept the beasts away
It littered my cardboard in a hieroglyphic display
I wrote on the back of my world and tucked it far within its mind
My residence was pillar to post and sometimes an inadequate find
I lassoed the moons dimmest rays of light
Rebuking fell creatures of the night
Wild and free was my imagination
Creative liberty my motivation
I dug through landfills of words
Feasting off the worms of early birds
I hoarded leftovers of trash
And recycled them in my notes as if they were cans for cash
My journey was survival
Perseverance and patience my Bible
I rode the train of thought until it derailed
Watched it crash and burn feeling as if I had failed
Nothing gained nothing lost
I venture on at all cost
Still in search of a place to lay my weary head
I’d give all that I have just to collapse in a bed
To share my lines in the least
While reading others as a feast
I push on for the better
Knowing I can get through this weather
And when I finally stop
It will be my heart that will drop
Cause I know I won’t be alone
I’ll finally be at home
I'm At Home
Endlessly I sought the lines of a poet’s verse
Writing day and night in a sheltered hearse
My pen was the sanctity that kept the beasts away
It littered my cardboard in a hieroglyphic display
I wrote on the back of my world and tucked it far within its mind
My residence was pillar to post and sometimes an inadequate find
I lassoed the moons dimmest rays of light
Rebuking fell creatures of the night
Wild and free was my imagination
Creative liberty my motivation
I dug through landfills of words
Feasting off the worms of early birds
I hoarded leftovers of trash
And recycled them in my notes as if they were cans for cash
My journey was survival
Perseverance and patience my Bible
I rode the train of thought until it derailed
Watched it crash and burn feeling as if I had failed
Nothing gained nothing lost
I venture on at all cost
Still in search of a place to lay my weary head
I’d give all that I have just to collapse in a bed
To share my lines in the least
While reading others as a feast
I push on for the better
Knowing I can get through this weather
And when I finally stop
It will be my heart that will drop
Cause I know I won’t be alone
I’ll finally be at home
30 of 30
Unknowable motion
I breathe to slow the heart,
To feel each beat part.
How long can I keep clinging to the art,
In acceptance of the fact,
That I am holding feeling, a part.
Solely,
To remain intact.
I am rendered in a continuous arc,
Composed between palms extended,
And shoulders locked,
Eyes open,
Waiting on some unknowable motion.
Far from here,
Where every muscle screams,
Their tremors,
Witnesses of unending stresses,
I burn,
Not from pain,
It turns to mist in the falling rain.
I burn,
But not from strain,
As doubt holds no reign.
In the question of the fact,
That I burn to remain,
To remain, intact.
I am stood in the half light,
Between full light and night,
Clinging to the art,
In this unbroken arc.
Eyes open,
Waiting on some unknowable,
Motion.
Unknowable motion
I breathe to slow the heart,
To feel each beat part.
How long can I keep clinging to the art,
In acceptance of the fact,
That I am holding feeling, a part.
Solely,
To remain intact.
I am rendered in a continuous arc,
Composed between palms extended,
And shoulders locked,
Eyes open,
Waiting on some unknowable motion.
Far from here,
Where every muscle screams,
Their tremors,
Witnesses of unending stresses,
I burn,
Not from pain,
It turns to mist in the falling rain.
I burn,
But not from strain,
As doubt holds no reign.
In the question of the fact,
That I burn to remain,
To remain, intact.
I am stood in the half light,
Between full light and night,
Clinging to the art,
In this unbroken arc.
Eyes open,
Waiting on some unknowable,
Motion.
30/30
Meet Me at the Edge of What Was and What Will Be
and now, they meet here
just before dreams call them away,
to witness life beyond traversing
as Gaea gives glorious birth
to every possible future
before them, gifted
for their own choosing;
hearts undressed
and unburdened
by the sadness of what was
and the fear of what will come
glow in hope from sheltered,
shadowed chests;
they speak softly of love
in loud voices and precise words
of affirmation and assurances
offered freely in sacred
and honest flow of truth
between hands intertwined
65 unique words
Meet Me at the Edge of What Was and What Will Be
and now, they meet here
just before dreams call them away,
to witness life beyond traversing
as Gaea gives glorious birth
to every possible future
before them, gifted
for their own choosing;
hearts undressed
and unburdened
by the sadness of what was
and the fear of what will come
glow in hope from sheltered,
shadowed chests;
they speak softly of love
in loud voices and precise words
of affirmation and assurances
offered freely in sacred
and honest flow of truth
between hands intertwined
65 unique words
#30. April 30th.
Out of place of time
It finally arrived,
and I am greeted
by the two blue wizards
upon a backdrop of blue mountains,
where they are or go
none truly know.
It seems such a shame
to now open it
and spoil it with use,
commit it to the ages;
time has delivered it
time will keep it.
Upon looking
I have the strange sense
that although I see two,
there is only one being
and I have stumbled on a secret
that once may have meant something
but now is only myth and memory.
If only I could convey it;
Out of place of time
as I am.
(Unique words: 69.)
Out of place of time
It finally arrived,
and I am greeted
by the two blue wizards
upon a backdrop of blue mountains,
where they are or go
none truly know.
It seems such a shame
to now open it
and spoil it with use,
commit it to the ages;
time has delivered it
time will keep it.
Upon looking
I have the strange sense
that although I see two,
there is only one being
and I have stumbled on a secret
that once may have meant something
but now is only myth and memory.
If only I could convey it;
Out of place of time
as I am.
(Unique words: 69.)
30/30
Dear NaPoWriMo,
and here we are, at the end.
All good things, or some
such rubbish.
We’ve had words, and
laughs. A few tears and a bit
of bloodletting.
Which is the sum of
everything worth having.
Would I trade it? No.
Do I want to continue? No.
I’m ready to have this as a memory
that swirls and drips through my
mind when I’m remembering
goodhard things.
Dear NaPoWriMo,
and here we are, at the end.
All good things, or some
such rubbish.
We’ve had words, and
laughs. A few tears and a bit
of bloodletting.
Which is the sum of
everything worth having.
Would I trade it? No.
Do I want to continue? No.
I’m ready to have this as a memory
that swirls and drips through my
mind when I’m remembering
goodhard things.
