PROMPT #28 - CRAYON

Last week, our prompt was “brown.” Today, our prompt is “crayon.” Even though it appears that way, I’m not building on a theme here. (Although, if it wasn’t for the letter “q” – a colorless letter -- it might be fun to have a Color Poem-A-Day Challenge. But the February Challenge is months away. This “q” thing might need some serious research!) Crayons are most often associated with children. In its simplicity, a crayon can be inspiring. Inspire yourself with this primary tool of creation. And if you can find the name of a color that begins with the letter “q,” let me know!!

CRAYON CREATIONS

A crayon held with childlike might
is less a tool with which to write
than one that fashions art in wax.
And spared by critics’ cruel attacks,
a child continues, in his glee,
to build upon his artistry.

PROMPT #28 – BROWN

Today, we revisit the second letter of the alphabet, and our word for today is “brown.” You wouldn’t know it from my own poem below, but I love the color brown. The richness of its various hues provides warmth and comfort. And, let’s face it, coffee and chocolate are brown: my two, favorite food groups! Look within your muse and follow wherever “brown” leads you.

A BROWN POINT OF VIEW

A landscape, barren of vegetation,
sits dry, empty and brown.

A river, pounded relentlessly
by an unforgiving rain,
overflows, is muddy and brown.

A heart, devoid of rich soil
for planting the seeds of love
and the waters needed for growth,
is lonely, shriveled and brown.

PROMPT #27 - AWE

This week, we return to the beginning of the alphabet. There are, of course, many words I could have chosen for today’s prompt. But having spent yesterday watching the rescue of the Chilean miners, I can think of no better word to express what I feel for these men and their families than our prompt for this week, which is “awe.” The word is defined as an overwhelming feeling of reverence and admiration. It captures more, than any other word, the emotions my heart holds for these remarkable people.

IN AWE OF HEROES

People I’ve never met
have me standing in their corner,
saying prayers I hardly ever say.
Waiting and watching
thirty-three times.
Laughter, tears, happiness, relief.
Not just from these underground heroes
and the people who love them,
but from me, as well.
I admire their courage.
I am spellbound by their power to survive.
And I’m in awe of their unflinching faith.
Welcome back to the light.

PROMPT #26 - ZONE

A drum roll, please! Today, we complete our first, official journey through the alphabet. (We’re not counting our Poem-A-Day Challenge from back in July, which crammed the alphabet prompts into 26 days.) This journey began on February 1, 2010, and our prompt for the letter “A” was “afraid.” Now, here were are in October with the letter “Z” and the word we’ve chosen is “zone.” It’s been a fascinating nine month trip down alphabetical lane, and I greet our next excursion with both optimism and apprehension. Can we do it again? Time will tell. But today, I’m feeling in the zone. To quote from Wikipedia, being in the zone is “a feeling of spontaneous joy, even rapture, while performing a task” and includes being “on the ball, in the moment, present, in the groove, or keeping your head in the game.” Today, my muse is in the zone. How about yours? How will your muse define the word “zone?”

Next week, we return to the beginning, where we re-start our alphabet adventure with the letter “A”.

POET IN THE ZONE

My muse is in the zone today.
I feared that it had gone astray.
Inspired now to not delay
in case, again, it goes away.

My muse is in the zone today.
What prompted this, I cannot say.
Perhaps the sun broke through gray
and cleared the mind of disarray.

My muse is in the zone today.
It calls out words with which to play.
It may, of course, again decay,
but for right now, it’s here to stay.