Poems

When Love Was Absent

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You, my regret and my joy

I am sorry you partook in my pain

An unwitting recipient you were

Of my mess, my angst, the weakness that was me

Now that I have got me made right

You will partake in my strength

The grace I have come to know, really know

I will love you with all my heart

Take a break when it gets too much

But I will always bounce back

I will always be here

Because I can love you

Now that I love me, too.

 

Hate is the absence–not the opposite–of love. Those who know love can never hate, just like how having light exempts us from darkness.  

Solitude

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To hear when a pin drops

Within

And see when a light goes on

On the inside

To let the clock just be

To smile at, for, because of, and despite

The one in the mirror

To just drift along

Flit like a butterfly in a garden

Empty of other souls but so full of beauty

The world is my oyster

And I

My own best friend.

Just Jot It July – Holy Cow, How Timely!

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This writing prompt is timely, because in less than 48 hours I will be leaving for a place where cows are aplenty. I doubt I would have time to go milk any, but I will certainly be milking every minute I have there – to take in the sights, talk to the people, taste the food, maybe buy some stuff, and just enjoy my well-deserved break, and maybe even hibernate! And of course, GET INSPIRED.

But right now my pre-vacation excitement is heavily tempered by the things to do before I leave on a jet plane, and the rush of having so many things to do is tempered by the pre-vacation excitement, so I guess they neutralize each other.

But in the midst of it all, the strategy to survive and thrive is to make sure that I ‘don’t forget to walk the cow.’

What does this mean and how does it work?? Here’s a little poem to explain:

Don’t forget to walk the cow
It calms you down somehow
Side by side on the green grass
Light and tiny steps, till your heartbeat ceases to rush.

Join in the fun when she bends down to graze
With nary a care of the passerbys’ gaze
“Mooo!” she goes, “the grass is for me!”
“So don’t you dare, stop me from being me!”

Don’t forget to walk the cow.

This post is part of Just Jot It July: http://misslouella.wordpress.com/2014/07/07/just-jot-it-july/

My First Haiku Attempt

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break of dawn
I stifle a yawn
drag my suitcase beyond

 

—–

Until I read this, I thought writing a haiku in English meant I had to adhere to the 5-7-5 syllable rule. But turned out what makes a haiku a haiku is not exactly that structure, although it has to be in three lines.

Some of the intriguing things I have learnt about haiku today:

1. A haiku has no title!

2. The plural for haiku is haiku

3. It is a kind of compact poem that shows – and not tell – the reader the insight it contains into nature or human nature – and herein lies the challenge for the wannabe Haiku poet…

So based on what I read in this very useful article about haiku, the strategy includes, for example, using the word ‘snow’ to convey winter and ‘frogs’ to convey spring. I do want want to be evocative in my writings (which is going to be a challenge considering I need to balance the requirement of my day job to be direct and concise in my writing because my colleagues and bosses won’t have the time to indulge in the literary pleasure of trying to figure out what I am trying to say!) so looks like writing haiku is a good place to develop that.

And in my quest to learn how to use few words to paint a picture, I have found this article to be very useful: http://www.graceguts.com/essays/becoming-a-haiku-poet. Meanwhile, comments welcome from haiku lovers (brickbats, bouquets, and 2 cents’es) 🙂