A Hungry Spark

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It’s 3am, her eyes are weary

and to the paper and pen her fingers cling.

Under her blanket, safe in the shadows,

a girl of 13, already hole ridden by self-doubt

becomes more by the power of words.

Filled with angst and optimism common of her age,

it is on the page, illuminated by the glow of a flash light–

a Wordsmith is born.

 

Even with her questionable levels of self-esteem

she can see her dream is no dream.

Her pen dances on the paper evidenced in the meticulous trail of ink.

It is in this moment, she reads and she sees.

She sees her reflection more real than any mirror ever will.

She ignites…becomes too bright for a blanket to hide her light-

casting it under the door. She could be caught any moment.

She’s already been warned…

But, as her poetry flows all she knows

Is her purpose– to compose.

She has acknowledged her spark at only 13.

 

I wish I could tell you she always fed the fire

but I would be a bold-faced liar.

26 years later, it hasn’t been snuffed out.

Though the lies told by people and so many mirrors

stole the air that fed that flame.

Yet, still that flame has always remained. It is still there illuminating her dream.

It is up to her to decide how to circulate the air she breathes

— and what reality she wants to feed…

When a Poet Writes Immersed in a Toddler’s Universe

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You cannot escape me...hehehe!!!

You cannot escape me…hehehe!!!

When a Poet Writes Immersed in a Toddler’s Universe

I just want to write—

a damn poem tonight!

I’m a poet,

and yeah, I know it…

Inspiration seems to be in short supply,

except what is found in this writer’s whine.

Just write, just write—I just want to scream!

Hmm, instead I think—

I’ll just down this bowl of ice cream.

These pasteurized cheese product of rambling rhymes

Simple they are just simply cannot be mine.

I can do better. I think I can-

I think I can, I know I can!

Despite being exposed to too much Thomas the Tank Engine

at my toddler’s hands.

Yes, I am poet.

I am what I am.

A good one too—

even if suffering from reading too many times

the verses of Green Eggs and Ham.

Fertilizer

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The following poetic compilation is an incomplete poem I started a year ago. And no, this is not an example of what I would consider my best writing. It is an attempt I made a year ago to re-acquire my voice, and now it serves as my attempt to fertilize my foray into regularly writing and publishing. Though the words of the following poetic thoughts are not as composed to my expectations– the ideas and thoughts are still worth sharing– and will always be there to come back to and play with and fine tune later. Perhaps, they will even seed some poetic inspiration for my readers. One can hope…

Rot, decay–things observed when life leaves astray.

A process initiated by death or an end.

I have witnessed the devastation wrought by this breaking down-

and the resurrected beginnings birthed from such destruction.

Remnants of what was become the fodder of what will be-

the lines between of what was and is are so entwined becoming non-existent

This awareness is not only mine– its so keenly echoed in the mythical account of the Phoenix’s rising and remembered at a serendipitous timing.

Laws of basic Physics prevail: Energy cannot be created or made.

Its source is only transformed…

My Life Poetic– Literally

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After re-reading some my favorite poems and remembering the experiences of some the great poetic voices that have come before me, I felt compelled to compose a poetic collage of those poetic moments of experience that  have become relevant in my own actual life experience. And it is only fitting that I felt inspired to write this “homage” of sorts during National Poetry Month…

The following poem is very much  a work in progress–and I can honestly say I am looking forward to this revision process and the possibilities it could transform into.

My Life Poetic– Literally

I dove down into the wreck

And from its depths resurfaced

Alive, exhausted.

Headed into the oven, inhaled its fumes-

Yet pulled out in time

A synchronous timing of oxygenated insight:

The legacy left, an unintentional gift, from another mother’s plight.

Prepared with my flashlight gripped tightly in hand,

And clickity-click heels on my feet-

I un-quietly will find my way out of this night.

See, I have beaten my path on the roads less taken.

I travelled to Babylon, employed as a whore.

Acquired a cumbersome weight, and continued on.

Slouching into Bethlehem, I came to bore my fertile sin.

A “beast” they proclaimed when it arrived.

Still it was mine. I wouldn’t let go-

And I cradled my child close to my breast.

Borrowing re-blog worthy parenting advice– a little behavioral management can go a long way

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I found this excellent post by fellow mom & blogger Krissy Sherman on her blog  b-inspiredmama.com. Below are my three favorite tips of the 18 she lists.  As a single parent, it is imperative to be consistent with discipline– and this post provides some great general guidelines to help maintain that vigilance. The direct link to her post is: http://www.sverve.com/tip/1361287114996

 

Every Child is Different
“One key to remember is that all children are different. That being said we use positive behavior and reinforcement followed up with logical consequences at our house. I’ll be sharing a lot more about Parenting a Strong Willed Child in March and the tools I’ve used over the years.” Kim of The Educators’ Spin On It

 

Mean What You Say & Say What You Mean”
“One of the best tips for behavior management I learning while teaching was to always ‘mean what you say and say what you.’ This little mantra has helped me as a parent, also, to remember to be clear and consistent with my expectations and consequences and always follow through with what I say.” Krissy of B-Inspired Mama

 

 

Focus on the Cause of Behavior
“Acting badly or in a way that parents don’t like, is a symptom of something deeper. Sometimes when your kid does something naughty it feels like they have done it on purpose to make you angry. But that is not likely to be the case. There are times when Goblin does something that he knows he shouldn’t do and I find myself wondering whether he did it just to get a rise out of me. It would be easy just to apply discipline methods to the symptom, the action that made you angry. But if you look deeper at why they did it you can often treat the cause and that will be more effective at stopping the behaviour for longer.” The Monko ofTaming the Goblin (Find more positive parenting techniques at Taming the Goblin.)