National Poetry Month Day 30

     It's hard to believe that it's already the last day of National Poetry Month.  It just flew by so fast, it feels like it was just yesterday that I was posting day 1 and 2.  This month has really helped me to get my blog off the ground and find my voice among my fellow bloggers.  I look forward to posting on here regularly, as well as next April and all the Aprils that follow.  Thank you to all who have followed me along this journey and to those who will continue to follow me as the years go on.  :)

     Anyway, for the last day I would like to share a poem that I wrote about writer's block.  It's another very short poem, but it accurately describes the common feeling of not knowing what to write about.

Writer's Block

Hanging over your head,

like a thick, grey storm cloud.

Blocking all thoughts from entering.

Making it hard to write.

National Poetry Month Day 29

Today's poem is a very short and simple poem that I wrote.  It is about night, and I like it for its simplicity.

Night

Like a velvet blanket,

pulled up over our heads,

we are left in the dark,

with lanterns above our heads.

National Poetry Month Day 26, 27 and 28

     I got a little behind on posting this weekend.  To make up for that I am going to post three new poems today.

     The assignment for this first poem was to was to write a poem about something that is important to you.  I chose to write about my digital camera.

Digital Camera

I step into my backyard with my camera.

The setting sun is shining on the deep red color as I walk around looking for a subject.

I focus on a flower with a baby bumble bee hovering over it.

I press the silver button with my finger.

The image appears on the tiny screen.

I glance at the captured image, nod my approval and walk away.

Looking for another subject to capture forever.

     The second poem is one that I wrote about swinging.  I was trying to capture the feeling of sitting on a swing and going higher and higher.  This was the result.

Swinging

I pump my legs in and out to get going.

Higher and higher I go.

The cold wind slaps my face as I fly forward.

I close my eyes and imagine that the swing is not there and I am just flying.

Flying through the sky.

My mind is clear and I feel free from all my troubles.

It's like being in a world all my own.

If only for a few minutes.

   Lastly, is a poem that I wrote about the seasons.  I may have posted this one already, but its a nice simple poem, and I like it.  

Seasons

Winter to Spring,

Spring to Summer,

Summer to Fall,

Fall to Winter.

Four seasons,

always changing,

in a never-ending cycle.

Winter to Spring,

Spring to Summer,

Summer to Fall,

Fall to Winter.

National Poetry Month Day 25

I got the inspiration to write this poem from the notebook that I wrote it in.  The inspiration came from a quote in the top left corner that said "Let the thankful heart sweep through the day"- Henry Ward Beecher, so naturally, I wrote a poem about the thankful heart.  This was the result.

The Thankful Heart

Sweeping through the day,

is the thankful heart.

Always the last to go to sleep,

and the first to wake up.

The thankful heart,

can never be forgotten.

National Poetry Month Day 23 and 24

     Sorry I didn't post yesterday, I didn't get home until late, because I was in Massachusetts at Ikea with my mom, sister, and grammie.  It was a lot of fun and we ended up with a whole bunch of stuff.
     Anyway, today I am going to post two poems to make up for that.  For yesterday, I have a poem that I wrote about a piece of pottery that I found on the beach.  I don't remember which beach, probably New Castle Commons or York Beach as those are pretty much the only two we usually go to, but I love this poem nonetheless.

Gift of the Sea

Tossing and turning through the tide

like a wiggly worm,

is a tiny piece of pottery.

As the wave lick the rough edges,

they become smooth like silk.

Eventually, the ocean spits it out

onto the sand,

and it sits until 

someone walks over and 

brings it home.

This is the gift of the sea.

     Today, it is Poem in your Pocket day.  Basically, it is a day when you share that one specific poem you really like so that other people can enjoy it to.  For this occasion, I am posting a recent poem of mine that I wrote for the creative writing class that I am currently taking.  The poem is about the road of life that we are walking along.  I really like this poem, because it has a lot of meaning behind it through this one metaphor that life is a road on which we must walk.  

The Road of Life

We are all walking along our own paths,

other people may walk it with you,

but no one can walk it for you.

Sometimes we come upon a detour,

sometimes we come to an intersection,

sometimes we are faced with an obstacle,

but we always end up where we are supposed to be,

along our walk of life.

National Poetry Month Day 22

This is a poem about brainstorming.  I was trying to capture the essence to a brainstorm with this one, and I think I accomplished this goal.

Brainstorm

The sound of pencils being dragged across paper,

every inch holding a word or phrase,

that might just be the beginning,

of a wonderful story.

A brainstorm has only just begun.

National Poetry Month Day 20 and 21

Sorry I didn't post yesterday, I didn't get a chance to log on to my computer with all the Easter festivities.  Today I am going to post two Haiku's that I wrote a while ago.  Both have the theme of Autumn/Thanksgiving, a little out of season, considering it's the end of April, but a poem's a poem, right?

I hear the leaves crunch,

on the ground beneath my feet,

as I walk around.

I smell the aroma,

of delicious home-baked goods,

Thanksgiving is here.

     The hardest thing about writing a Haiku is keeping the five-seven-five pattern going.  I always have trouble trying to keep the syllable count at the right number.  Another thing about Haiku's that I am not a fan of is that they don't have that deeper meaning behind them that other poems have, they are very blunt and straight-forward.  

National Poetry Month Day 19

I wrote this poem a while ago about courage.  It's a simple poem but a good one.

Courage

I open the doors to new adventures,

I hold the key of strength,

I know your weaknesses and how to make them stronger,

I lie in your soul and wait,

until you need me.

I am courage.

National Poetry Month Day 18

This poem is one that was taken from Only a Memory Remains from the beginning of the month.  The assignment was to take a line from the poem we had written and create a new poem out of it.  In this case I took the last line from the poem, but there are a number of other lines I could have used.

In This Place

In this place,

good times were had,

but now these good times,

are nothing but memories,

of a place that once was.

National Poetry Month Day 17

The assignment for this poem was to write about a meaningful memory using rhyming couplets.  I decided to write about going to see the Rockettes perform in New York City, since there was so much that happened, and so much to write about.

The Rockettes

We wake up groggy, and get ready to go,

to New York City, to see the show.

We climb onto the bus, ready for a day of fun,

happily talking to everyone.

The long bus ride holds everyone in anticipation,

while we hope we don't meet any precipitation.

And when we finally arrive in the city,

we get right down to the nitty gritty.

We shop until we are ready to drop,

but it's not time to stop.

We can't waste any more time, we have to go,

it's time for the moment we've been waiting for, the show.

And when we get back to the bus,

everyone sleeps without a fuss.

National Poetry Month Day 16

I wrote this poem randomly one day when I was bored.  It started out as just silly little rhymes but I ended up building a poem around them.  This was the result.

Bad Luck

Nick fell on a stick,

Jake jumped in a lake,

Tom stepped on a bomb,

Molly was crushed by a trolley,

Dale was swallowed by a whale,

Jack stepped on a tack,

Sam ate a bad ham,

Bree was stung by a bee,

Lou slept in his stew,

And Mary thought it was scary.

National Poetry Month Day 15

This is a free-verse poem that I wrote while I was taking the poetry class in high school.  I considered a few different topics for this poem, but ultimately I decided to write about hot chocolate.

Hot Chocolate

A piping hot cup of

decadently sweet hot chocolate,

is perfect for

the below zero winters of

New England.

The rich, indulgent taste,

of this warm winter treat,

will make your taste buds dance,

to the delicious, chocolaty beat

in your mouth. 

National Poetry Month Day 13 and 14

     Sorry I didn't post a poem yesterday.  It kind of got away from me.  Today I am going to post two of my more recent poems to make up for it.

     The first poem is one that I wrote about rain.  It seems like such an ordinary topic, but there really is a lot to say about it.

Rain

Clouds cover the deep blue sky,

and tiny droplets of water

begin to leak out,

slowly gaining speed as they approach land.

They tap on windows and doors,

plunge deep into the ocean,

and fall on any dry surface,

collecting and forming puddles

wherever they can,

until every cloud in the sky

is empty.

     The second poem is one that I wrote about being creative.  

Creativity

The creative mind is always buzzing,

coming up with new ideas.

A creative person is always thinking,

writing, doodling, making lists.

To anyone else it may seem like chaos,

but to the creative person,

these thoughts are real beauty.

In the eyes of the creative person,

a new idea,

is a new experience.

National Poetry Month Day 12

This is another poem that I wrote in that poetry class a couple years ago.  This poem is about the hamster that I had at the time (I do not have a hamster anymore), her name was Flower and she was the sweetest little hamster.

My Hamster

First, I see her gray fur as she passes behind the bars of her cage,

suddenly she stops,

and puts her tiny paws up on the side of the cage,

she's looking at me,

I place my finger between two of the bars,

and she sniffs briefly,

before walking over to her wheel,

and running,

running like she is headed to some place far away,

even though she remains in the same place.

National Poetry Month Day 11

I wrote this poem a long time ago.   I was so proud of it,  and I ended up memorizing it.  It's such a simple poem, but I just love it.

Bluebird

Bluebird, bluebird flying high,

above my head and across the sky,

for all of heaven and earth to see,

how beautiful it must be.

National Poetry Month Day 10

This is another poem that I wrote on a whim.  I wrote this poem about a pinecone that I had found.

Nature's Gift

Almost unreal,

this pinecone,

holds onto the pine tree,

by a tiny stem,

like a tiny tree,

growing from a tiny seed,

from the branch,

of the big pine tree,

this,

is nature's gift.

National Poetry Month Day 9

This was an Ode that I wrote for my high school poetry class.  I did a lot of planning on this one, but ultimately, I ended up writing about my writing ability.

My Gift

Everyone is born with a gift,

my gift is my ability to write.

Writing,

it's like riding a bike,

sometimes I fall off,

but I always get back up and keep riding,

along the road of inspiration,

looking for another good idea,

among the vast meadow.

I pick the most beautiful flower,

the one with just the right amount of details,

and I write,

carefully forming,

each and every little detail,

on crisp and clean paper,

until a poem is born.

My gift.

National Poetry Month Day 8

This poem is just a really short poem I wrote on a whim about memories.  There is not too much to say about it, I think it pretty much speaks for itself.

Lost Memories

Under each layer,

lies a memory,

behind every memory,

there is a story,

to be told,

for generations to come.

National Poetry Month Day 7

I wrote this poem back in 2011 while I was in the writing poetry class as I have mentioned before.  The assignment for this poem was to write a poem about a prized possession and to begin each line in the poem with "The..." and end with "My...".  I chose to write about the baby doll from my childhood that I carried everywhere with me, actually I never went anywhere without at least one baby, but this was that one special baby that I cherished most.

The Baby

The Baby that knows my secrets.

The Baby with worn feet.

The Baby with the plastic face.

The Baby that was always with me.

The Baby that wears footed pajamas.

The Baby whose feet I used to chew on.

The Baby who will always be there for me.

The Baby that will never be forgotten.

The Baby with a lot of good memories.

The Baby who will never tell.

The Baby I will love forever.

The Baby I've had my whole life.

The Baby who was pushed in the stroller.

The Baby who will never forget.

The Baby who was pushed on the swing.

The Baby who listened to me.

The Baby who comforted me while I fell asleep.

The Baby who was more than just a doll.

My Baby.

National Poetry Month Day 6

I wrote this poem about the moon in high school as well.  I can't remember exactly what the assignment was, but the poem has a lot of good descriptions and details in it.

The Moon

As the darkness becomes heavier,

and the shadows fade to black,

the moon rises behind the trees,

creating a silhouette,

that seems to play with the moon,

passing it silently between its branches,

up, up, up,

until it begins to fall,

into a hole in the horizon,

like a perfect basket.

National Poetry Month Day 5

Today's poem is a found poem that I wrote in high school.  The assignment was to use a table of contents that was provided and put together some of the phrases to create a new poem.  The poem doesn't make a whole lot of sense as a whole, but each individual sentence tells its own story.

Untitled

At the mid hour of night,

between the clock and the bed,

the raining of her hair,

beneath the snow,

reveals the,

jagged pieces of language,

to the loud wind.

We wear the mask,

because

the road not taken,

when I was fair and young,

is untitled.

National Poetry Month Day 4

Today's poem is one that I wrote more recently in my college creative writing class.  There was no specific assignment for this poem, so I decided to write about spreading your wings.

Wings

Take a stroll through the past,

and remember the good times and bad,

but don't linger there.

Keep moving forward towards your dreams.

Live every moment as if it is your last,

because these are the moments you'll go back to,

the memories you'll cherish most.

The ones that molded the wings you use,

to soar through the sky.

National Poetry Month Day 3

Today's poem was, again, written in that same poetry class from high school.  The assignment for this poem was to write about an incident or scene from your life.  Since I love art, I decided to write about it in a poem about an unfinished painting.

Art

The paint lying in the palette,

slowly begins to dry,

while off to the side,

the brushes rest in the murky water.

Lying on a layer of newspaper,

is the unfinished painting,

drying silently,

in the blackness.

There is an empty chair,

pulled slightly out of place,

where the artist was sitting,

just hours earlier,

trying to complete,

this soon-to-be masterpiece.

National Poetry Month Day 1 and 2

     So, April is National Poetry Month and to celebrate I will be posting a poem every day.  Each of my poems is original and I ask that they not be copied, distributed, or posted on other sites, but I would like to share them with you here.

     I didn't post a poem yesterday, so I will post two today.

     The first poem is one that I wrote a few years ago when I was a Senior in High School as an assignment for a Poetry class.  The assignment was to write a poem that describes a memory in detail.  I chose to write about the lake house that my family used to go to during the summer, and how now it is just a memory since the house was sold, torn down, and replaced with a much more extravagant house.  We still go up there, my grandparents also have another house a little ways up the street, but it really isn't the same.

Only a Memory Remains

I see the water licking the shore with its wet tongue,

the concrete steps that lead to a memory,

I walk the perimeter and I see the faded, red paint peeling from the surface,
exposing the bare wood,

the crumbling front walk that leads to the door,

I see the sheds, barely holding themselves up,

I stare blankly at the 'for sale' sign next to the dirt road,

I blink my eyes once, twice, three times,

and suddenly its gone forever,

and only a memory remains,

and only a memory remains,

in this place.

     The second poem is also one that I wrote in that Poetry class.  The assignment for this poem was to create a metaphor to describe life.  I chose to use the metaphor Life is like the Tide.  

Life is the Tide

Life is the swirling tide at the beach,

sometimes I float with the tide,

sometimes I swim against the tide,

in and out,

up and down,

as if I am a piece of driftwood,

floating through the water,

taking everything life offers me,

until my journey is over.

Nature's Beauty

Often times, we tend to overlook the small things in life, because the big things are what hold our attention, but it is usually these small things that conatin the true beauty of life. 

     Today, my family and I went snowshoeing in Vaughn Woods Memorial State park in South Berwick, Maine.  I took about 30 pictures on my digital camera, but these are just a few of my favorites.
   
     The first picture is the view of the river from the Hamilton House (a house located up on a hill above the water).  The second, is a picture looking up at two trees from the frozen river bed below the Hamilton House.  The third is just a broken wire fence just off the trail that I thought looked neat.  The fourth is an interesting-looking gnarly tree that was standing at the base of the river.  Last, but not least, is a picture looking at the trail ahead.

    

     When we arrived back home we trudged outback to make a sledding track so that it will freeze and hopefully be ready for next weekend when we have family here for my Great Grandmother's birthday (they want to take the kids out sledding when they come).  

     It was quite a tiring day, but it was also a lot of fun.  :)

Original image 

http://truebluemeandyou.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/button-tree.jpg

End result:

 

     This was a project I found while browsing Pinterest.  There were no real instructions on how to make this, but it seemed self explanatory.  Basically, all you need are wire cutters, pliers, thick bendable wire, buttons, something to hold the tree up (I used a wooden spool and wrapped thread around it, but anything would work), and beads for the birds beak and tail.  First, I started by wrapping the thread around the spool.  I then began making the tree by twisting a length of wire until I had a couple of inches left on the other end.  I put the first button on by going up through the back of the button and down through the top, then twisting it down towards the trunk.  I repeated this process for all the buttons, moving up and down on the trunk until the tree seemed full enough.  Finally, I made the bird by continuing the button wrapping process to put two buttons together to make the body and head of the bird and twisting the ends into curly cues with beads for the tail, and adding a triangular shaped bead on the opposite end for the bird's beak.  I put a small amount of glue in the whole on the spool to help keep the tree in it and let it dry.  

     

     Overall, I'd say that this project was a success; it didn't take a terribly long time to complete and was fairly easy despite the lack of directions I had access to when making it.