You gather me into you
Entangling limbs and
Tickling kisses on the neck.
.
Your breath tangles in my hair
Escaping through quivering tendrils
Trembling into the night.
.
Your heartbeats drum against my back
Exquisite timpani.
Time stops.
poem- waking May 19, 2014
I woke this morning
pleasantly foggy and
imagined my day.
What workshops will I attend?
Yes. That one. This one.
Then I stretched my mind
into clarity and realized
conference is over;
everyone has gone home.
It was a melancholy moment,
before the smile,
savouring memories.
.
.
.
.
A memory like this one. My dear husband, grinning broadly with Diana Gabaldon beside him outside the conference banquet. This is the first time he’s met an author whose work he admires. I’m laughing because I just had to sprint down the hall to get into the photo. Despite being with Diana all weekend and snapping many photos of her with/for other people, this moment was the only one I had taken with her myself this year.
P.S. The counter says that this is my 1400th blog post. Nice to celebrate with two of my favourite people! 😉
poem-dysmorphia
In the mirror
the girl is slender,
waist defined
perfect proportions.
In the photograph
the girl is round,
an hour glass balloon
widely distorted.
In the mirror
the girl is round
an hour glass balloon,
widely distorted.
In the photograph
the girl is wraith-like
ribs defined.
Such visual contortions!
poem- ending May 18, 2014
The skies weep on the airport
bidding melancholy farewell
to the time of aggregation.
On my return drive, troubled skies glower,
containing their tears while
eagles, ospreys, and hawks wheel
on rising wind born of wistful anamnesis.
At home a beam of sun light
glows at my door, grateful
illumination:
recollecting joy.
.
.
It is always bittersweet on the last day of a gathering, as participants return home. Graduation celebration, weddings, funerals, conventions, conferences, camp. The greater the anticipation of the event, the more melancholy the ending.
I will treasure fond memories of Word on the Lake 2014. 43 hours of conference, anticipated for 572 days = 1.2 days of anticipation per hour of experience! 🙂
Sometimes, the ending remains a clear memory, while the middle disappears. Do you have any poignant endings that you hold in your heart?
poem- satisfaction May 17, 2014
Waiting
Dating each moment
Painting future memories
Rating satisfaction
Creating
.
.
.
I counted down for 572 days. Here we are! Incredible how quickly hours fly by when they’ve been anticipated for 572 days! But each hour so anticipated is to be savoured and enjoyed for 572 days to come, and then beyond.
poem- opportunity May 16, 2014
You need imagination
to grab opportunities.
You have to be open
to the unfamiliar.
You have to trust that
something new could be great
and that all learning
has worth.
You have to be willing
to be out of your comfort zone
to have faith in yourself
~alone~
that every experience
will enrich you.
You have to accept opportunities
to empower your imagination.
.
.
”
Risk for writers: “If it doesn’t kill me, it’ll make a great story!”
As teachers we wonder why our students don’t grab at the amazing opportunities that are available to them. I was just pondering this today.
cannibal art May 15, 2014
I’ll be referencing this in one of my introductions of Diana Gabaldon this weekend. Workshop? Key note? Banquet? Come to Word on the Lake Writers’ Festival in the Shuswap this weekend and find out which!
poem- change
I would name you
Summer Sun,.
gift you with warm days,
laughter,
joy.
I would take away your darkness,
fill you with light,
give your words flight,
embrace hope
in your future.
haikus- pass May 13, 2014
Pass word needs 8
characters, a symbol, a capital,
and a number.
.
For your own security
Don’t write down your
user name or pass word!
.
Remember everything
even if you only use the site
once a year.
Shawn L. Bird 