TWO, Two, two ….for one!

Yesterday was a bit of a pickle. Whether it was me or the platform, I could not get into WordPress. (Do you hear me WordPress, stop blocking me!!!)

I’m kidding, about the blocking part, anyway. But because of my technical challenges, I did not publish a poem for Day 3 as promised. Well, I did write one. So today I will publish two poems.

With this daily challenge, I’m testing myself, forcing my mind to be creative and stretch in ways I never have. It’s quite freeing.

Thanks to Fija Callaghan’s article on Scribophile, “Types of Poetry: The Complete Guide with 28 Examples,” I can choose a variety of forms and challenge myself to work within those restraints.

And because I love writing for young people, I decided to keep my poetry youth-centered. My first poem represents the my own form. At least, I think it does.

Day Three

“Look Out Below”

Blades of grass beneath my feet, 
And more green grass beneath my seat,
With sunlight shining in my hair,
And happy birdsong in the air.
But as you kiss the lovely day,
Sure it could never go away
Singing birdsong flaps and stops,
As birdies fly and let it drop!

Next, I tried my hand at a sonnet. Please, true poets, be kind. I was feeling my favorite all-time muse–the majestic trees that sprang from my grandfather’s lawn when I was a kid. I really felt like they were telling me stories, the way the wind moved between the leaves. So here is my homage to those trees and all the muses that whisper sweet nothings in our ears.

Day Four

“Do you hear the trees”
(Sonnet format ABAB CDCD EFEF GG)

They speak with wind beneath their leaves,
Their call so soft and so sincere.
Their message blows beneath the eaves,
So hushed, gentle tones one dost hear.

At night they stretch into inky skies,
Toward stars that twinkle white.
Then sigh upon a midnight high,
Their way to say ‘goodnight.’

A silent witness through the ages,
Spilt secrets like the harvest seeds. 
Nourishing landscapes through all their stages,
With stories ripe for what we read.

Who could claim responsibility for tales as tall as these?
Look no further than your yard and listen to the trees.

Sherri Winston