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Archive for February 21st, 2014

Wishes on Wood

Posted in Poetry Friday, Writing, tagged , , on February 21, 2014| 7 Comments »

Find more poetry at the Poetry Friday Roundup hosted by Karen Edmisten.

Find more poetry at the Poetry Friday Roundup hosted by Karen Edmisten.

Creative Commons, flickr, by photosteve101

Creative Commons, flickr, by photosteve101


Toady is my husband’s birthday. Exactly one week from Valentine’s Day. Last week I posted a love poem. This week I am contemplating the table he made for our family meals. This poem is after Naomi Shihab Nye’s poem “The Comfort of Wood.”

Wishes on Wood
For Jeff

after Naomi Shihab Nye
The Comfort of Wood

I come to this table hungry
I come empty as a vase
waiting for the scent of blossoms.

I come with no plan;
time stops.
I listen for the birds to return.

He built this table
of soft blonde maple.
If you ask, he’ll show you the joints.

The table centers the room,
colored chairs I painted with spray;
the green one could use a fresh coat.

Now I am learning the strength
of this wood, like a family,
holds all our whispered wishes.

–Margaret Simon, all rights reserved

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Nerdlution Week 4

Posted in Writing, tagged , , on February 21, 2014| 1 Comment »

Click here to view the roundup at One Grateful Teacher.

Click here to view the roundup at One Grateful Teacher.

My nerdlution goals: 1. Exercise 2. Write 3. Open

Discipline is a good thing. My body now knows when the alarm clock will ring. I usually wake up about 4:45 and look. Ah, 15 more minutes. Then I start my day. Coffee, then Centering Prayer.

Two weeks ago I opened myself to Centering Prayer, a practice of meditation for 20 minutes. I am loving this special time alone, in silence. Yet, I find I am so comfortable here that I don’t want to get up. I am avoiding things that I used to spend time doing, like reading blogs and Facebook. I am avoiding tasks that need me to plan and be organized. I am happy to be random and free, not pinned down to ideas and plans. Is this good? A friend, who is also trying the Centering Prayer practice, told me just to go with it and see where it takes me. Open, Ok.

Madame_du_barry

My writing is also not taking me where I think it should. I am feeling lost and like I can’t find the right words, or the words I am “supposed” to say. I was participating in Laura Shovan’s Pantone color prompts at her site Author Amok. I got stuck on the color Dubarry. I spent quite a while researching and found out about Madame duBarry. I wrote notes and tried them out in three different poems, even a limerick, with dismal results. Discouraging, but I know it’s all part of the process, right?

So I power on for 25 more days.

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