PO-EMotion #30- RELIEF

April is National Poetry Month. Every year, my dear friend, and Poet Extraordinaire, Mary Lee Hahn, chooses a theme and writes a poem every day. She blogs and posts at two different places- YEAR OF READING and her fabulous new poetry blog, POETREPOSITORY.

This year's theme was PO-EMotions. Mary Lee promised, "I will write a poem a day that either evokes an emotion, or uses an emotion word in the title or body of the poem. Her list of emotions is here. 


Today is the last day of April! And we made it! Phew!

"Relief"

I am relieved to know
I do not have to write a poem 
tomorrow. 

I do not have to rise 
long before the sun 
and stare at the computer screen
hoping words 
will magically appear.
And I do not have to
sit there after 
a zillion hour teaching day
cursing myself
for ever thinking 
that I might have thirty poems
to put out into the world.

I am relieved to know
I do not have to write 
a poem tomorrow. 

I do not have to feel guilty
because I am not doing school work
or house work or yard work
or any kind of work
because I am poem-ing.
And I do not have to scramble
around the glove compartment
desperately searching
for a writing implement
as the light changes 
and other drivers honk
but still I sit there
knowing that I must capture 
that one perfect word or line
before it is forever gone

I am relieved
to know 
I do not have to write 
a poem 
tomorrow. 

At the same time
I will miss 
our poetry community
Mary Lee's surprising images
her ever exquisite choice of words
the way she packs so much
into  so little space

And I will miss 
Kimberly's classroom vignettes
Kay's faith
Steve's prose poems
Linda's haiku
Carol V's glimpses of nature
Jone's "ll" words
Kevin's technological creations
and Heidi's surprising connections

Even so
I am relieved
to know 
I do not 
have 
to write 
a poem 
tomorrow. 

(C) Carol Wilcox, 2015

PO-EMotion #29- PRIDE

April is National Poetry Month. Every year, my dear friend, and Poet Extraordinaire, Mary Lee Hahn, chooses a theme and writes a poem every day. She blogs and posts at two different places- YEAR OF READING and her fabulous new poetry blog, POETREPOSITORY.

This year's theme is PO-EMotions. Mary Lee promises, "I will write a poem a day that either evokes an emotion, or uses an emotion word in the title or body of the poem. Her list of emotions is here. 


Today's emotion is pride.

"Pride"

it's such 

a delicate balance

that constant teetering

taking pride in one's work

and being prideful

being someone's pride and joy

and being an approval monger

being proud as a peacock

and the pride that goes before a fall

bursting with pride

and having to swallow your pride

 I wish the scales 

didn't tip

quite so often. 

(C) Carol Wilcox, 2015

PO-EMotion #28- Optimism

April is National Poetry Month. Every year, my dear friend, and Poet Extraordinaire, Mary Lee Hahn, chooses a theme and writes a poem every day. She blogs and posts at two different places- YEAR OF READING and her fabulous new poetry blog, POETREPOSITORY.

This year's theme is PO-EMotions. Mary Lee promises, "I will write a poem a day that either evokes an emotion, or uses an emotion word in the title or body of the poem. Her list of emotions is here. I'm joining her, at least some days.

Today's emotion is OPTIMISM.

"Optimism"

no flower
is more optimistic
than Miss Pansy

even on 
wintery spring 
days when snow 
resting on her shoulders
is impossibly
heavy-wet

she lifts her face 
skyward

and smiles.

(C) Carol Wilcox, 2015

*****
Another really long day. I came home and wrote the pansy poem and wasn't very happy, but couldn't think of another poem. At ten o'clock, as I was waiting for the dog to come in so we could go to bed, I had a completely different idea.  Here's that one.

OPTIMISM?

Today
I stood in front
of two classes of fifth graders
about two weeks
into a Civil Rights unit.
This week they are learning
about Brown vs. Board of Education,
Topeka, Kansas, 1954
and the teacher asked
if I would demonstrate
how to embed facts into poetry.

We read an article
about Thurgood Marshall
his father William
was a railroad porter
who loved the US Constitution
and debated court cases with his sons
every night at dinner
in high school, Marshall memorized
the US Constitution as punishment
and later on, he studied the Constitution
as a law student at Howard University
We talked about how
Marshall's tenacity
and his courage
and intelligence
had led to enormous changes
for African Americans.

And then tonight
I attended a neighborhood rally
last Saturday
a twenty-two year old
father of two
was gunned down
about two miles from my house
as he walked from his house
to a church down the block
to attend his uncle's funeral
there were five related shootings
in the neighborhood that weekend.

I stood at the rally
listening to a City Councilman,
the heads of several youth organizations,
and the chief of police,
the aunt of the boy who was shot
and watching as four Crips
dressed in hoodies
and sagging pants
with blue bandanas
hanging out of their pockets
made a ring around the back of the rally
their eyes were flat and dull
there was no sparkle

and it was hard to feel optimistic
about Thurgood Marshall's
dreams for America

(C) Carol Wilcox

PO-EMotion #27- Contentment

Screen shot I took from web cam at Warrior Canine Connection, at www.explore.org

April is National Poetry Month. Every year, my dear friend, and Poet Extraordinaire, Mary Lee Hahn, chooses a theme and writes a poem every day. She blogs and posts at two different places- YEAR OF READING and her fabulous new poetry blog, POETREPOSITORY.

This year's theme is PO-EMotions. Mary Lee promises, "I will write a poem a day that either evokes an emotion, or uses an emotion word in the title or body of the poem. Her list of emotions is here. I'm joining her, at least some days.

Today's emotion is contentment. I'm in a Bible study who has been working on the book of Philippians for the past two months. One of the themes from Philippians is contentment, and I woke up this morning thinking about a couple of verses from that study. 


"Contentment"

Contentment,
says Paul,
should lie

not in circumstances

in having plenty
or being in want

in being coupled
with another
who knows your soul
or being
completely
alone

in having children
who listen to their mother
attend college
make wise choices
or those who do not

in having a dishwasher
microwave
lawn mower
that works
or one that doesn't

instead
contentment
comes

from staying focused
and being grateful

for the fixed point
in an always turning
and often
upside down
universe.

(C) Carol Wilcox, 2015

*********
And an extra. This is a snapshot I wrote last night, and the one that I thought was going to be my poem today. This morning, I thought, "Haven't I already written a similar poem about Star?" I looked back, and yep, I did. On the day we did joy. I guess Star teaches me about this subject often.

"Black Lab"

She lays
stretched across the couch
head on my thigh
one paw atop
the bone she discovered
on our walk tonight.

Occasionally she snores
or yips
at the squirrels
who scamper
through her dreams.

Her human,
a soft spot to sleep,
and a treasure
waiting when she wakes.

It is well with her soul.

(C) Carol Wilcox, 2015

PO-EMOTION #26- Zest

April is National Poetry Month. Every year, my dear friend, and Poet Extraordinaire, Mary Lee Hahn, chooses a theme and writes a poem every day. She blogs and posts at two different places- YEAR OF READING and her fabulous new poetry blog, POETREPOSITORY.

This year's theme is PO-EMotions. Mary Lee promises, "I will write a poem a day that either evokes an emotion, or uses an emotion word in the title or body of the poem. Her list of emotions is here. I'm joining her, at least some days.

Today's emotion is zest.

"ZEST"

He pulls up beside me
fifty-something balding 
ordinary except for
his red Chevy Impala lowrider
gold hubcaps glint 
in late afternoon sun
and sparking silver sign 
in back window taunts
"JUST TEST ME."

Someone in the car behind him
shouts a challenge
and he responds 
with a couple of 
jaunty up down bows
followed by 
a side-to-side shimmy
then roars off 
tires squealing

I am not a car person
my dusty dark green SUV 
a strictly utilitarian
get me from place to place
kind of vehicle
but as he spins away
I long for that 
red convertible
shimmy side to side
bow up and down 
joy. 

(c) Carol Wilcox, 2015

PO-EMotion #25- Cheerful

April is National Poetry Month. Every year, my dear friend, and Poet Extraordinaire, Mary Lee Hahn, chooses a theme and writes a poem every day. She blogs and posts at two different places- YEAR OF READING and her fabulous new poetry blog, POETREPOSITORY.

This year's theme is PO-EMotions. Mary Lee promises, "I will write a poem a day that either evokes an emotion, or uses an emotion word in the title or body of the poem. Her list of emotions is here. I'm joining her, at least some days.

Today's emotion is cheerfulness.

A RECIPE FOR CHEERFULNESS

Ingredients:
One fluttery purple iris
Two blades of green grass
Tulips- three each of palest pink, red, and yellow
Four drops of daffodil juice 
A dash of lilac zest

To do:
Stir together in large bowl
Set oven to full sunshine, 
bake until ingredients reach desired consistency

Best when served in a large glass 
on patio or porch swing. 

(c) Carol Wilcox, 2015

PO-EMotion #24

April is National Poetry Month. Every year, my dear friend, and Poet Extraordinaire, Mary Lee Hahn, chooses a theme and writes a poem every day. She blogs and posts at two different places- YEAR OF READING and her fabulous new poetry blog, POETREPOSITORY.

This year's theme is PO-EMotions. Mary Lee promises, "I will write a poem a day that either evokes an emotion, or uses an emotion word in the title or body of the poem. Her list of emotions is here. I'm joining her, at least some days.

Today's emotion is distress. I have been helping administer tests for weeks (or maybe months!) and I am over it! To put it mildly!

"distress"

I detest
de mess
de duress
de stress
of dese tests!

(C) Carol Wilcox, 2015

PO-EMotions #23- Contempt

April is National Poetry Month. Every year, my dear friend, and Poet Extraordinaire, Mary Lee Hahn, chooses a theme and writes a poem every day. She blogs and posts at two different places- YEAR OF READING and her fabulous new poetry blog, POETREPOSITORY.

This year's theme is PO-EMotions. Mary Lee promises, "I will write a poem a day that either evokes an emotion, or uses an emotion word in the title or body of the poem. Her list of emotions is here. I'm joining her, at least some days.

Today's emotion is contempt.

"contempt"

cold spirit
offers reminders of
never resolved battles
tangled relationships
erupting emotions
messy moments
pain caused by pride
taker of  joy.

(C) Carol Wilcox, 2015

PO-EMotion #22- SHAME

April is National Poetry Month. Every year, my dear friend, and Poet Extraordinaire, Mary Lee Hahn, chooses a theme and writes a poem every day. She blogs and posts at two different places- YEAR OF READING and her fabulous new poetry blog, POETREPOSITORY.

This year's theme is PO-EMotions. Mary Lee promises, "I will write a poem a day that either evokes an emotion, or uses an emotion word in the title or body of the poem. Her list of emotions is here. I'm joining her, at least some days.

Today's emotion is shame.


Shame

For some people
shame is
a coffee spill on the
clean white t-shirt of life
minorly annoying
somewhat embarassing
but definitely
not incapacitating
or life changing

for others
shame is a ball and chain
they drag behind them
slowing and crippling
their every move

but then there are those
who view themselves as sun
in self-created solar systems
they rise every morning
proclaim their importance
demand that others
rotate around them
demonstrate no regard
for the rights or feelings
of other lesser planets
burn and destroy
without remorse

I wonder about those people.

They should be ashamed.

(C) Carol Wilcox, 2015

PO-EMotion #21- Guilt

April is National Poetry Month. Every year, my dear friend, and Poet Extraordinaire, Mary Lee Hahn, chooses a theme and writes a poem every day. She blogs and posts at two different places- YEAR OF READING and her fabulous new poetry blog, POETREPOSITORY.

This year's theme is PO-EMotions. Mary Lee promises, "I will write a poem a day that either evokes an emotion, or uses an emotion word in the title or body of the poem. Her list of emotions is here. I'm joining her, at least some days.

Today's emotion is guilt.

"guilt"

those tiny pinpricks

when soul pokes at heart

and says 

pay attention

(c) Carol Wilcox, 2015

****************

"Guilt"

Five years old
I steal Cathy Phillips' 
pink Barbie tv
The square lump
burns a hole in my leg
and in my heart
until my mom discovers it
and makes me return it

i am late for work, again
held up by teenage dawdling
finally we make it to the car
and my mouth spews forth ugliness
you always and you always and you always
blahblahblahblahblah
they get out of the car and I cry 
later i apologize
but the damage is done
my finger has written
 ugly on the wet cement
of my children's souls 


the conversation 
in the faculty lounge turns ugly
unkind things are said
i do not contribute
nor do i leave
afterwards i swish
diet coke around in my mouth
trying to wash away the bad taste 

perhaps  guilt is a thermometer
measuring the warmth 
of the god-heart
at the center of our being

(C) Carol Wilcox, 2015

PO-EMotion #20- Wonder

April is National Poetry Month. Every year, my dear friend, and Poet Extraordinaire, Mary Lee Hahn, chooses a theme and writes a poem every day. She blogs and posts at two different places- YEAR OF READING and her fabulous new poetry blog, POETREPOSITORY.

This year's theme is PO-EMOTIONS. Mary Lee promises, "I will write a poem a day that either evokes an emotion, or uses an emotion word in the title or body of the poem. Her list of emotions is here. I'm joining her, at least some days.

Today's emotion is wonder.

"Wonder Bread"

When I was a little girl
we ate Wonder Bread
red, yellow, and blue circles
bounced across the white wrappers
of the two loaves
my mom carefully placed
in the grocery cart
every Saturday

I remember an occasional loaf
of rye or pumpernickel
but pretty much
it was always Wonder Bread
and I savored that doughy blandness
cinnamon toast for breakfast
bologna sandwiches with mustard at lunch
a slice of white on the side of the dinner plate
three times a day for eighteen years

it was not until 
i went away to college
and discovered
the rich brown seediness of whole wheat
that  i wondered
how anything 
so un-wonderful
could have been blessed
with the name 
Wonder Bread.

(c) Carol Wilcox, 2015

*********

"WONDER Revisited"

A couple of years ago
WONDER was published.
The book was about
a boy named Augie
born with severe facial deformities
homeschooled until he was five
and then enrolled
in public schools

Thousands of teachers
 read this book aloud 
and a whole new 
CHOOSE KIND movement was born
I read that book to my fourth graders
they loved it I and recommended it 
to lots of other teachers

and then I went to Walgreens
one Sunday with my mom
and the clerk was bent over
breaking a roll of coins 
into the the cash register
she stood up to talk to me
and the bottom half of her face 
hung down, not unlike 
a pelican's beak

and i was surprised
and i kept trying to look 
at her beautiful blue-gray eyes
and her smooth-straight 
waist-length brown hair
but I am sure she probably noticed
me trying not to stare
at her drooping jawline

and afterwards
I wanted to go back
and apologize 
for the look on my face
and congratulate her
for being so brave
to get up every morning
and get dressed
and go out into a world
where people probably 
registered that same
shocked surprise
that I did
all day
every day.

(c) Carol Wilcox, 2015