PO-EMotion #19- Interest

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 interest. 

"Interest"

Squatting beside 
fat pink worms 
on the rain drenched sidewalk
observing as they wriggle grass-ward
so much interest

standing on the sidelines
heads bent over coach's clipboard
game plan x's and o's unfolding
nodding intently
so much interest

watching high school girls 
disembark from the back
of two -door sedans
in short skirts
so much interest

researching the latest music
a soon-to-be released video game
new football gear
the price of an upcoming concert
so much interest

reading a required novel
doing algebra homework
conjugating Spanish verbs
preparing for latest round of standardized tests
not so much interest

(c) Carol Wilcox, 2015

PO-EMotions #18- Happiness

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.


"happiness"

my friend
Wendy says
it is
entirely
impossible

to eat
an ice cream cone
without
smiling.

I've tested her hypothesis
many times.

It's definitely true.

(C) Carol Wilcox, 2015

PO-EMotion #17- Sorrow

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

This year, Mary Lee has chosen the theme, "PO-EMotions." She promises, "This year, 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 sorrow.  

"Sorrow"

Grief's paintbrush sweeps
broad watercolor strokes
across this page of life
pale shades run together
and I wonder
when new beauty
will be created?

(c) Carol Wilcox, 2015

PO-EMotion #16- Love

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

This year, Mary Lee has chosen the theme, "PO-EMotions." She promises, "This year, 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 love.

"Languages of Love"

That hearts and candy
and flowers love.
I don't know
how to speak that language.

But the buying groceries
and cooking dinner
and helping with algebra homework
and washing uniforms
and sitting in the bleachers
and making pizza runs
for the football team
I know how to do that kind of love.

And the staying up really late
making a tres leche cake
for the social studies potluck
or spending the whole weekend
helping build a museum room diorama
of a twentieth century
African American poet.
I know how to do that kind of love.

The not having dinner with friends
because everyone on the basketball team
is getting brand new matching shoes
and I hadn't planned on that expense
or the working extra jobs
to pay for an apartment,
and groceries and public service bills
I know how to do that kind of love.

The sitting at parent teacher conferences
or suspension hearings
hearing about your inadequacies
and the heart stopping panic
as you lay unmoving on the football field
I know how to do that kind of love.

The telling you that you can't come home
until you straighten up
and get your act together
and be the men
that I know you are capable of being.

That's another language
I don't know how to speak.

(c) Carol Wilcox, 2015

PO-EMotion #15- HOPE

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

This year, Mary Lee has chosen the theme, "PO-EMotions." She promises, "This year, 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 hope. My poem (such as it is) is a found poem. Part of it is from a famous Dickinson poem, part is from some favorite Bible verses, and part is from a favorite hymn.

"Hopehymn"

  

“Hope” is the thing with feathers - 

Faith is the confidence 

in what we hope for 

and assurance 

about what we do not see. 

That perches in the soul – 

We have this hope as 

an anchor for the soul, 

firm and secure.

And sings the tune without the words –

It is well with my soul, 

it is well with my soul 

it is well,

it is well,

with my soul. 

And never stops -

Let us hold unswervingly 

to the hope we profess, 

for He who promised is faithful.

And sings the tune without the words –

It is well with my soul, 

it is well with my soul 

it is well,

it is well,

with my soul. 

And never stops - 

at all.

(c) Carol Wilcox, 2015 

PO-EMotion #14- Desire

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

This year, Mary Lee has chosen the theme, "PO-EMotions." She promises, "This year, 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  desire.


"Longing"

Living with
unfulfilled desire
is like stepping on 
a shard of glass
at first it protrudes 
and pains regularly
if you pick at it
try to remove it
with fingernails or tweezers 
it hurts worse

soon you learn 
you can avoid the pain
if you do not step 
in certain ways
eventually
a callous grows
and you become accustomed
to the hard bump
on the bottom of your foot

every once in a while
you step wrong
and a stab of pain
shoots heart ward
but most of the time
the desire is just there
causing that constant throb
of endurable
discomfort

(c) Carol Wilcox, 2015

PO-EMotion #13- Hate

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

This year, Mary Lee has chosen the theme, "PO-EMotions." She promises, "This year, 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 hate.

"Hate"

Five or six---

Red-faced and furious--

"I hate you!" I scream.

"I hate you!"

I run to bedroom

throw myself across the bed-
my black shoes 
making ugly marks 
on white bedspread

my grandmother rubs my back.

"Hate is an ugly word,"
she says, "Never use the word hate

to talk about people."

Fifty years later
I repeat this mantra.

"Hate is an ugly word,"
I say to my boys.
"Never use the word hate

to talk about people."
And then my sons,
the people I love 
most in the world,
scream across the room,

"I hate you, I hate you."

And I am surprised

at how freely 
that ugly word

rolls off their tongues
and how much it hurts.

(C) Carol Wilcox, 2015