NaPoWriMo – Day XXX – A Journey Ends

30 poems
30 days
The journey ends
The memory remains

Secrets shared
Truths revealed
New friends gained
Old wounds healed

Experiments in expression
In style and form
Some felt red-hot
Some lukewarm

Some flowed freely
Some were forced
At time the mind grew tired
And inspiration divorced

But throughout one marched
To journey’s end
Throughout one searched
Throughout one penned

Now destination is reached
And task is fulfilled
Now a break is warranted
For muse is chilled

Many works composed and written
Many thoughts openly shared
It was nice to see someone listened
To see that someone cared

I am tired and dried
So for now a short farewell
I shall see you I hope soon
When inspiration doth next swell

Its been an interesting experience writing poetry this regularly. When I first began this little adventure I wasn’t sure I would actually make it all the way through. I must definitely thank NaPoWriMo.net for their daily inspiration and their interesting challenges. There were times in the middle when I definitely would not have had something if it weren’t for them.

It been terribly exciting trying so many different styles and little tasks. I’m sure I’ll go back to some of them more often in the future, so look forward to that dear readers.

I also want to thank all the new people who have begun following the blog and been liking posts. Its been so amazing getting such positive feedback from you all. It’s hard writing regularly and putting yourself out there. You guys make it worth while : )

And to all the other people who took the challenge this month – Congratulations! We did it! It’s been real interesting reading some of your work and I’ve definitely found a whole lot of blogs I’ll be visiting more often.

As part of saying goodbye to this grueling, yet most enjoyable month of writing, I chose to look back at some of the work I penned (god how quickly one forgets!). Here are my favorites from the month. I’d love to hear which ones others particularly liked!

• Day III – Time
• Day IV – On To The Gamer Disco
• Day IX – Les Femmes Sont Le Mystere
• Day XII – My Experiments With Truth
• Day XIV – An Ode To Batsy
• Day IXX – Wanted (“A Personal Ad”)
• Day XXVII – Rainy Days

One last thing to mention – The posts have been coming regularly this month because of NaPo WriMo, but I’m afraid there will be a slight lull in posts in the following 21 days as I give my examinations for my Master of Laws degree. Following that I’m sure there will be a surge of stuff – especially more photography (I know I haven’t really put nay up in quite a while!) once my papers finish.

NaPoWriMo – Day XXIX – So It Begins (Exams Start Today!)

All the preparation
All the blood and sweat and tears
Have led us to this moment
To this day here

One by one we march
Into the maws of hell
Trying to focus
With every last nerve cell

We see the fear and anxiousness
In each others eyes
We say our good lucks
We say our good byes

We are together in this battle
Yet each must stand alone
Led to face judgment
Upon their solitary throne

No more time for strategy
It is time to flee or fight
And those that do survive
Shall make merry this night

Friends run in the first wave
Mine shall come tomorrow
Till then hold back the floodgates
Of trepidation and sorrow

I wish the best of luck
To all who fight this day
Once more brave warriors
Let us into the fray!

NaPoWriMo – Day XXVIII – Black

The manifestation of death and mourning
Of the total absence of light
It is a color, yet it is not
It is the image of the night

It serves as the opposite
Of light and white and good
Yet it is also the image
Of all that is not understood

It signifies the unknown
The undiscovered, the unseen
It hides untold secrets
It epitomizes the serene

It is all that we see
When we close our eyes
Yet when we see it with them open
We are afraid of its guise

We fear what is not there
For what it may be
Yet we stand mesmerized
When our body shouts to flee

For in its great pools
There is untold potential
For in the absence of all other stimuli
You access thoughts existential

Some favor it
Some don’t
Some explore it
Some won’t

Some hide from its grasp
Surrounded by illumination
Not knowing not that the dark
Fears not such affectations

It is always around us
And always there it will remain
Awaiting your arrival
When you shut your eyes again

The Sunday Poll – What’s Your Ideal Weekend Away?

NaPoWriMo – Day XXVII – Rainy Days

Watching rain drops fall
Upon the waters outside
From heavens above

Vapor taking form
Descending upon the earth
With divine purpose

Making the world moist
Nurturing gaia’s children
Ushering forth life

In its wake life slows
People watch where they dare step
Fearing they shall fall

Once we did not fear
We smiled when the clouds broke
And we danced under

When then did we lose
Our imagination
Our bravery

When then did we learn
To start hiding from the rain
For fear we’d get wet

I long to go out
Feel freedom upon bare skin
Feel alive once more

I long to capture
Innocence lost long ago
And play in the rain

NaPoWriMo – Day XXVI – Erasure

What is it about the night?

That makes us long so
For things the day did not give us
For hopes dashed, promises unfulfilled
What is it about the moon’s last shadow?
As it falls upon the eye for the last time
That makes us long
For things that lie beyond our grasp

 

As I lie in my bed
The stars blinking above
I reach out one last time
My fingers running swiftly from key to key
Forming the words before I can even think of them
Till there it lies before me
A message, a plea, a bid for redemption

 

In that moment a hundred thoughts fly through my head
Shall I send forth my creation?
Will it warrant reciprocated emotion?
Or will it bring only more pain?
And as I think I drift into slumber
Awaiting a response
That shall never come

 

 

Today’s NoPoWriMo challenge is to write a poem of erasure. A new work created from the dissected carcass of an earlier work. Instead of choosing to work through someone’s else’s words however, I chose to re-imagine a work an old work of my own. An old favorite.

What followed was almost a ghost of the work that came before it. An ethereal remnant of sorts. To me it produces the same imagery and emotions (to you it may seem like nonsense!).

If you’re interested in comparing it to the original, you can check it out here: Reach Out

NaPoWriMo – Day XXV – Iron Man 3

Man of metal
But not steel
Full of pizzazz
And cocky zeal

Flying through the air
With speed and deadly aim
No choice but to play
A madman’s mad game

An enemy most vicious
With the Ten Rings of power
Death, terror and pain
Upon the world he would shower

A battle shall be waged
But who will the victor be
The new Iron Man
I cannot wait to see!

I have been looking forward to the New Iron Man movie for quite a while now. While the comic book character himself was not one of my favorites, Robert Downey Jr’s portrayal of the legendary Iron Man has brought a whole new dimension to the character (as well as transported Downey’s career to new heights I dare say). The first two movies have been action packed and full of hysterical moments, something that I was glad to see translated into the Avengers movie as well.

But it’s not just Downey that has me excited to see the third of the series. I’m just as excited, if not more so, to see Kingsley take on the role of The Mandarin – one of Ironman’s greatest and most ruthless foes. Despite the more serious tone of the new movie, I’m a bit afraid that they’re going to play him down in order to keep up the mass appeal of the Iron Man movies – I don’t see a studio head green lighting the image of a person being torn apart, burnt alive or flayed (just random images I remember from some old issues featuring The Mandarin) in a movie that kids, as much as adults, are psyched up to see.

Have to say though, I think Director John Favreau did a really good job on the first two movies. I was disappointed to see he wasn’t heading the helm on this one. We’ll see how that works out for the film. Perhaps the choice to switch had something to do with the darker tones that the movie seems to be taking, if the trailer is any indication.

If you haven’t seen the trailer yet, its available here – Iron Man 3 (This links to the official Marvel youtube channel – so no Copyright infringement here!)

NaPoWriMo – Day XXIV – It’s All Good

He awoke
The sun pouring into his small dorm room
Like a warm waterfall
And it was good

He saw the papers on his desk awaiting him
Reminding him of the dreaded exam
But he wiped the thought from his mind
Because for now, it was good

He remembered his morning Espresso
How he loved that morning double before heading off to work
But for now, the Costa across the street was good

I’ll work after lunch he thought
Oops forgot to defrost the steak
But the cereal was good

He sat at his computer to write
He had many ideas swirling and dancing, yet not forming
I suppose free verse was good

There are some mornings life just can’t get you down
Not because you’re super happy
But rather because you’ve just gone numb

You don’t feel anxious
You don’t feel angry
You don’t feel

Is that good?

 

NaPoWriMo – Day XXIII – Writer’s Block

A Darth Vader poster
That says “Your Empire Needs You”
My favorite pen
A Uniball UB-150 Blue

A striped Fedora
Bought at Portobello
A reflection on my Macbook screen
What a weird-looking fellow

iPhone needs charging
SLR as well
Children across the street
Screaming like hell

Tummy rumbling
Time for lunch
I really miss
Sunday brunch

Liquid soap
Next to the wash basin
Cant write a poem today
No inspiration

P.S. Mental note – This is what happens when you try to write a poem every single day even though you’re stuck inside revising for exams!

NaPoWriMo – Day XXII – Gaia

Dear Mother of all folk
Its been a while since we last spoke
I know things aren’t going well
Despite all you take
I know that you ache
Beneath your hard and dense shell

Your children mistreat you
They exploit and they beat you
And yet you suffer for the most without sound
They fight and they quarrel
They bicker for laurels
Even though your riches abound

You give to each child
Equally with a smile
You look not at creed or race
Yet we are ungrateful
And o so hateful
And bring a frown to your face

Dear mother forgive us
Though we scream and we cuss
For though we have lost our way
Some of us are learning
For a better world we’re yearning
We’ll yet give you a brighter day