Gogyoshi with Mo Daley
Welcome to Day 5 of the July Open Write. A very special thank you to our hosts this month, Jennifer Guyor Jowett and Mo Daley. We are so grateful for your tender approach to our hearts and minds as we have written these past few days. Our next Open Write is August 20-24 with Gayle Sands and Margaret Simon. We are looking for one or two more hosts for August, so if you are interested in leading a day of writing, email Sarah, sarah.j.donovan@okstate.edu. Okay. Let’s write.
Mo Daley lives and teaches in the southwest suburbs of Chicago. She is a middle school reading specialist determined to guide kids into falling in love with reading and writing. Mo loves to travel and hang out with her family, including her two sweet, funny, and adorable grandsons. She is serving a second term as an evaluator on the Rebecca Caudill Young Readers’ Book Award Committee. Follow her on Twitter @ofdaleys.
Inspiration
After I read Dictionary for a Better World: Poems, Quotes, and Anecdotes from A to Z by Irene Latham, Charles Waters, and Mehrdokht Amini, I was inspired to keep a list of poetic forms to try. I just adore how much is packed into this beautiful, short book! The Gogyoshi was a format I’d never heard of before.
Process
A gogyoshi is a Japanese poem consisting of a title and five lines- NO OTHER RULES! Although some sites do not mention a title as a requirement. A traditional gogyoshi had specific syllable count rules, but it fell out of favor in the early 1900s.
What’s on your mind today? My elderly in-laws are downsizing, and it’s been a stress-filled time for all of us.
Mo’s Poem
There is a lifetime of “stuff”
The garage rafters are crammed
The basement is bursting
The cabinets can’t contain themselves
Full of lives that need to be whittled down to 900 square feet
Your Turn
Now, scroll to the comment section below to write your own poem. (This is a public space, so you may choose to use only your first name or initials depending on your privacy preferences.) Not ready? That’s okay. Read the poems already posted for more inspiration. Ponder your own throughout the day. Return later. And, if the prompt does not work for you, that is fine. All writing is welcome. Just write something. Also, please be sure to respond to at least three writers. Oh, and a note about drafting: Since we are writing in short bursts, we all understand (and even welcome) the typos and partial poems that remind us we are human and that writing is always becoming. If you’d like to invite other teachers to write with us, tell them to subscribe.
Hi, I’m Taro Aizu, a Japanse poet of Gogyoshi. I’m so glad to read you are interested in Gogyoshi from Japan. I’m the editor of The Anthology of World Gogyoshi now. World Gogyoshi means Gogyoshi written in both English and mother tongue.I respect English as the common language of the world and mother tongue as the original language of the people. Can you join the 6th anthology of World Gogyoshi this year?
Hello! Thank you for the offer. Can you send. Ore information about this to me at ofdaleys@comcast.net ?
Thank you for the prompt. I have ventured back into my other career field this summer. It has been an adjustment to say the least.
Pediatric OT
see eight to ten kids a day,
take two, thirty minute documentation breaks
follow three different therapist’s plans
don’t forget you will have one to five zooms
All notes to be completed in twenty-four hours
This is a great poem concept, Kim – to have someone encapsulate the work they do into five lines. A day in the life of… sorta thing. I love this. Congrats – ? – on your venture. Whatever caused that direction for you, I’m sure it’s quite the adjustment! This itenary makes me feel the stress and anxiety of the work, but juxtaposed with the job label and the idea of “kids,” I have to think it is work someone wants and chooses to do. I like this a lot.
Wow, Kim. This is eye-opening. Good luck with the adjustment. It sounds exhausting!
Thank you Mo for this fun prompt. So glad I was able to write at least one day this month.
Renovation
Cupboard doors carefully removed
Paint stripper meticulously applied
Scrapper tool used to peal six coats of paint off
Holes filled, sanded, and wiped down, but still not done
What a process, but will be so worth it when you’re done! You captured the journey well. 6 coats of paint and each has its own story, I’m sure!
DeAnna,
Ah, classic summer activities. 🙂 Nice poem with good visuals.
Ugh! I know this process alllll too well! A friend of mine once told me, “It’s easier to just put on a fresh coat of paint than to clean.” This is a GREAT recounting of those steps, and how even after all that – still not done. I’m not sure anything I do in the “house” line of work is ever “done.” It certainly never feels that way! But, indeed, there is a done point, and I hope you get there successfully!
Such a process you’ve shared with us! I know it will be great when it’s done. Six coats of paint- wow!
Mo, beautiful poem about your parents full house getting whittled down. “Crammed” and “bursting” from the rafters to the basement–you have put a picture in our heads with such a few lines. I know it seems like an impossible task, but inch by inch, it will get done.
Thank you for another good prompt, and for taking care of us this week. You too, Jennifer! I enjoyed this one, though I never thought of a topic, and here I am waiting until the end of the day yet again. But I am going to keep showing up, with out without ideas!
I Have No Ideas
Five lines I get to poem anything,
But my ideas are all second-string–
the ransom of a king? a tire swing? how to sing?
that bee sting? my made-up trip to Beijing?
Maybe next time the well will spring.
Denise, this is wonderful. I like how you chose to make it rhyme! Thanks for writing about writing—this feeling is all too familiar with me!
Denise, yes! Thank you for “showing up”! I love the rhyme, but, more than that, I love the breaking up of the word wellspring in your last line. It was unexpected (and a delight): “Maybe next time the well will spring.” Thanks!
Nicely done! I wonder how many of us have indeed swarmed with ideas and still come up empty for some of these prompts. You’ve captured the frustration of the “prewriting” process that often stifles writers into silence – all the more enjoyable to see you were not stymied by it this time around! Great to see you finish strong! (What the heck is this made-up trip to Beijing? Maybe a poem for next time!)
I love this! Rhyming is often a challenge for me, so I appreciate how well this works. No ideas, indeed!
Denise, I love a good rhyming romp! The shift between ransom of a king and tire swing was a zing(!)er 🙂
Denise, I like the humor you shared in this rhyming poem. Your thoughts are representative of what I have been feeling lately, the well has been dry.
I had known this form as a Gogyokha, but either way, I love it! Thank you for a fun prompt. This is for my Goldendoodle. <3
Maté
she’s a blond shadow
with four paws
a wet nose
and eyelashes so long
they can’t be real
l love the blonde shadow–
and how you bring our focus to the impossibly long eyelashes. Love her! <3
Cara, I can picture those eyelashes! I’m sure Mate is just beautiful!
Cara, precious poem about Maté. I can see those eyelashes!
Yes, yes, yes. I can just picture Matt when reading this wonderful poem about her. Thank you for sharing today.
I’ve never met Maté, but I feel like I know her ❤️ This sure made me smile!
Context: I had an appendectomy last Friday.
Little Appendix
Squishy comma in my belly
tangled in vestigial meaning
an afterthought
or supplemental information:
I’m here! I’m here!
Allison,
I’m so sorry you had to have that evolutionary afterthought removed. I hope you are healing well and that “squishy comma” doesn’t cause further issue. Heal well!
Allison, I feel like only you could hail your squishy comma! I sure hope you are feeling better. I love that vestigial meaning.
Allison, that appendix demanded you hear the “I’m here! I’m here!” I hope the surgery went well and you will soon be on the mend. ‘tangled in vestigial meaning’ is great!
Allison,
Your poem about the appendix made me smile. My favorite line is “squishy comma in my belly.”
Thank you for sharing today.
Allison, you’re always up to something! I hope the recovery is going okay. I love the metaphor: squishy comma. Take care!
“Summer Job”
Day 1 (with 3rd and 4th graders):
“I’ve been missing out all along!
This is where I belong!”
Day 8: *sprints to the high school
22 days before contract begins*
Bwahaha! What a sweet experience trying out something new. It can sure be exhausting, though. I know you’ll land just where you’ll belong.
Laura, I love this! Your little rhyme (along-belong) catches the zip of the elementary experience. I’m then sprinting to the high school with you! <3
Laura,
OMG! I love this! I did a stint (MANY moons ago) subbing for 2nd and 3rd graders for several weeks and this could have been me. You capture it perfectly. They are so sweet and then, well, ahhhh! Love it!
Funny! I hope you are finished, or that it will be done soon. I’m glad you got to experience the 3rd and 4th graders, and that you get to “sprint” back to high school! Enjoy the rest of your summer before that contract starts.
Laura,
I would be sprinting right with you. I enjoy how your mind changed so drastically in one week!
Laura!!!! This is great! I would love to see you in elementary but of course only for a short while. You know where you’re meant to be. Love this!
Mo, I like your intriguing poetry ideas because they seem actually doable, even for newbies like me!
NEW LIFE FOR OLD TOYS
Well-loved red and blue plastic toys
seem lonely by themselves.
Wait until they meet new boys to play with.
Back to making noise again!
Back to racing down a driveway in bright sunshine!
Ok, this one made me LOL! You are the ultimate recycler. I can’t wait to share your old toys with my “new” boys. Thank you for writing with us. I hope you will join us next month, too!
You’re so welcome. It gives me joy to see those toys passed onto new children.
Sue, You pulled me right into your experience of passing forward the much-loved toys. Noise, racing, sunshine! Wonderful energy!
Thanks, Allison. Your comment just gave me some “energy,” lol!
Ohhh! I love the idea of toys being reanimated through new children playing with them. I always feel a twinge of sadness when I see people putting kids’ toys out on the curb – like they should be re-homed where they can have new life and bring new joy. I love the “Back to making noise again!” line – joyful noise! : )
Thanks, Denise, I totally agree with you about toys left on the curb… but in my imagination I always picture them making their way into the right little hands eventually!
I like this form, Mo!
Oh, Mom
You always know best
When it comes to us
Now
Time to care for yourself
With the same degree of resolve
Amen! What a great complete command.
If only it were that easy, Angela! I love how succinct your poem is. You may hat the award for the fewest words used in a poem today!
A rule we all should follow…
Yes, Angela you are speaking to me! If only it were that easy. Frame it because it’s a mom’s anthem!
That last line keeps catching me. This poem is a life line—I need to save it as my phone’s background.
The word “resolve” is perfect. I appreciate how the structure of your poem pivots on the single word/line:
Now
Angela,
This one made me laugh. I need this reminder for myself and have definitely wanted to say these words to various family members.
Venus Emerging
a ring of bright water expands as she emerges
open up the shell, make it come alive
open up the shell, I love who sleeps inside
just a glimpse of her and my cold blood surges
and the jealous gods all hide their faces
what wonderful images! bright, open up, alive, cold blood, jealous gods. This is packed full of beauty
Bill, thanks for writing with us today! Your poem intrigues me. I feel there is more to the story. Your images put me in mind of a Renaissance painting. I’m especially fond of your last line.
Bill, I recently read Lovely War by Julie Berry and your poem definitely brings back memories of this goddess, Aphrodite and hubby Hephaestus, from events in the book, especially your last few words “jealous gods all hide their faces”. It’s quite an interesting story of love and war. Thank you for sharing this!
Bill, I’ve read this several times and each takes me on a new path. Thanks for sharing your elusive words. The cadence is lovely and lulls me into thinking it’s one thing and then another.
Bill, I want to respond:
the ring of bright water expands–I’m feeling this
open up the shell, open up the shell–the repetition DEMANDS an opening
I, too, love who sleeps inside
my blood (no longer cold) surges
the last line has me swimming in delight!
Thank you for this treat o a poem.
Hello all my dear friends and poets. As you can see from my poem, this has been a trying and busy week. At least I have a chance to write with you today. All is well being now.
Thank you Mo for this perfect prompt.
Home from the hospital
my loved one is mending.
Chased away that mean cancer
cuz the doc’s found an answer.
Now a long rest in pending.
Cancer is so horrible! I’m glad your loved one is mending and I pray for healing. Remember you both need rest.
I’m glad this space is a comfortable place for you to share.
The brightest possible line: “Chased away that mean cancer.” I am full of hope for your loved one!
Susan, thanks for sharing your lovely poem today. I sure am glad the doc found an answer. I’m happy your loved one is on the mend and I’m hoping you’ll have some time to take care of yourself, too!
I’m glad you could join us today Susan. A sense of innocence I feel…and I hope that “mean cancer” is gone for good! Glad to see a hopeful story. Positive vibes to you and your loved one.
Your rhyme scheme is so satisfying. I love that “cancer” is matched with “answer” and “mending” with “pending.” The good news feels final and the much-deserves recuperation seems to have no end. Lovely, and I’m so glad for the outcome!
Mo, you’re helping us keep it short and sweet today! Here’s my acronym Gogyoshi.
FRIEND
Reminds me to be kind.
Investigate before making up my mind
Even when what is said sounds true.
Never be mean, especially on screen.
Do what is kind to do.
Love it!! Do what is kind to do!
Anna, loved the sentiments in this and the picture accompanying it!
“Especially on screen,” jumps right out to me. Too often, I click and scroll – thank you for the reminder to be intentional, to investigate. Happy day!
Do what is kind to do- words to live by, Anna. Thank you for sharing your insight today.
Anna, I have always admired your poetry. This is definitely a true definition! Your two lines for “I” and “E” are essential is what I consider a true friend. Thank you for sharing this!
Mo, I appreciate how approachable your prompts have been. Your poem itself is relatable and brings back memories of sizing-down my grandmother’s belongings before her move.
Surviving a Heat Wave
mulch and water the garden
stock the cooler with ice-cold snacks
shut the windows, draw the shades
drive west to the Pacific ocean
breathe in the fresh, cool air
Oh this is refreshing! I love breathing in the fresh, cool air. It sustains me and I am eternally grateful to live not so far away from it.
Rachelle, the actions in your poem make perfect sense. I could see it all. The end is divine, a sense of all the tension and misery intolerable heat can create.
being released….is what I was trying to say. Hope you actually got to enjoy the Pacific.
I agree with Susan- your poem is refreshing. I sure hope you found some respite from the heat today.
Rachelle,
Indeed. I remember when I moved to Oregon many years ago and everyone said an air conditioner wasn’t necessary–it would only be used for a week or two a year. My have things changed! At least we didn’t get the 117 degree day this year! I love all of the references that are perfectly, well, here.
Rachelle,
Do you have room? I want to ride with you!!!
Rachelle,
Yes, such a wonderful way to beat this heat wave. I remember doing that often as a kid.
Mo, a year ago we had to empty a farmhouse and buildings brimming with things, family mementos, etc. It is both emotionally and physically exhausting. I love how your poem captured this so well with “a lifetime of ‘stuff'”. Thanks for hosting:)
My poem is based on a true encounter while swimming in the Gulf of Mexico in May.
Ready, Aim, Fire
sometimes blood’s gotta be shed to make change
a guy from Jersey says as I float face up in Florida
cool waves cannot douse a history of hate─I feel its
flames smoldering beneath concrete cracks
ready to maim; ready to detonate
Barb Edler
20 July 2022
Wow, Barb, I continue to read this poem and each time something new stands out to me. The juxtaposition between the first line and the second line’s words “I float face up” reveals to me this ever-present tension between philosophies in our country. I admire every single word. Thank you for sharing.
Barb, I loved the imagery and contrasts here. Learning more about abolitionists like Gerrit Smith, John Brown, and David Walker these last few weeks underscored my emotional response to your powerful words: loved this!!
Barb, the thing I find most chilling is that this is based on a true encounter – of course it is; this is what some people think. I was reading about common characteristics of mass shooters recently and one of them is “having a script to follow” – just like this. How does the human barometer/conscience get so far out of whack? Your poem is brilliantly written – I feel the smoldering anger that cool waves – and cool reason – cannot douse.
Barb,
I loved the contrast between the worlds, and how the Jersey dude’s words swing you to a world quite different from a floating peace. You run into some pretty intriguing folks!
This is amazing Barb. Your poetic response to this encounter seems to really encapsulate the moment. I’m a little frightened after reading your poem- it’s chilling.
Barb, whew, this is a doozie! I felt it in my core. I was left wondering if the bloodshed would always only be those of non-white people. Hurts.
I saw that you were on the Poetry Foundation’s Summer Institute today. Wasn’t it incredible? So much to enjoy yesterday and today.
☮️
Wow, Barb, this is so powerful. “cool waves cannot douse a history of hate” Oh, my.
This is based on a true story, Mo.
VALHALLA AND THE PERENNIALS
Scorched ferns in Sharon’s yard
browned snow-on-the-mountain in mine
they battle the sun in quiet rage…
my vacation will bring their thirsty demise
but for now they drink, and slake.
Rex, thank you for sharing this. Although I had to Google what “snow-on-the-mountain” looks like, I admire the oxymoron you created in that line which highlights the sweltering heat this summer. Thank you, also, for teaching me the word “slake”. I like that one!
Rachelle, Mrs. Dubose in TKAM prides herself on her snow on the mountains. ?
What a great connection!
Rex, this made me chuckle and feel sad all at once. The fourth line made me chuckle with knowing sympathy. But this heat…loved the personification of your poor flowers.
Poor plants! It’s 92 where I am right now, so you poem is easy for me to relate to. I’m hoping your plants will bounce back!
Thanks for this form, Mo. It makes me have to decide what I most want to focus on – a good “editing” practice! Still relishing in summer with this one.
Snapshots from Bay-Zil Bike Trail
Hundreds of burgundy velvet gloves of the staghorn sumac reach skyward.
Three deer leap and bound, flapping white tails disappear into a cornfield.
Momma Kildeer cries and flies faking injured to lure me away from her nest.
Two green frogs warming on the asphalt trail nearly get run over (not today my luckies!).
A blue heron’s prehistoric chortle glides overhead, its shadow crossing my own.
Denise – I feel calm reading through your poem. It inspires me to get out on the trail and notice the beauty of nature. My neighborhood simply does not offer this kind of diversity. Thank you!
Denise, the imagery in here set such a mood! Beautiful and peaceful with nods to the ominous in your intrusion in this lovely natural space. My favorite image was the first one: the “burgundy velvet gloves.”
Such beautiful imagery, Denise. It’s so hot hear that we are warned not to go outside. Your poem makes me long for a good walk!
Denise, I love the title. It made me read it again, seeing photographs of your ride. What a beautiful poem full of nature–no photos, but words that have become images. So lovely. I can hear that “prehistoric chortle.” Well done.
Big warm hugs of gratitude to Jennifer and Mo for this month’s prompts and inspirations! I hate that we are already at day 5. See you all in August.
?
Hi Mo,
Thank you for today’s prompt and your inspiring poem. I am familiar with the gogyohka form but hadn’t seen the word as gogyoshi, same rules so I think it’s a word variation.
Your in-laws’ process of scaling down and studying their garage could probably lead you to writing a book of poems from all that you find. Imagining the stories held on those rafters! Hang in there.
I attempted to enjoy my morning coffee outside and this poem is the result after running indoors. ?
You Bug, Beetle
Rumor has it you’re blind
so how do you find me
to disrupt and unhinge
with your brutish buzz
I know you see me running
Maybe you’re mad
because I call you a June Bug
well I apologize, Green June Beetle
for insulting your identity
but get your green self out of here!
© Stacey L. Joy, July 20, 2022
Stacey,
i. Hate. Those things!! The picture you painted had me laughing and nodding in sympathy, and I loved how your words built such a sense of place: I could totally envision this. And I’d be right there, running inside with you. ?
Ha! Such a fun poem! Fantastic! We used to catch um and tie a string around their legs and let um fly around!
Boxer, oh.my.goodness.
Can’t imagine! ?
Boxer! I see you had the same type of entertainment as I posted above. What fun!
This poem made me smile! Those Green June Beetle’s are sure pesky but a joy to my children. Can you imagine that we use to catch them and tie a piece of thread around their necks so that we could fly them around our yard! I can see how you find them disruptive, yet so fun!
LOL. I love your opening line, Stacey. Your alliteration and assonance are terrific. What a topic- I can almost picture you yelling at this guy to bug off!
And I love how you address the bug directly! What a fun poem!
No, Mo, I scream and run! It’s as bad as being near a bird. I wish I were more courageous. ???
I so agree!! I hate those bugs!
Mo, I adored your poem and can definitely relate. I’ve moved over the years and have realized I have too many “beautiful things” as I call them. ? Thank you.
Reconnecting
Friends since birth, literally
Ballet class, Sunday school, Barbie dolls
California girls educated in the South
Daughters of teachers who became educators
“Wanna have lunch today and catch up?”
Seana, and “beautiful things” include all the years of friendship you have enjoyed. Love the ending!
How fortunate you are, Seana, to have such a long time friend. I had the same for over 70 years and have lost her a year ago. I treasure every moment of our being together. The line “Wanna have lunch today and catch up?” really resonates with me.
Seana, I love your childhood connections to your friend. I also enjoy the easiness of your last line. I’m imagining she’s the kind of friend you can call whenever just to catch up.
Yes, I wanna have lunch and catch up!
Your poem reminds us all of the things and times we shared with friends over the years. And how we’d love to reconnect. Thanks for the memories.
I LOVE Dictionary for a Better World, and I love playing with poetry forms. Thanks for the invitation and poem. This was hard because I am not the best with titles.
Wake Up and Write
Every day at 6 a.m.
Zoom greets me with
faces of friends from near and far.
My journal welcomes my thoughts,
and the day opens with hope.
Wow, Heather. First I have to say I’m impressed with your dedication to writing! I love the alliteration in your middle line. I often struggle with titles, too.
Heather, it’s interesting that so many of us “stay connected” through ZOOM. I can’t imagine surviving sequestration without it or that I’m still using it when it’s not the only option! Glad you have ZOOM, journal, and hope. Take care.
Heather,
I love the sounds of opens with hope. I like how the morning routine has such an intrinsically positive nature to it.
Much Like Some Purported Wisdom from EDU Consultants
stairs aren’t escalators
but escalators can be stairs
(yet neither is an elevator)
sounds profound until
you realize it really isn’t
_____________________
Mo, thanks, again! I’m new to this “form,” too! And your mentor poem painted your situation perfectly. “[C]rammed” and “bursting” speak volumes for the various “stuff” of life that we tend to accumulate along the way.
Scott, this is funny! I remember how irritated I get when the escalator has stopped working and become stairs.
Scott, my husband and I were just swapping stories of “wisdom” consultants have recently offered. When I grow up I want to be a consultant, but not really!
Lol, I know, right? What a gig: write a book with some vague platitudes, tour the country, and give exciting/entertaining speeches for a bunch of money. (Or, I guess you could actually be a good one who says meaningful (and helpful) things — because I know there are those kinds, too — but that just sounds rather difficult to me and a lot of work. Lol.)
True words, Scott. I think half the reason consultants are so good at the game is the willingness of teachers (for the most part) to meet them halfway in terms of their extended metaphors…Especially at the beginning of the year.
Oh, but you are wrong! This is incredibly profound!
Mo, I forgot to comment on your poem.
Four years ago my dad lost his battle against liver cancer. My mom was still living in their home of 49 years. I remember quite vividly the process your poem describes.
Thank you for hosting, Mo. Your poem causes me to remember downsizing Mom and Dad’s home before the sale of my childhood home. So many memories to face amongst so many things, and a lifetime of stuff gone in a day’s garage sale. I really relate to your poem and it gave me the nudge to get my own house in order!
My poem today is written during a heat wave. I want to escape to the beach!
Bodysurfing
By Nancy White
Saltwater smell,
Sparkling sea,
I gasp as I go under
That very first wave.
Suddenly I’m a child again!
This is so true! I feel the waves and appreciate how your words take us back to being a kid ? Nice work
You capture my favorite place and feeling. Lately, I have had to settle for a pool. I love “I gasp as I go under that very first wave.”
This is perfect for such a hot day. I love your last two lines. I can picture them so easily!
Nancy,
I think/feel you nailed it in the simplicity of the captured moment. Such a reference point for anyone who has had the experience. Somehow I feel sunburn as well.
Our teacher meetings begin August 10. I refuse to count the days remaining.
Summer is dwindling
As this freedom train hurtles
Through hot July days
Which I must savor.
The broken bridge over the abyss approaches.
Ugh! I feel every word of this, but your last line hit me in the gut. I resist looking at a calendar because I do not want to see how much time is left.
Karen,
I’m with you!!!!!! I’m trying not to notice any dates. I hope you enjoy the rest of your summer break.
Best line describing our future:
I love the freedom train, Karen. I refuse to look at school stuff until August. I’m not even sure when we go back, and I’m okay with that. Make the most of these dwindling days!
…crashing into the fervor of frenzied routine. That last line makes my heart beat a bit faster, Karen!
Having recently downsized ourselves, I feel a kinship with your in-laws. Amazingly, we survived.
Savior – defies definition
Doormen, doctors, and donors will do.
Deity, of course.
Today, right now, it is
the undeserved doting of a little black dog.
Oh yes, what would we do without this “undeserved doting”? So grateful to be “saved”!?
Katrina, I read your poem sitting on the couch with a dog on either side of me. Although they are rescues, I often wonder who rescued who. Your poem made me smile.
Katrina,
I love the little dog reference, as far as the tie to deity. In many ways I think we are gods to our pups, and then they are the ones that are constantly saving us.
That undeserved doting is the best. Mine are doting at my feet as I write. They are often my saviors…
Mo, I am so excited that you referenced that book! In November of 2020, while my daughter participated in NaNoWriMo, I committed to 30 poems in 30 different forms —I got the idea to do this after reading Dictionary for a Better World.
While the form of the gogyoshi is straight forward with only one “rule”, I often have trouble with finding the right topic. Today, I am focusing on my journey towards health.
Back on Track
In the rhythm of walking every morning
the body and mind come in sync.
The mouth, it seems, is not on board.
Miles tracked, time now to track those bites
and bring everything together, back on track.
That middle line, “The mouth, it seems, is not on board,” matches my truth. I just started to track my food.
I love your opening line best of all – just noting the rhythms of life, of walking every morning. Walking does bring so many things into sync. I love the focus on the journey toward health.
Jennifer, you’ve said a lot in these few lines. The first three lines have such a lovely rhythm for me. The first two lines seem so peaceful.
By the way, I struggle most with topics, too!
Thank you, Mo and Jennifer, for all the learning opportunities this week. “Thank you” to all the readers who were so generous with feedback and welcome.
Here is my effort for today – I had a long drive with my son yesterday as he gets ready to adult and the poem helped me to distill the complex web of feelings.
Sridhar
Curly hair and kind eyes
He wants to help the world
But can’t bear to be enclosed by it
He speaks his truth with courage
And listens with compassion
“And listens with compassion” will make adulting easier. Oh if only all of us could bethat way! Thank you for bringing a smile and hope to my day today
Rama, this is a wonderful poem! And those last two lines mean everything: “He speaks his truth with courage / And listens with compassion.” You should be very proud! Thank you for writing and sharing this!
Ahhh, this warms my heart and fills me with hope. What a gift he is to you and to the world! ?
Rama, you’ve raised a beautiful soul and your poem should make him proud. He’ll be fine, Mommy, you’ve done well. These lines say it all:
Rama, your son sounds amazing! I’m sure he will do great things with such love and support in his life. Lovely poem.
Mo, your last line is so powerful – it reminded me of a show I watched a while about filling the most important elements of our lives in a single document box. The poem itself is packed with such precision.
Bless you Mo. I have heard a few stories of elderly parents and children reversing roles of caretaker and recipient of care. I’m not ready for that, but I admire the people who do it for the right reasons. It’s hard to whittle down “a lifetime of stuff” but this line resonates with me because one day all that “stuff” will be passed down, sold, or trashed. I have been blessed to acquire some of my grandparent’s belongings. It makes me still feel their presence of all their love and labor.
What’s on my mind is the lack of sleep and how I will not get to “catch up” on it this weekend. How do you “catch up” on sleep anyway? Who came up with that?! And, here’s my poem:
Sleep deprived
Few hours to sleep is not conducive to function.
Yet I muster up the alertness to drive the miles,
perform the tasks,
still having time to read.
I sometimes forget to eat.
Jessica I am right there with you on trying to catch up on sleep! For me, like your poem says, reading always happens while eating may get lost.
Great poem!
Thank you Jennifer!
Great question – how DO you catch up on sleep?? Life is too demanding when we forget to eat…to quote Frost, I know you have miles to go before you sleep but I hope they go well and that you’re soon able to rest. And eat. And write more truths!
Jessica, you’ve asked the question for all ages- how do we get enough sleep? I recently got a Garmin watch, which measures your “body battery.” Even though I don’t really know what it means, I’m slightly obsessed by it. Right now mine reads 5/100, so I’m panicking. Maybe I should just take it off, because this isn’t the time to rest! I love how you have time to read- always!
Mo, I love Dictionary for a Better World. It’s a wonderful book and resource for forms. Your poem reminds me of cleaning out my parents’ home in 2019 when they just up and decided to move to a retirement home. It took all summer to clean out and arrange the estate sale and the ultimate sale of the house, a difficult time for me and my siblings. I get it!
I will be going this week to move my mother to a new apartment since my dad passed away in April, and she no longer needs two bedrooms. It’s going to be stressful, so she came to me in a dream last night.
We Attend the Show Together
My mother came to me in a dream
dressed up and ready for the play.
We made a list together
of all the things to do, then left
the theatre, hand in hand.
Margaret—bittersweet… I hope that the play you will attend will be a happy one. having moved my mother, I relate completely… (and I see my future…)
Margaret, I love the final phrase “hand in hand.” As my mother gets older, this is how we walk too. I found myself thinking of circles – her leading me when I little and now I guide her.
Margaret I relate to your story and poem every well. On Monday I took my mom into AT&T to add her onto my phone plan a get her a new phone. She went from an iPhone 6 to the iPhone 13 — she was able to return my call ?
Thank you for your poem.
What a bittersweet dream. I hope that this signals the joyful day that will unfold for you both as you downsize. Sending happy vibes.
Good luck, Margaret. Your poem makes me feel so peaceful. I love the idea of making a list in the dream, then walking away, hand in hand.
What a beautiful dream. “Hand in hand” shows so much love
Per usual, Margaret, your poetry always brings to my mind those words from Samuel Taylor Coleridge about “poetry” being simply “the best words in the best order.” Your poem is truly beautiful! Thank you!
This is such a beautiful and bittersweet dream. I am now feeling teary and longing to hold my mom’s hand. Oh, the plans we would make! Our shopping trips were the best! Thanks for this, Margaret.
Margaret, I sure hope that you and your mom will have a peaceful move and that she is comfortable and able to adjust well. It’s so hard when we have to help parent our parents, but I know you’re the best daughter your mom could ever have.
When you finish getting her all settled in, you’ll rest and enjoy each other, hand in hand. I believe that.
Margaret – you’ve wrenched my heart yet filled it with such beauty. Dreams…we cannot ignore them…
Considering the changes you will be going through, this dream predicts an happy and settle ending for you both…hand in hand.
Technology?
Get a second monitor, they said.
It will be a life changer, they said.
I bought it. I hooked it up.
Now I watch my writer’s block in duplicate.
Failure doubled. Game changed.
GJS 7-20-22
This is funny! I did the same thing back during the pandemic and I was teaching remote. It did just double to trouble in my opinion.
Gayle, the irony of the last sentence speaks volumes. I am new to the second monitor too and the last line of your poem resonates with me.
I love this Gayle. Your last line is so true. I also like the question mark in your title. We’ll done.
LOL! So funny, Gayle! (And, sadly, so very, very true. I’m getting a new-fangled, wall-mounted monitor in my classroom this year. Fancy, huh? Except I can’t “freeze” the screen like I could do with the other (just a few years old) overhead projector. So, it kinda feels a bit like a one-step forward, two steps back situation. Or like the old joke: we reprogrammed your phone for speedier access to the police — the new number is 8472.)
Hilarious! In a wry way, of course. “Now I watch my writer’s block in duplicate/Failure doubled ” – oh no, I have struggle enough as it is there. Can you sell it? lol
Mo—before I even begin writing, I have to comment on your offering! The imagery, the alliteration that bounces through, and that last line…. I look around our house and contemplate this for my future… wow
Mo,
I have always struggled writing with economy. Your prompts have really helped me with that. As for your poem . . . I’ve been there and feel your pain. I hope to start de-cluttering gradually to spare our kids of the same.
Instability
Each generation has its challenges
Every decade holds pendulum swings
Our swings seem to be so extreme
Making us feel we live in such unprecedented times
That stability will never be seen again.
Susan Ahlbrand
20 July 2022
Susan—your fears are so valid. I wonder if every generation had those same apprehensions, but lacked the awareness? I can only hope…
Like you, it seems the latest pendulum swing is more extreme than ever. I don’t think stability will ever happen.
Sometimes I find myself longing for that pendulum swing. The extremes of our current times are so troubling to me. Thanks for sharing your poem.
Susan,
I totally agree! Your poem speaks to our collective insanity and I’m so dang tired of it all.
I sure hope we reach the calm and stable place again.
Mo, thank you for reminding me of that gem of a poetry book! I need to pull it out and open again. Your poem brought back such memories of cleaning out my parents refrigerator when they moved. Products of the depression they saved every McDs ketchup pack, stubs of candles, and that one same bottle of wine that sat in the door for years. It provided us kids with loads of laughter!
I have a medical procedure tomorrow… I’m sure you can guess what’s on my mind!
S*#*$ Day
The day has arrived
Fretting amid the well made plans
Feeling empty and hungry
With diet of broth and pops
Per gastro-doctors orders
Christine, I love the title!! Yes, I’ve been there too – – and actually, I found that particular sleep on that procedure some of the best I’ve ever had. I don’t know the name of that cocktail, but I found all the prep worth the snooze. Funny how the theme of cleaning out keeps coming up today. Thoughts and prayers today for tomorrow’s work :).
Title is perfect; starvation, if temporary, is real!
Oh, no! Good luck. I’ve been there and it’s not fun. Be sure to watch your diet afterwards as well. They don’t seem to tell you about that and it’s gotten to me more than once.
Thanks for that advice. I am sure I will be ravenous and want to eat everything but know that my body will not be happy with that choice.
Christine, you capture the colonoscopy (I am guessing here) perfectly!
Love it, Christine! I appreciate your humor during this crappy time. Best of luck!
Christine your title is perfection!
Reading your poem reminds me I have a call to make ? but if the sleep is as good as I keep hearing, I guess it won’t be so bad.
Christine, I hope today’s procedure goes well and you’re able to enjoy the much-needed rest afterwards. Nothing is worse than the S*#*$ Day prep! I have a few more years to go before my second one and I’m already mad, LOL.
Be well!
Oh my, Christine – your verse captures all the angst but at least it will be over soon, thank heaven!
Mo, I am in the process of downsizing as well. Parting with things I still love is incredibly difficult. I’m hoping distance in time will ease this loss, for your in-laws as well.
Shadow
a quick glance on the site of our last rescue
and fate steps in
sweetness in one wiggling bundle of energy
and love
she shadows me everywhere
Jennifer, this dog!!! She’s a lump of love with that face all propped up and relaxing. I had a dog named Shadow once. She was tied to the post at the Humane Society and my then husband could not pass her by and leave her there. So he brought her home and we named her Shadow. Black lab mix. Dog rescue people are my people. I want to come love on this girl.
She would love you right back! It’s her sole purpose (besides chasing balls).
Jennifer—fate is how it happens!! Love the photo, love the love, love the wiggling bundle…
Thank you! She’s a sweetie!
I can’t help but fall in love with that sweet face. It’s so special to have a shadow in your midst.
Thank you! We love her!
That face! We dog rescuers have to stay together. We’ve had our 13-year-old, mostly toothless Yorkie Bitty for almost a year now. Recently someone said, “You don’t always get the most beautiful dogs, but they have personality.” Anyway, Bitty is just as beautiful as Shadow in my eyes. Best of luck with the downsizing and move.
It’s all about their doganality! Rescued dogs have the best love to share.
Jennifer, funny that today’s prompt led at least four of us to feature an animal. I love “she shadows me everywhere.” So loyal and true!
Our animal friends are simply the best!
Jennifer, what a sweet face! I love him!
Thank you! She’s a cuddler!
SO PRECIOUS – the photo, the apropos name, the sweet rendering in verse. Life is exponentially sweeter (even when it’s not) with a dog. I hope all goes well with your move, Jennifer – I know it’s agonizing to let some things go.
Thank you! We ended up with Shadow at the perfect time to help transition!
Such a joy to be part of this group —all the poems are inspiring for me. Thank you Mo for an awesome prompt. My poem today was inspired by the rock group Tesla song “what you give”
Never mind morning plans,
Adjust to life’s demand.
It is not what we can,
but what we can’t,
Not what we choose, but how we live!
oooooh! spunky. I love the “an” sounds for a rhyming touch.
Boxer, having choice in the how makes all the difference. I’ve watched plenty of plans go to the wayside as life demanded something else. I hope your plans for today include a how!
Those sidewinders that wreck our plans bring better plans than we had in the first place, don’t they? I love how you think and I like the inspiration you got from the song. We get one life. Our choices matter. Thanks for the nugget of truth and wisdom today.
Boxer—inspiration here! It really is about the choices!
It seems every day requires adjustments these days. Thanks for the uplifting verse!
Yes, Margaret! I’ve been thinking about choices lately and how people respond so differently to similar situations. It’s good food for thought. Thanks, Boxer.
Boxer,
This is a beauty! I want this on my wall!
Today, I choose to live in total gratitude. ?
Mo, I love this form and knew immediately what I’d write. Your poem is an excellent reminder to purge before we must depend on our children to deal w/ our stuff.
Common Beginnings
We all began as babies—
dependent on the care & kindness of others;
sweet, innocent baby faces melting hearts;
tiny hands open to reach for the world.
What if we learn to see the baby beginnings in each other?
Glenda, such a wonderful question to end your poem. I love your word choices and feel grandma’s heart melting here. Gorgeous poem!
Glenda, I love that you ended with this question. How fascinating it would be to see the baby beginnings. I think it’s fascinating for teachers to put their childhood pics in yearbooks so that students can see that they, too, were once youngsters. But to see the baby beginnings would be charming and sweet, to see innocence and not want to choke people that we go through the day wanting to choke sometimes. To be able to talk baby and coo to people would change our attitudes. I love this!
Such powerful reflection in your lines, Glenda, and such truth. I see those baby hands reaching out to the world, so pure and trusting…what shall come of it? That last line, the first baby step toward healing our hurting world. Just beautiful – I love this.
What if? Wouldn’t that be nice and so human? You ask such a perfect question for today. What if we could just be better to one and other in this way? Life would be sweeter for so many…I think.
Glenda, I like the idea of “baby beginnings” as well as the image of the tiny hands reaching for the world. I wish that innocence stayed. I’m going to try to see the baby beginnings in others today!
Thanks for the reminder to see the baby, new life, in each other.
What a simple, yet powerful thought, Glenda. I’m sitting on my back patio imagining all kinds of people and their baby beginnings. I’m giggling the whole time!
Oh if only Glenda! I can almost imagine the difference. Thank you for allowing me such wonderful thoughts.
Yes, Glenda! I want to see and learn and be with all of us here as babies! Imagine the fun that would be. I love that you chose to write this today. My sister and I were just talking about how cool it is that my great niece loves everyone she meets and she’s not even 2 years old yet. What if we all loved everyone first, before we decided not to.
❤️
Yes, I want to do more of this as you ask about in your poem. Since Milo has been born, I have been noticing the baby beginnings in others. “tiny hands open to reach the world” is such beauty and truth.
Thank you, Mo, for another new form to try. Your poem is a mighty example of how few words can say so much. These spare lines contain a whole lifetime and a difficult transition….and make me think about how much “stuff”, tangible and intangible, that might need whittling from my own life. I hope all goes well for your in-laws and the family in the working through and resettling. Thank you again for sharing your gifts with us this week!
Speaking of gifts, and what’s on my mind today…
The Measure of Love?
Curious how I think of Elvis
amidst pure horror when the old dog
who’s never hurt another creature in his life
takes off in the brush and runs back with a rabbit
to drop ceremoniously at my feet
Fran,
Elvis loved you to the moon and back to bestow such an important gift on you, but it is hard to think of our fur/babies as human when they present a dead carcass to us! In our house the gifts are squirrels, sometimes left upstairs in our bedroom.
Thank heaven the poor rabbit (I mourn it still) wasn’t brought in the house!! :O I suppose it’s due to having just seen the Elvis movie that You ain’t never caught a rabbit/You ain’t no friend of mine played in my head in that moment of horror. My son is on vacation and my granddog is staying with me; he’s ecstatic to be here…he is docile and not especially agile; none of us can believe he was even able to catch a rabbit. I am doing my best consider it the highest of dog-honors although I tell him every day now to please not catch any more rabbits.
Oh, Fran, I do understand the feeling of a precious animal gift dropped for the owner to adore especially when they bring a rabbit live into the house! Love the ceremoniously word choice in your final line. Very relatable!
Elvis kind of disputes that anybody ever said he ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog. He wanted to show you there’s far more to him than his name suggests – – he’s a hunter, through and through, and he loves you enough to bring you what could have been his dinner that he didn’t have to share, and drop it at your feet to share it with you. Let the ceremony of praise and feasting begin! What a celebration in five lines. Cheers to Elvis! Long live The King!
Ack! I really don’t like it when animals love me like that. ICKY! But, you work out the story perfectly quick in these five lines. I think this dog needs to be named Elvis–no matter what your son originally named him 🙂
You ain’t never caught a rabbit indeed! Our outdoor dog used to drag in dead raccoons, deer skulls. That wilder side is just… wild. Your choice of ceremoniously honors his gift to you. And like all gifts, it made the giver extremely happy. But oh, man, what a way to honor you!
Took me a minute to get to the Elvis allusion, but it is genius! (And the horror is real!)
Yikes! That is a love offering, but oh, so heartbreaking. Nature always dominates in our creatures.
Is it wrong that your poem made me laugh out loud? You win the pet sitter of the year award in my book!
Fran, Horror indeed. While we seem to have a glut of rabbits nibbling on EVERYTHING in my yard this summer, I would be horrified if one of my grandpuppies gifted me with one dropped at my feet. Love how you captured so much imagery with so few words
Fran, that is curious, although “you ain’t never caught a rabbit” was an appropriate lyric to think of when your granddog brought that unwanted gift. Great poem.
Mo, what a great form! The freeness of it is very appealing. And, I second your endorsement of ‘Dictionary for a Better World.’ It’s a fabulous book! I have several copies in my middle school library. It’s a great source for lessons and free reading too.
What’s on my mind today (my one little word for ’22 is “star”)
Just a page turn past mid-July
Summer begins wrapping up
restating her thesis in constellations
with new insights from traveling
star by star so close … so far from the sun
Linda,
Your poem is super clever, especially the line “restating her thesis in constellations.” Why does school start so early in August? Wonderful poem.
Linda, I absolutely love “restating her thesis in constellations” as July begins winding down. This week I saw Jupiter, early in the morning, shining bright above the moon. I wonder what Summer learns from the stars as she travels… utterly compelling!
Linda, I feel completely transported reading your poem. Your opening line is exquisite! Such a fantastic metaphor! Kudos!
Linda, you bring a fresh spin on this hot air with the promise of autumn. Oh, I’m ready for the dissertation of distressful heat to be complete and bring us brisker breezes. I love the personification of summer here in all its learning from stars and writing the thesis. You have me ready to open the windows and light the spicy candles.
Linda, “restating her thesis in constellations” – it doesn’t get much better than the beauty of that verse! You win the day!
I hope I can carry my new insights back into the classroom. I love how the star metaphors work in this small poem.
What a beautifully thought out metaphor. You had me at a page turn past July. Just perfect!
Mo, Gogyoshi might be my new favorite. I love the short, simple structure with 2 rules. I feel your stress with all the stuff that had emotional ties and memories for your in-laws, making it hard for them to let it go and new owners to find a place for it all. That is a challenge! Thank you for hosting us today!
Tia the Traitor in a Thunderstorm
she chose another family on the farm
that puppy from a cardboard box who
came back home in the storm
so old and weak now that I had to
drive her back around the corner
Oh, how sad and sweet. Poor pup. She remembers where she felt safe. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could all go “home” and be driven to where we were supposed to live by kindness? A lovely story in a few lines.
Oh, Kim – poor old dog, coming home in a storm. I can feel the rain and taste the tears. Seems Tia the Traitor was attempting to make her peace. When my husband was a little boy, his Army family moved across the country. They couldn’t take their dog and rehomed it…until neighbors called and said the dog was sitting on the steps of their old house. They had the neighbors put her on a plane to fly her out to them…not sure how they worked out the fine details afterward but Lady remained with them. Dogs never cease to amaze me. I am infinitely awed by their capacity to love – and forgive.
Kim,
This is a bittersweet memory. We had a doggy from a cardboard box, too. Best dog, a border collie. Tia needed to sto by and thank you for choosing her and letting her choose, too. It must be doggie closure,
Kim, I absolutely love your poem. The action and language captures the event perfectly. I think this would be a great poem for a longer story. Adored your second line.
ohhhhhh. This brings back memories of my “old dogs” of the past…
So many emotions, Kim! You have really embraced this form with your lovely vignette!
Awww, Kim, this hurts. You captured a ton of emotions in 5 lines.
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