Palindrome Poem with Susan Ahlbrand

Susan Ahlbrand has been teaching 8th grade English/language arts for 34 years in the small southern Indiana town of Jasper. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, writing, listening to music, watching sports, and spending time with her husband, their four kids, and their Goldendoodle, Hutch.

Inspiration

February 22, 2022 shorthanded as 2-22-22. Reads the same forward and back. A palindrome. Palindromes can be made up of numbers or words. The units can be letter by letter, word by word, or line by line.

Process

Writing a palindrome poem is word play. It may not make perfect sense . . . the beauty is in the clever arrangement of letters or words. For your poem, consider forward-backward units you want to utilize, or use a combination.

Letter by letter

Was it a car or a cat I saw?

Word by word

Love me.

Show you can

sprout wings when

darkness hovers

TONIGHT

hovers darkness.

When wings sprout

can you show

me love?
~Donna J. Sanders

Line by line (reads from the first line to the last as it does from the last line to the first)

“Doppelganger”
Entering the lonely house with my wife
I saw him for the first time
Peering furtively from behind a bush –
Blackness that moved,
A shape amid the shadows,
A momentary glimpse of gleaming eyes
Revealed in the ragged moon.
A closer look (he seemed to turn) might have
Put him to flight forever –
I dared not
For reasons that I failed to understand,
Though I knew I should act at once.

I puzzled over it, hiding alone,
Watching the woman as she neared the gate.
He came, and I saw him crouching
Night after night.
Night after night
He came, and I saw him crouching,
Watching the woman as she neared the gate.

I puzzled over it, hiding alone –
Though I knew I should act at once,
For reasons that I failed to understand
I dared not
Put him to flight forever.

A closer look (he seemed to turn) might have
Revealed in the ragged moon
A momentary glimpse of gleaming eyes
A shape amid the shadows,
Blackness that moved.

Peering furtively from behind a bush,
I saw him, for the first time
Entering the lonely house with my wife.
~James A. Lindon

You may want to try to think of a palindrome poem as a mirror poem, which includes a word in the center as a reversal point for the poem. If the whole concept of a palindrome or word play is not what you are feeling today, consider writing about what the mirror sees, taking a truly objective look at yourself. Or, as always, write about anything that inspires you today.

Susan’s Poem (I cheated a little.)

Never Even

children
loving freely
accepting all
looking forward
unconditionally loving
aging
judging often
dreading sometimes
excluding others
withholding love
never
withholding love
others excluding
sometimes dreading
often judging
aging
loving unconditionally
forward looking
all accepting
freely loving
parents

~Susan Ahlbrand
22 February 2022

Your Turn

Now, scroll to the comment section below to write your own poem. (This is a public space, so you may 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.

Will you participate in #VerseLove 2022?

April is National Poetry Month. The Ethical ELA community creates a celebration of all that poetry does for our hearts and minds by offering daily writing inspiration and a supportive space to discover what happens when we write poetry all month long.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

160 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Stacey Joy

Hi Susan, I was unable to compose anything once I returned home from celebrating my bestie’s birthday. So here’s my better late than never sort of palindrome poem.

2-22-22

Today, a special day
A special day, today
My bestie’s 2-22-22 birthday
Birthday, my bestie’s 2-22-22
I had no time for writing poetry
For writing poetry, I had no time
I fell asleep without a poem
Without a poem, I fell asleep

© Stacey L. Joy, 2/22/22

Denise Krebs

This is so sweet, Stacey. I’m glad I came back to see who showed up after me. I love the repetition in your “sort of” palindrome poem. It sounds like a peaceful lullaby. I’ve seen so many variations on the palindrome today.

Donnetta D Norris

I honestly found writing a simple palindrome easier that I thought it would be.

Poetry is writing
rhyming words
play on words
depicted images
figurative language
using sensories.
Sensories using
language, figurative
images depicted.
Words on play;
words rhyming.
Writing is poetry.

Susan Ahlbrand

Donnetta,
Your poem is seamless. You sure make it look easy. It doesn’t sound forced in the least bit like some do. Poetry is writing and writing IS poetry!!

Katrina Morrison

Donetta, I love it! You prove through your skillful use of words that “writing is poetry.” Wow – just – wow!

Rachelle

Susan, thank you for this fun prompt! I was nervous when I read the prompt this morning, so I decided to take a nibble. I had so much fun word-smithing, and I know I’ll try for a longer poem next time!

home 

rivulet flowing
destination undefined
source perpetual

Allison Berryhill

This was HARD, wasn’t it?! I loved the “mathematical” wordplay dimension, but it took my brain out of its usual “poem space.” I love how this community pushes me to experiment and remember (again) vulnerability.

Your poem is a tight palindrome. Your TITLE took it to a whole new level. Bravo!

Denise Krebs

Rachelle, I am intrigued by your poem. I love the title, and the “source perpetual” of home is a beautiful thought. Even though the destination is undefined, the source will always be there. (I do have a question, though, will you explain the palindrome part of your poem to me? I have been reading it awhile, and I can’t see it yet. Thanks!)

Rachelle

I felt like the individual lines made sense themselves forward and backwards (the meaning doesn’t change though) and the lines don’t connect together well—it’s been a long day! ?

maybe the 5/7/5 syllable count of the haiku might count? Haha!

Denise Krebs

Sure thing! Thanks for explaining. There are so many possibilities. Yes, I like that the lines read back and forth. And yes, the 5/7/5 does count. That did take some counting to come up with the words that fit. Like Allison mentioned, the title does take it to another level. It really makes the poem special, in my opinion. Thanks for answering, and I think the lines connect perfectly.

Cara Fortey

Rachelle,
What an intriguing twist on a palindrome! What a fun way to play with the form!

Susan Ahlbrand

Rachelle,
Your poem helps drive home the idea of how wisely chosen phrases (noun then adjective) make for easier flipping. I LOVE how much these terms apply to home!

Stacey Joy

Hi Susan, I had a long day. I won’t be home until after seven. I will post a poem before I go to bed. Definitely can’t guarantee that it will be a palindrome though. ?

Allison Berryhill

Susan, this was indeed a fun word puzzle! I would have enjoyed continuing with the manipulation of words (similar in a way to Wordle fun!), but I missed the prompt yesterday and will visit it now! I guess I’M LATE 🙂

Time after time
Late again
Tik Tok 
No self-discipline

Wait time
Time, wait!

Self-discipline? No.
Tok Tik
Again, late.
Time after time

Barb Edler

Allison, the Tik Tok and time makes perfect sense! Love that connection. I can relate to the inability to discipline myself. Very fun and clever poem!

Wendy Everard

Allison, loved the inversion in this!

Rachelle

Ahh! I like how you played with this, Allison. The first stanza made me feel like I was in the classroom feeling bothered by students; however, the last stanza called out my own hypocrisy. Thanks for this treat tonight!

Allison Berryhill

Haha! I crafted this after my own perpetual lateness! I love how you saw it from the student’s perspective!

Susie Morice

Allison – I’m loving the flip of time through these lines. With the cadence of tik tok and tok tik, I feel the march of time, the plaguing battle of it. The funny thing is that I’ve come to count on the late post of my friend Allison, and there’s something quite delightful about it. Each night I scroll to find your late post, and it’s always a piece of yummy dark chocolate. ? Love it! Susie

Susan Ahlbrand

I LOVE how you used two lines to be your crux and used punctuation to help guide the reader to better understanding.

Wait time

Time, wait!

Jessica Wiley

Susan, this was really fun, yet challenging. I think I got it. These prompts have been fun and I hope I can remember to use them in my classroom! I babysat my niece all weekend so this is a summary of my experience.

Weekend with Ari

Is what worth was?
Life contemplating here for this weekend.
Sleep lacking like nothing is hunger.
Warm body a needing baby.
Early mornings late nights. 

Restless

Nights late mornings early,
Baby needing a body warm.
Hunger is nothing like lacking sleep.
Weekend this for here contemplating life.
Was worth what is?

Barb Edler

Jessica, I love how you wove these images and words together. I especially enjoyed “Baby needing a body warm”. Newborns and lack of sleep makes perfect sense to me. Wonderful poem!

Jessica Wiley

Thank you Barb! I don’t get much sleep anyway, but I was glad to have NOT been awakened by a sweet, precious baby, lol!

Rachelle

I like how both stanzas are separated by the word “restless” which ties all the pieces together like a knot. Thank you for sharing about your restless weekend with Ari 🙂

Jessica Wiley

Thank you Rachelle! I copied it from the Donna J. Sanders poem. And it fits so well. Thank you and you’re welcome. Next time I keep her I hope her sleep schedule is better, lol!

Denise Krebs

Jessica, what a sweet telling of your weekend with Ari. This is my favorite line: “Baby needing a body warm.”

Mo Daley

Ok, Susan! This was a scary and fun prompt. I decided to push myself with format, too. I wrote a blackjack, which is three lines of seven syllables each- a palindrome!

Eye Level
By Mo Daley 2-22-22

My son’s wife is crazy short
While he ducks under doorways
So I ask, what’s eye level?

Allison Berryhill

Mo, Did you intentionally use the palindromes of “eye” and “level”? I loved it! I felt your playfulness and the delightful sense of a poet pointing out something (eye level) for me to rethink or “re-see.”

Mo Daley

I was hoping you’d see that!

Allison Berryhill

<3 #Win

Denise Krebs

Nice challenge with the format, too, Mo. I like that Allison noticed the palindromes of “Eye Level”, which I hadn’t. Great question asked in your poem.

Susan Ahlbrand

I learn so much from the comments of our fellow poets! I would not have notice eye level either.
I’m so intrigued by what observation you are making about your son and his wife. 🙂

Denise Krebs

Susan,
I’m glad in your example you cheated a little. I like the switches in word order in your lines between children and parents. Never Even is right.

Thanks for your prompts this week.

I have been thinking about this palindrome poem all day, but I didn’t really get an idea. I’m in a Zoom meeting now with a little downtime, sitting near the fire and feeling the cold breeze come through the cracks in my old house. I wrote this cheating a bit too.

icy cold
wintry mix
wind blows
cracks and caverns
in this old house

in this old house
cracks and caverns
wind blows
summer-y heat
icy lemonade

Mo Daley

Hi Denise. I like how you spun your winter images into summer images. It makes me feel hopeful on this frigid midwestern day!

Susan Osborn

I like the switch between winter and summer. Can feel both seasons in your words.

Susie Morice

Aah, Denise! I’m ready for the lemonade! Tonight it just keeps getting colder…brrrr….your poem fits perfectly! Susie

Jessica Wiley

This is so neat Denise! Reminds me of this week in Arkansas. The weather is going to be all four seasons. Your word choices are so cozy and the “summer-y heat with icy lemonade” is something I can definitely taste right now.

Barb Edler

Denise, I understand the cold and heat of old homes. Loved the icy lemonade end. Yum!

Rachelle

I love the imagery–cracks and caverns particularly stands out to me. The alliteration, or maybe even the connotation, of the words (especially cracks) evokes an image and auditory imagery of a hearth with a fire crackling in this old house.

Glenda Funk

Denise,
I like the twist, the break between winter and summer, which you know will be blazing hot where you are. And speaking of “icy cold,” our low tonight will be -3, and when I walked the dogs this afternoon it was 19. We’ve awakened to snow twice this week, four times this month. Some of my holiday yard decor is still up because the snow won’t leave.

Susan Ahlbrand

Denise,
I am so glad that my cheating led you to feeling safe in breaking away from the “form.” Doing so adds such a layer of depth.

Charlene Doland

journey
fast
slow
its own time
horizons
beauty
loneliness
introspection
encounter
friend
leads us
new discoveries
leads us
friend
encounter
introspection
loneliness
beauty
horizons
its own time
slow
fast
journey

Susan Osborn

I understand this journey and the contrast between loneliness and a friend that leads on to new discoveries.

Barb Edler

Charlene, I so enjoy how your words create its own journey. The words introspection, loneliness, beauty, and horizons builds a provocative mood. Wonderful poem!

Susan Ahlbrand

Charlene,
Thank you for joining in and creating this powerful poem. Friendship is quite a journey and can shine quite a light into ourselves. Love this.

Cara Fortey

Sitting in class today, this is what came out. I have awesome students. 🙂

Here in my classroom
students write and read and create and argue
finding meaning in literature and their minds
I am not the dictator or queen
I am a guide and an encourager
leading young people 
to inspire their best selves

This is my calling

to inspire their best selves
leading young people
I am a guide and an encourager
I am not the dictator or queen
finding meaning in literature and their minds
students write and read and create and argue
here in my classroom. 

Susie Morice

Lovely, Cara — Lucky kids…the voice of a fine teacher is so clear here. Teachers who lead without the heavy hand of “queen”…I really love that. Susie

Mo Daley

I love this, Cara. And Susie is right- your students are lucky to have you. Although your poem is about teaching, I love how it is student centered.

Scott M

Cara, I really enjoy this! I totally agree with Susie and Mo: your students are lucky to have you (and you them!). The subtle “shift” the poem takes from the students “finding meaning in literature” to you “inspir[ing]” and “leading” them to “finding meaning in literature” is very cool. It takes all of you to make it “work”!

Barb Edler

Cara, ohhhh…love this. I’d love to be a student in your classroom. Wonderful job of reversing the lines here!

Rachelle

Great poem and a true testament to your classroom–I can imagine your room now where students’ colorful creations are hung up proudly!

I was really proud to see “Creative Writing 2” as a new course offering for next year! 🙂

Susan Ahlbrand

Cara,
Your students are very lucky to have you. It’s evident that you are passionate about what you do.
I love these two lines:

I am a guide and an encourager

I am not the dictator or queen

Scott M

Thank you, Susan, for your mentor poems and your fun and challenging prompts.  (You made today’s prompt look rather effortless!)
___________________________________________________

This Is Just to Say So Much Depends upon Spring and All

WCW is himself
nearly a palindrome
the plums
and cats
and wheelbarrows
and cats
the plums
nearly a palindrome
WCW is himself

Susan Ahlbrand

Scott . . . Love the way you weave these details together. And you can never go wrong with WCW!

Cara Fortey

Scott,
He is a palindrome!! I love his poems–so short and yet full of so much meaning. You capture his deceptively simple style in your poem. Lovely!

Susie Morice

Scott — I love what you did here…and in finding the palindrome in the WCW…he’d be delighted were he here with his plums and cats and wheelbarrows. Susie

Denise Krebs

Wow, what a tribute to WCW. I love the last line, “WCW is himself” very powerful. And that you noticed his initials are a palindrome made me smile.

Angie

Haha all I see in WCW is Woman Crush Wednesday. Jeez social media sucks sometimes. Love the poem and hopefully now when I see the initials I will think of Williams and this poem instead 😀

Susie Morice

RICOCHET

In reverse
I can travel backward
in time, like a trickster,
hearing a different drummer,
catch my own echo 
— ricochet —
catch my own echo
hearing a different drummer,
in time, like a trickster,
I can travel backward
in reverse.

by Susie Morice, February 22, 2022©

Barb Edler

Susie, your poem is thought-provoking. Traveling backward and the ricochet effect connects well. I often wish I could travel backward…do things differently…listen to the drummer I wish I would have followed. I imagine I would make the same mistakes..sigh. Love the image of you catching your echo. Very cool poem!

Jennifer Jowett

Susie, I love this! Especially the “catch my own echo” lines sandwiching the ricochet. What a perfect title choice (and topic) for this prompt. You’ve made this both playful and thought-provoking at once and I am here for it!

Glenda Funk

Susie, another brilliant poem. Ricochet is a perfect title and descriptor of a palindrome. I’m trying to wrap my head around “travel backward / in reverse.” That’s a fun image that recalls Back yo the Future in my mind!

Susan Ahlbrand

Susie . . .
You are just so skilled. Every poem you create just makes me shake my head at your talent.

Incorporating echo and ricochet makes so much sense. Duh. Why didn’t I think of that?

Boxer

I have read this multiple times, very intriguing and cool. Love it!

Jessica Wiley

Susie, ricochet is a word that is not used much in my vocabulary. I love the way you used it in your poem. “In reverse, I can travel backward in time, like a trickster”, that entire line is very vivid and full of imagery. I can’t tell which way I like better so it’s safe to say I love them both!

Allison Berryhill

Have you learned to throw a boomerang? Your poem made me think I might not be too old to learn.

I love how you used “ricochet” as your turning point. Your poem asks the essential question of how to live: looking forward, looking back.

Bravo.

Denise Krebs

Susie, like so many of your lyrically pleasing poems, this one doesn’t disappoint. I love reading it aloud with the lovely sounds. Like others have said, “ricochet” is a super middle word!

Angie

Reflection on 22.2.22

On 20.2.20
Two years and two days ago 
A Roaring 20s style 
Pre-pandemic party existed.

We danced without distance 
Snapped pics cheek to cheek
No masks in between 
My how things change

Covid was just a beer bottle meme

My how things change
No masks in between 
Snapped pics cheek to cheek
We danced without a
distanced existence.

Pre-pandemic party
Roaring 20s style
Two years and two days ago
On 20.2.20

Susie Morice

OOO, Angie — Masterfully done! I love how you made the dates shimmy from start to finish. The pandemic deserves this confusion of time…it has surely done a number on all of us. Susie

Glenda Funk

Angie, this is so clever. I love all the alliteration and the cadence it creates. I wonder if Corona beer sales have been impacted by the pandemic. And two years ago feels so far away, yet only like yesterday.

Susan Ahlbrand

Angie,
I think with a form poem like this, we often try too hard to shove things in that don’t quite fit just to match the form. We often don’t give much attention to sound and image. You were able to attend to sound and imagery AND play with the form just enough to be fit the form but have its own cleverness.
I especially like

We danced without a

distanced existence.

Jessica Wiley

Ok Angie! This…THIS! Seems like so long ago when we lived so wild and carefree! This sums it all up. The line “Covid was jus a beer bottle meme”. We laughed then, but now not so much. It’s mind-blowing how things truly did change. “Roaring 20s style”…imagine that.

Chloe, Student of Mrs. Simon( Margaret Simon)

You are you
only one not two
personality is key
Think about it
have you described yourself in different ways
As people think,
are they
beautiful
wonderful
amazing
scared
weird
but how
People have good and bad traits
You can’t change that fact

You can’t change that fact
People have good and bad traits
But how
weird
scared
amazing
wonderful
beautiful
are they
as people think
Have you described yourself in different ways
Think about it
Personality in key
only one not two
you are you.

This was really hard. I didn’t it in 10 minutes and I usually write in 5.

Wendy Everard

Chloe, I loved this!! Love how this section:

“As people think,
are they
beautiful
wonderful
amazing
scared
weird”

…turned into:

“But how
weird
scared
amazing
wonderful
beautiful
are they”

Very cool effect!

Susan Ahlbrand

Chloe,
A pretty impressive, cleverly built poem you created in a very short amount of time. Your palindrome poem shares quite a powerful message!

Denise Krebs

Chloe, I love the first and last lines. “only one not two / you are you.” What a powerful message your poem shares. Thank you for writing it here with us today.

Fran Haley

BRAVO, Chloe! Amazing work! Wonderful flow of words each way. This IS a hard form and took me considerably longer than 10 minutes… even my “easy” ones take longer than that!

Margaret Simon

This challenge kept me writing and rewriting all day long. I was determined to post something. I’ve started this comment more than once and erased it.

For now
it’s enough.
This essay will say
what your goals should be.
Exclamation
from society’s
forever free
dance.
Together,
my words
tip-toe,
drip-dry
all the excess
squeezing out
in time.

In time
squeezing out
all the excess
drip-dry,
tip-toe,
my words
dance
together,
forever free
from society’s
exclamation
of what your goals should be.
This essay will say
it’s enough
for now.

Glenda Funk

Margaret, Sometimes “it’s enough / for now” is all we can do—for now. I’m reminded of the quote, “Mo piece of writing is ever finished. It’s just abandoned,” Your poem is an all-purpose mantra for all writing, and I will remind myself when I’m having those “should have, could have, would have” moments, which I’ve experienced w/ both my poem and blog post today.

Chloe, Student of Mrs. Simon( Margaret Simon)

Good Job! I know how long this took you and I think it is a wonderful poem.

Wendy Everard

This was so great! Loved it!

Angie

I love the freedom expressed in the last 7 lines. Works so well!

Denise Krebs

Yes, Margaret! I love how you are living your ENOUGH for 2022. Beautiful. Yes, indeed, “it’s enough / for now.”

Fran Haley

It’s fabulous, Margaret! Love the shift in focus about what one’s goal’s should be… for they should be one’s own. And being enough for now – so important.

Wendy Everard

Susan, I love a fun form! And I just loved your poem and how the meaning shifted from beginning to end. I’m on a silent retreat right now, and it inspired my poem for today:

I love my children.
I really do.
But
then there are days like these:
When 
silence surrounds me
Nothing to hear
but
the peeps of birds,
rubbing of dry branches together
in the woods
outside my window.

And part of me could stay here 

Outside my window
in the woods
Rubbing of dry branches together
The peeps of birds.
But –
Nothing to hear.
Silence surrounds me,
when,
then, there are days like these…
But
I really do.
I love my children.

Margaret Simon

Brilliantly played! I really do love my children, but I also love silence.

Glenda Funk

Wendy, lovely duality of silence. “nothing to hear,” such bliss; “nothing to hear,” such absence.

Cara Fortey

Wendy,
There is a healing that silence brings. I, too, have come to really appreciate silence and solitude. I love your imagery with the “dry branches” and “peeps of birds”–wonderful.

Susan Ahlbrand

Clap, clap!! You really crafted this expertly. And don’t we all relish in the quiet? Doesn’t mean we don’t also love our children and the chaos and noise they bring.

Fran Haley

Wendy, such a lovely flow in this. I feel a sigh in the silence – starting as a craving for it and then appreciation of it which might actually bolster the love of children, after this bit of respite!

Allison Berryhill

I love the rich contradictions (I am large! I contain multitudes!) of this poem. As a mother of six, there is nothing more central to my being than my children…except maybe silence. Hugs.

Susan Osborn

Gone

the birds
have gone
today
there is no chirping
to be heard
no whirl of wings
fluttering
of happiness 
no signs
mourning
morning
a cold dark
fluttered 
flustered
I am
fluttered
flustered
a cold dark
morning
mourning
no signs
of happiness
fluttering
no whirl of wings
to be heard
there is no chirping
today
have gone
the birds

Barb Edler

Susan, holy cow, this is an incredible poem and reflects the dismal gray world outside. Love the play with morning/mourning and the focus on the birds is brilliant! I feel this cold, dark sinking in, the flustered feeling it creates. Outstanding poem!

Susan Osborn

Thank you, Barb!

Glenda Funk

Susan, you must have tapped into my thoughts this morning as I faced yet another blustery morning and a pile of snow covering the ground. It’s the fourth snowstorm this month. Your poem’s physical appearance reminds me of a flock of geese spread across the sky as they fly south to escape our frozen tundra. Adding in the lovely sounds of chirping and whirring, I see hummingbirds in my mind, their wings whirling and fluttering. Beautiful images you’ve given us.

Susan Osborn

Yes, we have been thinking similar thoughts. Thank you for your feedback on this.

Wendy Everard

Susan, this is beautiful. Love the small adjustments, the plays on words. I could feel my mood dipping as the poem went on, as it was supposed to, inspired by this lovely and atmospheric piece. <3

Susan Osborn

I am glad you enjoyed it!

Susan Ahlbrand

The end product is what matters, isn’t it? Sometimes we “break rules,” but what we end up with works well. What you did is so clever . . . playing on the homophones of morning/mourning!

Susan Osborn

Oh! I was worried about that ending and then felt I had to do it that way. Thanks for your support. I always tend to be a rebel.

Scott M

Susan, I really enjoyed the somber tone you’ve crafted here. I kept returning to this during the rainy day today. Thanks!

Denise Krebs

Susan, your word choice is superb. I especially was drawn to these lines and their repeats later:

mourning

morning

a cold dark

fluttered 

flustered

It begins and ends so quietly. Gone the birds…

Barb Edler

Susan, thanks so much for your prompt. Palindromes are challenging! I wanted to write yesterday, but I was working and traveling so I never got the time. I was inspired by Allison’s poem on Sunday evening thinking about how I can never let go of worry and regret. Hope it’s sunnier where you are…..so gray and miserable here.

Regret

regret
nursing like
hungry children
insatiable 
ghosts visiting
whisper
Why didn’t I?

I didn’t, Why?
whisper
visiting ghosts
insatiable
children hungry 
like nursing
regret

Barb Edler
02 22 2022

Glenda Funk

Barb, I feel each word speaking regret. I love the clipped, short lines. They cut, like regret. I understand regret and nurse it. I have a tendency to think every wrong choice my children make is an effect of something I did wrong, so here comes the regret during those times. Conversely, I rarely feel as though their good choices are the result of my mothering. I rarely talk about these feelings because I worry going so will result in more regret, which it has. I’m trying to do better. I recently listened to the audiobook of Daniel Pink’s new book “The Power of Regret” because I don’t accept claims some make about having no regrets. Lots of folks get “No Regrets” tattoos. Many later regret that ink.

Barb Edler

Thanks, Glenda. I will check out this book. I’m one who believes worrying helps thinks to not go the wrong way. I must worry or “crap” will happen.

Allison Berryhill

Hey, my son just recommended Pink’s “Power of Regret” to me a few days ago. Moving it into my Amazon cart.

Susan Ahlbrand

Oh, Barb, you nailed it! I love this simile so much:

regret

nursing like

hungry children

insatiable 

Angie

Ohhh the change from “Why didn’t I?” To “I didn’t, Why?” Is wonderful!

Wendy Everard

Barb, this was just lovely! Love that you worked backwards with the language and not just the lines. Beautiful work. 🙂

Susie Morice

Barb — Super, that nursing regret and regret nursing… You really made the palindrome poem work. I loved the flip of words…visiting ghosts/ghosts visiting. That all this comes in a whisper sure holds that power of how this topic works on you. Well done! Susie

Fran Haley

Barb, there’s a rawness and edge here in your poem – which is what worry and regret ARE. This form is perfect for communicating it, for the mind keeps going round and round with these emotions. Well-done – and haunting.

Allison Berryhill

Oh, my word. Barb, your poem is a brilliant palindrome. “Nursing like hungry children” is such a powerful metaphor: “I didn’t, why?” and “Why didn’t I?” are the quintessential questions of motherhood. Nursing regret. <3 <3

Allison Berryhill

Also, Barb, I am honored that my (regret-ful) poem from Sunday mused you toward this achingly beautiful poem. I do love sharing community with poets here on Sarah Donovon’s Ethical English Language Arts. <3

Denise Krebs

Oh, wow, that image of nursing hungry children comes back with a punch at the end with a twist on the simile. “children hungry / like nursing / regret” just really packs a wallop, Barb. This was such a good topic for the palindrome.

Glenda Funk

Well, this is a surprise I didn’t expect as I lie awake, my eyes popped open like Jack Nickelson’s in “The Shining.”

insomnia

when  I awaken  
in the middle of the night 
Mr. Sandman eludes me 
denying me dreams he brings 

so i turn and scroll
through my twitter feed
past facebook diatribes
along instagram stories 
searching for something 

word games beckon 
my buzzing mind
i enter the spelling bee hive
i wordle, absurdle, quordle myself 
into a wide-eyed frenzy 

i am my own Macbeth
perchance to sleep no more

into a wide-eyed frenzy 
i wordle, absurdle, quordle myself 
i enter the spelling bee hive
my buzzing mind 
word games beckon 

searching for something 
along instagram stories 
past facebook diatribes 
through my twitter feed
so i turn and scroll 

denying me dreams he brings 
Mr. Sandman eludes me
in the middle of the night
when i awaken 

insomnia

—Glenda Funk

Barb Edler

Holy smokes, Glenda! Love this and can definitely relate. I can’t help seeing Jack Nicholson’s face throughout this….chilling! I am very much the same when unable to sleep, playing word games, etc. I so appreciate the way this reversal works so effortlessly! Brilliant!

Susan Osborn

Oh my goodness, Glenda! You have that too?!!! I think insomnia goes with the creative mind that always “searches for something.” In this case the palindrome accents the “wide eyed frenzy.” I am surprised that you arise and do so much. I just lie and turn and toss for hours.

Wendy Everard

Love this one, Glenda! <3

Susan Ahlbrand

Glenda,
What insomnia does to us!! And we always find things to do to help worsen it. I love the list of things that you share. But my favorite part is the crucial pivot:

i am my own Macbeth

perchance to sleep no more

Angie

Oh my this works so well with the palindrome form – like a tunnel or maze that you’re stuck in ? I have definitely woken up in the middle of the night and played wordle.

Susie Morice

Ooo, Glenda, this has a very Shakepearean rhythm of repetition… like that cauldron bubbling Wordles, Quordles, etc. I love that! We are kindred spirits in the night…wordplay in the wee hours. Dang, sleep is elusive indeed. Sisters-in-Insomnia! 🙂 Love it! Susie

Fran Haley

You nailed this, Glenda – and, oh, the double play on Shakespeare in the middle! <3

Denise Krebs

Wow, Glenda, you did get up early Tuesday morning. I saw that you had posted 5 hours earlier when I got up and to my computer. I can appreciate your poem, especially the “wide-eyed frenzy” that comes in the middle of night scrolling. I love the transition in the middle with being your own Macbeth. Well done. I hope you sleep like a sloth tonight.

Kim Johnson

Susan, I love your cyclical journey of family roles and the way you change the order of words and the middle (never) and ending and beginning (freely). It’s interesting how perspectives change as we age. I thought of sleep as I considered my palindrome. I rarely ever take naps since it messes with my nighttime sleep, but a 20 minute power nap has been a saving grace! Thanks for hosting us these 2 days!

Palindrome Snooze

morning: wakening
naptime: midday siesta
bedtime: dreams ahead

Glenda Funk

Kim, this is a fun, succinct reminder of the importance of sleep routines. We’re thinking along the same topic today, and last night I told Ken I must stop napping mid-afternoon. Sweet dreams, my friend.

Barb Edler

Kim, what a clever title. I agree a Power nap is so beneficial, but why must sleep be such a struggle! Love your ending: “dreams ahead”…leaves the with a pleasant note.

Fran Haley

You are forever
Kim, the High Queen of Haiku
waking or sleeping

-and, there’s much to say about our circadian rhythms!

Fran Haley

Susan, palindrome poems have a unique circular magic; what a great choice for this unique date! Yours works magnificently, showing the shift in perspective from child to adult. How succinctly you capture those truths. Love that you even managed a palindrome for the title!

Yesterday was a day off for my district. My son brought my little four-month-old granddaughter over for a visit. I wanted to write about these sweet, sweet moments, to save them, and so I try it here in the form you have offered. Thank you-

Moments with Micah

I would make time stand still
to savor you more
to marvel at the miracle
of your existence
(your dad says 
he still can’t believe
you are real).

Every day
you are changing
growing in size 
knowing in your eyes
so wonderfully made
rose-satin skin
tiny sweet hands
gripping
my heart.

My heart
gripping
tiny sweet hands
rose-satin skin
so wonderfully made
knowing in your eyes
growing in size—
you are changing
every day.

You are real.

He still can’t believe, 
your dad says
of your existence.

To marvel at the miracle
to savor you more
I would make time stand still.

Jennifer Jowett

Oh, Fran! This so beautifully captures those moments we want to hold on to forever. I was drawn in from the beginning but reading the reverse is even more powerful, especially that last stanza, as it allows us to savor the words.

Kim Johnson

Fran, the lines top to middle and bottom to middle mirroring in your palindrome poem about your granddaughter are so precious and so expertly woven! I know that your time spent with your granddaughter was a blessing – the rose-satin skin makes me want to reach in and hug that little one! What a blessing to have a new little girl to love!

Kevin Hodgson

unique circular magic” — agreed.

Barb Edler

Fran, oh my, your poem is so sweet and touching. Love how this form works so well to share the love you and your family share of Micah….to “make time stand still”. Gorgeous poem! I felt tears come to my eyes reading your poem…very moving!

Glenda Funk

Fran, this is so precious. My heart is melting. Your words are those of many grandmothers, and I can imagine you burying your face into the baby’s neck and snuggling. ❤️?

Wendy Everard

Fran, this was just lovely! Made me tear up. Thank you.

Susan Ahlbrand

Fran,
Golly, you created a gem here. You certainly took lines and make them flexible enough to work both ways, but you didn’t lose a bit of meaning or power.
I love this line/image:

knowing in your eyes

Glenda Funk

Okay, Susan, this is going to be a brain bender for me and will likely take me all day to compose! I’ll be back later w/ a poem, but reading your prompt reminded me of “Lost Generation.” A student introduced me to this palindrome/mirror poem back in 2007, and it’s still a favorite, so I’m dropping the link here for others who may have forgotten or missed it. https://youtu.be/42E2fAWM6rA

Fran Haley

Glenda: I know this poem! I’ve used it in writing workshops for with high school students and adults. It has a magical effect.

Barb Edler

Thanks for sharing this, Glenda…it is such a powerful piece!

Susan Ahlbrand

Thanks for sharing, Glenda! My students are writing palindrome poems today, so I showed them this video as an example. It blew their minds!

Kevin Hodgson

A fragile mirror, held up
to a poem,
reveals the writer
dancing with the reader
in the midst of wonder

and every verse

in the midst of wonder
reveals the writer,
dancing with the reader,
to a poem;
a fragile mirror, held up

— Kevin

Jennifer Guyor Jowett

Perfection mirrored, Kevin.

Fran Haley

This is the beautiful, wondrous truth. Oh, the fragile mirror…

Kim Johnson

Whoa! That’s amazing, Kevin – what a beautiful image and carries such truth!

Kevin Hodgson

And a different look
comment image

Barb Edler

Wow, would love to know how you did this! Very cool!

Susan Ahlbrand

Kevin,
You are going to have to give us a tutorial of how you created something so visually cool.
Poetry serves a lot of purposes and you nailed it with this poem. So clever!

Fran Haley

AWESOME…!

Scott M

Very cool!

Glenda Funk

Kevin, gorgeous imagery in your palindrome: poems as mirrors, poems dancing, the delicateness of the relationship between reader and writer. All of this is why we’re here, why we write, why we share.

Barb Edler

Kevin, your poem reminds me a bit of a poem by Williams Carlos Williams where he is dancing naked. I especially like the words “fragile mirror” as writing and sharing is a personal risk we take with others. Love the joy and positivity developed through the act of dancing and “midst of wonder”. Writing creates a wonder for both readers and writers, I believe. Outstanding poem! Thanks:)

Margaret Simon

I love these two images of the writer, a fragile mirror. I was so intimidated by this prompt but didn’t give up even though the poem reveals my inadequacies.

Jennifer Guyor Jowett

Susan,
This was such an interesting challenge, a looping of the brain for early morning. I don’t think you cheated – the switch from children to parents shows their growth and emphasizes the recycling aspect of life (from child to parent to child again).

2/22/22

we live 
in palindromic times

begin and end and begin

again
black to light to black
again

begin and end and begin

in palindromic times
we live

Kevin Hodgson

Living in Palindromic Times … yeah … great phrase and so insightful
Kevin

Fran Haley

In a word: Amazing. Once again, Jennifer, you communicate volumes and truths with spareness. The feel of this is exactly like the feel of these times.

Kim Johnson

Jennifer, yes! These palindromic times make the days feel mechanically black to light to black with tired all woven in. I feel that tired and I am
living your poem – that’s sort of what I wrote about today as well only not quite the palindromic form of the mirror. I love this one you have written – it’s where we are right now!

Glenda Funk

Jennifer, this is brilliant. Indeed, “we live in palindromic times.” This pandemic is its own cruel palindrome. You are an amazing poet. I’m in awe!

Barb Edler

Jennifer, wow, this is provocative. I feel a definite sense of tension in your poem and life!

Susan Ahlbrand

Jennifer,
This is good stuff. Palindromic times. We sure do. The same thing over and over and over. Do we ever really stop and enjoy the moment instead of repeating the cycle again?

Angie

Ughhhh this is sooo good. I mean, a perfect palindrome poem for today 😀

Susie Morice

Yes, Jennifer… “palindromic times” indeed… I feel the see-saw of it. And I’m grateful that it starts and end with “we live”…. whew! I’m thinking a lot about the fulcrum spot of “black to light to black”…It sort of hits me like a passenger train passing and the windows revealing no light and then light and then no light as it passes through. Another really interesting poem! Susie