Running on the hamster wheel and other poems

Does your brain ever feel like a hamster wheel? Mine does sometimes.

It’s been 2 weeks since my dad passed, and I haven’t written any poems, although I’ve been drawing almost every day (It’s still #Inktober).

I shared my first 2 poems for Inktober already. I thought I’d share what I wrote earlier this month.

The hamster wheel

The Inktober prompt was “rodent” and one of the suggested forms was a shape poem–this isn’t exactly that, but I was inspired to combine the words and image.

The hamster wheel in my mind squeaks

Little guy can’t stop running,

Wheel won’t stop creaking.

The cure–

pen and paper,

Write, draw.

Let the squalling rhythm

Lull me into flow..

Images flow from heart to hand to pen to page.

Tu-whit, tu-whoo,

Caterwaul becomes

Something new.

Susan Bruck

A Con-Verse poem

No, it’s not about shoes.

One of the fun and challenging things about October Poetry Writing Month Challenge is learning about new poetic forms. You don’t, of course, have to use any particular form, but they do suggest 2 different forms each day to use if you want. So, this poem is a Con-Verse. It’s a rhyming couplet. The first two lines have 7 syllables, the next 2 have 8, then 9, 10, and 11.

Tell me what your heart desires.

What dreams sets your heart on fire?

Tell what obstacles block your way,

From following this path today.

Fear and doubt may travel by your side

Just never–not ever!–let them drive

You will need snacks and your favorite juice

To nourish the joy that you’re setting loose.

Be sure to pack light for this map-free joy ride.

Let trust, mindfulness, and passion be your guides

Susan Bruck

And then–a triolet

A triolet has 8 lines. The 1st, 4th and 7th lines repeat. The 2d and 8th lines also repeat. This is the rhyme scheme: ABAabAB (capital letters are the repeated lines.

My broken heart has sprouted wings.

Light pulses in rhythm through the cracks.

The bell has cracked, but it still rings.

My broken heart has sprouted wings.

Cage door swings open; silent bird sings.

Once that door opens, there’s no going back.

My broken heart has sprouted wings.

Light pulses in rhythm through the cracks.

This poem seems especially poignant to me now. I wrote it 2 days before my father’s death.

And here’s the last poem for today: a diamante

The diamante is a really interesting form. One way to work with it is to make it a poem about opposites. I wrote mine about lions and dandelions. Dandelion literally means teeth of the lion. So they’re not exactly opposites, but they’re an interesting contrast. As I drew them, I saw the similarities in their shape.

This is the structure:

Noun (topic a)

two adjectives describing a

three “ing” action verbs describing a

two nouns about topic a and two about topic b

three “ing” action verbs describing b

two adjectives describing b

Noun (topic b)

(I decided to use active verbs instead–not sure if that’s “kosher,” but I like it better.

Dandelion

yellow, fluffy

grows, glows, floats

healer, lawn-invader, meat-eater, destroyer

hunts, stalks, naps

fierce, roaring

lion

Poetry Friday

Jama, over at Jama’s Alphabet Soup hosts Poetry Friday today. She shares a lovely, melancholy poem about fall by David James. Check it out–and see what other poets have to share or add your own link.

And thanks so much for stopping by.

xoxo