The Poetry Marathon

Look at you!

You’ve achieved so much.

Perhaps not what I thought you would,

yet, in some ways more.

How the years have flown, ten years more like ten days

dissipating like the morning mist.

As if Father Time is manually spinning

the hands of the clock, faster and faster.

What dreams I held tight within my grasp then!

Bold, daring pursuits.

Yet I feared releasing them, losing control,

letting them fly

But you dreamed new dreams,

better dreams

Ones that suit you –

the you, you are today.

At 62, my face still held the glow of youth

love blushed my cheeks

stirred my heart to create stories

like lifeblood pulsing through me.

Today, skin like tissue paper

covers my blue-veined hands,

Mother Nature painting me

in the image of my departed mother.

I see your accomplishments.

I see the challenges you faced without wavering

Come, see you from here.

Who is that woman I see?

Is that really me?

Surrounded by friends who love her –

what greater achievement than this?

I chose love over tangible rewards

my goals transmuted into acts of love,

and now with my fortress of friendship

I can pursue my dreams once more.

Beneath my feet pine straw yields,

a scent so fresh and clean.

The day both crisp and sunlit

as we hike this forest scene

From walls of granite boulders

woodland creatures hide and peep

keeping close watch o’er their realm

high within their castle keep.

They track our route along the path

ensuring we’re not here to stay.

We hear them chatter in the leaves

as if to say, “Be on your way.”

Good luck to fellow HALF MARATHONERS and all you long-haul FULL MARATHONERS!

May the Muses be with us all today.

Hi there!

This will be my 4th Poetry Half Marathon. That will tell you something. These events push me to focus and block out distractions because of the time crunch. And I’ve written some of my best poems during the marathons.

I’m definitely not up to 24 hours… I’m in awe of those of you who make that commitment.

If this is your first marathon, take time to read, and comment on the work of other participants. It will help your own writing.

And most of all, I hope you all have a great, fun-filled experience!

Cheers

Wendie

Excited for another Poetry half Marathon….I’m just not up to 24 hours! Thank you, Caitlin and Jacob and whoever else is assisting you in putting on these wonderful events.

I’ve been productive during these events and wonder why I seem unable to create the same type of time restraints in my regular life….. Something to work on.

Cheers everyone!

Wendie

I had trouble with my internet and couldn’t post Hours 11 &  12 until now.

Good luck to all those doing the full marathon. You rock!

I heard your call before you appeared

mystical bird of the north.

Your haunting, plaintive song

echoed across the still lake.

Striking a regal pose, head held high,

in formal black and white attire,

your doppelgänger perfectly reflected in the water.

You called again, and your mate arrived

Together you dove for dinner

and I waited … and waited … and waited …

At last, you broke the surface –

right in front of me.

Your intense red eyes met my curious green ones

for a magical moment we connected.

IMAGE: painting copyright Wendie Donabie

Beyond the pines, stars sail by as we spin through another night.

We ponder what lies out there beyond our myopic view?

Are there beings watching us destroy our beautiful planet?

Do we expect a space cowboy in shining armour

to arrive in his pure white spaceship

to save us in the eleventh hour?

Fools we be if this is our belief.

Our hope, our answers lie within us.

We must be the agents of change.

Where there is the will,

there will be a way.

and the time to act is today.

IMAGE: Stay Rooted While Reaching for the Stars, copyright Wendie Donabie

If I threw everything in my studio into a pot,

what would I get?

Paints, papers, inks, glues, rocks, feathers, books and brushes

computer, pens, pencils, erasers, easel, desk and cabinets

canvases, boards, tiles, buckets, and more

Would I create a masterpiece like our universe?

Would I produce life

like the unknown force that tossed everything in existence together

to trigger the Big Bang?

No,

that won’t happen

but it could be a way to find a new direction for my work.

I need to mix it up.

Put disparate items together.

Nietzsche said, out of chaos, comes order.

That’s my plan – create a mess and find a way out of it.

Challenge myself to discover a new creative expression.

Yes, this is it!

I searched in my cupboard for a food that brought up a childhood memory

but nothing worked.

I’m descended from a long line of omnivores.

I’m a boomer whose mom cooked with canned foods and processed flours, every kind of fat, and she baked a lot.

I’m not her.

For eight years, I’ve eaten a plant-based diet, low in fat, dairy, and meat free.

I don’t want to eat meat any longer. The texture and taste do nothing for me. Although I do indulge in the occasional piece of cheese.

At the beginning, I had trouble finding products to keep me plant- based but today with more people joining the movement, it’s easier to purchase foods for my diet.

I felt bad that I failed in finding a something in my cupboard that triggered a childhood memory, so I went back to take another look, and there it was – brown sugar. I recalled one of my favourite desserts – hot apple crisp with that rich, sugary, crunchy, cinnamon and nutmeg, oatmeal, and butter topping crowned with a scoop of melting vanilla ice cream.

Mom used food as a reward and made this dessert often. Unfortunately for my waistline, it’s a lesson I have yet to unlearn. It’s the curse of the apple crisp.

Don’t tell anyone, I still make it today! And I use Mom’s recipe!