Prompt 4 – Together to Alone

Unions I have known
attempted conjugal paths
hammered and etched
of steel and glass

Blissful beginnings
torturous lessons
dragging one or the other
off course

Promises of better
blink in the headlight
while hope from the past
fades in the rearview mirror

Rage against loss
of what was only
a potential
unrealized

The shiny blink
Beckoned to me
and a hundred others
Eventually fading away

Alone now
learning to love
the only one
I can trust

Prompt 3 – Promising

unchained from expectations
free to be me
I welcome in The one
who will raise my heart to
a new level of love

from the crushed and pulverized dreams
a matrix for promise I will build
and decorate it with gems of memories made
gifts realized, ideas birthed
and purpose revived

Hours 2 – Surpassing the Odds, Passed by the Odd

Record heat bounces off canyon walls
stiffling my breath
as I climb

Breathless athletes pass
driven by unseen inspiration
to overcome, do, prove

Legs pushing against pedals
trying, but failing
to reach the pinnacle

Tutu'd cyclists
pass and wave 
as I shamefully walk up the hill

Proof I am alive
but failing
to reach undefined goals

Surpassing all expectations
of maintaining breath
and utility of body

But soulfully lost
reaching to the sky for strength
and finding none

After the race
with feet planted on level ground
hope springs eternal

A new chapter to be written
shedding of "must be's"
to reach the newly defined vision

Reaching for the sky
in joyous communion
lost no more

Hour 1 – Moving On

Raining down like a thousand beads of wisdom
"I told you so's dancing through my head"
Your vacant eyes look back at me
Unable to comprehend

My love for you is enduring
Rushing from a time before time
Your wounds and self-absortion
Block me from your heart and mind

The years of starts and stops
no longer serve me
The end of every season I lie bleeding
Praying you'll gain some empathy

Raining down like a thousand beads of wisdom
"I told you so's dancing through my head"
Your vacant eyes look back at me
Unable to comprehend

The years roll on 
You search for meaning
Looking always to the outside world
to make you whole

I love you so I'm leaving
Healing that wound that made me yours
I'm leaving to share me
With someone who can love me back, for sure.

Raining down like a thousand beads of wisdom
"I told you so's dancing through my head"
Your vacant eyes look back at me
Unable to comprehend

Pre-Marathon Intro

Kim Smart coming at you – well, from Fairbanks, AK at the moment, but I generally am in Kansas, South Dakota, or Arizona helping family. I am a floating soul, living life, piecing together the essentials and being @nomad4God by helping others where I can. I have had several careers – registered nurse, attorney, author, public servant, teacher – and am currently working on my PhD in psychology. I have 2 beautiful children and 6 going on 11 grandchildren (4 marrying in and 1 due in September). This is my second 24-hour marathon and I look forward to focusing on this opportunity to co-create in the energy of my fellow participants. Best wishes to all!

Intro – first time marathoner

Greetings! I’m Kim and have joined the Poetry Marathon this year for the first time. I’m looking forward to shaking up my writing and digging deep to retrieve the images, messages, and emotions locked deep in my soul so I can see them, massage them, and birth them into the world. This will be a labor of love–of words, craft, self, and aspiration. I appreciate any tips from those who have done this before. Thanks all and all the best to you in this endeavor!