Mother Earth
She takes such good care
Of her children
Providing all the nutrients
We could ever ask for
From the juiciest fruits
To the salt in the sea
Her love for us
Knows no end
As long as we
Take care of her
In return
Jill Calahan
novamarie
2020 is my first year participating in the marathon. I started writing when I was pretty young. Over 20 years ago. It saved me during some dark times in my life. I stopped writing for a really long time. But in the last couple years or so, I've gotten back into it. I've missed it. It feels like coming home. You can check out my work on Instagram novamarie_poetry
Hour 13
Sometimes we think
We’re pulling weeds
When really we’re digging up
The flowers we forgot to water
~take a closer look
Hour 12!
When I looked at her I could see
All that wild in her eyes
She held the universe in her smile
And it shined brighter than the sun
But I could also see the things
She tried so hard not to show
The dark parts she kept hidden
Between the spaces of her fingers
But that’s the thing I loved
So when I held her hand
I held her darkness too.
Hour 11: Nature’s Blessing
Our Gods are not the same
But if you ask me
To pray for you, I will
I’ll pray to the sun
To gift you a warmth
That will spread across your chest
When the world feels too cold
I’ll pray to the moon
To help light your way
When it feels too dark
To see the future ahead of you
I’ll pray to the trees
To give you roots
And to the earth
To keep you grounded
I’ll whisper these blessings
Into the wind
An unseen messenger
That will carry them
Through the trees
My forest
My church
Our Gods are not the same
But if you ask me
To pray for you, I will.
Hour 10
Forgot to post it here!
Hour 9
I search the treeline
For that one opening I know
Will lead to the tiny cottage
You and I built
For the end of the world
I need to sit
And take a break
Before I break
But how strange it is
That I just keep going
Knowing you won’t even be there
It will be empty
And dark
And cold
Unlike the bottle I use
To trap emotions like fireflies
The anger inside built up
Until the bottle burst
And the fire flies
Right from my mouth
Spitting heat and lava
Burning my tongue.
I don’t mean to be so angry
But you left before we could see
The end of the world
And instead become the end
Of my world.
Hour 8: The one with the emojis
Kitty Kitty, Firecracker, Flashbang
Three nicknames you gave me
As we climbed trees
In search of stars
In search of meaning
As my feet dangle and swing
Above the forest floor
I think of you
And the ghost you’ve become
We’re you ever really real?
Sometime I feel like jumping
From this tree branch
So I could become a ghost too.
Maybe then, I could see you again.
My grip on this branch is firm
But I’m not afraid of dying
I just wish I could press rewind
And start over with you here
Climbing trees
In search of stars
And finding meaning.
Hour 7: Season of Springs
I want to live my life
In a season of eternal springs
With new beginnings
And budding opportunities
Always having the chance
To blossom and grow.
Hour 6
On a moss covered path
Deep in the forest
I walk to find peace
A slight breeze greets me
And kisses my cheek
Slivers of light
Make their way
Through outreached branches
As if to say
Come, hold my hand
We’ve been waiting for you
The memory of rain
Still lingers in the air
A humid blanket
Coating my skin
Shimmering like the surface
Of the ocean at sunset
I’m glowing
And as I’m bathed
In lush greens
Warm light
Dew drops
And birdsong
I feel home
