The Poetry Marathon

Hour 8 – Retelling

Bad things happen to good people.
Terrible things happen to children,
especially children who don’t know what they’re doing,
who think they know what they’re doing.
It can leave them with ghastly scars.

People who have had bad things happen
can still be good after.
They can try to fix their mistakes,
and it still counts, even if bad things
cling to their shoes and burden their gait.

A soldier is not necessarily good or bad.
He can do things when he’d young,
things he will regret and try to atone for.
He can create monsters without knowing.
The soldier can’t be held responsible for his king.

Then there are the monsters that were no one’s fault.
The ones that begged and seduced their way to birth.
Maybe they are the source of all evil.
Maybe we are just human and evil is a part of that.
The line between human and monster is not where you think it is.

Children grow into soldiers.
Soldiers either grow to redemption and regret
or they die cold and early.
Some of them keep seeking after the war
fighting for a light to keep the shadows at bay.

If they are lucky,
they win back something that was taken.
But even the lucky must lose to regain it.

Norm/ Prompt hour seven

Deconcerned.

The norms.

We could do it or don’t.

A wait in the moral.

Tides teens and family togetherness.

No time to waste.

People comes, and goes.

This is just a recall.

On how mankind,

Humanity.

Is to live a good life.

Right from the start.

Here me out.

People.

Hour 6

Prompt 6:

Pulse rushing through veins all the way down

My legs urge to move yet Orthostatic hypotension strikes in.

Let’s Imagine

I imagine You
imagining Me
writing this poem
while we read it
with no imagination

Sweet Jane

(for hour 8—condense book prompt)

 

Sweet Jane

 

 

When Jane ran from my grand home, indignant

and penniless

I feared she’d succumb to diseases of her orphan childhood

 

My Sweet Jane

 

Though her brilliant mind and steadfast morals

I would sully

My fairy-like governess forgives as easily as she flies to anger

 

My Sweet Jane

 

Beauties may stand above her station in their games, their ploys

not mentally

She must be made my equal despite others’ maneuverings

 

My Sweet Jane

 

To hide a dangerous wife in raging insanity, and lose her

to tragedy

Leaves one open to God’s judgment, punishment, wrath

 

My Sweet Jane

 

Her worthy adventures and suitors drive my mind wild

with jealousy

Yet I give up all my pride to have her returned as my helpmate, my soul

 

My Sweet Jane

 

There are days when I awake, blurry-eyed from damage

unbelieving

Until I feel Jane’s hand on my cheek and hear our child’s cry

 

My Sweet Jane

 

 

Hour Eight

Harry Potter

Harry Potter, living under the stairs,
Always wondered why nobody cared.
“You’re a wizard, Harry”, Hagrid explains,
So it’s off to Hogwarts and some friends to gain.

Four school houses live in deep conflict,
While students have homework and spells to lick,
But on the forth floor, danger is hidden,
An an obstacle course to complete, they are bidden.

To save the day, Harry must play,
Wizard Chess, and a room full of keys
Before facing an evil professor
And the stone to seize.

But all ends well, and first year is over,
Harry returns to Privet Drive, no longer a pushover,
Wand in hand, and friends on his side,
Harry is a hero – full of Gryffindor pride!

Hour 8: Summary of Seveneves

Once upon a time the moon
Was broken into seven pieces.
The world watched on in horror
As the danger increases.
A man proclaimed the world would end
In a glittering white rain
For five thousand years the sky would fall
Nothing would ever be the same again.
Many people were sent to space
To gather all together
On the international space station
To escape the fateful weather.
As the world did end, chaos ensued
Mutiny was attempted and lost
But many of the last humans alive
Were killed, a very high cost.
In the end only seven remained
To repopulate the earth.
Seven women with strife between them
Had to all, but one, give birth.
Time went on, millenniums,
And finally the time came.
To go back down to earth
Which wasn’t quite the same.
Technology had soared,
With cities in the sky
An elevator and a tether
That people traveling to earth could ride.
A group of seven people
Who each descended from a line
Of the seven eves
Who’s futures would entwine.
They traveled as a group to earth
Learning in epic waves.
They met another group of folk
Who had lived underground, in caves.
A clash ensued and then betrayed
By one of their seven.
The one who did betray them
Rode a hammer into the heavens.
The people who were left
Made their way to the sea
Where a new surprise awaited
Just what would it be?
As the story did unfold, they found
An underwater clan
They came up from the watery depths
To meet the group on land.
A link in the form of a picture
Was flashed silently up high
The underwater people,
Their eyes opened wide.
In the end they came together
Made peace between the nations.
The three groups made up the whole
Of the human population.

HUNGER GAMES

First there was Katniss and then there was hunger
Then off she goes to the game, the Hunger Games
The vast arena where death awaits
Was something that man creates

One by one the players are shown
Little by little death won
Katniss the crowd favorite
Earned favors and earned gifts

Her people rely on her so she needs to stay alive
Their hunger became her strength and got her vibe
And so until the end it is she that emerged
So strong and so charming She was full of courage

She was now the winner and people were so glad
They’ve been fed became full , food was enough
The courage that she had had earned her a spot
Her people and their hunger made her strong and fought.

Power Brownouts possible… Advice?

Because of the heat wave we are POSSIBLY having power brownouts in my area. I’m crossing my fingers that all will be well, but I wanted to let you guys know that at any time I could lose internet. We’ve never had brownouts here before so I don’t really know what to expect.

I know in years past we relied on the honor system to write down the time we wrote the poem and to post them when the power came back on (fortunately I was always able to post my poems but it seems the poetry marathon often has interesting things occur around it :))

I can see if I can go on fb with my phone and post there to prove that I’m still posting, but I’m not sure if the internet will be up if the brownouts happen. I’m in Canada and our internet towers are independent of the power so it’s even possible that we may lose internet and keep power. We aren’t used to these temperatures at all here, everything is new here for temperatures like this. I’m not sure if we have ever had temps like this before here!

It’s coming up to the hot part of the day, I’m not sure if it’s more likely to be then or when people sit down to enjoy the evening when brownouts would happen. If anyone has experience with brownouts I would be happy to get advice on handling them.

Wish me luck and power and internet!

Together (Hour Seven, A Lune)

If love is all we

need, why does

he feel so alone?

 

(A lune is an Americanized version of traditional Japanese haiku, composed of three lines, with a syllabic count of 5/3/5.)