23 – Surrender (a freeform haiku)
I don’t have answers. I don’t have to understand. I just have to be.
21
As I walked along the city streets I saw
a speck of green.
A few baby blades of grass
pushed up gently,
resiliently
through the cracks in the pavement.
Unbeknownst to most,
the little blades of grass
grew stronger,
pushing,
fighting.
Life finds a way.
-h.e.m.
Burnham Park
I ride the one with
three wheels.
I am not brave enough
for the two.
Please stay near
and don’t let me fall.
Can we get taho
from that guy over there?
I have change
from my birthday.
Look!
Uncle Rie can we
row on the bird boats
on the pond?
They’re ducks?
Oh.
Those are a type
of bird too.
Poem 20. “Love song”
“Love song” by Mandy Austin Cook
My life should be a love song
dedicated to you
you’re more
than what has pieced my brokenness together
you simply are the glue.
it’s meant so much it’s the one thing
that leaves me grasping for words like air
but I’m grateful for moments that give me pause
because of intensity of meaning there
I hope I say it enough– those cliche little words
they never seem quite to explain
what is most beautiful about my life
is the hope of you that remains.
Hour 23
Shutting down
slowly
as the sun also rises
like Hemingway wrote
old man, I wonder
if he stayed awake for 24 hours
driving himself mad on
sleep deprivation and prose
Which is what I’m running on
almost empty
on hour 23
TWENTY-THREE (sestina)
The dreams I’ve had all my life came true today.
I married the man on whom I have waited.
We went before a judge and stood together.
We held hands, spoke our vows, and pledged forever.
So nervous that day, I hardly remember.
My sister and his friend witnessed us say yes.
Every part of me leapt forward to say yes.
The love we had then has lasted to this day.
If times get hard, we only need remember
How much we loved each other then and waited
To become one flesh and be that forever.
Nothing more we want than being together.
When two people want to join together,
My advice to you both, before you say yes…
Be friends first until it feels like forever,
At the same time, it feels like you met today.
When you say yes, you’ll be glad that you waited
And make that first night, a night to remember.
When you are old and sit back to remember,
In your rocking chairs, clasping hands together,
Of the times you went, of the times you waited,
Of the times you said no, and when you said yes,
Of all that you’ve done that brought you to today,
You know that you are on the way to forever.
Along the road to the goal of forever,
There are some things you must always remember.
Don’t sleep with your anger, make things right today.
Don’t go alone when you can go together.
Don’t give them a “no” when your partner needs “yes”.
Don’t hurry them up when you could have waited.
Rejoice in the decision when you waited.
You know you had the rest of forever.
All the times of your life, you can say yes.
Always hold on to it, always remember
You made the choice to walk through life together.
Be it yesterday, tomorrow, or today.
If you wish you had not waited, remember,
You can live all your forever together.
You can always say yes to your love today.
19. Journey
Journey
My friend’s daughter spells her name different from above, yet she is so full of love.
This journey we take is a choice we must make.
It is full of surprises along the way, mishaps and accidental mistakes that are beautiful and funny all the same.
This life is a journey of sorts.
Think of how fun it would be if each day was an adventure with ourselves and those we love, to go out into the world confidently.
Just like how we choose to approach our poetry.
All rights reserved copyright (c) 2019 Natasha Vanover
Dreaming Genesis
It was nothing around me, only a soft breeze
caressing my face and the light playing.
It was a combination of light and shadows,
but light was always more powerful.
A strange music could be heard and I almost
expected gods to show themselves.
I woke up among echos of uplifting sounds,
being eager to repeat my travel in space.
18. Out of Order
Out of sorts
Poetry writing
In all kinds of ways
Some inspired
Many prompted
I wonder if I will see the break of day.
16 hours for the summer solstice
This is quite a feat
To stay up all night and day without missing a beat
Of the music
It started out with a soundtrack that ended.
As it got too late.
The music was all in my mind and I traded it for quiet.
I need to recheck my spelling and grammar.
All in all this is a feeling like to other.
Thank you to the creators of this glorious challenge.
To write to our hearts content with as little or as much flow.
I am so happy to have made it through 26 plus poems for a marathon worth its weight in gold.
My eyes are blurry and my hands are weak, yet this is the happiest I have been in weeks.
Once a year we dedicate an entire one day to Poetry… A national holiday near and dear to my heart.
Adieu till next year…
Sweet Slumber and Good Night to all.
May your poems rest tonight in the company of more than a few and tomorrow be shared and multiplied too…
You made it.
All rights reserved copyright (c) 2019 Natasha Vanover
Black Vibes
Holding space as women of color to share, love, and support one another.
Watching our children laugh, create and play.
What more can I say?
It’s a vibe with colorful currents in our airway.
A melody only my sisters can play.
Men of color your vulnerability is at an all-time high.
A refreshingly pleasant reason to just smile.
Watching you grow, embrace, and shine.
Say it one more time.
This world is mine.
It’s a vibe full of unity and truth.
I finally see you in all your blackness.
The beauty it holds and the passion it invokes.
Brilliance enters as you step in the room as the energy moves.
It’s a vibe a rhythm worth more than diamonds and gold.
The greatness recognized in self.
Aware of our connections and the power in our reflections.
I see you paying homage to our ancestors.