Merely Day By Day

POETRY FRIDAY IS HERE!  Thank you for stopping by. Today, I am honored to host the community that continually inspires me.  Please find the Mr. Linky below to wander the Poetry Friday posts and/or to add your poem to this week's roundup.  Today, I offer... In the Mourning On my walk, I think of two women I sit between in time: The Grandmother, who ran her home like a business. and The Granddaughter who, someday, may run her own. I bury my face, in hands that know the work, after witnessing another woman, qualified, steady, competent, brushed aside. I want to run into my house, bolt the door, never go out again to meet the eyes of other women who sold the dream  for pennies. But my grandmother, who lived in a time that kept her from the job she wanted, her own money, her own home, whispers - no, shouts - in my ear, "There is work to do." My young granddaughter is watching from my lap, she saw the warrior woman, head strong, heart open, stand, and with great strength say, &

It's Poetry Friday!  Today's Poetry Friday community roundup  is hosted by Buffy Silverman.  Stop by for all the poetry joy you need today!  That's a Wrap Whew! National Poetry Month has ended. I survived. Ha! Actually, I consider the month a reasonable success since I learned quite a bit and found some direction for going forward. First of all, I'd like to thank this community. I think you all know how much is gained from a stroll around the Poetry Friday neighborhood. Here are a few other places that pushed me along in April: The Practicing Poet: Writing Beyond the Basics   by Diane Lockward (this book is now at the top of my list for crafting poetry)  The Slowdown Show hosted by Major Jackson Poem-a-Day Merely In-Progress : the substack space where I wrote reflections and tracked links of interest. If you want to have some fun, check out today's final reflection post: Treat Yourself Like a Poet .  Perspectives In an effort keep the momentum going into May, I att

Here we are! Today is the last day of National Poetry Month. In this week's reading of The Practicing Poet, Adele Kenny shared poems written in sections. I will occasionally use this organization strategy in an essay. I thought I'd try it in this final poem of the month. On Deception i. who can explain magic? charms, spells,  a powerful force unexplained: an illusion, a lie believed. ii.  as a child I remember sitting in magic shows, believing everything was real. my grandfather would take all of us. we'd watch people disappear and return smiling.  iii. poetry: the wave of the wand cannot solve the problems on the page, staring at a blank space, waiting for the magic, searching for a lucky charm. © Cathy L. Mere, 2024  For April, I will be taking a deep dive into  The Practicing Poet: Writing Beyond the Basics ,  edited by Diane Lockward. This book is full of 30 craft tips, so it is the perfect way to shape this month's challenge and dig into the craft of poetry. Stop b

I was looking for something light and fun today when the news reported the escape of four zebras. Apparently, at the time of the report, three had been caught, but one was still on the loose. All I can picture is this one zebra out there living her best life - even if only for a short time. ( Here's the story from the New York Times .) Photo by  Fabrizio Frigeni  on  Unsplash The Great Escape  The grass is always greener       on the other side, they say.  I wanted to find out and       my chance it came today.  With slow and steady movements       I began to work the latch.  When I felt it give a little,       a plan began to hatch.  The doors began to open,      so  our dazzle we did run,  to find some greener pastures,       and maybe have some fun.   My friends weren't all that certain     that  my plan was all that wise.  They started to have cold feet,      and  gave up on the prize. But this zebra had a mission,       greener pastures were my goal.  So I made my big esc

  For April, I will be taking a deep dive into  The Practicing Poet: Writing Beyond the Basics ,  edited by Diane Lockward. This book is full of 30 craft tips, so it is the perfect way to shape this month's challenge and dig into the craft of poetry. Stop by my Substack page,   Merely in Progress , to follow this month's writing journey, where you will also find reflections, links, and inspiration across the challenge.  Of course, this month is all about writing poetry, so I will have a new poem posted here each day utilizing a craft tip from the book. Here we go.

  Penny for your thoughts seems too small a price considering inflation and all. Who wants these thoughts anyway? To cut to the chase, they're just filled with worry. Worries like these can keep one up at night, put butterflies in your stomach. I suppose worries are a dime a dozen anyway, there's always plenty to go around. Let's face it, worries hit us at the drop of a hat when we least expect them. Though we try to push them away, work to ignore them, they sneak up when we least expect it. It costs an arm and a leg to bury them deep in the earth.  © Cathy L. Mere, 2024 Of Note: A little 4/28/24 update: Hold your horses! Early in Lockward's book, The Practicing Poet,  Pattiann Rogers (pp. 75-81) talks about list poems. She shared a few examples of poets using idioms to write their poems. It was lighthearted and fun to read. I decided to try it  after making a long list of idioms and looking for a thread that might work.  Then, this morning, I woke up to this post by Po