The Versesmith

 dVerse Poetics: Picking up the Pieces "So, for today’s Poetics challenge, I would like you to write about grief (in general or personal). If that is something you don’t want to share, you can write about healing, dealing with loss or the general state of our world that brings grief to you." While I've written, and posted, poetry speaking of grief in general, much of it, unbeknownst to the reader, as personal.  I may have mentioned, or alluded to the loss of my husband, but never came right out (that I recall) and wrote about it.  I've typed and backspaced, typed and deleted, and now, I've only been able to write one line, an American Sentence.     My heart was left so shattered, there was no way to pick up the jagg'd shards. ©2024 Lisa Smith Nelson. All Rights Reserved Other poems on the subject of grief, and loss, can be found on the left by clicking "grief" in the Labels area. 

Poetics: Running With Horses Dora at dVerse offers the following prompt.  "Our poetics prompt is simple: horses. Use horse imagery in any way you like, either as the focus of your poem or in passing. In allusion or metaphor. An ekphrastic. Or just a mention will do." Why is it little girls want a horse, is it part of their DNA? They play with the figures and pour over the books, and know the roan from the bay! Herds of Breyer fill their shelves; their minds on horses all day. The only gift they want  Santa to bring is a model of dapple grey! They nag and they plead for a chestnut to ride, or a pretty buckskin mare. A golden coat, a mane of black, and a bridle made of rawhide!  They paint-by-number mares and foals, then gallop around the yard. At breakfast time they want their oats raw when served in bowls!  Every year at the county fair it's straight to the pony rides,  and off to the livestock barns. A gaggle of girls gather to gawk and pet the horses' smooth s...

24 Seasons Syllabic Poetry Challenge, No. 44 Sweltering Heat (July 22 – August 6) Taisho 大暑 "Your syllabic poetry writing invitation is to choose a kigo word or phrase from the seasonal kigo list on the post, or you can choose from the summer category for the Northern Hemisphere, or winter/spring category for the Southern Hemisphere on the kigo word list links below. Share your kigo word on your post... You must use one kigo word or phrase in your syllabic poem." As I am currently under Sweltering Heat conditions (outside... as well as in, as my bathroom floor is being replaced and right now drying with the help of three industrial dehumidifiers) I was quite inspired by a few of the kigo words and phrases this week! I choose " blazing sun ," " summer rain storms ," " melon " (or type of melon), and " summer naps ." blazing sun fire in the sky  at daybreak  blazing sun  ice cold honeydew  summer snack cool watermelon  my anticipation g...

  Poets and  Storytellers United Friday Writings #136  " ... I invite you to write poetry or prose inspired by a quote that’s starting to feel like a mantra for me and my current needs: “ We can begin by doing small things …” ~ Grace Lee Boggs Begin. Just Begin. It can be hard, So...  Begin with little things. If you never move on to things that are big, you've still done well by beginning. So... Begin with little things. Begin.  Just Begin. ©2024 Lisa Smith Nelson. All Rights Reserved This prompt reminded me of a long, long forgotten poem I had written in my teenage poetry notebook.  Oh, what I liked in the early '70s! “ To begin is as much agony as opening your hand .”  Rod McKuen “ In Someone’s Shadow ” 1969 Yes, a later poet, June Jordan, published nearly identical words.  “ To begin is no more agony than opening your hand .”  

        24 Seasons Syllabic Poetry Challenge, No. 43      Growing Heat 小暑（Shousho） "Your writing invitation is to choose one of the 24 Forms for your poem. You can use the kigo words and phrases from the Part I challenge post… or you can use the phrases I’ve created… Below…  Use one kigo phrase in each of your three poems in whatever order you’d like. If you can’t write three poems, please write at least one." Northern Hemisphere:     • #1: “smoldering heat”     • #2: “midsummer darkness”     • #3: “cutting the grass” Midnight Dip  (Shadorma: " smoldering heat ") smold’ring heat sleep flees the damp sheets once again up at two I step out into the yard dip feet in dog’s pool credit A Thunder Moon  (American Cinquain: " midsummer darkness ")  no sleep again tonight in midsummer darkness the Thunder Moon's bright light a lie no rain I Will Cut No Grass Today (Double Etheree...

Poets and Storytellers United Friday Writings #135 " ...take one of our poems or stories and turn it into a new piece of writing by removing some words and/or sections. " Found poetry from my own poetry.   How fun!  After the first, I kept going.  Fortunately, they're short.   photo copyright Lisa Smith Nelson 1 - original the clouds at dawn the bronze butterfly over my head the moon climbing out of the city the dust of snow in a future sky in the end it’s beautiful 2 - original : Wordpools  waves      bring words      with the tide listen      booming phrases      ebbing and flooding touch      the pools.      drown in words #3 - original I sit. In the distance, past the horizon, the end of the world. No one sees the sun drown a blood red death. I step off to walk on moonbeams. photo copyright Lisa Smith Nelson #4 - original I watch  the summer sky. I imagine I ...

                    24 Seasons Syllabic Poetry Challenge, No. 42     The Beginning of Midsummer: Growing Heat (July 7 – 21)  Shosho 小暑  " This week for #TankaTuesday we’re in the season of the Beginning of Midsummer in the Northern Hemisphere as we follow the 24 Seasons of Japan.  Your syllabic poetry writing invitation is to choose a kigo word or phrase from the seasonal kigo list on the post, or you can choose from the summer category in the Northern Hemisphere, and the winter category in the Southern Hemisphere. Choose from the kigo word list below, or the 500 Kigo Word List . " I chose  Growing Heat  from the kigo word list.  The heat where I live isn't growing, it's already fully grown well beyond summer's usual, and the first wildfire of the season has brought smoke to the valley. A Hell of a Summer  Smoke arrived early this summer, dragged along on the heels of the heat. ...

For DVerse's Quadrille #203 "...for this prompt, you must write a poem of exactly 44 words AND make certain it includes the word crab, or some form of the word—crabby, crabapple, crabbing, etc."  I'll be the first to admit, this isn't much of a poem!  However, it's a true one. And that alone is reason enough for me to jump at the chance to join in anything with the prompt "crab"!  image:   I found a poem, unfamiliar, in my documents just yesterday. “ The Ways of Crabs ” Unfinished and not mine, that I remember. Yet, no one else is here. Do I sleep write poetry? Bad poetry of crabs, their scuttling ways, and then… compare to man's? ©2024 Lisa Smith Nelson. All Rights Reserved 

24 Seasons Syllabic Poetry Challenge, No. 41 The Summer Solstice (June 21 – July 6) Geshi 夏至 "This week: Your writing invitation is to choose one of the 24 Forms for your poem. You can use the kigo words and phrases from the Part I challenge post HERE , or you can use the phrases I’ve created...  Use one kigo phrase in each of your three poems in whatever order you’d like. " I chose " summer celebrations" and " melons " from Colleen's phrase list, and "ants" and "evening primrose," found here .  Yes, four instead of the requested three. Three haiku and a tanka.  The tanka is a true memory.  As a child, in the cool of the summer evenings my father would call to me, "The Oenothera is opening!"  I'd come running to watch the papery petals slowly unfold as we watched, standing side by side.  A dry time of year these summer celebrations fireworks rain down hot anticipation juice dribbles cool down my chin Hermiston...