#NaPoWriMo 2022 Day Twenty Seven

Past Summer Days

I am the sum of my parts
graying blonde hair and dimpled smile

Bright dimples appear on wrinkled face
Years spent under cigarette smoke

Childhood memories a smokey haze
Grandpa whistles cheery tune, Heigh-ho

Heigh-ho, heigh-ho it’s off to work we go
Construct a blanket fort in the family room

Watch TV inside cozy blanket fort
Learn kindness from Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood

Ride bikes down to the neighborhood playground
Catch fireflies on warm summer nights

Spend carefree, warm summer days outside
I am the sum of my parts

NaPoWriMo Prompt – Last but not least, here’s our (optional) prompt. Today, I’d like to challenge you to write a “duplex.” A “duplex” is a variation on the sonnet, developed by the poet Jericho Brown. Here’s one of his first “Duplex” poems, and here is a duplex written by the poet I.S. Jones. Like a typical sonnet, a duplex has fourteen lines. It’s organized into seven, two-line stanzas. The second line of the first stanza is echoed by (but not identical to) the first line of the second stanza, the second line of the second stanza is echoed by (but not identical to) the first line of the third stanza, and so on. The last line of the poem is the same as the first.

Good morning and welcome to day twenty seven of napowrimo where I took some of what I learned in the poetry workshop I attended last night to write my duplex poem. The workshop hosted by the Virginia G. Piper writing center at ASU was ‘Your Four Strands’ and led by Roanna (Rowie) Shebala. She had us look at our identity through four strands: Mother, Father, Maternal Grandfather and Paternal Grandfather. I started this poem by talking about both my parents and then my paternal grandfather (who I remember more clearly) and it grew from there.

Remembering summer days in Buffalo, NY. This poem was written six years ago. The #HaikuChallenge word yesterday was jar and a lot of people were tweeting about fireflies which made me nostalgic even before the workshop started. My piece yesterday:

Lightning bugs twinkle
Washed out peanut butter jars
Catch their summer dance

Then during the workshop last night, I remembered the one time my dad carried my mom upstairs because Kati and I told him to ‘bring mom upstairs’ after he tucked us in I wrote down two lines of a haiku. I finished it this morning with todays #haikuchallenge word, slice.

Girls bedtime request
Dad carries mom up the stairs
Slice of happiness

Advertisement

#NaPoWriMo 2022 Day Sixteen

The Sting of Time

April is the cruelest month
The spring heralds another
birthday – one and twenty years!
She’s old enough to drink yet
the twentieth century
was not seen by her own eyes.

Last month of spring semester
Then it’s graduation time
She puts on her cap and gown
and smiles for family photos
cruel, cruel month!

Gretchen and Mom

Napowrimo prompt – And now for our prompt (optional, as always). Today, I’d like to challenge you to write a curtal sonnet. This is a variation on the classic 14-line sonnet. The curtal sonnet form was developed by Gerard Manley Hopkins, and he used it for what is probably his most famous poem, “Pied Beauty.” A curtal sonnet has eleven lines, instead of the usual fourteen, and the last line is shorter than the ten that precede it. Here are two other examples of Hopkins’ curtal sonnets: “Ash Boughs,” and “Peace.”

Good afternoon and welcome to day sixteen of napowrimo where I borrow a line to begin my curtal sonnet. And this time around I did not try to figure in rhyme, but speaking about tuning out math. Math and poetry are always haunting me. And last year’s birthday poem, I spoke about how Gretchen felt old at twenty. Well this birthday had me feeling old and it started right on April first as Gretchen and I were watching Love in the Time of Cholera for her magical realism class. They welcomed in 1900 and I got excited and said, yay! the twentieth century. Thinking we’ve finally entered a century we’ve seen. Then I looked over at Gretchen and quickly realized even though she was turning 21 in a few days, she hadn’t lived in the twentieth century. I added, Another century you have not seen; and I really felt old the twentieth century was over 20 years ago!

As for graduation photos, Shawn took the bulk of them and I’m waiting for them to be edited. In the meantime here is a selfie taken by Gretchen with a snapchat filter.

#NaPoWriMo 2022 Day Four

Poetry Prompts for April

1. Enjoy a cup of coffee
2. Allow thoughts to percolate
3. Grab a pen and paper
4. Jot down words or phrases
5. Be mindful of patterns
6. And open to new forms
7. Step back and see what sticks
8. Experiment with…
   alliteration
   onomatopoeia
9. Short and sweet could pack a punch
10. Or words could pop off the page
11. Do not abandon the tried and true

NaPoWriMo Prompt – Finally, here’s our optional prompt! Today, I’d like to challenge you to write a poem . . . in the form of a poetry prompt. If that sounds silly, well, maybe it is! But it’s not without precedent. The poet Mathias Svalina has been writing surrealist prompt-poems for quite a while, posting them to Instagram. You can find examples here, and here, and here.

Good Morning and welcome to day four of NaPoWriMo aka Gretchen’s birthday. I did not get back to try my hand at a new glosa. We were out all day experiencing the Klimt Immersive and then we got something to eat by the ASU campus because Gretchen wanted graduation photos while we have family in town. Something we neglected for her high school graduation. I was unaware what a production graduation photos are and an actual month before graduation. There was a line of graduates waiting for photo opportunities on the steps of old main. And the number of champagne bottles that were photographed and popped! Not to mentioned sprayed – Gretchen said it was a sticky mess. We didn’t get home until late and then Gretchen wanted to catch up on Picard episodes. How could I say no to that? Plus I know my readers are aware I prefer short poetic forms so I may get back to the glosa before the end of the month, I may not. My first effort did take a lot to complete.

Happy New Year!

It’s been awhile since I’ve written a post. At my three week post-op, they found the new lens was clouding over so I got a free laser treatment to break up the calcification on the lens. Yay to my overactive immune system, my antibodies were attacking the foreign body in my eye. The laser treatment was on December 22 – they were pretty booked up and that was the soonest I could be seen. Well the calcification on the lens made it hard for my eye to focus well which is why I haven’t spent much time on the computer or reading. Hoping I can start enjoying books again in 2022.

At the end of 2021, we were all in quarantine. My mother-in-law came over on Christmas, not feeling well, and two days later tested positive for Covid. We were so careful for almost two years and then it walked right through the front door. Needless to say no one was very pleased with Nonnie but after 5 days no one in this house showed any symptoms and Robin was able to fly back to Oregon on the first. Gretchen has started her spring semester. She just looked at her major map yesterday and told me it looks like all my requirements are completed or in progress (this semester’s courses) what does that mean? I told her if she doesn’t have anything in red it should mean you’re eligible for graduation. She may be able to graduate early. She retorted, It doesn’t say I’m eligible for graduation. It won’t you can still take classes. Robin took some extra classes because he fulfilled his requirements early but wanted to take all four years. He had a full scholarship and mom and dad covered the extra expenses. A full scholarship does not cover all fees as different degrees accrue different costs. Science classes are more expensive than humanities courses.

The other thing Gretchen looked at last night was her GPA she’s only earned Magna Cum Laude. I told her there’s nothing wrong with that (mom graduated magna cum laude), but she told me she’s going to steal Robin’s summa cum laude. The rest of the night we were regaled with how Gretchen was chasing Robin and Robin kept evading her efforts. Then Gretchen said, I’ll kidnap Burke. I laughed and told her, I think you’re a proud new parent then because I don’t see Robin giving up the summa for the return of his cat.

My muse lies quiet
Writing haiku – a reflex
Long out of practice

Piper Poetry Month

Piper_Center Tweet April 3rd

Words
Create poetry
Dance across page
Connect love and loss
Passion

The @Piper_Center is also running poetry prompts this month and asked for suggestions. Mine was posted yesterday so of course I had to write another poem. There’s something not quite right with line four. I kept fiddling with it but I’m still not satisfied. But April is about writing poetry. If I figure out a better way to express line four I can go back and edit it later. I love short poetry forms because I hunt and peck at the keyboard but when you are forced to be concise word choice really matters.

Well I’m off to check @LiminalSpaceBot for a photo for the #NaPoWriMo prompt then it’s off to celebrate someone’s 20th! birthday.

Backyard Commencement Ceremony

Graduation time
does not regret missing out
on big commencement

Good morning readers. Last week we finally got the internet up and running again, and I was able to upload the video of the backyard commencement ceremony for Robin and Karolena. Today’s #haikuchallenge word is regret.

#NaPoWriMo Return to Normal

Hosking Family at the Phoenix Zoo Lego Exhibit

Peace and quiet gone
Wonder when it will return
Alone together

NaPoWriMo Prompt – And last, but not least, our final (optional) prompt! In some past years, I’ve challenged you to write a poem of farewell for our thirtieth day, but this year, I’d like to challenge you to write a poem about something that returns. For, just as the swallows come back to Capistrano each year, NaPoWriMo and GloPoWriMo will ride again!

Good morning and welcome to the last day of napowrimo – day thirty. At the beginning of all this I posted how my life hasn’t changed much. After all I don’t drive and have not worked outside the house in over twenty years, but then my family started intruding upon my house. First it was Gretchen as ASU moved to online classes. Then Shawn began staggered work days, leaving him more time to be at home. Then Robin moved out of his apartment and back home. Thankfully both Shawn and Robin are working outside the house. But since Robin’s job at ASU is for a student and he graduates in May, the last day he is allowed to work is May 25th. This summer my house could be overly crowded!

We just received word from Michael Crow (ASU president) that they are looking to resume in person classes this fall semester. August 20th should be the first day of class. And Robin is looking at moving up to Corvallis at the beginning of August (Vet school doesn’t start until September). So maybe mom will get her real alone time back by the end of August. It seems so far away. I know I am the total opposite of most people who want a return to normal so they can go out and socialize. I want a return to normal so I can be alone again.

By the way the family photo is a few years old for anyone wondering. Just before all this craziness started, I found out I won a trip to Legoland in California for the family through the ASU rewards app. I got the paperwork filled out and mailed to them before the stay at home order in AZ was given. At first the trip had to be made before today, but it was extended til the end of June. Well when the stay at home order came down, I emailed them and we now have til the end of June 2021. I’m hoping we can make it work as both Shawn and Gretchen are huge Lego fans. There is a reason we had to go to the zoo when they had the Lego sculptures up.

#NaPoWriMo Poetic Review

Gretchen’s opinion of April 4 years ago

Pandemic

Covid
Shuts down country
Everyone stays home
Days begin to blend together
Virus
Brings economy to its knees
Can we reboot this year
Twenty-Twenty
Subpar

NaPoWriMo Prompt – And now for our (optional) prompt. Today, I’d like to challenge you to write a poem in the form of a review. But not a review of a book or a movie of a restaurant. Instead, I challenge you to write a poetic review of something that isn’t normally reviewed. For example, your mother-in-law, the moon, or the year 2020 (I think many of us have some thoughts on that one!)

Good morning and welcome to day twenty-seven of napowrimo. It just so happened that Gretchen’s review of April popped up in my Facebook memories today. I do believe she was growing tired of mom’s text replies coming in the form of haiku. Of course her not so rave review was also answered in haiku.

Cancel poetry
in April impossible
haiku are catching

Lol! Apparently I used Gretchen’s poetic review as inspiration for my poem on April 28, 2016. The final days of national poetry month also coincide with the last week of the spring semester. This has been one strange freshman year for Gretchen and senior year for Robin, and I’m not all too sure things will be back to normal by the fall semester. Robin’s cap and gown have arrived along with the summa cum laude honor cords. I will at least be able to share some great graduation photos on this blog. Other than that this year has not gone according to plan.

#HaikuChallenge ASU Senior

Working hard at 4paws

As Gretchen began her freshmen year at ASU, Rachael is finishing up her undergrad and applying to vet school. I decided to write a couple haiku about her hard work for the #haikuchallenge on Twitter.

Help edit essays
Future veterinarian
Keeping  fingers crossed

September deadline
Vet school applications sent
Now, we sit and wait

She has applied to six schools close to $900 in fees, and you don’t want to know tuition costs if she is accepted. But she is doing very well in school so I do have my fingers crossed; vet school is very competitive.

#Whoku Celebrate New School Year

Once upon a time the haikuesque poems I wrote with a Doctor Who theme were archived on wiki Fandom. The latest poetry pea podcast is about whoku, but they are not senryu about Doctor Who; they are tributes to an individual –

Gretchen captured on her first day of school

Gretchen Hosking starts
freshmen year at ASU
career path unsettled

Poetry Pea podcast