#NaPoWriMo 2022 Day Twenty-one

Milady in Puerto Rico Summer 1993

Animalia Journal

Surprise to see college roommate
Last minute switch, I did not know
She found herself in a single
I only dormed one semester

Spring of ninety-three I commute
And visit her on occasion
Then sophomore year we lose touch
A small blip by graduation

The Albright Knox art gallery
Sits across the street from Buff State
A frequent distraction from school
Why can’t I recall any art?

NaPoWriMo Prompt – Today’s (optional) prompt is one I got from the poet Betsy Sholl. This prompt asks you to write a poem in which you first recall someone you used to know closely but are no longer in touch with, then a job you used to have but no longer do, and then a piece of art that you saw once and that has stuck with you over time. Finally, close the poem with an unanswerable question.

Good afternoon and welcome to day twenty-one of napowrimo where I’ll admit to cheating. Once upon a time – Fall of 1992, I started college at Buffalo State where according to my Animalia Journal my roommate was supposed to be one Heather Hofsdal. Hence my surprise on move in day and I find someone else in the room. Milady and I became friends and in the same journal was the photo of her on summer break 1993. However, I did not really like dorming and moved back home after only one semester.

Since the Albright Knox art gallery is across the street from Buffalo State and I have been there quite a few times, one would think I’d be able to write about one piece that stuck with me, but I drew a blank. And if something hasn’t struck me after seeing it more than once, I don’t think I have found that one piece. Something that has stuck with me is Animalia and I found it ironic that the spark for today’s prompt was on the pages of a journal I kept 30 years ago.

Look through old journal
Travel back for a glimpse at
Someone I once knew

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#NaPoWriMo 2022 Day Twenty

#HaikuChallenge #CoffeeTime

NaPoWriMo Prompt – And now for today’s (optional) prompt. Today, I’d like to challenge you to write a poem that anthropomorphizes a kind of food. It could be a favorite food of yours, or maybe one you feel conflicted about. I feel conflicted about Black Forest Cake, for example. It always looks so pretty in a bakery window, and I want to like the combination of cherries and chocolate . . . but I don’t. But how does the cake feel about it?

Good morning and welcome to day twenty of NaPoWriMo where I write in the POV of coffee. The #haikuchallenge word today is lose and my earlier version was –

Every morning
She trusts me to work magic
Lose her displeasure

I’m ambivalent over which version I like better. It’s funny because Gretchen wanted me to proofread one of her papers before she left for school yesterday, but she said I was sleeping. I told her she could have woken me up. She said I’d be grumpy (before coffee). Instead she just sent me an invite to google docs to proofread it while she was at school. Then the evil twin sent me her essay to proofread. Hey Kati, personal pronouns should not appear in formal essays! The evil twin has been long out of essay writing practice. There is no amount of coffee available for me to lose my displeasure at reading I, we, us in an essay. Coffee already has a big job in this house. 😉

#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.

#HaikuChallenge Strain

Sunset Watch Tower Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon sunset
Moon rise over watch tower
Strain fades as night nears

Hello August; Goodbye August. The fall semester at ASU started last week and things around here have been stressful. It’s kept me away from writing unfortunately. Gretchen has been sending me anxiety filled texts. Maybe I should start replying in haiku to ease the tension she’s sending me. The #haikuchallenge word today is strain and we are all feeling it; I wanted to remember the relaxing staycation we took in July.

Fall semester starts
Learn how to calm anxieties
Melt away day’s strain

Meanwhile Patricia posted the completed renku on poetry pea.  She’ll be working on a second one starting in September so if you’d like to contribute check out her website.

 

 

School Rings

Mementos from past
Sit in jewelry box untouched
High school ring on top

Gretchen sent me a text yesterday: We got order forms for class rings. I replied, I forgot you get those junior year. She answered, the guy said you’re old because most parents forget they order school rings junior year. Well I didn’t really mean I forgot rings were ordered in your junior year; what I really meant was I forgot my baby is a junior! How did that happen?

When Gretchen got home from school, she told me she wants a ring big enough to customize. I told her the ring doesn’t have to be big to personalize it. And yes I took out my high school and college rings to show her. My high school ring has a quill and paper for journalism. Gretchen even commented, You would have a book and pen on your ring. Did she really think her mother would stop loving to read and write? Silly child

This morning I asked Rachael, Guess who got her class ring order form yesterday. She answered, Gretchen who else could it be? I said, You. She said, They do college rings? Then she remembered looking at them. The cheapest one was about $600. I told her, Yeah college rings were always more expensive.

Rachael’s high school ring class of 2016

Happy Graduate!

Graduate with mom and dad photo taken by Poppo

Rachael

Remarkable
Achievement
Commencement
Hails
Academic
Excellence
Laureate

Rachael graduated from EMCC last night with an associate’s in arts. After high school graduation on May 18th, she’ll be off to ASU.