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
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