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Saturday, April 30, 2016

NaPoWriMo 2016 Day 30

Nefelibata



I am a writer

weaver of dreams

poet of mysteries

crosser of streams

occasional wayfarer  

hatching my schemes

sojourner yet earthbound

stuck in the sky

deep rooted in whimsy

my soul can fly

maker of magic

conventions decry

I am a cloud walker

wandering along

words without music

dance without song



~ Ellen Apple 4/30/2016

Thus my National Poetry Writing Month 2016 adventure comes to a close. 

Friday, April 29, 2016

NaPoWriMo 2016 Day 29

I remember
backyard tents
and "camping" 
I remember
fresh-churned
peach ice cream
I remember
playing hopscotch
and four-square
I remember 
falling asleep
to the sound of my parents talking
I remember
wondering
where all the trains were going
I remember
being scared
at the funeral home 
I do not ever remember
feeling smart
capable
strong
resilient
But here I am 
so I must have been

~ Ellen Apple 4/29/2016

Thursday, April 28, 2016

NaPoWriMo 2016 Day 28

April Quatern

April came to Little Beaver Creek
Minnows swim in their quiet pool
Dragonflies iridescent sparkle
Honeybees drink from clover

A fairy shelf grows against the tree
April came to Little Beaver Creek
Cats recline on carpet green
New growth from grapevines uncoil

Wild rape a profusion of yellow appears
Companion to dandelion afoot
April came to Little Beaver Creek
Breezes tickle the wind chimes

Showers of angel tears fall soft
Fireflies wake up from larval sleep
Salamander deposits eggs under stone
April came to Little Beaver Creek

~ Ellen Apple 4/28/2016

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

NaPoWriMo 2016 Day 27

haiku

yin and yang cats sleep
curled one into the other 
thunder overhead


tanka

birds call up the sun
frantic hopeful trills abound
water laden trees 
await warm embraces too
healing light feeding nature



Tuesday, April 26, 2016

NaPoWriMo 2016 Day 26

Call and Response
And tears like raindrops fall ... 

I see the pain of loved ones dear
And tears like raindrops fall ... 
I witness rebirth every year
And tears like raindrops fall ... 
Hunger haunts the banquet hall
And tears like raindrops fall ... 
Plenty for few, scarcity for all
And tears like raindrops fall ... 
Trusting love in eyes of a child
And tears like raindrops fall ... 
Majestic beasts thrive in the wild
And tears like raindrops fall ... 
Long, dark night of sorrows lament
And tears like raindrops fall ... 
Blissful days with nature spent
And tears like raindrops fall ... 
Drink full of life this day you're given
And tears like raindrops fall ... 
Onward then by hopeful dream driven
And tears like raindrops fall ... 


~ Ellen Apple 4/26/2016

Monday, April 25, 2016

NaPoWriMo 2016 Day 25

Echoes in the morning air
Hopes of children everywhere
Natures beauty all could share
Cast aside then earthly care

Harken back to days sublime
Apple trees with fruit just prime
Bag of candy for a dime
Jumping rope and chanting rhyme

Travel back in time with me
When all of life seemed carefree
Pooh and Dollie shared high tea
Kindness was the magic key

~ Ellen Apple 4/25/2016

Sunday, April 24, 2016

NaPoWriMo 2016 Day 24

We all sit disparate group that we are
Uneasy silence suffocates the room
All there for the same purpose yet apart
Furtive glances and deliberate too
I feel as though I could explode of nerves
Spilling out across the cold gray floor tiles
Such a public heartless location this
Anonymous building with no real soul
Offering no respite no redemption
Convenient in location and purpose
By all that is holy I can't stand it
The dead silence has to break or I will
Knowledge of what I - what we - are doing
Compels me to speak to the other five
For we are six - six women in a room
Clutching each a small bundle our own clothes
Adornment abandoned wearing blue gowns
Incongruity reigns though shoes are on
Feet shuffle - toes tap - hair is fiddled with
And I introduce me first name only
We are all here for the same procedure
I have the audacity to address 
The enormous elephant in our midst
Doing so with a bald raw honesty 
That is so easy when in a small group 
Of strangers I will likely never know
Or see again once this morning is done
They see and hear more of me than my friends
Carefully curated since a young child
Would recognize or find a comfort in 
Most are single - one married one divorced
Ages range from eighteen to late thirties
Circumstances for today are murky 
Messy sad tales that carry a thread of
Sameness and a shared inner turbulence
Each in the end recognizing resolve
Once decisions are made then time to act
Deeply personal so very private 
Controversial action for many
Will we harbor shame and regret later
Several decades and many lifetimes
Ago six women made a choice to be
In that room on that day I survived

~ Ellen Apple 4/24/2016

This is one of the most personal, and most difficult, things I have ever written.

Saturday, April 23, 2016

NaPoWriMo 2016 Day 23

sleep sated
head on pillow soft
dreams aloft
abated
portent sorely awaited
secrets visit oft

~ Ellen Apple 4/23/2016

Friday, April 22, 2016

NaPoWriMo 2016 Day 22


tiny
blue marble
wrapped in cotton spinning
so fast you are a cosmic blur shedding
fragile protective coatings a shell emerging
from a cocoon a moth clinging fast
to the surface your irritants
may be expelled droplets
of muddy water 
from a
dog

~ ellen apple 4/22/2016






Thursday, April 21, 2016

NaPoWriMo 2016 Day 21

A whisper in the darkness came
The swans are in the bay
Throughout the cold white winter long
We waited for this day

At break of dawn in misty fog
In our small lakeside town
Sacred silence then settled soft
Magic erased each frown

Sorrow and grief may plague my life 
But each night is followed by dawn
So joy and peace will replace strife
And spring will bring back the swan

~ Ellen Apple 4/21/2016

I was so overcome with grief when I returned from an appointment in town today and learned of the sudden death of Prince. His artistry has always enthralled me. I had yet to write my daily poem, and this was the result. This is a real memory, being awakened early to see the return of the swans- Sodus Bay on Lake Ontario in Upstate New York, Winter/Spring 2001. The beauty and sacredness of that morning took my breath. Fog/mist was resting on the water and as the sun rose the mist began to thin and two ethereally beautiful swans slowly passed close enough to where I stood with my Heart Sister Diane that I could have touched them. Then the mist enveloped them again.




Wednesday, April 20, 2016

NaPoWriMo 2016 Day 20

Just One Life

Just one life
We are given to
Try to make 
Sense of how
Justify why and know where
One brief feeble chance

Just one life
Oh so much to do
Thirsts to slake
Disavow
Senseless worry to forebear 
Of each laugh and dance

Just one life
Daily choices anew
For heartache
To allow
Joy or worry time to snare
Hinder or enhance

Just one life
But so much more you
See just take
A breath now
Energy of all you share
Not happenstance 

~ Ellen Apple 4/20/2016

3 shadorma(s) with a first line refrain and the last word of lines 2-5 rhyming for all three.

Tuesday, April 19, 2016

NaPoWriMo 2016 Day 19

Allow Your Sorrow Its Say


A pall of grief and sorrows lies
Upon the worried brow
Even as time so swiftly flies
This season of grief shall bow

As wounded traverse unknown ground
Apart from the world at large
Uneasy kinship there is found
With a common goal to charge

Gathering each precious moment 
Hidden away in the heart
So if to others not potent
To this soul a vital part 

Yes, joy and laughter will return
As sure as night follows day
But do not this time of grief spurn 
Allow your sorrow its say

~ Ellen Apple 4/19/2016



Monday, April 18, 2016

NaPoWriMo 2016 Day 18

Sounds Like Home

Will we see you at church on Sunday
If the good Lord's willin' and the creek don't rise
You know Momma always said 
Better to use sugar iff'n you be wanting to catch flies

Put out your taters on Good Friday
And wait until Blackberry Winters come and gone
To set out your 'mato plants
Thunder in February - frost in May
Blue paint for the porch to keep away the haints

The sounds of home echo in my ear
Follow me throughout the year
And when I peer into a looking glass
The face I see carries all the wisdom of my past

~ Ellen Apple 4/18/16


Sunday, April 17, 2016

NaPoWriMo 2016 Day 17


April
halcyon days
calling forth tender dreams
hope unfurled in a fledglings flight
rebirth

~ Ellen Apple 4/17/2016

{ a cinquain }

Saturday, April 16, 2016

NaPoWriMo 2016 Day 16

Ah, to be where quiet reigns
Far from frantic rushing throng
Where true concern no-one feigns
It's for home the wearied long

Many ills await the soul
When rest from strife is lacking
Worldly gain the only goal
Everyday nerve-wracking

A peaceful glen with breezes cool
And slow meandering stream
Sunlight a glistening jewel
Does not have to be a dream

When the time of rest is come
And daily toil has ended
Leave behind the sad and glum
Drink full of grace extended

~ Ellen Apple 4/16/2016


Friday, April 15, 2016

NaPoWriMo 2016 Day 15

birds of a feather flock together

or so I have heard it said

but what of the ones who break the tether

who absolutely will not be led

the ones who hear their own different drum

and whistle a different tune

the one who goes when logic says come

and takes midnight strolls at noon

these questions flit through my brain

when I try to follow the rules

then scamper right off again

I guess I am one of those fools

a dreamer

a schemer

a walker on clouds

a wearer of shrouds

a rebel

a voice you cannot quell

a break the rhyme scheme

don’t follow the meter

forget to use punctuation

l listen to instruction

but have little gumption

to follow through

do you





~Ellen Apple 4/15/2016

Thursday, April 14, 2016

NaPoWriMo 2016 Day 14

San San

At end of day in fading light
The time between begins to appear
A soft gentle final sigh
Slowly gently the sun fades from sight
Shadows morph into mists opaque then sheer
That time of day we call the gloaming
Soft gray clouds billow across the sky
Like dreams and hopes float off to go roaming

~ Ellen Apple 4/14/2016

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

NaPoWriMo 2016 Day 13

hillsides and confession

redbud in bloom
redbud on hillsides
hillsides of dreams
hillsides of home
home for supper
home is shelter
shelter my heart
shelter from storms
storms bear energy
storms scare cats
cats crying
cats nap
nap in the recliner
nap before dinner
dinner is ready
dinner in town
town is crowded
town is deserted
deserted sorrows
deserted projects
projects beckon
projects are therapy
therapy distracts
therapy probes deep
deep thoughts
deep empathy
empathy hurts
empathy healing
healing in words
healing hugs
hugs are warm
hugs from friends
friends are my circle
friends share my joy
joy in the now
joy of cooking
cooking is a skill
cooking is zen
zen centers
zen in minutiae
minutiae of emotions
minutiae matter
matter of time
matter is mass
mass hysteria
mass confession
confession brings closure
confession of dreams
dreams
closure


~ Ellen Apple 4/13/2016

a blitz poem 


Tuesday, April 12, 2016

NaPoWriMo 2016 Day 12

Lai of Dreams

move to a meadow
and like the black crow
be free
by a campfire glow
craft dreams of gusto
not flee
sacred grace bestow
love all and do so
with glee

~ Ellen Apple 4/12/2016



The lai is a French poetry form. It’s a nine-line poem or stanza that uses an “a” and “b” rhyme following this pattern: aabaabaab. The lines with an “a” rhyme use 5 syllables; the “b” rhyme lines have 2 syllables. 

Monday, April 11, 2016

NaPoWriMo 2016 Day 11

Quatern for the Fae

A silent monument the cairn
Stands in the pasture green
At the base a fiddlehead fern
Where fairies play unseen
Shy unicorn nibbles violets near
A silent monument the cairn
Music of the wind now hear
From such laughter magic is born

Daisy chain tiaras are worn
The full moon queen is crowned
A silent monument the cairn
On sacred ground is found

Not just in dreams will this exist
For such a land we all do yearn
As in our travails we persist
A silent monument the cairn



~ Ellen Apple 4/11/2016

Sunday, April 10, 2016

NaPoWriMo 2016 Day 10


A Madrigal



I regret that, in my gloom and despair,

I sunk deep into my own selfish sin -

Rejecting the sweet balm of kith and kin.



To be offered such tender love and care!

And then - to turn away, time and again.

I regret that, in my gloom and despair,

I sunk deep into my own selfish sin.



For how many have empathy to spare?

To all who stood by me, both now and then -   

Contrite today, I confess with my pen -

I regret that, in my gloom and despair,

I sunk deep into my own selfish sin -

Rejecting the sweet balm of kith and kin.




~ Ellen Apple 04/10/2016

Saturday, April 9, 2016

NaPoWriMo 2016 Day 9

nature weeps
this windy April 
chill seeps deep
frozen tears
memories of loss still sting
keening high and long

~ Ellen Apple 4/9/2016

shadorma - a six line syllabic poem (3/5/3/3/7/5)

Friday, April 8, 2016

NaPoWriMo 2016 Day 8

The eagle drifts aloft on currents
This blustery April day
Wings spread wide
Still but for the 
fluttering of feathers
caused by breezes
He looks suspended 
in the sky
Like an accent piece on a decoupaged 
Americana tribute
You know the kind 
Tattered flag and the obligatory trio of
Fifer Drummer and Flagbearer 
dressed in 1776's version of fatigues 
As the wind increases
He actually moves backwards
Then sideways
Dipping and rising
As if in an intricate dance
With an expert invisible partner
There is strength and 
Agility 
Unseen but there
For he never crashes
Or brushes against powerline
Tree or silo
As he scans for prey
In the pasture below

~ Ellen Apple 4/8/2016

Thursday, April 7, 2016

NaPoWriMo 2016 Day 7

For Cheryl

Take flight, oh my spirit, and soar
Far above this burden I bear
Bring to my heart love’s healing grace

As once again death’s pall I bear
My silent cries for faith and grace
His soul now heavenward will soar

For friend and loved ones now grace
This void and sorrow too will soar
As one another’s cross all bear


Prayers soar As pleas they bear Grace

~ Ellen Apple 4/7/2016



*a tritina form poem from prompt*

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

NaPoWriMo 2016 Day 6

A Quatern to Cheddar

First I need some sharp cheddar cheese
To make macaroni salad
Noodles tomatoes cucumber
Onion and mayonnaise too

To grill the ultimate sandwich
First I need some sharp cheddar cheese
Bread and butter an iron skillet
Tomatoes and mayonnaise too

When fumbling through the kitchen for
Just about any meal or snack
First I need some sharp cheddar cheese
Shredded sliced or diced into cubes

I can make a casserole or
Put together a salad fast
Give me fruit or healthy food but
First I need some sharp cheddar cheese

~ Ellen Apple 4/6/2016

Tuesday, April 5, 2016

NaPoWriMo 2016 Day 5

Clouds, A Distant Mountain Range 


Clouds, a distant mountain range, spread across the sky
I survey this undulation and thus verify
‘Tis some near yet ethereal land
My visit to this hinterland
Called forth as a lullaby

When present times do horrify
As you seek fellowman to edify
Look to the sky to see and understand
Clouds, a distant mountain range

What gifts you have intensify
Bring forth your silent warrior's cry
As duties and trials you withstand
Exult now as you begin firsthand
To celebrate this gift not vilify

Clouds, a distant mountain range

~ Ellen Apple 4/5/2016

Monday, April 4, 2016

NaPoWriMo 2016 Day 4

AaaaCHOO!

A sneeze 
if you please
That will bring you
to your knees

A nose 
that glows
The aftermath 
of big blows

Not genteel
the way I feel
Sure wish I could find
an effective pill

No need for tissue
Kleenex I eschew
Now a roll of Charmin
Holds what I blew

Thicker ply
Easy to come by
Sits on the table
By my side

Spring has spit
My sinuses hit
Will Summer be
Here in a little bit

Pollen is to blame
Sets allergies aflame
I used to enjoy April
Such a shame

~ Ellen Apple 4/4/2016