Afternoon, Early Summer, Hot and Humid
Across and Down
although muth used to do
a daily crossword puzzle
i do not.
even so, will shortz
would no doubt be quick
to point out
that i nonetheless
engage with puzzles
every day.
what’s a 10-letter word, 4th letter i,
for actively
and repeatedly
disliking
the color of the blossoms
of the rhody in our back yard,
a pinkish purplish hue that
misses the mark—and glory—
of either full-on pink
or full-on purple:
resistance.
and
what’s a 4-letter word for
when i notice
my resistance, and
my knee-jerk reflex
is to resist the resistance,
to feel the need to
‘fix’ my ‘mistake,’
scold myself for negative thinking,
be “better than”
my irritation:
fool.
right now
in this moment
i choose to step into
stillness.
9-letter word,
second letter u,
last letter r,
for just letting myself
feel my feelings and
be with whatever
presents itself:
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Notes about poem and art:
• With “Across and Down” I continue to explore poetry as a portal for self-expression, using the same compass points as for my art: bust through fear, be playful, get messy, trust my gut.
• Traveling from two separate destinations and with two different starting dates for their transit, Lola’s ordered copy of Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer’s poetry collection, All the Honey, and the bookmark I painted to go with it arrived on the same day! And, look at how another bookmark I painted and sent to Lola before Rosemerry’s Unfolding was even published goes beautifully with that volume of poems!
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10 responses to “Afternoon, Early Summer, Hot and Humid”
So much to take in here! I often have to read a poem several times before I can really understand it…and I read this one three times. It is thoughtful and honest….and I will be trying to come up with that 9 letter that is taking you into stillness all day long.
I know exactly the rhodys you are talking about….and I feel the same way. Resistance!
And the bookmarks….how lucky is Lola!
LOL and very much enjoying that you know the rhody color to which I refer, MaryAnn! I keep resisting granting those rhody blossoms the grace to be as they are, which doesn’t bode well for my chances of full spiritual enlightenment!
Thank you for reading through my poem three times, and for your feedback on its being thoughtful and honest. Writing poems regularly and making them PUBLIC are two new adventures for me, and I’m grateful to have thoughtful honest responses.
Oh, you know what? I mistakenly posted yesterday when I THOUGHT I was in the process of scheduling for today. I bet that has something to do with the error notice you received b/c I immediately pulled the first unintentional posting back out of the airwaves.
At least I hope that’s the problem and not something more complicated.
Meanwhile, looks like you may have posted your reply before you were done with your thought??? or … maybe the word soooooooogre just isn’t in my vocab hahaha : )
In ANY case, thank you for your fun assertion that there is nothing puzzling about my poetry. Perfect response!
xo
haaaa omg that’s too funny! SOOOOOOOGREAT! Was what should have posted! But here is my full comment:
Tried to post a reply but received an error notice indicating the post was no longer there?
There is nothing puzzling about your poetry! It is soooooooogreat and puts me right there next to you. Perhaps even more than Rosemerry, it makes me feel no longer alone. It is that good!
Still grinning over the bookmark serendipity!!!!!!!!
Lola! thx for filling in the blanks! What the heck happened to the rest of that comment??? I feel crazed enough these days without that kind of cyber nonsense, for Pete’s sake. Thank you so much for this thoughtful very touching feedback on my poetry ventures. Heartwarming and encouraging. And the bookmark serendipity O. M. G. So happy to be grinning widely!!!
xo
Wonderful to read your poem! The bookmark reminds me of one you sent me years ago, I think it has the same origin as the one that I always keep on my desk!
Simone, thank you for your affirmation of my adventures in writing poetry—I have found such grounding in writing. And thank you for letting me know that a bookmark I sent you years ago has a long-time place on your desk; in similar fashion, I have a postcard you painted several years ago sitting on MY desk : )
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