Sunday, April 10, 2011

Sunday April 10, 2011 NaPoWriMo Day #10



Today I am writing from a prompt at Poetics Asides: Never again
http://blog.writersdigest.com/poeticasides/2011/04/10/2011AprilPADChallengeDay10.aspx

NaPoWriMo Day #10

Never Again
There is so much that is never again
Childhood comes but once
Filled with Grandmothers, Grandfathers
Aunts, Uncles and cousins
At times it even seemed crowded

Riding the bicycle to the library
Wind through your hair
Totally free or at least
It felt totally free
Baseball in the vacant lot
Building forts and tea houses
From whatever material available
Each day filled with observing, learning

Then a young woman
Still learning every day
Learning to balance
Trying to have it all

Work, marriage
Then a child
A totally
Separate person

Who knew the time
Would be so short
To try to get it right

Things, that were
Would not always be
Instead I blinked
And found my life
Was passing
And that it would
Never be
As it was again

Like Rip Van Winkle
I slept through much of my life
A piece of driftwood
Floating down the river
Without much thought
Then left lonely
On the deserted beach
Gathered the odds and ends
Bits and pieces
I called my life

Followed old wagon tracks west
There were others who had gone before
Painters -- Georgia O'Keefe, Janet Lippencot
Writers --Peggy Pond Church, Mary Austin
And of course Mabel Dodge Luhan
Women who put their
Feet into the desert sand
Created a life in which
They could create

The days are numbered
But each will be
In the shape of the creator
Each will hold just enough room
To again learn something each day

This life would be
Something that fit
No more settling for
"hand me downs"
Never look back
At what is
Never again

6 comments:

Brian Miller said...

one thing that i am deathly afraid of is sleeping my life away...

ds said...

Each day a new footprint...nice.

Sherry Blue Sky said...

Beautifully expressed and you know how I so know these feelings! Lovely. Beautiful landscape around you, Annell. Love the photo.

flaubert said...

Yes, one foot in front of the other, looking back can cause much regret. Nicely done.

Pamela

Elizabeth said...

Looking back contains lessons to be learned. A lot of them about not doing that again. But, others contain ideas, thoughts once thought but never tried. Maybe now is that time of trying them on, they probably fit much better. Love the poem, Annell. We are certainly on similar wavelengths,

Elizabeth

Dr. Pearl Ketover Prilik (PKP) said...

Anelle...commented over at PA ....your site here is lovely....both your poems today this one that speaks to all that will never come again and your other which calls vividly to mind that which shall nit be were wonderful vibrant works. A pleasure!

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