Tag: life

Day 17 – The Poet’s Billow Challenge: The letter

by Chevvy, posted in Poetry

For today’s poem, we’ve been challenged to  write an epistolary poem, or a letter poem. An epistolary poem can come in any form and be about any matter. I have chosen to write a fictional letter to myself to be opened on my 70th birthday. I chose a letter format for this reflective piece.

My Dearest Chev

If you are reading this letter, it means that you have reached

your 70th birthday and since my instructions were clear,

this should be your first birthday wish for the day. I hope

your children are throwing a big birthday bash for you.

That was always one of your gripes – that everyone forgot

about your birthday after you turned one because of that terrible incident

at your 1st birthday party. I know you made up for it  in how you  raised

your family but still – this is an incredible milestone for you.

 Enough of the chit chat – I really wanted this letter to serve as a 

 reflection of your life since I last saw you so many years ago. Did you ever go on

that Santiago trail to Spain? If you did was it good for you? Did you find what you had

 been searching for all your life? Or did you return home and find that what  

you had been looking for had been right there in front of you all the time?

What about your great dream – to make your life count, to make a 

 contribution to the world? I know how hard you had already worked

 when I last met you. But you were never satisfied were you? You had been

 fascinated by those epic dreams – always convinced that your visit to Egypt

and St Etienne du Mont were signs that you needed to save the world.

 Did you my dear?

What about your family? Are your children doing well? I always thought

 your little one was just like you. I remember how she dressed in your clothes

 and she loved your stiletto heels, your sunglasses, your perfume.

 Did you both get over that terrible fight you had  when she complained that you

were always working?

Oh I have so many questions to ask. Did you meet your dear friend

on the Hudson river, did you Salsa dance in Mexico? What about

Timesquare? You always said that you wanted to see in the new year

with your family amidst the throngs of Time square. Did you ever

get to dance on the table again? You said you were done with fast cars,

did you downscale for something smaller?

But you know the question I’m dying to ask. Did you eventually meet

him – the one you talked about in all our conversations, the one you said

felt like the other half of your soul, the missing jigsaw piece, the one

who broke your heart and stole it back again?  Did you find that magic

you were so sure was out there if you just followed the signs? And….

Was it all you had dreamt of ? Did the reality match the fantasy? Oh

my dear, it seldom does,but if you found it, I hope you soaked  up the

adventure as you always did in all other things.

I must say goodbye now. Before I do though, I wanted to remind you to open

your treasure box that you filled with all your prized keepsakes over the years.

All the reminders of so many blessings you’ve had in your life and to

give thanks to the greatest artist of all time for making you the

special work of art that I know you still are. Your gratitude may just

earn you another 20 years. But even if it doesn’t, I have no doubt that

in your remaining years, the best is yet to come!

Happy Birthday my dear and above all – let peace abide in that restless

soul of yours…..

Kindest regards

Chevonne  

Day 11 of the Poet’s Billow challenge: Through the window

by Chevvy, posted in Poetry

In this challenge we had to study an audio rendition of a a foreign language poem and try to replicate its tone and mood . I used a poem written in Czech by Miroslav Holub.

Fog-

Fog surrounds me

scowling, smothering and dense

stifling, suspended haze over space,

then suddenly, it lifts, it dawns on me!

A recognition,admission,

of what I’ve seen and heard everyday.

Flashing, racing, sprinting, mounting-

memories, conversations, revelations

that we’ve shared.

They come together as the mist disappears.

This is what we’ve wanted all along.

A taste of freedom.

The Dilemma

by Chevvy, posted in Poetry

To chase freedom in all its forms

Or abide society in all its norms

To follow personal conviction

Or live a life of contradiction

To remain silent and not rebel

Or stand on rooftops, whistle and tell

To be true to yourself, be a martyr

Or trade souls, shrink to a barter

To focus on your locus of control

Or propel the rock and let it roll

Perhaps the solution is not very clear

But resolve the dilemma without fear!

Things fall apart

by Chevvy, posted in Poetry

Mayhem sweeps through the earth,

indiscriminately blowing ill winds,

trashing  crowded places,

leaving rubble in his wake

as the streets begin to tremble,

rumble as buildings tumble.

His menacing hoarse whispers

heard everywhere,

by all trapped in corners of fear,

as another dark cloud descends,

raining new rivers of blood

from dark crimson skies.

The rats ravage among the waste,

a child cries forlorn,

as nerves turn to steel

from the replay and repeat,

the distance of the blast

or just impotence with no hope.

Hands thrown in the air!

Why should we care?

Still he winds through busy streets,

He breathes into the air.

He holds his own compass

and sometimes runs on autopilot.

Those who have seen him

tell of a merciless face,

sometimes a hooded neighbor

whom you thought you knew,

now dressed in disguise,

a murderer before your eyes.

Moving too fast

by Chevvy, posted in Poetry

I thought I had you in the palm of my hand

Captivated by my scintillating charm

Wrapped tightly on the wrist of my arm

Until I woke up to the sound of the alarm

Where did you go when I was asleep?

Lately you have taken to the tracks

Racing wildly like hunting wolves in packs

Slipping through the fissures and the cracks

Moving in the shadows, conspiring with the sun

Contracting my nights, stretching through my days

Fooling me, blinding my sight in contrived ways

Confusing my colors with luminescent greys

Was it just a dream or did I see you fleetingly?

So suddenly, you conjure your magic tricks on me

I feel your temperature drop by a fractional degree

A subtle change, the first leaf falls from the tree.

Mistakenly, I thought I had you enraptured

Instead I am the victim that time has captured.

Little miracles

by Chevvy, posted in Poetry

Imagine it!

That in everyday and in every way

Little miracles will find you, need you, inspire you

And veils will fall, sparks ignite and pages fill with ink,

With verse and rhyme you knew but could not think.

Delight in it!

The exuberance of your inner child, long repressed

Between black and white, malevolent, deep dark nights.

Retrieve that inner being whose longing eyes still glisten,

If only you would lend an ear to her beating heart and listen.

Believe in it!

That your dreams will see the light

And destiny’s promise will not let you down,

The thoughts you’ve hidden in pockets of your soul

Will be redeemed and restore you to feeling whole.

Take it!

The abundance that life will bring

Prepare to receive it with arms stretched out!

When the little miracles accumulate in what appears as chance,

You’ll realize that there was always an epic plan to watch you dance!

Serenity

by Chevvy, posted in Poetry

I found her there,

When I opened my eyes,

Composed and regal, a gracious surprise.

She reached out,

Taking my hand in hers,

Leaned in and whispered my name.

With words gentle and soft,

Her meaning and intention were clear.

She cuddled me, said I had nothing to fear.

If you truly love she said:

Fear will seek refuge elsewhere,

Clearing space for new occupants.

Invite them in she said:

Time has come for the kiss of joy,

The delight of peace, the ascension of spirit.

Stop listening she said:

To the voices of malice and doubt,

The nay-sayers, the castigators, the cynics.

I was amazed to find

A soothing-calm envelope me,

As I stepped out of my faded raiments.

When I opened my window,

I saw the resplendence of a bright new day.

A new dawn of serenity had come my way!

Sunlight shadows

by Chevvy, posted in Poetry

Witness the vibrant marriage of flowers and foliage

blessed by gold rings of Sun’s holy passionate kiss.

Yet a pensive and foreboding mood hovers in the air

with scatterings of surprise and imminent doom.

Beneath the bright colors and reflective gloss

lurks an ominous shadow, divined by the oracle.

Butterflies and bees in their absence, echo in silent breeze.

The message gathers wings and flies with birds among the trees.

Onlookers passing by, are deceived by this dazzling beauty,

the holy matrimony of the Sun and his captive concubines.

They lend tacit applause with no understanding of Flowers’ plight.

Though brilliant in its shine, the Sunlight is unbearably harsh.

If they would care to look a little closer, they would discover

that the Sun is sometimes a cruel and unforgiving lover.

Picking his favorite flower and flaunting her eminence

while cursing her flaws beneath his heated, bitter breath.

Yet the flowers honor their vows, staying true to their promise

“Until death do us part” while they stand firm in their courage,

their faith upheld in the belief that everything must change.

The moon will arrive with tender care and Weather brings relief.

So carry their burdens as they must ,while in the universe they do trust,

that Sun will always give them life and for as long as they have this-

Hope is always in sight for a new day of vivacious, thriving blossoms

that will bring the butterflies and bees fluttering and humming back.

Close that door

by Chevvy, posted in Poetry

Close that door on your anger

Still contending and defending who is to blame

Re-living all the hurt and your dark secret shame

Until it becomes a lethal toxin to your existence

Organ pipes tuned so loud, you lose all resistance

Close that door on your resentment

The festering sore that never seems to truly heal

Opening new wounds in old scabs that you peel

That thick bile that keeps congesting your chest

Until Misery’s eggs are warmly laid in your nest

Close that door on being the victim

Emotionally scarred and taken for granted

A washtub, a door mat – in your mind implanted

Time for a new way of looking at what life brings

Perhaps a different pest control to fend off the stings

Close that door on your deception

It’s nothing strange, we all hide behind our masks

Ready to please and tease the world in all that it asks

But when the sun peaks inside, someone pays the price

Of souls torn apart in a cold, steely, shredding-device

Close that door on your unhappiness

The world is filled with a myriad of magical things

Time’s too short to not breathe in all that nature brings

So many smiles lie wasted behind curtains of tears

I’ll drink a toast to you and hope you’ll say Cheers!

Close that door so that new ones may open

Here’s to you for all dreams you have been hoping!