I'm trying something new, taking a risk this month - participating in#VerseLove with Sarah Donovan,
hoping to write poetry every day this April.
Today's challenge is such a hard one! Oh my. The inspiration was Joni Mitchell's song "Both Sides Now" - we were to pick three topics and look at these from two perspectives. I listened to Joni Mitchell's amazing song, and could not get it out of my head. She focuses on clouds, love, and life. Here is my poem...I focus on night, home, and family. Ugh!
Monsters and bogeyman,
Ghosts hiding in the walls,
They’re awake while you sleep,
Don’t disturb them at all.
You stay in your bed
Pull your covers up tight,
Beware of the dark
In the middle of the night.
But now I see so much in dark,
Dreams, ideas, prayers, and books
When I wake in the middle,
It’s time for another look.
No reason to fear this
Instead take paper and pen
Write what I am thinking
Go back to sleep again.
I think and wonder about the night
I probably should know more,
What of stars, moon, owls,
and bats, to name only four?
No clutter and polished wood,
Sheets tightly made on beds
Mom kneels in prayer, curtains drawn
Dad’s working in the shed.
Follow the rules, no protest,
Be sure to do all my chores,
Then find my shoes and jacket,
Leave the cold and head outdoors.
But then I made my own home,
Wanting another way,
The one rule: no silent treatment
We’ve honored to this day.
Three boys, messy rooms,
We laughed, sometimes we cried
All feelings were welcome
Home was a place we tried.
I think and wonder about home,
the touch of theirs on mine,
What changes might we make,
If we went back in time?
One man and one woman,
Holy marriage is the way,
Children need this structure,
Everyone would say.
Sheltered life limits the view,
Seems to shape children’s minds,
But I don’t think there’s any stop
To curious, over time.
Whether books, study, or travel,
I began to question it,
So many families
That this shell didn’t fit.
Teaching showed me even more,
Each family is unique
Together has so many ways
There is no one technique.
Whatever I think and wonder
About families, is just guess.
Isn’t it an illusion
To think we know what’s best?
glenda funk, from Sarah Donovan's poetry website:
ReplyDeleteMaureen,
I love the way your poem moves from a child-like, fairy-tale frame to reimagine how we think about families. I wonder about this question often: “What changes might we make, / If we went back in time?” As you described your life w/ your husband and boys and the one rule, “no silent treatment,” I thought about how a childhood impacts the homes we make and how important talk is in our relationships. I love both the question and implied statement in the last line: “Isn’t it an illusion / To think we know what’s best?” Lovely poem. Thank you.
—Glenda
gayle sands, from Sarah Donovan's 30 Days of poetry website:
ReplyDeleteI think and wonder about the night
I probably should know more,
What of stars, moon, owls,
and bats, to name only four?
Maureen, these are my favorite lines. There is something so childlike here, so specific. So many times we outgrow our family’s shell. I am glad you have found a shell that fits…
I love the thought, "Together has so many ways, There is no one technique."
ReplyDelete