Day 28- Visit a virtual art gallery and look around until you find a piece that intrigues you. Write a poem inspired by the artwork.

A Stream in the Wood (1865) - Asher Brown Durand
A Stream in the Wood (1865) – Asher Brown Durand

The piece I chose is A Stream in the Wood, an 1865 oil painting by American painter Asher Brown Durand.
(For credit’s sake, I found the photo here.)

Solitude,
Oh, there is beauty in nature.
Though no flowers grow from where I stand,
All ’round me is green and brown,
The beauty of it has not sailed o’er my head.

I stand by the stream in the wood,
Awaiting a call, a sign
Of hope, love, passion,
A notice that in this solitary world,
I am not alone.

The wind rustling through my hair,
It calms me, though it disturbs me.
The trees that surround me are
Shedding their skins,
Just as I do every few months to create anew.
The stream is light and lulling,
The water flows gently by my feet.

Each day I awaken and visit this
Solitary place of nature,
The beauty of it all has
Enchanted me.
I think perhaps
I shall sit for a while,

I shall sit by the stream in the wood.

30 Day Poetry Challenge: Day 28

Day 27- Begin with the title “The Poem I’d Never Write.” Then, write that poem.

The Poem I’d Never Write

Sometimes I can feel it coming on,
The pressure rising in my chest,
My heart beat racing, fast as a mouse,
Breathing slows and shallows,
My palms are sweaty, my stomach aches,
I am fully engulfed.

Where is my mind?
Lost at sea with no ship captain to be found.
This is crushing, debilitating, immobilizing,
I cannot think
Move
Breathe.

The thoughts passing through my head
Are filled with darkness,
Absolute darkness.
Thoughts of
Oh, perhaps I should dispose of myself,
But through which vessel, I am uncertain.
Oh, perhaps I am not worthy of those around,
And how to become so I am not aware.
Oh, perhaps this world should be better off without me,
My presence a burden to be destroyed.
Perhaps my mistakes have obliterated my chances
At anything good or wonderful in this life.
No blood shall be spilt tonight aside from in my thoughts,
But with time,
I shall recover from this
Panic attack.

30 Day Poetry Challenge: Day 27

Day 26- Gather some magazines/catalogs you don’t mind cutting up and spend ten minutes flipping through them looking for words/sentences that spark your interest. Cut out the words as you go, and (at the end of the ten minutes) arrange the words to form a cut-out poem.

I’m afraid I have to skip this one because I don’t have any magazines or catalogs around that I can cut up 😐 Maybe I’ll return to this one day and finish it off.

30 Day Poetry Challenge: Day 26

Day 25- Write a poem that includes all of the following words: pistachio, ink, pebble, weather, varnish.

Tattoo

I shall ink my skin with the marks of ten years,
Every storm that has rained upon me shall be remembered,
Every bruise from a pebble thrown shall remain.
I shall write the words upon my skin to
Display them whenever I shall need.
I shall draw upon myself in all colors,
Maroon and the deep blue of the ocean,
Pistachio yellow-green and black and white and all
Colors in between.
I shall varnish it all
So as not to forget
The storms that I have weathered.

30 Day Poetry Challenge: Day 25

Day 24- Write a poem that’s different in some way from anything you’ve ever written. Take a chance! Be wild!

I am of the world,
Yet thus so far one single piece standing alone,
Awaiting a call of direction or madness,
I search for the meaning of it all.

I am of the world,
Although I have not yet begun to fully respect
My place in this begotten, damned society,
My stance in regards to the future has widened,
The mind of which has opened to possibilities beyond my reach
In prior days.

For I am of the world,
But alas, simultaneously,
The world is of me.
For one being unescorted by the other shall mean the destruction of all.
As I said, my path has arisen,
I am of the world,
But hereto I shall not fall down,
Whence the world calls upon myself.
For instead by rising up,
The power shall be mine once more.

I am of the world,
Whose meaning shall be revealed to me in time,
But only if patience be a virtue of mine,
Only if my soul be willing to hold true,
I am of the world,
My world shall thus be mine.

30 Day Poetry Challenge: Day 24