Bereaved
Does an owl dream of quahogs drenched
In truffle butter; seaweed sprinkled
With salt, and a pinch of pecorino cheese?
Owl’s longing lingers – forms tendrils of
Memory, like river fog. Who? She calls
But Moon sees all, stays silent.
Owl cries out soul-ache; longing
Rolls like thunder, tumbles mercurial,
Elusive as a ghost, across a field
Littered with shell and bones.
The cowbird sings triumphant.
— Holly Jahangiri (4/2/2023)
Inspired by Day Two (napowrimo.net)
Bridge
A chasm yawns:
From outraged infants’ protest squall
To distant shores of resignation.
Hidden bridges span the gaps:
Dandelion seeds
Wafted on the breeze
Of a child’s foolish wish.
— Holly Jahangiri (4/2/2023)
Remember how Dad used to run around saying, “Stop that!” after one day teaching us to wish on dead dandelions by blowing the seeds to scatter them in the wind? Whoops. Who knew those sunny, bright yellow blossoms were noxious weeds in cultivated yards, once the seeds took root and grew? We teach our kids all sorts of fun things, then try to tame their wild impulses. Grandparents are for reminding them of their inner wild things. And that’s how you bridge the generation gap.
Today’s Poets
Gwendolyn Bennet
– “From 1924 to 1927, she taught art at Howard University, but took a year-long leave in 1925 to study art in Paris on a scholarship. … Bennett published over twenty poems in the 1920s. She also completed a great deal of artwork, much of which was destroyed in two fires[.]” Read more here.
To a Dark Girl by Gwendolyn Bennett – Poems | Academy of American Poets
Joseph Bruchac – Joseph Bruchac is an American writer and storyteller who explores his Abenaki ancestry and Native American folklore in his work. He has published more than 120 books for adults and children, including poetry, novels, and short stories. Read more here.
Steel by Joseph Bruchac | Poetry Foundation – I was drawn to this poem, written to honor the courage of the many Mohawk steelworkers who built bridges and skyscrapers in North America, because I’ve been doing some genealogical research, wherein I learned that many of my own ancestors were ironworkers from Shotts, Lanarkshire, Scotland.
I was curious about the dedication at the beginning of “Steel.” Who were Rick Hill and Buster Mitchell? I’m still not entirely sure, but I learned more about the disastrous collapse of the Pont de Quebec.
“The Pont de Québec is a road, rail and pedestrian bridge across the lower Saint Lawrence River in Canada. The bridge failed twice during construction, at the cost of over 100 lives, in 1907 and again in 1916, and took over 30 years to complete. At least 33 of those killed were Mohawk steelworkers.” Read more: Morning Open Thread: In Beauty – Poems for Indigenous Peoples Day (dailykos.com)
August 29, 1907: The day the Quebec Bridge collapsed | JDQ (journaldequebec.com)
April is National Poetry Month. This year marks its 27th year. NaPoWriMo – 30 days of writing poems – is poets’ answer to National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo).
This coincides with the A to Z Blogging Challenge, now celebrating its 13th anniversary. Some participants choose a theme; others wing it. Doesn’t matter! The real challenge is to build a practice of writing daily. I think I stuck with it…once. There’s still time to sign up – registration ends April 9. You can see the list of participants – I’m sure they’d love it if you’d visit and comment on their blogs.
This month, my goal is to:
- Write a poem a day and share it – uncurated – here; and
- Highlight some poets you may be unfamiliar with.
I encourage you to click the links to read about them and their work. I plan to choose a diverse array of classical and contemporary poets – indigenous poets, Black poets, women poets, LGBTQ poets – that challenge us to see the world differently while also tapping into universal themes and emotions.
Remember, too, that comments and conversation are always welcome here. (Spammers, on the other hand, will be tossed into the moat or mocked, so before you leave an irrelevant comment or drop a link, consider that it’s fair game!)
Oh my, this is lovely. Did you use all the words on the list? Feels that way to me and a happy owl and happy cowbird combo is just lovely. I like it.
Grandparents and kids: how to close a generation gap. Adore this. It’s so true. Xoxo
Glad I read. Thanks so much. Loving your work. Blessings.
Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂 And now I’m hoping I can keep it up all month… Thanks for visiting, Selma!
The first three lines of Bereaved had me smiling, and then that smile lowered as I kept reading. Thank you for sharing these poems!
It’s really not a happy poem, is it? I didn’t want to spoil it for those who read it differently, but you knew…