Picture-perfect

Have you ever seen something that was so incredible that you wish you could have taken a picture to save that moment? I've had several. While attending BYU years, and years...and years ago (haha), I was walking up to campus, nose in one of my textbooks. I was desperately trying to get my reading done for a class, having been short on time with my full-time job and other homework. As I panted up the steep hill, I happened to glance up, and my heart nearly stopped. Up in the sky, there were several of the most gorgeous hot-air balloons I had ever seen! Okay, they were the first hot-air balloons I had EVER seen in real life. I was so amazed! There was something so enchanting about a sky full of rainbow balloons on an otherwise ordinary day, and for some reason, my eyes filled with tears at all the people who were missing it...simply because they didn't look up.

Another incredible sight was when I was working in Maybelle, Colorado. I was walking down a dusty dirt road, miles and miles of sagebrush to my left, and a steep dirt hill with a wire fence to my right. As I walked along the fence, I glanced up, and beheld the most gorgeous image I had ever seen. Beneath a blueberry syrup-colored sky, filled with clouds that looked like huge dollops of whipped cream, was a field with golden rolls of hay scattered around. In a land of barren ugliness was this oasis of pure beauty...and I kicked myself that my camera was in the truck a mile up the road...with a full day of work still ahead of me.

Another memory that I have was when I was wandering the Logan City cemetery for a project for my Creative Nonfiction writing class. As I strolled down the paths and weaved in and out of the gravestones, I saw a man, perhaps in his 30's, laying face down on a grave. I nearly cried. It was the saddest-and most beautiful-thing I had seen. And so, I wrote a poem about it.


The Mourner

across the busy street
inside the quiet gates
past the spinning pinwheels
behind a pair of pines
beside a vase of roses
a man is lying on a grave...
weeping

Super short poetry: cinquains

A cinquain poem is actually really fun to write. The formula I chose to use was line 1, 2 syllables. Line 2, 4 syllables; line 3, 6 syllables; line 4, 8 syllables, and line 5, 2 syllables describing line 1. So easy!

Caleb
A brand new smile
His tiny hands clutch mine
He smells so sweet like soap and milk
Baby

Summer
A warm evening
Walks along the river
Our children stop to throw in sticks
Peaceful

Mountains
Towering high
Inviting us to climb
New lands yet to be discovered
Hiking


Sweet songs
Chirping crickets
The early morning birds
The way the thunder cracks and booms
Serene

Stories
Turning pages
New adventures await
Don't want to put it down to sleep
Novel

Acrostic Revisited

The more I thought about my last acrostic, the more bothered I am by it. Acrostics should keep to the topic. My last one was about my job as a kennel attendant, not about who I am. And so I decided to write one the right way...and no, this one doesn't rhyme! :)

Who I Am

Kindness is an important trait
I'm not very good at it, but I do try.
My favorite thing is thunder storms
Because the rumbling of thunder excites me.
Exciting, too, are airplanes as they land,
Really gets my heart pumping!
Love, love, love trains, sunrises, and wet kisses from my little boys!
Youthful laughter has been replaced by the calm smiles of motherhood.

Kitty-love has been replaced by the deep love I have for my family. I've changed, but
I still write stories and long for a house in the quiet openness of the country.
Nothing quite beats the invigorating sound of morning birds' songs or rain pouring down.
Green still is my favorite color. Maybe I haven't changed that much after all.

I Am

This next poem's format was very difficult to get to since the link didn't seem to work. Here's how I got to it: After clicking on the Poetry Exercises link on the right of my blog, select grade (7-12), then "types of poetry." Go to Bio-poetry. Select "My bio-poem: a lesson of self-discovery." Next, scroll down the screen, and open the link that says "Handout 6." I used Example 2 for my formula for this poem, but feel free to explore other options. One thing I've learned: I can NOT write a poem on days I feel overwhelmed. Luckily, tonight was calm enough for me to gather my thoughts and jot some things down that were on my mind. Give this one a try, it's pretty fun!

I Am

I am a mother.
I wonder if I'm teaching my children how to live their lives to be great.
I hear their laughter and their tender "I love you's."
I see their eager eyes, their happy smiles, and the carefully distorted drawings they make for me.
I want to play, read, talk and laugh with them more.

I pretend that we have it all, and are in need of nothing.
I feel scared, weak, and inept at the challenges I daily face.
I touch their sweet soft cheeks, their rough, mud-caked hands, and their coarse, crumb-covered hair…and I love it.
I laugh when Daddy gets food thrown onto him by our one-year-old.
I cry when I leave for work and realize I forgot to kiss my children goodbye.

I say that I'm going to do better tomorrow, to stay calm, and to hold my boys more tenderly.
I ask for God's divine help with patience, kindness, and more understanding.
I understand that I won't be perfect, but I can give my children perfect love.
I try to give them a home they will want to return to every day.
I am a mother.