A Shy Introvert

For Day 25 of NaPoWriMo, the prompt talked about answering questions on a Proust Questionnaire. I decided to respond to only one question in my poem. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? I sometimes wish I was more of an extrovert. I'd like to be more outgoing and more comfortable in crowds and talking with lots of people. However, I understand myself enough to know I feel much more comfortable talking to only one or two people at a time, and that it's perfectly fine to be a shy introvert. I hope you enjoy my poem.
 

A Shy Introvert
By Candace Shultz

In a sea of faces
Your heart races.
Everything's just a blur.
Your mind is a saboteur:
It fills you with doubt,
Urging you to get out.
You will be fine.
You just need to realign.

Breathe as you move through the crowd.
Stay calm even though it's loud.
Withdraw to a quieter place.
Find peace in a different space.
When there's less people all around,
When your heart has finally calmed down,
Relax and give yourself grace.
Allow a mental embrace.

You don't have to change who you are.
You don't have to carry shyness like a scar.
Be true to yourself, and you'll be a star.

Love Will Always Win

The NaPoWriMo prompt today challenged me to start my poem with a line from another poem. I chose the line "I think I know enough of hate" from Robert Frost's poem "Fire and Ice."

 

Love Will Always Win
By Candace Shultz

I think I know enough of hate
To show it to the door.
Hate is no longer welcome here.
It won't hurt me anymore.
Goodbye to all the harsh words.
Goodbye to its disdain.
Goodbye to all the violence.
Goodbye to all the pain.
I close the door to hatred.
I close the door to sin.
No matter how hard it knocks,
I won't let it in.

But when I hear a knock of peace,
A gentle call of love,
I know to let the caller in
For He is sent from God above.
I open the door to Jesus.
He enters through my soul.
He sits with me at my table,
And again I am made whole.
Love heals hatred's wounds.
Love smooths scars from skin.
Love is always welcome.
Love will always win.

Moms Are Superheroes

For today's poem, I followed the NaPoWriMo prompt to write about or include a superhero in my poem. I considered writing about Batman or another well-known fictional superhero, but I decided to write about an every day hero who doesn't always get the recognition she deserves. Moms work hard every day to take care of their children and families, whether or not they are stay-at-home moms or moms that have a career outside of the home. Oftentimes, they make sacrifices to ensure their children have everything they need, whether it be physical, emotional, social, or mental. Moms are superheroes. Dads are too, but this poem is about moms. My poem definitely doesn't include everything that moms do for their children, but I hope you enjoy it nevertheless.

Moms Are Superheroes
By Candace Shultz

Do you know a superhero?
I bet that you do.
If you can't think of one,
I'll give you a clue.
When you are hungry,
She cooks you a meal.
When you've had a bad day,
She'll ask you how you feel.
When your clothes are dirty,
She makes sure they are clean.
She guides you towards the right path
And corrects you if you're mean.
She helps you when you need her.
She showers you with love.
And when you are not with her
She sends prayers to God above.
She never stops worrying.
She wishes for you the best.
She'd protect you with her very life
Until her dying breath.
She doesn't really need a cape.
It would just get in her way.
Your mom is a superhero
Each and every day.

There Once Said a Fork to a Spoon

The NaPoWriMo prompt today is to write about two unlikely things that have a fight. I felt like being a little silly today, so I wrote a limerick about a fork and spoon having a fight.

There Once Said a Fork to a Spoon
By Candace Shultz

There once said a fork to a spoon,
"I am better than you, you buffoon."
The spoon did reply
by flinging some pie
and then ran from a hungry raccoon.

Teardrop

I followed the NaPoWriMo prompt today to repeat or focus on a color. I used the color blue in my poem. 

Teardrop
By Candace Shultz

The
world
is leached
of  color  as  the
blue   skies   darken
and  disappear  into  her
soul.  Her  heart is filled  with
sadness, the pain so heavy she
cannot bear to hold it in, and it
overflows into a blue ocean of
spilled tears. The blue of the
sea  seeps  into  her  skin,
weighing   her   down,
until    she    drowns
in   her   tears   of
melancholy.

Waiting for the Rain

Thunder booms above
As the trees dance to its beat
Waiting for the rain

Death Hunts Me

For the NaPoWriMo prompt today, I wrote a poem about what I'm haunted by, then changed the word "haunt" to "hunt."

 

Death Hunts Me
By Candace Shultz

Death hunts me.
He's in the car,
So impatient,
Threatening
To crash into me.

Death hunts me.
He's there on the steps,
Waiting to trip me
So that I'll fall
And break my neck.

Death hunts me.
He's a mugger
Holding a knife,
Wanting to steal my life,
My most valuable possession.

Death hunts me.
He's the wind
In a thunderstorm,
Howling in fury,
Fierce and ferocious.

Death hunts me.
He's at my doctor's office,
Hovering by my side
As I wait to receive
An unwanted diagnosis.

Death hunts me.
He's in my bed,
Whispering to me
While I sleep
That I am his.

Death hunts me.