A Good Night's Sleep

Today is the last day of NaPoWriMo 2024! For my final poem this month, I followed the prompt to compare or identify the speaker of my poem with someone from myth. I compared my speaker with a goddess of the day, who I considered in my mind to be Hemera (Greek mythology) or even Eos (goddess of the dawn). I hope you enjoy my last poem of NaPoWriMo 2024!

A Good Night's Sleep
By Candace Shultz

Oh, Hypnos, god of slumber,
Come carry me off into the deep
Embrace of Mother Nature's umber
Earth and verdant greenery.
Allow me the deep dark abyss of sleep.

Goddess Nyx has brought the night.
Morpheus waits to bring me a dream.
Let me bask in the heavenly starlight
And rest like a sleeping beauty
Until kissed by a morning sunbeam.

Then the sleepy dust will leave my eyes
As I awake with a yawn.
From my slumber I will rise
Like a goddess of the day,
Shining bright as I greet the dawn.

Let the beauty of the night
Give way to morning's light.

Incandescent

You can find today's NaPoWriMo prompt here, but basically I had to choose one word out of a list of ten words to use as the title for my poem. I chose the word incandescent. My poem is a haiku.

Incandescent
By Candace Shultz

At the end of day
when the sun's incandescence
disappears, I sleep

Sun-Kissed

Today's NaPoWriMo prompt is to write a sijo, which is a Korean verse form with three lines consisting of 14-16 syllables each. The following poem is my attempt at writing a sijo.

Sun-Kissed
By Candace Shultz

The sun beats down on her skin and smothers her with its heat.
Her bare skin reddens and burns under the glare of harsh yellow rays.
She rolls onto her stomach and sighs. For beauty she would die.

A Mother's Love

The NaPoWriMo prompt for today is to write an American sonnet, which has 14 lines likes a traditional sonnet, but doesn't have a rhyme scheme or meter. Here is my attempt at writing an American sonnet.

 

A Mother's Love
By Candace Shultz

A picture on the wall of fragmented flowers
With purple petals and dark green leaves
Stuck together one sticker at a time,
A purple painting with smiling clouds
Placed beside a poem written with love,
Purple thistles and red dandelions drawn
Next to red roses painted with celery ends:
A collage of art created by youthful exuberance
Embraced and displayed by a mother's love
For her children, a love with no limits.
If the sky were a canvas, she would fill it
With pictures and paintings and poetry
And all the creations of her children
To show her love and joy for them to the world.

I Am a Poet

For today's NaPoWriMo prompt, we were challenged to include alliteration, consonance, and assonance in our poems. I enjoy using alliteration (repetition of a consonant at the beginning of words), so my poem uses that technique a lot, but I did try to use consonance (repetition of consonant sound elsewhere in words) and assonance (repetition of vowel sounds) as well. I hope you enjoy my poem.

I Am a Poet

By Candace Shultz

I do not know what to write.

Why would you wish this on me?

You being myself as I stare at the screen,

Sullen and cross, cursing myself for promising

Poetry for all of April, even if I promised myself

And no one else. Yet I yearn to do better.

To write better. Write more. For I can't succeed

If I don't even try. I need these days of poetry

To remind myself that I am a writer even if

Some days my words drown with the dirty dishes

And months melt away in the summer heat

Where not a single sentence meets pen or paper

And winter wreaks havoc on my hurting hands.

They crack and bleed burying my need to create

Until springtime thaws my thoughts and I want

To write words again, to put them to pencil.

In the month of April, poetry pours forth

From my mind until I have nothing left.

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.

To Be a Fly

For NaPoWriMo today, I followed the prompt to write a poem where the speaker talks about wanting to be something else and explains why. 

To Be a Fly
By Candace Shultz

To be a fly?
Oh no, not I,
but yet,
maybe,
for a moment,
if just to say hello
to my Grandpa
who once said,
when I die
I will return as a fly.
For him,
to talk to him,
even for a short time,
I would be a fly.

Green

Green
By Candace Shultz

Fields of grass
And broccoli trees
Sour apples
And moldy cheese
Frogs on leaves
And flower stems
Emerald stones
Peridot gems
A lucky clover
A jealous guy
A color in the rainbow
A color of the eye
Mother Nature
The season of spring
Renewal, restoration
The life it brings
This is the color green

Sitting in My Kitchen Staring at the Trash Can

For today's poem, I followed the NaPoWriMo prompt to describe an object and then in the final line use an abstract idea that doesn't seem to relate to the object but actually does.

 

Sitting in My Kitchen Staring at the Trash Can
By Candace Shultz

Tall, dark, and ugly,
my trash can
sits in my kitchen
like an eye sore.
I can see it
sitting over there,
hugging my half wall
where it's left smudges
and scratch marks
in the white paint.

Its lid looks smug,
thinking it keeps
all the ugliness
out of sight,
out of mind,
but I can still smell
the rotting meat
from last night's dinner
and the sickly sweet
smell of a half-eaten banana
every time the lid
opens its mouth
in hunger for more.

The silver foot pedal is worn
and scratched in places,
constantly trodden on
by those who don't want
to touch the trash can
and its many germs
as they hurry to toss away
their unwanted garbage:
unwanted leftovers,
unwanted broken bits,
unwanted scraps of their lives
forever forgotten in the waste bin.

I have forgotten what it's like to dream.

Get Well

My poem today followed the NaPoWriMo prompt to use a stamp from @StampsBot for inspiration. This is the stamp that inspired my poem:

https://twitter.com/StampsBot/status/1774146024031789403/photo/1

Get Well
By Candace Shultz

Miles lay between us,
Oceans apart,
Both miles on land
And miles of the heart.
Yet I would never wish
For you to depart
This world of ours.
Let's have a fresh start.

Let's forget the past
And start anew,
Let go of our anger
As you pull through.
When you feel better
We'll have a talk overdue.
Get well soon, my friend,
I hope to hear from you.

You Are Worthy

For today's poem I followed the NaPoWriMo prompt to use anaphora, which is repeating a word or phrase at the beginning of sentences.

You Are Worthy
By Candace Shultz

You are worthy

You are worthy at your lowest

You are worthy at your best

You are worthy if you fail a hundred times

You are worthy when you pass the test

You are worthy when you get the job

You are worthy if you don't

You are worthy when you stand up for yourself

You are worthy if you won't

You are worthy if you are beautiful

You are worthy if you are not

You are worthy if you keep the peace

You are worthy if you fought

You are worthy when you're happy

You are worthy when you're downcast

You are worthy even now

You are worthy despite your past

You are worthy no matter what others say

You are worthy no matter what you think

You are worthy because God says you are

Write that down in ink

Total Solar Eclipse - a Haiku

I know it's a poem written five days late, but my poem today is about the total solar eclipse we had on April 8th. We didn't get to actually see the eclipse because it was too cloudy, but I thought it was cool when it got dark outside for a couple of minutes. 

 

Total Solar Eclipse
By Candace Shultz

Moon covers the sun
Eager to be center stage
But clouds steal the show

Unrequited Love

Unrequited Love
By Candace Shultz

I stand before you yearning
for you to see who I am,
but you stare right through me
like I'm not even there,
not even a shadow of self.

The sun shines brightly
on your beautiful face,
but it passes through me,
and I fade into the light
to a place no one can see.

I lose myself in your shadow,
my breath a light breeze
brushing against your lips,
my hand a hopeless lover
longing to caress your cheek.

I wish I could be the one
who shines brightly by your side
as you gaze at me with love,
but instead I am silent and alone,
knowing you don't see me at all.

Monostich Poetry

My poetry for today follows the NaPoWriMo prompt to write a monostich, which is a one-line poem. I had not heard of a monostich before today, but I'm always glad to try a new form of poetry. I've written four today.

Spring
A butterfly flutters in the soft breeze. 

* * * * *

Cold
She presses her body to his, basking in his heat.

* * * * *

Identity
She listened to their whispers and lost herself in their lies.

* * * * *

Disappearance
The pond ripples and then stills.

Haiku

There's no space for me
with these cacophonous sounds
bouncing off the walls.

 

- Candace Shultz                                             

Ode to My Pillow

Today my poem is an ode to my pillow that I got rid of several years ago after it became too flat. I have yet to find a new pillow just as good. This poem follows the NaPoWriMo prompt to write an ode to an everyday object.

Ode to My Pillow
By Candace Shultz

Oh, how I miss you.
I miss the way
you cradled my head
in your lap,
bringing comfort
after a long hard day.
I miss how
I could relax
in your embrace
and fall asleep
peacefully,
knowing you'd
be there
when I awoke.
I was free
from pain,
no headaches
to endure.
I was well rested,
happy,
content,
until
the day
I left you behind,
trading you
for another
and another
and another
because they just
couldn't compare
to your perfection.

Oh, why did I ever
let you go?
I regret leaving
you behind.
I'll forever
be looking back
at those warm
cozy nights
and blissful
mornings.
I'm sorry,
my lost love.
I didn't know
your worth
until it was
too late.

The Scars We Carry

My poem for today centers around the emotional scars a woman carries from her past relationship with a man she once knew. It sort of follows the NaPoWriMo prompt to write a poem about a relationship between two people who shouldn't have ever met.

The Scars We Carry
By Candace Shultz

Darkness slithered in
through the cracks
of his words:
Too shallow.
Not good enough.
And she let it.

She let the bits of black
sully her soul,
defile her worth,
poison her mind
until nothing was left
but self doubt and derision.

His words are thorns
embedded into her skin.
They make her bleed
even now, many years
since they parted ways.
She carries scars unseen
and unwanted.

And she wonders,
would her spirit
have sunk so low,
would her mind
have been so marred,
if she had never met him
all those years ago?

Wish You Were Here

Today's NaPoWriMo prompt suggested we write a poem titled "Wish You Were Here" with a postcard theme. It's supposed to be a short poem so it can fit on a postcard, but I can write really tiny, so I think my poem could still fit.  

Wish You Were Here
By Candace Shultz

Hi Grandma!
Today we're in Venice
where the gnocchi is delicious
and the hot cocoa divine. 

Carnevale revelers are everywhere.
I bought a pink sparkly mask
with huge pink feathers.
You would love the design.

We didn't go on a gondola
like you suggested.
The canals in Venice
have a bit of a smell.

Oh, and we got lost!
I asked for directions.
I could say dov'è,
non capisco as well.

I wish you were here with me,
happy and carefree,
ready for the next adventure
in Florence, Italy.

Sunrise Haiku

Sunrise
By Candace Shultz

The sun rises up
Vibrant colors in the sky
A greeting from God

Image found here: https://www.surfertoday.com/environment/sunrise-and-sunset-interesting-facts-about-the-golden-hour

What Makes You Happy?

Today's optional prompt at NaPoWriMo suggests writing a poem about two or three things and how they would perceive a blessing or other emotion. The prompt was based off of Alicia Ostriker’s poem "The Blessing of the Old Woman, the Tulip, and the Dog." In my poem, I decided to use four things (a bird, a fish, an ant, and a man) and how they perceive happiness.

 

What Makes You Happy?
By Candace Shultz

I am happy
said the bird
when I soar
in the sky
I am free

I am happy
said the fish
when I swim
in the ocean
I am free

I am happy
said the ant
when I wander
on the earth
I am free

I won't be happy
said the man
until I find
a way to
do all three

At Day's End

Today I followed NaPoWriMo's prompt to write a poem that uses the titles or language from The Strangest Things in the World: A Book About Extraordinary Manifestations of Nature by Thomas R. Henry. In this book I found a section titled "The Valley Where Dusk is Death," (page 105) which is the inspiration for my poem. 

At Day's End
By Candace Shultz

When the sun dips just below the horizon
The world is bathed in blood
Orange and red catch the sky on fire
And death looms ahead

Dusk comes calling
Darkness creeps behind
In the valley, death is waiting
For dusk to descend

Sloth

I have a sticker on my desk of a sloth watering a potted rose. I've been meaning to give this sticker to a teacher I know who loves sloths. Today it inspired me to write a poem.

 

 Sloth
By Candace Shultz

Steady and slow

Moving at its own pace

Enjoying the beauty of life

Thriving where it is planted

Like a rose basking in the sun

I Love

For today's poem, I followed NaPoWriMo's prompt to write a platonic love poem.

I Love
By Candace Shultz

your little paws
your dainty nose
your pointy ears
your small bean toes
your long tail
your soft fur
your cute meows
your happy purrs

the way you chirp
at a bird flying by
the way you act crazy
when you see a fly
the way you roll around
if I give you catnip
the way you get the zoomies
and just go zip

most of all, I love
when you cuddle on my lap
when you let me pet your belly
though I know it's a trap
when you curl next to me fast asleep
all the little things that I know you do
to show that you love me
as much as I love you

By God's Grace

Today is the first day of NaPoWriMo 2024! Like previous years, I am following along with https://www.napowrimo.net/. Sometimes I will follow their prompts, and other days I will write whatever inspires me. Today, their prompt is to write a poem that includes the plot of a book I liked and have not read in a while, but I cannot look through the book for help in remembering. I chose the book The Land of Far-Beyond by Enid Blyton. I technically read this book only a couple months ago, but time is relative, right?

 

By God's Grace
By Candace Shultz

There was a burden I carried that no one could see

Until a well-meaning person pointed it out to me.

It was huge and heavy and hard to bear

Even though I was the one who put it there.

My eyes were opened where once I was blind,

And my sins weighed me down with no peace of mind.

 

Then that same kind person told me of a place

Where I could lay down my burden that I now faced.

A path I should follow on this journey I had to take

To ease my sorrow, my sin, my suffering, my ache.

 

I followed the path as best as I could,

But I strayed sometimes because of choices no good.

I met Fear and Anger, Confusion and Greed,

Just a few of the ones who led me to need

The help of others who interceded on my behalf,

Their kindness and love setting me on the right path.

 

After a long time and many wrong turns,

I finally reached the place where I would learn

I could let go of my burden because of God's grace.

Jesus was there with His shining face.

He took my burden from me and made it His own.

His love ensured me that I'd never be alone.