The Way to My Heart

Today is Day 26 of National Poetry Month. Only four more days to go! Based on NaPoWriMo's prompt for today, I wrote a curtal sonnet. It's a shortened form of the sonnet, having 10 1/2 lines (the 1/2 line is the last line) instead of the usual 14 lines. The rhyme scheme is abcabc for the first stanza of 6 lines and then dbcdc for the last stanza of 4 1/2 lines. I found this type of poetry challenging, but fun. 

The Way to My Heart

By Candace Shultz

Forget the roses and the flower pots

unless you want to see the flowers die,

the petals falling one by one, the dirt

so dry, the leaves so brown for want of lots

of water days after we say goodbye.

I'm just not good with flowers. Don't be hurt.

I'm telling you to get me chocolates:

Muddie Buddies, Hershey Almonds, or pie.

A Hershey Kiss? You'll see a smile. I'll flirt

with you all day. But a Cadbury gets 

you a dessert.

A Mom's Goodbye

Today is Day 25 of National Poetry Month.

A Mom's Goodbye

By Candace Shultz

A son left home to go to college,

Waving to his mom goodbye.

Saddened, she let him go,

Knowing that he needed to fly,

And as she watched him drive away

She willed herself not to cry.

Then she walked into her home

And waited by the door,

Hoping that he forgot a book,

A picture, clothes from his drawer.

But she knew that he wouldn't be back,

So she let herself sink to the floor.

Yet, as she looked out the door

To her freshly mowed front yard,

She knew that her son would be okay

And that goodbyes were always hard.

So she stood up and closed the door,

Sending a silent prayer to the Lord.

Then she looked up at her wall

And saw a picture of her son.

She touched his face, then continued down the hall,

Stopping to gaze at each picture, one by one,

Watching as her baby grew up to be a man,

Realizing a new chapter in both their lives had begun. 

Brick by Brick

Today is Day 24 of National Poetry Month! I decided to follow NaPoWriMo's prompt for today: write a poem about walls, stones, bricks, etc. I decided to use bricks and walls figuratively in my poem.  

Brick by Brick

By Candace Shultz

Brick by brick,

I build a wall

around my crumbling heart.

Brick by brick,

I build it up tall

so you can't tear it apart.

Brick by brick,

I build this wall

Until you can't ever get in.

The stones you throw

may chip the brick,

but they'll never pierce my skin.

Then years from now,

when my heart has healed,

I will tear the wall down.

The bricks will tumble,

one by one.

A new person will be found.

Until then,

brick by brick,

I continue to build the wall.

Until My Dying Day

Today is Day 23 of National Poetry Month. I dedicate today's poem to my husband. 

Until My Dying Day

By Candace Shultz

Thank you for your morning kisses

And the kisses before you leave.

Thank you for all the cuddles

And the hugs that I receive.

Thank you for cooking all the meals,

For tasty popcorn too.

Thank you for making the bed

Because I rarely do.

Thank you for working hard

Each and every day,

For the house and food and luxuries

Supported by your pay. 

Thank you for encouraging me

To be a better writer.

Your words of praise and appreciation

Make my dreams burn brighter.

Thank you for your optimism

Even in times of stress.

When I want to cry, you make me laugh.

You make me feel blessed.

Thank you for the precious gift

Of our darling daughter Lily,

For loving her and teaching her

And for being silly. 

Thank you for being you.

There's nothing I would change.

I love you for who you are

Even though you're strange.

And when we get old and gray

I know what I will say:

I love you now and forever

Until my dying day.

More Nursery Rhymes

Today is Day 22 of National Poetry Month, and I'm writing more nursery rhymes! NaPoWriMo's prompt for today is to write a nursery rhyme or a poem for children. The rhythm and rhyming for my first poem is based on Little Miss Muffet (I do like that nursery rhyme.) whereas my second poem follows the rhythm and rhyming scheme of Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear.

Little Miss Lily
By Candace Shultz

Little Miss Lily

Was feeling quite silly,

So she got out her color green.

She colored her ball.

Then she colored the wall

Until no white could even be seen.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Marshmallows, Marshmallows
By Candace Shultz

Marshmallows, marshmallows
In a cup!
Marshmallows, marshmallows,
Eat them up!
Marshmallows, marshmallows,
I see a peep!
Marshmallows, marshmallows,
Cheep, cheep, cheep!

Marshmallows, marshmallows,
Sweet and yummy!
Marshmallows, marshmallows
In my tummy!
Marshmallows, marshmallows,
I love so much!
Marshmallows, marshmallows,
Mine! Don't touch!

Listen to the Wind

Today is Day 21 of National Poetry Month. I wrote a concrete poem, which took me longer to format than to actually write it. Anyway, I'm sharing the concrete poem as well as the way I wrote it originally. 

Listen to the Wind

By Candace Shultz

Listen

Listen to

Listen to the wind.

It's calling your name.

Shh...

Can you hear it?

Run.

Run like the wind

and never look back.

Happy Easter

Today is Day 20 of National Poetry Month. Happy Easter! 

I wrote a tanka for today's poem. A tanka has 5 lines with the syllables for each line following a 5-7-5-7-7 pattern.

Cadbury World seemed
so fitting for an Easter
day trip. However,
in retrospect, I'd rather
stay home with my family.

Note: I edited this post. I originally wrote an Easter tanka, but after getting some sleep I didn't really like the way my poem turned out, so I rewrote it entirely. I hope everyone had a Happy Easter. God bless.