Reena’s xploration challenge invited us to explore the space of Passages, Doorways, Thresholds, and/or Transitions, which dovetailed beautifully with dVerse Poets Banned Book challenge. As an avid ally for the trans/non-binary community, I was drawn to the following quote from Susan Kuklin’s book Beyond Magenta.
… my subjects’ willingness to brave bullying and condemnation in order to reveal their individual selves makes it impossible to be nothing less than awestruck.”
Check out both sites for more information on the challenges and for some great writing.
As someone who lived in the Midwest United States, I am obsessed with the weather. It’s hard not to be. It can shift rapidly, not just daily but hourly.
I also know that when I talk about the weather, I often say “when I was a kid ….” And although it may be annoying to the youths, it is the truth. When I was a kid, September meant the end of summer (not just the start of school), Halloween costumes were almost always hidden by our winter coats, it often snowed at Thanksgiving, and we always had snow at Christmas. What this September taught me AGAIN was that the weather has shifted. It was as hot as hell. It was nearly 90 degrees (Fahrenheit) last week. Every day I would shake my fist at the sky and yell I need summer to STOP!
Thank goodness, the second week of October has finally brought some cooler temperatures. October means sporty jackets and cute boots and hot chocolate and afternoon walks and fall foliage and … Oh NO! October is already halfway over. November looms with its dark days and cold nights and … actually, November last year was beautiful. Did I mention that the weather has shifted. Climate change is undoubtably real and really bad for the planet, but it is nice that it rarely snows before January now. (We need a sarcasm font.)
And now quick verse to summarize the above rant.
when September ends
Summer’s green days fade away
A fable once told
now October’s sun burns red
an admonitory tale
Thanks to FOWC (NEED) and the writer’s workshop and dVerse for their challenges to reflect on September and October.
This week I tried something new by writing a rengay with David from The Skeptic’s Kaddish.
I hope you like it as much as I enjoyed the process. Visit David’s site for more inspired bits of poetry.
What is a rengay? Rengay is a form of linked verse created as an alternative to Japanese renga or renku. The form was devised by Garry Gay in California in 1992. A rengay consists of six thematic haiku verses and is normally composed by two or three poets, although solo and six-person rengay are not uncommon. You can read more about this form HERE.
Tina Stewart Brakebill 