Day 30: Lessons learned/ lessons never learned poem

Move Forward
by Laurie Kolp

What will it finally take
to dethrone you, Drama Queen?
Can’t you see insanity
washes through your every scene?

Even Triton’s conch shell horn
fails to calm the choppy sea,
your melodramatic mime
waving nonsense blatantly.

When will you ever learn
life’s lessons don’t come free;
that no matter how you act,
it goes down in history.

A trident aims to poke you
three times and it’s a charm,
so let the tide refresh you
and move forward without harm.

Day 29: Next step poem

Stepping Out
by Laurie Kolp

First winter snowfall
Puppy dances hip-hop while
Making yellow slush

Why cardinals?

A friend of mine who has just recently started reading this blog asked me, "Why cardinals?" 

I shared my experience with the red birds since the death of my dear friend, Mary; how their crimson color of love appears to me at times of great sadness, and fills my body with a peace that tingles from my head to my toes.  I know everything will be okay when I see cardinals.

Come to find out my friend had the same thing happen after the death of her loved one; cardinals began appearing to her, too.  This is the same friend who cheered me on during NaNoWriMo- before we had even discovered our "connection."   

Picture ornaments of Mary and Sadie, and white dove in memory of Ms. Angelle surrounded by a bevy of cardinals

Last night when the kids and I began decorating the Christmas tree Pete had so laboriously assembled with 900 lights, I was reminded of the significance of my crimson bird friend.  And as I unwrapped cardinal after cardinal to hang on the tree, I realized it had been a while since I had last seen one (remember, I had been glued to the computer for three weeks).  Then I came across picture ornaments in memory of Mary, Ms. Angelle and our dog Sadie, (who died in-between them).  I reminisced over happy times as I decorated the tree.  When I went to bed, I asked God to please never stop sending me cardinals. 

This morning I was at the computer before church typing my poem for the PAD Challenge, when Pete walked over to me.  (The entire back wall by my computer is a row of bay-like windows. Pete had covered up the one right by my computer  at the beginning of November because the sun created a glare, and the hot and cold weather seeped through while I did my work. The other windows remain uncovered).

"The only bad thing about blocking the light from your computer is that you can't see the family of cardinals playing out back right now," he said.

I hopped up from my computer and looked out on the patio.  Flashes of red caught my eyes as I watched the cardinals dance; male and female, big and little.  There must have been six or eight cardinals on the other side of the glass.  Reveling in the miracle before me, I knew God would always provide for me when I ask.  I prayed for a cardinal and He sent me a family; God is just like that!

Day 28: What really happened poem

The Big Merman
by Laurie Kolp

Prince Eric went scuba diving one day
When a mermaid named Ariel swam his way
It was love at first sight
They kissed through the light
Eric, now merman, in the sea did stay

Day 27: Blame _____

Blame Neptune
by Laurie Kolp

The noxious secrets bled
boil and fester within
like an ulcer
burning
flames of orange and red
forever seeking
emotional
release,
dying to escape
your lustrous armor
silver lining
in the knight without
a castle of gold
to serve as insurance
from the taunting demons
Neptune’s veracious
ocean blue
splashes
in
your
ashen
face.

Day 26: On the run poem

Escape
by Laurie Kolp

A hermit by any other name
stays at home alone,
but the hermit crab
runs out of his abode
in search of another--
like an addict
hunting for peace.

Sliding down to let down

Sliding down this mountain has been quite emotional for me.  I have spent so much time on my novel that I feel lost.  I miss my characters as if they were friends who moved away.  I want to jump back into their world.  I am just so emotional!

Yesterday Katie and I watched The Last Song, a movie based on Nicholas Sparks' novel.  It was a beautiful story that so deeply touched me I nearly cried a puddle.  I have never cried like that at a movie I watched with Katie.  In fact, I don't think I have cried like that since I was pregnant; back then, I cried at Hallmark commercials!  We were watching it on the bed in my room (Pete and the boys were watching a manly movie in the den).  The tears flowed continuously out of my eyes and down my face like a faucet.  Katie handed me the Kleenex box and was like, "M-O-uh-M."  She was paying more attention to me than the TV!  After the movie was over, I tried to tell Pete about it, and I started bawling all over again.  Katie did not know how to handle seeing her mom so... weak?  I even checked to make sure my hormone patch was not overdue.

It was a sad movie and all, but I believe there was much more to my reaction than meets the eye.  I mean, down deep I could have been mourning the ending of my book.  Subconsciously, I might have been ruing over the probability that my book will never hit the New York Times bestseller list, or the big screen like Nicholas Sparks, Elizabeth Gilbert and James Patterson.  But I love my novel, and I think it deserves the best. 

And now I know...

FEAR is threatening to knock down my confidence.  After all, the hard part is ahead of me.  As a friend said, now is the time to redecorate-- rearrange things here and there, add a little flair, and polish it up. 

THEN I get to start the process of submitting my little baby and subjecting it to all kinds of harsh criticism and rejection.  Can I handle that?

I think I can, I think I can... back up the hill I go.

My certificate from NaNoWriMo
(Still playing around with titles)

Day 25: Animal poem

Act Like a Bird (but not a turkey)
by Laurie Kolp

To sing through life a cappella,
fly through the air like a breeze

To sit peacefully without worry,
eat graciously what you please

To bask in the sun without burning,
splash through the rain playfully

To color the world with pure essence,
live like a bird mockingly

I thought I could and I did

This little engine thought she could.  Up, up the hill she went, moving slowly at times, yet still persevering and never giving up.  She made it through the NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) challenge-- to write a novel in one month's time-- never giving up the hope. 

Endless obstacles she encountered: daily chores, tending to children's school and extra-curricular activities, weekend madness, Thanksgiving feasts at schools and a week without school for the kids; yet she kept on chugging along.  Yes, this little engine wanted to accomplish her goal so badly that she pushed through, even when she didn't feel like it. 

At one point near the end, the going got tough; her head began to hurt, her eyesight got weaker and her neck and shoulders became so stiff, she thought she might fall off course.  But wonderful friends, especially her angel Pearl, cheered her along.  At times, doubt crept in and she thought she was insane to attempt this feat in November (of all months).  Sometimes she even felt it was all for nothing.  Still, she continued forward with a vengeance.  Why?  Because she needed to; she needed to make it across the finish line.  If you are a writer, you will understand.


Yesterday, November 23, 2010 at approximately 10:00 p.m., I finished my novel.  I was a close second to my writing buddy Pearl who, because of my brain hiccup (when I thought the word count was only 45,000 instead of 50,000) thought I would finish on the 22nd and so typed furiously away in order to finish on the same day.  And she still continued to cheer me on.  Thank you, my dear Pearl. 

I also could not have finished last night if Pete hadn't taken the kids to the Harry Potter movie.  It was difficult for me to miss that movie, but I was able to complete my goal.  And guess what?  It felt great! 

Now comes the hard part of editing, revising and polishing, but I'm in no hurry on that... today.

              HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Day 24: Spaces poem

Jell-O
by Laurie Kolp

The x-ray showed it perfectly-
blank spaces taken over
by gray matter
that, like
a blob,
gels.
When
did his
brain become
a massive Jell-O mold?
The x-ray showed it perfectly.

Day 23: Form poem

 Undertow(PARADELLE)

by Laurie Kolp

I am but a wave in the sea of life.

I am but a wave in the sea of life.

My consistency changes like the tide.

My consistency changes like the tide.

But life changes like a wave in the sea,

Of the tide, I am my consistency.

You are the current that pulls me beneath.

You are the current that pulls me beneath.

Drowning ripples torment my destiny.

Drowning ripples torment my destiny.

Beneath the ripples, you are my current.

That drowning destiny pulls me; torment.

Together we will surf the ocean vast.

Together we will surf the ocean vast.

At last Poseidon gains grave company.

At last Poseidon gains grave company.

The grave ocean we surf together vast,

Poseidon will gain company at last.

The drowning sea beneath my current life,

Changes me like the ripples that you are

A wave of consistency, we surf the tide

Together at last, my destiny,

But the ocean torment I am in pulls vast.

Grave company Poseidon will gain.

Day 22: Take a stand poem

Tis the Season
by Laurie Kolp

Love
Christmas
Santa Claus
Believe in him
The magical season stands upon us
Revel in the beauty of December
Enlightenment
Innocence
Children
Joy

Day 21: A permission poem

No Permission Needed
by Laurie Kolp

A generation appeased by electronic babysitters
needs no permission for impulsive insolence;
they ride the rocky currents in survival mode
as innocent victims of their parent’s absence,
irreverent and disrespectful to authority
using violence as a mode of robotic coping
like the video games they play at night,
when ill-mannered brutes should be in bed
reading Aesop’s fables with their guardians.

My bried frain ... (fried brain)

As you can probably tell by my lengthy absence, I am completely immersed in this novel writing, poem-a-daying month of insanity.  I am handling it fairly well, though, considering the fact that my brain is now mush when I am not writing.   For example, I find myself saying words wrong, like "dit sown" instead of "sit down," and sentences are coming out scrambled, like "Minute in, I'll be with you."

Today I rejoiced in the realization that I was on the home stretch and might actually finish this sucker
before Thanksgiving.  I was revelling in the fact that I would have to go way over the limit just to complete the ending. 

I told Pete, "I reached 40,000 words.  I only have 5,000 to go!"

"I thought it was supposed to be 50,000 words," he answered.

"No, it's 45,000," I corrected him.  "Isn't it?"

"We've been talking about 50 from the beginning, remember?"

I had to go to the NaNoWri website and double check!  Of course, Pete was right.  Just last night I knew it was 50,000; what happened today?  At times I think I am suffering from a brain tumor. 

There have been other lapses of memory this month, too.  I find the fabric softener sheet in the washing machine,  forget things here and there.  Words I normally know how to spell, I have to look up in the dictionary, and I can't even remember what words to look up in a thesaurus.  Minutes turn into hours, hours to days and now it is the 20th.  I mean, what has happened to this month?  When did the Salvation Army ringer start standing outside stores?  How come other people have Christmas decorations up and I am still thinking Halloween? (Actually it is probably because I am the one eating all the candy for fake energy.)  Sometimes I just want to scream.

When I get on Facebook, my fingers are so used to typing fast, that somehow when I try to comment on somebody's status, I have done something (not sure what) so fast that instead of a comment, it shows up as a "like."  I am actually writing a comment and-- 'Voila!'-- suddenly the screen turns white and returns with the thumbs up sign waving in my face.  And I have no idea what happened.  For example, a friend wrote that she had the stomach bug.  I was going to write, "Sorry... I hope the kids don't get it," but my fingers did something, and the You Like This thumb appeared for all to see.  Huh, as if I like my friend being sick!  It was quite embarrassing; I am really a sensitive gal.  It has happened another time, too.  But when I rechecked the comment, I decided my liking it was not as offensive as the other one.  The person said that she was drowning in work for a big presentation the next day.  Maybe liking it sounded supportive?  I just don't know anymore. 

Oh well, it's November... what can I say?  Except, of course, thanks to my understanding family who doesn't mind at all if we eat nothing fancy for a month, and for my friends cheering me on.  I love you guys!

Day 20: Right or wrong poem

Flexibility
by Laurie Kolp


Gumby
stretches then retracts
and remains intact.
Right or wrong,
open-minded;
he remains
-flexible-
remains he;
open-minded,
wrong or right
intact remains and,
retracts then stretches--
Gumby.

Day 19: A poem with a hole in it...

Swiss Cheese

by Laurie Kolp

 Swiss  cheese   had   become   his  mind

     as past   memories      melted  away;

scrambled  sentences   blew   from his   mouth,

  vocabulary   he  once  knew    disappeared.

Confusion   altered  his     daily   ritual

  until  the    black   hole     of   nothingness

swallowed  him   whole,  left   him    alone

  floating    in a sea   of vulnerability.

Day 18: Lost and found poem

Boys Being Boys

by Laurie Kolp

Lost my shoes on a rainy day

So I ventured out, found my way

Through fun puddles I sloshed away

Until the wrath of Mom’s tirade

Day 17: Tell me why _____ poem

Tell Me Why You’ll Never Join the Circus

by Laurie Kolp 

Does anybody really know

when the fat lady will sing,

or hell freeze over

and pigs take wing?

Will it be after frogs grow hair,

and chickens have teeth;

perhaps on St. Nobody’s day

or a month of Sundays we bequeath?

If these strange occurrences

ever do come true,

I will join the circus

and stand right next to you.

Day 16: Stacking poem

The Nestle Plunge

by Laurie Kolp

Magazines lie on the table untouched,

newspapers are stacked by the wall,

overdue bills collect late fees,

crooked frames gather dust in the hall

as mounds of ideas fester and boil

in her mind like a crystal ball,

she sits and pecks November away-

the Nestle plunge a powerful fall.

Day 15: "Just when you thought it was safe" poem

Living in a Dream

by Laurie Kolp

Meandering footprints leading to nowhere

on the sandy shore are hard to trace,

as replications of her doubtful mind

toy with doting dreams she can’t erase.

Nostalgic memories harbor the truth

that things will ever change is obsolete.

His sugar-coated lies a boomerang

that like the tide erase her sandy feet.

  

Day 14: Crossroads poem

Quandary
by Laurie Kolp

Lost in confusion
Metabolic revere

Found at a crossroad
Doubtful mortality

Decisions abiding
Eternal destiny

Hopes of the future
Shattered memory

Day 13: Question poem

Who Am I?

by Laurie Kolp

Intoxicating questions

(What day is it?)

Swim in a sea of fear

(Where am I?)

Minds changing tides

(Who are you?)

Clinging to distant sanity

(I remember now!)

Off on the horizon

(When did I get so old?)

Getting smaller everyday

(Have I eaten?)

Simple questions

(Why?)

Difficult answers

(How?)

Day 12: "Forget What They Say" Poem

Ignorance Is Not Bliss
by Laurie Kolp

Playing stupid all her life
A way to cope with any strife
Dumb blonde her epitome
Created grief, the enemy
If ignorance was truly bliss
A warty toad she’d rather kiss

PAD Challenge: Days 10 and 11

No One Wants to Hear
by Laurie Kolp

No one wants to hear
one-sided conversations
bearing cavernous secrets
and barbarous notions,
advice given so freely
to mystical plebeians
on the phone’s other side

while innocently
strolling through parks,
waiting in check-out lines,
riding elevators to the top,
seeking quiet in a hustled world;
no one wants to hear you talk-
say goodbye and go home.


You Know You’re in Love…
by Laurie Kolp

…when sinking in piles of stinky shit
roses smother the rotten egg smell

…when flying high in turbulence
an eagle’s smooth glide carries you

…when an endless maze appears baffling
yet serenity shows you the way

…when worries as heavy as elephants
find you skipping in a circus show.

Then love has blinded you so.

Life Happens

The past few days have not been conducive to large chunks of quality writing.   Yesterday morning I got a call from my mom.  She and my dad had been up half the night because they had a water leak in their upstairs bathroom.  It went through the ceiling and flooded their kitchen.  When they went downstairs at four o'clock in the morning, the microwave and dishwasher were running!  Water was in the cabinets, drawers and everywhere in-between.  I spent the morning helping my poor parents clean up the messy spill, and the water wasn't spring-like at all.  Let's just say the odor was horrific.  I was able to get a little writing in before I had to get the kids, though, and it was a wonderful experience.  I was able to write freely in what little time I had without interruptions.

Debra, Peggy, Me, Sylvia N., Carol

Last night, I went to the GTWG meeting and had a great time with my beautiful writer friends.  The hurricane anthology, It's In the Gulf, was finally ready to be picked up.  My story, "Trapped" is in the book.  The guild started the book after Ike and it has been waiting to be published for nearly two years now!  Although everyone's bios are passe and the print is very small, it turned out to be a nice publication.

Sylvia Dickey Smith and Me

Sylvia Dickey Smith was the guest speaker at the meeting.  She has written and published many books, her most recent being the historical fiction novel set in Orange, Texas called A War of Her Own.  I really enjoyed listening to Sylvia share on different ways to show character's emotion.

Today I had a morning obligation.  Pete had some extra time to come home and take me to lunch, which was a pleasant surprise.  Then I picked the kids up, tutored after school, etc.  We went to mass for All-Souls day, where I had requested special intentions for Mary and Ms. Angelle.  It was very moving.

So as you can see today has been busy today, too.  But I did get to write for a brief, yet very productive, period of time.  Hopefully tomorrow life will slow down and I will be able to march on ahead with my exciting NaNoWriMo novel.

Day 9: Slow Down

Decelerate
by Laurie Kolp

Her race car mind
speeds from one thought to another
‘round and ‘round the track it goes
imagining serendipitous what-ifs
dreading delusional catastrophes
spinning wheels of imagination
a racing conundrum
only to slow down
mile by mile
when her mind
settles;
peace
waves through
her mind
at the beach.

Cheers with Pearl

Now that I am a week into the whole NaNoWriMo thing, I have to admit it's not as easy as I thought it would be. I mean, to tackle a 50,000 word novel in less than a month is HUGE.  It requires dedication and determination, with no room for deviation; and now that the first weekend has come and gone, I know this is going to be harder than I first thought. Saturday and Sunday I found myself less inclined to sit and write for long periods of time like I do during the week.  The interruptions were many and my concentration quickly diminished.  I started to think of this challenge as a nuisance.  In fact, I even began doubting my story line.  I grew envious of writers who take retreats or sabbaticals to write free of distraction.  How would I accomplish this insurmountable feat?

Well...

Again, God has sent someone special into my life to help me through.  Pearl is a friend from Poetic Asides (The Street) who is also participating in NaNoWriMo.  She sent me a cheer the other day, then I reciprocated, and now we are helping each other stay motivated.  Here are some of the encouraging words (cheers) between us...

Pearl:  Go Laurie, Siss Boom Bah, Who do I recognize on The Street from afar!!! Go LAURIE!!!

Laurie:  Give me a P, give me an E, give me an A, give me an R, give me an L... what does that spell?  PEARL, PEARL, G-o-ah, Pearl!  You're on!

Pearl:  Rah Rah Siss Boom Bah
50,000 not for Laurie fah.... I mean far ...lol..< 3
Keep planting a sapling with about 1800 leaves a day and together we'll have our forest before the turkey 's on the table ♥

Laurie:  Go Pearl, go Pearl/ write those words, bird by bird/ Go Pearl, go Pearl / don't give up, fill that cup! Yeah, Pearl! Corny, I know, but my brain is fuzz right now. ; )

Pearl:  Laurie.. you are a sweetie...my brain was fried earlier .. so we were fuzz and fried... Mhmm Fuznfride sounds like a lovely town in Switzerland.. perhaps outside Zurich. Sweet dreams. Enjoy tomorrow and keep attaching those leaves to the trees ♥

Laurie:  Sounds like a fantastic setting! Night, night Fried. Hope you wake up nice and fresh for a day of writing.

Pearl:  Laurie Laurie you're my pal
Told me your numbers and got me to match the tal
YAY TEAM! (as a team we're almost done!)..
GET THAT TURKEY READY WE'RE COMING ♥

Laurie:  We're so great, we're so fine
We'll make it to that final line!
GO Write! Don't fight!
Word by word
We'll see the light!

Pearl:  YAY YAY LHK ♥
WE WILL GO ALL THE WAY ♥
WRITE THROUGH
YOU - YOU - YOU
L - H - K ♥

Laurie:  Go, team (NaNoWriMo)! Go, team! Who do I mean? I'll say it loud, because I'm proud! P-E-A-R-L! L-A-U-R-I-E! ; )

Pearl:  Got two sessions of writing yesterday.... Frankly wasn't at all comfortable with here I was pushing story in second session....this morning wrote some more.... So I'm okay for family football game this afternoon. Now back for a snooze....happy writing..., partner... ♥

Laurie:  Yeah, today will be a little harder for me, but I got up to 15,139 yesterday. Have a great day, too!

Thank you Pearl, for adding some cheer in my doubtful head...and thank you GOD, for sending Pearl my way.

Day 8: Agreement poem

Getting Along With A Spouse
by Laurie Kolp

On topics like
the birds and the bees
or the cycle of life
we invariably agree,
and quite often
support for free.

But when pulled into
an ugly quagmire
or grisly dispute
our views backfire,
and of dreams apart
we often aspire.

* Purely fictional

Day 7: Pro_____

PROFESS
by Laurie Kolp

Pure love
Riddled doubt
Obsession procures
Future drought
Essential denial
Solicitous shout
Saddened heart

Words of Caution

When faced with the monstrous task of writing 50,000 words in 24 days (yes, I'd like to finish by Thanksgiving), I can feel overwhelmed at times.  But if I try not to think about the big picture and simply focus on what I am doing today, then it doesn't seem so... huge.  I mean, as I write this post at 8:00 on a Saturday morning, I have reached 12,702 words (and I haven't written anything yet today). 

I am learning many valuable lessons from this whole novel writing challenge. Don't get me wrong, I am still loving it. In fact I can't wait to see what happens next. But there are a few tricks I have learned that I want to share with you.

1. Don't Do not use contractions.  They only count as one word.  I must admit I do have to use some contractions in the dialogue or it would sound too formal and boring, but I try to use them sparingly.

2. Do not use hyphenated words either.  They, too, count as one word.  Ditch the hyphen, or use something else; you can fine-tune next month.

3. Write compound sentences because when you join them with a comma and the word "and" or "because," or "or" then you have added a word, and remember every word counts.

4. Try to write at a quiet time of the day when you have very few distractions.  What?  Sorry, I have to go...

*These suggestions are intended for fun only and in no way reflect a devil-may-care attitude by the author, nor do they aim to poke fun of anyone.  In a nutshell: please don't take this seriously.

Day 6: Looking for ______

Looking For Color
by Laurie Kolp

Looking for color in a world of black and white
images floating in a never ending sea
swarming with sharks and man-of-war
that will bite you in the ass
pull you down,
down,
down
until you see the light;
depression drowns.

Day 5: Transformation poem

One Kiss
by Laurie Kolp

With just one Kiss
she became a rose
red as the cardinal
singing good morning
to one and all,
no longer a weed
out of control,
pestilent;
her life
forever changed
with just one Kiss.

I think I can, I think I can...

Well, I'm doing it- I'm writing my novel.  And guess what?  It's been great so far... I love it!  I love the deadlines, the goals, and I especially love my plot and characters (thank you, God).  I've always worked better under pressure, which is why I keep praying for an agent to come knocking on my door. 

The goal is to write 8,335 words by Friday night, before you go to bed.  So far (at 11:00 AM, Nov, 4) I've written 8, 497 words, which means I am ahead of the goal (yahoo).  I am going to try to stay that way because the kids have the entire Thanksgiving week off from school.  I know this sounds crazy, but I would like to have the novel completed by then (rough draft, of course). 

Right now, I'm like The Little Engine That Could, climbing the steep mountain and chanting "I think I can, I think I can."  Hopefully I will get to the top and scream, "I can, I can... I DID!" 

If you want to check my progress, I have attached a baby blue badge at the top right-hand corned of this blog that records the number of words I've written (which I update daily).

Are you participating in NaNoWriMo?  If so, please feel free to share in the comments!

Day 4: Containment Poem

Freedom
by Laurie Kolp

A smile spreads across his face
lies the truth cannot erase

secure, buried deep within
a vast sea of burning sin

perfect, really, for his plan
a label coveted- free man.

Day 3: Location poem

The Castle
by Laurie Kolp

abandoned
sinister
tenebrous
the castle sits atop
rocky
dangerous
precipitous
mountains reaching
billowy
stormy
menacing
clouds enveloping
musty
dusty
spooky
room where a child
scared
alone
disillusioned
spins like a top
dizzy
turning
falling
on the hardwood floor
nightmares
wake
you
up

Ready, set, go!

I am so amazed at how my fingers always seem to have it more together than I do.  I mean, yesterday was the first day of November, and I knew that I had to get busy writing a novel for NaNoWriMo, BUT I HAD NO IDEA WHAT I WAS GOING TO WRITE ABOUT. 

I had been praying to God for several days to inspire me with a plot for this new novel or even just a few words to get started, and still no lightbulb had gone off (no dumb blonde jokes, okay?).  I woke up bright and early, wasted time on Facebook, checked email and sent the kids off to school; then I had to go to the dentist.  I bemoaned myself Sunday night for making an appointment to get my teeth cleaned on the day after Halloween, but since it was the first day of NaNoWriMo I decided to go.  I told the dentist and hygenist what I would be doing this month and when they asked me what I was writing about, I really had no clue yet.

"We'll see," I said. "I'm not really sure yet."

They both looked at me perplexed.  I was even beginning to doubt my own capabilities.  I usually had something in mind, at least when I have written books before, which I have.  The first one is based on my life written in third person so that nobody will know it's about me (in case the kids should read it).  That was my very first book, written after confiding in a friend about my crazy, demented past.

"Wow! You should write a book," she had said when I was done talking.  I mean how many people can have all that happen to them before they turn thirty? 

And so the seed was planted.  I wrote and wrote, relived the past, poured hours over this project and finished it; but I was too shy to share it with anyone.  Until Mary, that is.  She read the whole book word for word, and we sat in amazement as we compared how similar our pasts had been.  And then she died, and my book has been sitting in a drawer for nearly three years.

The other book I've written (but not completed) began when I was taking a class from Lamar's Continuing-Ed department.  We were given a prompt and I took off on that one, baby.  That's when I knew my fingers were messengers of God.  I mean, where did this stuff come from?  Part of the reason I've sat on it for so long is that I am in FEAR.  The topic has become so complex and unbelievable that thoughts of the children reading it are too much to bear.  What will they think of their sweet old mommy?  I guess I'll have to use a pen name or something.  I know how I want it to end, but am not sure when I want to end.  This story will remain shelved for a bit longer.

So now I am embarking on this third book.  Thankfully, a thought inspired me sometime after lunch yesterday and I went to bed having written 1,697 words AND a poem for the Poem-A-Day Challenge (see my other blog, Conversation With Laurie).  I spent a great amount of time this morning working on it, took a break for lunch and chores, and am now procrastinating again.  At least I'll know when my fingers are ready to begin again.

The PAD Challenge has begun

The poems I post in November are inspired from Robert Lee Brewer's November Poem-A-Day Challenge on Poetic Asides.  I will post as often as I can, but am also participating in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) so I might have to catch up from time to time and post several days together, which I've done today.  I will also journal on my NaNoWriMo experience periodically on my other blog, Conversations With A Cardinal.

Day Two:

Michaelmas Daisy
by Laurie Kolp

A time when many shrivel up and die,
drooping eyes pop open
splaying shades of purple, white, pink,
and hues of blue
amid blankets of orange, yellow, red

autumn colors spreading fast
as falling leaves touch the earth,
while new flowers reach for the sky
nourishing God’s creatures
with pollen enough for the winter,

until their life is through.
Nature’s colorful vista
not even Claude Monet can recapture,
symbolic of life’s cycle-
out with the old, in with the new.
_______________________________________________________
Day One:

Frog Prince
by Laurie Kolp

Goosebumps on warm skin
Ignited passion tingling
Desirous love
A kiss from you transforms me
I am no longer a frog