aros

Bridal wreath dances in the wind
anticipating the big day
with the white dress.

***

Sitting in church
she picks at her amaranth fingernail polish-
peeling away the layers.

***

A Fresh Perspective:
Subbing makes me glad
I don't teach anymore.

Enough said.

***

warm Grape Nuts on a frozen grapes morn
oh, no
flung across the keyboard
oh, yes
Friday the 13th

***

Impel was the word
that was supposed to be
but with a Texas twang
pronounced im-pay-el
by the teACHEr
he spelled it i.m.p.a.l.e.
knocking him out
of the final spelling bee.
I'm impelled to impale
HER. oink. oink.

***

@laurie kolp

*To view my River of Small Stones click here.

*Linked to IMGWRT Open Link Monday

A Sunny Day

They said to let go
of brutal resentment
focus on this moment

inhale love and trust
(children laughing)
exhale sullen memories
(Retribution 101)

or drive to the first
beach on the left.

@laurie kolp

Prompt inspiration: 3WW (brutal, sullen, trust)

***

aros, Day 11

For breakfast, grapefruit
the aisle in the sky;
a dose of Vitamin C.

Signs

aros, Day 10

Happiness signs:
Indigo gleams
Juniper shines
Kaleidescope dreams

@laurie kolp

I used Traci's Poetry form that came from the challenge at IGWRT. You can read more about it on her blog Poemflow.

I came up with a form I named Raveled Rhyme. If you try it out, please share. Mary Mansfield has written one here.

Thank you Traci and Mary.

A Rainy Day

aros, Day 8

Monday stayed home sick today
he was up all night complaining
with thunderous outbursts, discontent
and when he finally showed his face
at Morning Dawn's drive-in show
sallow was his color, off
so in he'll stay today.

Linked to IGWRT's Open Link Monday

@laurie kolp

The Man (Blind) and My Demise

With hair like straw of wheat thatched upon a roof
and eyes as gray as stones beneath the earth

the man appeared in lightning’s fluttering flash
at the wooden gate where I stood, for what
forgotten on this night of blackened mist.

I watched his weathered hands grope the fencepost
with troubled breathing and bubbling spit

thousands of reasons rushed through my mind
on why I should turn and bolt
but
I
stayed.

The blind man with a raspy voice
asked if he could come inside awhile
sit and warm up at my cozy hearth

a fact I wondered how he knew, too late
I realized as my head bounced on rooted
ground, a dormant fear I had I felt rebuild
and I knew he was back
to
finish
me… sigh.

@laurie kolp

The Sunday Whirl (thatched, hearth, fluttering, breathing, flash, gate, stones, grope, rebuild, thousands, bubbling, forgotten)

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

aros, Day 7

Fog is a heavy cloak
of consternation
blinding
all perception
polluting
sanity
until
the son's light
lifts it.

Little Dribblers

aros, Day 7

hustle
tumble
ball
hoggery
shoot
dang!
come on
foul
scowl
hustle
lanky
swanky
woosh
yeah!

@laurie kolp

A Lesson in Soap

aros: Day 6

Microwaved...

...or grilled...

...soap will never crayons be
scraps that melt together

but the house and yard
won't smell like school

rather, a fragrant shop
with an airborne lather.

Splurge

Homemade taste
vanilla treat
in swirls
a cone
sweet
Blue
Bell
dig
in
.

@laurie kolp

Prompt inspiration: Poets United Thursday Think Tank & Poetry Jam

aros, Day 3

dancing figures across the wall
sun's shadow play
while outside leaves somersault
hours of winter's day

@laurie kolp

Driftwood

Moevs, Marina River

Pick-up sticks on the river bank
reveal chaos amidst a reflective odyssey
left behind, the jumbled wreckage remains
untouched the course in life has changed
as the past fades into a distant mirage
allowing room for a peaceful future.

@laurie kolp

Picture inspiration: Magpie Tales







aros, Day 2

A two-week holiday, the kids rise early with anticipation;
back to school on Monday, the kids want to hibernate.

****************************

AROS (A River of Stones)

I'm taking part in the January AROS challenge- to write a small stone daily. What is a small stone? It's an observance written into a short poem or vignette. Click here to learn more. It's not too late for you to join.

I participated last January and July. Taking note of the small things helps me stay in the present moment and enjoy it. It slows me down and helps alleviate stress.

I will post my small stones here daily (along with my other memes) and then add them to the tab at the top of the blog, My River of Stones, along with last July's stones.

********************

Day One:

Loose bamboo shoots discovered
Reaching skyward in I's and X's ~
A boy's dream
An adult's nightmare

@laurie kolp

Linked to Real Toads Open Link Monday

aros in July

I want to thank all of the readers who ventured over from a river of stones (aros) blog post on March 21, 2011. It showed a picture of me holding the new book pay attention:a river of stones, edited by fiona robyn & kaspalita (I'm on pg. 48 & 103). You will have the opportunity to take part in this wonderful meditative exercise in a few short months. 

On my poetry blog, Conversations with Laurie, you will find specifics on how to participate in July's a river of stones daily challenge. Click here to read the post. 

Now for a short commercial break...

This brand new badge...

 now replaces this one...

What, might you ask, do these badges mean? Well, they are visual affirmations to place on the blogs of everyone who participates in a river of stones (aros). Some people have created new blogs for their "stones" (short poems on single observations), and others (like moi) have added the "stones" to their poetry blogs.

I thoroughly enjoyed taking part in this daily writing during January and am looking forward to July. If you would like to sign up, click on The River. You never know, maybe another book will result from July's river rafting, like:

pay attention: a river of stones edited by fiona robyn & kaspalita
*I'm on pg. 48 &103*

Below is an interview with Fiona Robyn, the creator of "stones." I first posted it on my other blog. Please click here to read the original and for information on how to get a copy of the book.

FIONA:
Sometime during December, I had the idea that people might like to join me during January in writing a small stone every day – something I’ve been doing for many years. I believe that there are lots of benefits from having a daily writing practice, and this seemed like an ideal way to share this practice with others. Kaspa teamed up with me and we created a blog and started asking people if they wanted to join the ‘river’. We originally thought it would be nice if 20 people joined us – by the beginning of January more than 300 people were writing small stones and posting them on their blogs.

We really enjoyed reading the small stones during January, and thought it would be good to choose the cream of these and publish them in a book. More than 3000 small stones (and MANY hours) later, we’d chosen the stones for the book, edited them, communicated with their writers, arranged them into chapter groupings, designed the cover, arranged them into an order and written some prose pieces to go alongside them. And – TA-DA! – ‘pay attention: a river of stones’ was born!

We do hope it’ll be read both by people writing small stones and people who’ve never written before – it’s full of beautiful short pieces. And it might inspire a few more people to start writing them….

I do hope you participate. Let me know and maybe we can link back to each other and share.

A new book-- "pay attention: a river of stones"

You can purchase the book (hardback, paperback or download) here through Lulu.com

Fiona Robyn is a wonderful inspiration not only in the writing world, but in life's never-ending journey toward spirituality. A friend told me about her blogs, a handful of stones  and a small stone, many months ago. I started following her immediately.

Then in January, she started a movement around the world of collecting 'small stones' for 'a river of stones' (aros). Now she and her fiance Kaspa have created this wonderful book, pay attention: a river of stones, filled with a collection of observations from January. I am delighted to have a small stone and quote included in the book.

I asked Fiona to share her thoughts on the whole process and how it came to fruition. Thank you Fiona and Kaspa for touching so many lives and reminding us to stop and smell the flowers.  I hope you, too, will join in.

Fiona Robyn:

Sometime during December, I had the idea that people might like to join me during January in writing a small stone every day – something I’ve been doing for many years. I believe that there are lots of benefits from having a daily writing practice, and this seemed like an ideal way to share this practice with others. Kaspa teamed up with me and we created a blog and started asking people if they wanted to join the ‘river’. We originally thought it would be nice if 20 people joined us – by the beginning of January more than 300 people were writing small stones and posting them on their blogs.

We really enjoyed reading the small stones during January, and thought it would be good to choose the cream of these and publish them in a book. More than 3000 small stones (and MANY hours) later, we’d chosen the stones for the book, edited them, communicated with their writers, arranged them into chapter groupings, designed the cover, arranged them into an order and written some prose pieces to go alongside them. And – TA-DA! – ‘pay attention: a river of stones’ was born!

We do hope it’ll be read both by people writing small stones and people who’ve never written before – it’s full of beautiful short pieces. And it might inspire a few more people to start writing them….