Mindful Writing Day

circular stain
on wooden steps – remnant
of jack-o-lantern

/ / /

This poem was written in response to the Mindful Writing Day prompt at Writing Our Way Home.

NaNoWriMo word count for day one: 1,953.

small stone: January 9

red and green lights
reflecting on silver train
in the morning dark

“Danse of the Floreadores”
by Duke Ellington
playing on my iPod

it was Christmas again
for a moment

small stone: January 8

Oh Skylanders,
How will my boys save Skylands
if we can’t find you?

/ / /

We looked at Best Buy and Target, as well as six stores online to find more Skylanders figures for the boys’ new video game, to no avail. Clever marketing + popularity = parent and child frustration.

small stone: January 7

vegan gingerbread waffles
a delightful way to start a Saturday
(if I say so myself)

small stone: January 6

a new student in my class
means we’re up to 29

I have to dance Bhangra
so everyone has a partner

it’s not a hardship

small stone: January 5

passed Hickey Boulevard this morning
as I do every commute
and thought of my grandmother

my boys got red hair like her
I didn’t get that
but I have the Irish temper

/ / /

My paternal grandmother’s maiden name was Hickey.

small stone: January 4

black helmet
black jacket
black backpack
blue motorcycle
but it was the purple pants
that made me smile

small stone: January 3

so
according to Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?
I am not
(at least not today)

I wonder what that says
about going back to work
now that winter break is over?

 

small stone: January 2

a couple of weeks ago
it was one of those facebook shares

you can’t have a beautiful sunset
without clouds

at dusk today
I understood

small stone: January 1

New Year’s Day

reminding me of the importance
of patience:

someone else’s mother
and my own children