Morning sun enters
softly insisting I wake;
“Nightmare’s over—breathe.”

©2011 Shari Lynne Smothers
#5 for National Poetry Month Today’s poem, a Haiku, to share in the magic of National Poetry Month. Always a silver lining, bad dreams are yet another reason to appreciate waking up. I’ll have to see about catching up before I get too far behind.

Caring hands’ work ends
Loved ones pass away. Void fills
From gratitude’s well.

Our selfless caring
effort’s reward: that we can
know our best was done.

© 2010 Shari Lynne Smothers

A recent death in my family and the funeral this weekend got me thinking about the role of the care-giver after the work is done. The process of getting through these tough times, isn’t easy to understand, and it helps me just to mull it over. I guess these writings will keep coming out until I discover the answer, or become otherwise distracted.

See actions and those
perpetrating them; begin
to understand things.

* * *

If at first you don’t
succeed in the path you choose
regroup, re-plot yours.

* * *

Care what happens: All
children, better and worse do
impact our futures.

© 2010 Shari Lynne Smothers

Three lessons learned is what I chose to write about. As of this writing, I’m my assessor. So I can only hope I learned them properly. Because I do believe my life depends on them.

Day 30 prompt: Write a ‘lesson learned’ or ‘never learned’ poem; details here from 2010 November PAD Chapbook Challenge

Cacophony of
light, dark, and dissonant sounds
hurricanes rage wild.

© 2010 Shari Lynne Smothers

Day 23 prompt: Write a ‘form or anti-form poem that follows a poetic form’; details here from 2010 November PAD Chapbook Challenge

Remnants of winter
temp’ratures blast last
cold before summer.

© 2010 Shari Lynne Smothers

Camera dies and
spring possibilities fade
disappear neatly.

© 2010 Shari Lynne Smothers

Even my own voice
offends my ears of late, all
I want is Your words.

© 2010 Shari Lynne Smothers

Winter’s blowing out
rain’s increase between brilliant
days, heralding Spring.

© 2010 Shari Lynne Smothers

When you can do no
worse than what you do, only
thing left is better.

© 2010 Shari Lynne Smothers

I was going to pick a new poetry form for February. But, I’ve decided to continue the exploration of Haiku because my month is shortened. Two trips to New Orleans in thirty days, (I’ll be back in Houston on Wednesday), and new website work (for a site I built) mean that I must focus my attentions away from this blog for a short time.

I’m still writing. In fact, I’ve been working on several Haiku verses that I’ll post when I return home. My Haiku exploration was interesting and fun, and quite a pleasure to explore. I do believe I learned a few things. So, with all this in mind, I’ll extend my foray into Haiku instead of starting on a new poetic form.

For now, I just want to share a quick post about the excitement in the city of New Orleans.

Local Attractions

Super Bowl Forty-
four, Saints in it for the first
time in franchise life.

Mardi Gras has a
diff’rent winter taste with the
Super Bowl at stake.

Traffic’s rerouted
parades and crowds family and
friends celebrate.

Revelers blend two
saying “Who Dat!” to get beads;
“Throw me something’s” out

Election results
reported, visitors checked in,
French Quarter is packed.

New Orleans Saints
fans full of Super Bowl glad
anticipation.

© 2010 Shari Lynne Smothers

I’ve taken a lot of liberties here with the Haiku form. And I hope it’s not too painful to read. But, these lines reflect some of the many things that jumped out at me since I got here on Friday.

The Saints go marching
in, won against the Vikings
Superbowl bound, twenty ten.

© 2010 Shari Lynne Smothers

Winter cold is more
acceptable than summer—
strange psychology.

© 2010 Shari Lynne Smothers

Winter day, lost sleep
found me and dropped my head to
welcoming pillows.

Best laid plans set, are
unmet today with not a
mention in my dreams.

© 2010 Shari Lynne Smothers

Sunday Haiku for Read Write Poem’s Haiku group.

Not for one hundred
years can the date be written
with just one digit.

One through nine went fast;
I used one each chance I got
without knowing why.

It dawned on me on
the first—I can’t again do
it in my lifetime.

© 2010 Shari Lynne Smothers

Busy Sunday fun,
editing pressure mounting
first deadline looms close.

© 2010 Shari Lynne Smothers