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Apr 29
Hi 😊
Here we are on the second last day of Maureen’s poetry prompts, again! My fifth year of writing a poem a day for the month of April is nearly at an end…I really do think it goes by faster every year.
“Today, I’d like to challenge you to write a poem in which you muse on the gifts you received at birth — whether they are actual presents, like a teddy bear, or talents – like a good singing voice – or circumstances – like a kind older brother, as well as a “curse” you’ve lived with (your grandmother’s insistence on giving you a new and completely creepy porcelain doll for every birthday, a bad singing voice, etc.).” [ https://www.napowrimo.net/day-twenty-nine-8/]
Being in my mid-forties, and addled by hormones as I almost-permanently feel at the moment, I’m not sure these are very wise probes into how I think about my life. But I tried to keep the poem from extending into several pages 😉
An innocent, taken to heart
Such a safe, auspicious start:
Many adults to flow between,
Her cute appeal seemed evergreen.
But all good roses have their thorns,
School and life can leave you torn
And, through the holes, we sometimes see
A darker core reality.
Though blessed with blonde and bouncy curls,
And soon creative bent unfurled;
So too did she often possess
Bottomless grief, hard to express.
This melancholy in her soul
Liked whit’ling at her hopes and goals;
Haunted this pretty, lively girl
And kept ‘potential’ in a whirl…
Last day of NaPoWriMo for 2022 tomorrow, meet you back here for that!
Take care, all 🙂
Monty X
[pic is from here]
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Copyright © 2022 Montaffera All Rights Reserved
Please do not use any of my content (posts, pictures, poetry etc) without my permission, but feel free to link back to my blog if something catches your eye. Thank you!
Apr 19
Hi!
So, we are somehow on the 19th day of NaPoWriMo!!
“Today’s challenge is to write a poem that starts with a command.” Day Nineteen (napowrimo.net)
Just wear it!
You walk with me, and I think you are a goddess.
I love the twirl of the skirt,
the way that you float more
just crossing the street.
Hold my hand tight and let me marvel in your glow!
Let me study your patterns from my trolley perch,
As you flit back n forth,
Browsing supermarket shelves.
Let me see how sticky fingers add
my own unique designs.
Let me curl into the fabric,
as sleep
flutters at my lids.
Let me gently stroke the bodice in my dreams.
Let me revel in how skin and cotton meet at your shoulder
as you carry me to an early dinner
from the cocoon of my carseat;
and later to the bubbles in the bath,
and teddy on my pillow.
Let my last looks of the day
fall on you, in my favourite dress,
being all that you are.
Let your swirly skirt waft the remnants of your perfume
as you close my bedroom door,
and listen protectively for me through the night.
I’m feeling the need to dig out my copy of R. L. Stevenson’s A Child’s Garden of Verses again 😉
Take care, and I’ll come ‘see’ you all again tomorrow.
Monty X
[pic is from here]
Come visit the Facebook page and follow @ComfyRestless on Twitter
Copyright © 2022 Montaffera All Rights Reserved
Please do not use any of my content (posts, pictures, poetry etc) without my permission, but feel free to link back to my blog if something catches your eye. Thank you!
Apr 18
Hello!
“Today, I’d like to challenge you to write your own poem that provides five answers to the same question – without ever specifically identifying the question that is being answered.” [From: Day Eighteen (napowrimo.net)]
I am asked a specific question a lot in my role as mum and homemaker and general nostalgic/romantic/sentimental peep, so that is the one I chose.
I
It’s part of me,
Part of the before-yous,
It knows that after here
The plot lines started being rewritten
By all the not-me characters.
It’s original, and curling in on itself,
The way I should have done.
It’s a beacon,
It’s an anchor,
It’s worth more than its sum.
II
We’ve all sat on an older knee
With patterned cloth we still can see
Inside our cosiest of dreams;
And sang a favoured song, or three.
A childhood sense of peace and glee
Is found in traditions, for me.
III
Hello children
Please do tell
The news of yonder
Hill and dell;
Delight me with your warm embraces,
Funny lines and shiny faces
Fill my head with grit and glory,
My ears are yours for thrilling stories!
Never will you be this young
And I am aging faster,
So let me wrap you in my arms
And tend your wounds with plasters.
IV
See here, the faint whiff of memory clings
To the curly letters of my name.
I will never receive new samples
Of this particular swirl
Upon my sunny doormat.
Will never again prompt those postal hugs
By saying something slightly melancholy
Down a phone attached to a wall.
V
You’re walking,
Or changing the radio station,
Or just rolling your eyes
At the ‘neediness’
And refusing to turn.
But I’m still up here, waving,
Til your back,
Or the car,
Is well out of sight.
I love you 😊
This morning was very special because Youngest came in to see me after his breakfast just before 9am (Hubby had just got up, I had gone to bed very late and was awake but still in that lazy frame of mind) then snuggled in beside me, gave me a big cuddle and promptly fell asleep! Well, this rarely happens these days with the boys getting older and usually having a fuller agenda, so I got comfy and went back to sleep, too! It was a lovely way to mark the last day of the Easter holidays 🙂
I hope you’ve all had a fab Easter weekend, and I’ll be back here tomorrow for Day 19!
Monty X
[Pic is from here]
Come visit the Facebook page and follow @ComfyRestless on Twitter
Copyright © 2022 Montaffera All Rights Reserved
Please do not use any of my content (posts, pictures, poetry etc) without my permission, but feel free to link back to my blog if something catches your eye. Thank you!
Apr 07
Hello!
Today, I’d like to challenge you to write a poem that argues against, or somehow questions, a proverb or saying.
As it is Eldest’s birthday today, I went for a couple about age [Source: https://proverbicals.com/age]
I have read, on that tome called the internet,
“Grey hair is a sign of age, not of wisdom”.
And to think I was quite looking forward
To my Nana Coco days: more little hands,
Trusting and sticky, wrapped round a rock bun
My gnarling digits had helped them to make;
Dreaming wistfully of reading picture books
To listening littlies, answering questions
About the good old days and explaining
Why dictionaries, landlines, and cassettes
Had their place in the world when I was young,
To more wide-eyed wonder than their fathers’!
Germans apparently say a lot that:
“Old age is no protection against foolishness”
And this one seems to pan out, as I am
Already facing my mid forties and
My newly 9 and 12 year olds do claim
My idiocy gleams daily. I know
They roll their eyes at the fuss and hug quotient
I deem as gifts. They educate me on
‘Proper’ behaviour more frequently than
I remember doing for my elders.
My schooling’s not a match to their native
Digital genius. I’m chopped liver.
And yet many a soggy shoulder or
Wakeful night worrying’s to come, I feel.
I would suspect, hair dyed or no, I’ll play my part
And maybe earn some respect on the way…?
Eldest woke up a few minutes before his time of birth this morning, and I got to hold his hand as he turned 12. I also managed not to cry!! This meant he was bargaining for YouTube by about 7.05am but hey, he did show me some of his friends’ channels and also had a laugh with me over random videos about elephants messing about, so it was a nice start to the morning!
Eldest opened his presents and then we all watched Iron Man 2 on Amazon Prime together. Afterwards, it was on to making buttercream icing and adorning the spongecake the boys and I made together yesterday morning. There is a tradition here of poking chocolate mini eggs into the icing, as we have Spring ‘babies’ (Youngest did the same for his cake 8 days ago, see above!) but Eldest decided he and his brother would also add some sprinkles. No complaints here!
We got a Domino’s pizzas in for dinner before we cut and sampled the cake. It was a good meal!
 Eldest’s birthday sponge How on EARTH do we have a pre-teen in the house, though?! He hit double figures at the start of the Pandemic and time has just seemed to do crazy stuff since then. Feels so weird looking at this kid, who is only a head shorter than me now, and thinking through all the transitions he and I have gone through to get here. He’s definitely been one of my greatest teachers, this firstborn rascal of ours 😉
Anyway, I’d better go and watch some Dr Who with the kids before bedtime (as always requested) and save this draft until I have time to put the pics on it! Take care, and I’ll return for Day 8.
Monty X
[pics are my own]
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Copyright © 2022 Montaffera All Rights Reserved
Please do not use any of my content (posts, pictures, poetry etc) without my permission, but feel free to link back to my blog if something catches your eye. Thank you!
Apr 02
Hi!
The prompt from napowrimo.net for Day 2 said:
Today, I’d like to challenge you to write a poem based on a word featured in a tweet from Haggard Hawks, an account devoted to obscure and interesting English words.
So I chose from the below:
and wrote –
I glocidate
To educate,
(I cluck to underline)
My care of you’s
Sincere and true;
I’m so glad you are ‘mine’.
See you on Day 3! 😉
Monty X
Come visit the Facebook page and follow @ComfyRestless on Twitter
Copyright © 2022 Montaffera All Rights Reserved
Please do not use any of my content (posts, pictures, poetry etc) without my permission, but feel free to link back to my blog if something catches your eye. Thank you!
Apr 29
Hi!
Hope you are all ok?
It is after Midnight and I haven’t got this post out yet because I’ve been reading about our Skye holiday on the blog!!
The prompt on napowrimo.net for Day 29 was to:
Imagine a window looking into a place or onto a particular scene.
So I thought about this pic and then just had to read all the surrounding text, and subsequent other posts…
I did then write a poem, though 😉
Ah, Skye…
Our children in raptures
at the sight of so much sea
from multiple windows.
Boats and people
to make up narratives for.
A ponder or two about
a ‘staring’ red phone box.
How different the world felt then,
and yet we didn’t know
that even the small amount of exploration we managed
would be a wealth of freedom
to our ‘20s selves.
The air!
The clouds!
The beach trips!
Sunsets that stretched around bridges
that lead out
and joined others to us.
3 and two thirds years later
those views speak volumes,
whilst Eldest and I
tackle fractions,
praying for a reprieve.
Eldest was 7 and Youngest was 4 back in July 2017. How did time move so quickly?! Eldest is now staring down the summer before his last year of Primary School!
Which windows would you rather be looking out of right now?
Take care and I’ll meet you here tomorrow for the last poem of NaPoWriMo 2021!
Monty X
Come visit the Facebook page and follow @ComfyRestless on Twitter
Copyright © 2021 Montaffera All Rights Reserved
Please do not use any of my content (posts, pictures, poetry etc) without my permission, but feel free to link back to my blog if something catches your eye. Thank you!
Apr 26
Coo-eee!
Welcome back, and have a wee virtual hug from me 🙂
I was tasked with writing a parody today:
Besides being fun, writing parodies can be a great way to hone your poetic skills – particularly your sense of rhyme and sound, as you try to mimic the form of an existing poem while changing the content. Just find a poem – or a song – that has always annoyed you, and write an altered, silly version of it.
[from napowrimo.net]
Well, the song I chose doesn’t annoy me as such, it just has been parodied a lot and gets earwormy after a while 😉 I chose “Let It Go” from the Disney film Frozen. Here is a version with the original lyrics if you want to follow along with my take on it in a different tab or something.
Hubby did suggest that I uploaded a clip of me singing the below, but I doubt I’d get through it without laughing as I attempted to hit some of the ambitious notes 😉
I’m out of fight and I’m holding him tight,
Eldest’s bunny is a dream;
Our friend through all isolations
Cutest face you’ve ever seen.
My mind is howling like a twister got inside
Couldn’t keep it in, heaven knows I’ve tried…
Don’t let them in,
Don’t let them see,
Eat secret choc’late in the lavatory;
Banana peels,
Oh heaven knows
This mess just blows…
Feeling low?
Feeling low!
Pick your stuff up off the floor,
Feeling low?
Feeling low!
Don’t you dare slam that door!
You’ll soon care:
Fortnite’s going away.
Let the kids rage on
They weren’t gonna get V-bucks anyway.
It’s funny how home-schooling
Makes you a big stress ball
And peers through the controller
Can drive you up the wall!
It’s time to come off that X-box
You’ve tested limits lots and lots,
For right and wrong there’s rules you see
Trust meeeeee…
Feeling low?
Feeling low!
No more emotes can you buy,
Feeling low?
Feeling low!
Now don’t you start to cry!
Here I stand
And here I’ll stay,
Let the kids rage on…
My patience fluctuates until your butt I’ll ground,
My life is spiralling, some pieces of me can’t be found;
Why are your arguments so whiney, lame and crass?
If your pal hopped off a cliff, would you follow his path?!
Feeling low?
Feeling low!
Why’d you rise at the break of dawn?!
Feeling low?
Feeling low!
Where’s all the Oatibix gone?!
Here I stand, in the light of day,
Let the kids rage oooooonnnnnn
They’re not buying more V-bucks anyway.
Obviously the above makes more sense if you live with kids who play Fortnite! V-bucks are the currency in the game that they buy things like ‘emotes’ with, and V-bucks cost real money. So basically, Epic Games (who tout Fortnite as a free-to-own game) want demented parents shelling out silly amounts of money every month due to ‘pester power’. Not too keen on that!
Don’t worry though, I try not to eat between meals so there’s no secret chocolate stash in our loo. That was just poetic licence. Honest… 😉
Well, Day 26 is now done! Take care and I’ll catch you tomorrow.
Monty X
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Copyright © 2021 Montaffera All Rights Reserved
Please do not use any of my content (posts, pictures, poetry etc) without my permission, but feel free to link back to my blog if something catches your eye. Thank you!
Apr 23
Hello!
My prompt was: today, I’d like to challenge you to write a poem that responds, in some way, to another.
I went onto Instagram and looked up ‘#poetry’. The below was the one that spoke to me first
here’s my reply:
Maybe the rhythm
still soothes that part of you
sick with responsibility.
Maybe my warmth
can quash your frantic thoughts
for another year.
Maybe the fact I’m still willing
to sit and listen –
ignore all the ‘pressing’ stuff,
just feel your growing body
sag a little
into these aging arms –
means quite a lot to you.
Maybe, no matter how hard it gets,
I’ll gain strength from the trust in your eyes.
It’s another late posting I’m afraid, sorry! April always ends up being such a busy month 😉
Take care and I’ll catch you for Day 24 tomorrow 😉
Monty X
[pic is from here]
Come visit the Facebook page and follow @ComfyRestless on Twitter
Copyright © 2021 Montaffera All Rights Reserved
Please do not use any of my content (posts, pictures, poetry etc) without my permission, but feel free to link back to my blog if something catches your eye. Thank you!
Apr 22
Hey 😊
Today I was busy with stuff in the house, so this is going to be up later than usual, but I hope you’ve all been feeling good?
The prompt said: today I’d like to challenge you to write a poem that invokes a specific object as a symbol of a particular time, era, or place. [from napowrimo.net]
Weirdly, I wrote ANOTHER rhyming poem. The syllable counts aren’t uniform, but they aren’t awful 😉
BRANCHING OUT
The toddler bed nestles
our couch-back, in parts;
I dismantled it
with an ache in my heart.
No toddlers now live here,
nor have for some time;
weight limit’s exceeded,
and this I know fine.
But memories plague me,
and tug at my hem
along with ‘near’ futures:
nest empty. Flown men.
Those dimply wee knuckles
tucked ‘neath sleeping faces
I spied through the bed guards
are gone. In their places
Are capable digits
and oft-furrowed brows
that puzzle at problems,
seem wisdom-endowed.
But that bed cushioned nightmares
and furthered kid freedom,
furnished the way for
new-grown arboretums.
There is something in my eye *fans face with her hand*.
The pic above is of Youngest from last year, with his usual myriad of fluffy friends – and his own topsy turvy take on sleeping conventions! The bed only recommended a kid of up to 50lbs slept in it, and at 8 years old Youngest has just crept over that figure.
He now has one of the single beds my mum had squirrelled away in the eves of her house, which Eldest helped me put together on Saturday. We must have done a reasonable job because that’s it stayed intact for most of a week!
Well, I’m off to watched an episode of Star Trek with the menfolk before the kids go down, so take care and I’ll catch you tomorrow 😊
Monty X
Come visit the Facebook page and follow @ComfyRestless on Twitter
Copyright © 2021 Montaffera All Rights Reserved
Please do not use any of my content (posts, pictures, poetry etc) without my permission, but feel free to link back to my blog if something catches your eye. Thank you!
Apr 18
Hello!
Hope you are all well?
The prompt for today was:
to write a poem based on the title of one of the chapters from Susan G. Wooldridge’s Poemcrazy: Freeing Your Life with Words. The book’s table of contents can be viewed using Amazon’s “Look inside” feature.
[from here]
I chose the title “catching myself” and actually wrote a few poems trying to ‘catch’ a thought. None of them please me, but the below is probably the best of a bad lot:
I can’t trust my reality:
staring into eyes that are not mine.
Wearing dull clothes.
And a generic, pouched skin
(as if I bought it
with some giftcard)
My movements: backwards.
My motives: blurred.
Catching myself thinking: “that reflection must be me…?”
I gravitate instead
into the arms of my children’s chattiness.
I drink them in,
wishing 40 years could fall from me.
Running wild and free,
two madcap big brothers
showing me the ropes.
I’d still be a third wheel,
but I’d probably squeak less.
Annnnnd tomorrow is another day 😊
Take care, and hopefully I’ll get the rest of the week’s posts out before lunchtime each day as the kids are back at school as from tomorrow! I can’t really believe we’re going into the summer term already, the last of P3 and P6 for our boys ☹ They are getting far too big…
Monty X
[author’s own pics]
Come visit the Facebook page and follow @ComfyRestless on Twitter
Copyright © 2021 Montaffera All Rights Reserved
Please do not use any of my content (posts, pictures, poetry etc) without my permission, but feel free to link back to my blog if something catches your eye. Thank you!
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