Dear reader, dear fellow poet,
Thank you for stopping by.
I am grateful to Maureen for launching this initiative in 2003. In 2013, I joined, or rather gatecrashed, as an international participant. Thanks to Aaron Compton, the term “GloPoWriMo” or “Global Poetry Writing Month” was born in 2016, and since then, I have been trumpeting my international participation.
Unlike in the previous years, I will bundle all my entries in this post. To reduce scrolling, I will clear previous entries to my discretion. Please read my poems as drafts. Between traveling, work, and other life adventures, I am not seeking perfection here but the inspiration to refine the poems after this beautiful affair ends.
Happy reading and poeming!
PS: Yay!!! I am elated by the featuring of these two poems on day 19. For housekeeping reasons, I will continue writing for Glo/NaPoWriMo using a different link on this blog. Also, I have listed the previously featured poems below. Due to a technical glitch preventing links from appearing active, please place your cursor over the bold titles as they are linked.
2022: Table of Farewells.
2020: The Return of the Rose.
2019: Allegory of Dancing.
2017: Spring Wedding.
2014: Berry-Ho, Merry-Ho.
DAY 18
Today’s prompt challenges to write a poem in which the speaker expresses the desire to be someone or something else, and explains why. I wrote two poems today.
IN MY NEXT LIFE, I WANT THE COURAGE OF OUR GERMAN SHEPHERDS
to be multi-religious and bark at contradictions
that faith cannot be held by diverse worshiping.
At 4am, when the muezzin sings a call to prayer,
the pack leader Rocky barks a wolf-like refrain
and his lady Ruby barks the refrain in response.
The puppies, Ryder and Roxy, join in the prayer
after their parents prompt with alternate barking.
They will dutifully bark until the muezzin is done.
And I will be between dreaming and waking up.
Throughout the day, they respond to muezzin calls,
and I sigh in despair that I cannot be that disciplined.
At 6am, when the first set of Angelus gongs strikes,
our pack of dogs will begin again a hymn of barking
resembling the appropriate devotion for believers
and I, the less religious, hail the new day, thank you.
They do not tire repeating the ringing of Angelus;
morning, noon, and evening they loyally respond;
and I am ashamed to react when the gate bell rings.
In this world where we pit each other against faith,
I am grateful to be a multi-religious dog mama.
In my next life, may our pack of dogs welcome me
to where different faiths co-exist in lives and thrive.
THE GRACE TO BE MYSELF
Among selves and other selves of this world,
I pray for the courage to be myself.
When jingles of gold and silver smug,
I pray loudly to be myself.
When magnolias come for their shower brides,
I pray for grace to be myself.
When the bees land on me like their queen,
I pray for me to be myself.
When ant soldiers tempt me to be their master,
I pray for mastery to be myself.
When birds compose a hymn for me,
I pray for worth to be myself.
When the eagles land in the cliffs of my heart,
I pray to soar and be myself.
When the sun kisses my skin with a glow,
I pray consciously to be myself.
When the wind is frivolous with my facade,
I pray firmly to reveal myself.
When the rainbow hails my colors,
I pray for authenticity to be myself.
When the rivers channel my gifts,
I pray to contain myself to be myself.
When the seas rise to hold me higher,
I pray for humility to be myself.
When water creatures come to my service,
I pray for gentleness to be myself.
When the mountains stand tall for my guard,
I pray unwavering to be myself.
When the trees bow upon my arrival,
I pray for stillness to be myself.
When mushrooms emerge,
I pray to bow down as myself.
When memories come to hunt,
I pray for a cave to be myself.
When love and hate collide,
I pray to be a keeper of myself.
When peace breakers hold the forts,
I pray for wisdom to be myself.
When opportunity to avenge arises,
I pray for restraint to be myself.
When hawks and doves come calling,
I pray for bravery to be myself.
When selves and other selves unite,
I graciously pray to be myself.
Elizabeth Boquet
April 18, 2024 - 12:06 pm ·Okay. You made me cry. So much love and beauty and earnestness — not to mention the inner rhymes and graceful use of repetition!! Wonderful, stunning pieces. Thank you for sharing them. Much needed in this world!
Gloria
April 18, 2024 - 1:19 pm ·May your tears and mine meet with healing poetry. Thank you for your touching words.
Selma
April 18, 2024 - 12:19 pm ·Dogs are way ahead of us humans… the gap wider every day and we cannot be that disciplined… What lovely words and sentiments penned here, Gloria. Thank you. And I too want to be the best version of myself. xo
Gloria
April 18, 2024 - 1:18 pm ·I am thankful for your reading, Selma.
Debraj Moulick
April 18, 2024 - 12:45 pm ·Rich Composition!!
Gloria
April 18, 2024 - 1:18 pm ·Thank you, Debraj.
Rosemary Nissen-Wade
April 19, 2024 - 4:25 am ·Both wonderful. I particularly love the second.
Gloria
April 19, 2024 - 11:43 am ·Rosemary, thank you for your time at my writing wall.
Smitha
April 19, 2024 - 5:01 am ·Gloria, both these poems are stunning. The use of repetition and the choice of words you used are both tender and powerful at the same time. Congratulations on being featured.
Gloria
April 19, 2024 - 10:10 am ·Thank you for your feedback and kind words, Smitha.
Ruchira Mandal
April 19, 2024 - 5:06 am ·So much love in these poems.
Gloria
April 19, 2024 - 10:10 am ·I am grateful you are in my company, Ruchira.
Graham Parker
April 19, 2024 - 5:07 am ·I missed these yesterday Gloria but am so glad I saw them today. I was struck by the lines “When the wind is frivolous with my facade,
I pray firmly to reveal myself.” They stood out for me among the other emotion filled ones.
Gloria
April 19, 2024 - 10:11 am ·Graham, no worries. Thank you for stopping by.
Jacquelyn Markham
April 19, 2024 - 5:36 am ·Stunning final lines of a beautiful poem: “When selves and other selves unite,
I graciously pray to be myself.” I do as well!
Gloria
April 19, 2024 - 10:11 am ·Thank you, Jacquelyne.
kittysverses
April 19, 2024 - 6:21 am ·Both poems strike a deep chord. Lovely writing. Congratulations on the feature. 🙂
Gloria
April 19, 2024 - 10:12 am ·Thank you, Kitty. I’m happy they resonated with you 🙂
Heather
April 19, 2024 - 12:55 pm ·Congratulations on being the featured poet. Two amazing poems! The second poem especially, makes me want to linger over the words.
Gloria
April 19, 2024 - 2:13 pm ·Thank you for your feedback, Heather.
Candace
April 19, 2024 - 4:38 pm ·The Grace To Be Myself is very moving. I loved it.
Gloria
April 19, 2024 - 8:14 pm ·I am grateful you read and felt it, Candace.