1 Bursting with Pom Seeds

Bursting with Pom Seeds
(image by rmp, that's me)

In my one year blogiversary post, I made mention of the future holding new blogging rules.  Earlier this week, I made good on that promise and adjusted the Rules.  Amongst the new rules is a new category.  I'm nor really sure how this new category will fit in, but time will tell.

The category is called Pom Seeds. A bit of background on how this new category came to be.  It was the convergence of three different things.  (1) I read a guest post on Poetic Asides by Sage Cohen.  She talks about acorns, little tidbits of inspiration that come about yet don't quite have a home yet.  (2) I automatically related this to something my colleagues use in the elementary school called seeds.  Students create for seeds that they keep in a special journal.  From these seeds they inevitably create stories and other writings.  (3) Seeds made me think of a pomegranate, which I have been a bit obsessed with as of late.  So much so that I used them in a recent poem (winds of change).

After all is said and done, seeds are how I originally learned of 'acorns' so I thought to stick with that terminology.  As for the 'pom', as the poem mentions these seeds encased in their own individual kernels of fruit can be tangy, sweet, and tart.  I'm not sure what will grow from my Pom Seeds.  They may produces something exquisite sweet or maybe they'll inspire something with a little bite.  Time will tell...

2 dispelling fear

she let out a yelp in fear
as something moist touched her hand
she glared at him as he laughed
her terror was not something to mock
he grabbed her arm as she turned to walk away
begrudgingly she let him pull her back down
he took her offended hand to his lips
kissing it like a wounded child
his eyes never once breaking contact with hers
like a spell she was his
how could she have thought him harmless
her hand still clasped in his lowered
though her gaze stayed trained on him
the twinkle in his eye and the curve of his lips
signaled that he knew he had her completely in his trance
she barely noticed the rough little tongue
to mesmerized by him to give in to her fear of dogs

---

i admit my mind was in a dirty place when this first started out, even though i knew quite well were it was leading.  inspiration for this comes from Three Word Wednesday [3WW=>harmless, moist, yelp].

5 Waking Nightmare

waking in a fog
like rising from a drug induced slumber
eyes are wide open
absorbing the familiar surroundings
the mind wakes slightly
as the realization starts to set in
the body lies bound
an invisible vise holding it down
this is not a dream
struggling only serves to tighten the hold
breathing becomes hard
the chest tightens as panic rises up
words fight to escape
their attempt thwarted by an unseen gag
fear clenches the heart
as sleep threatens to drag me back under
perpetuating
an endless cycle of torture and dread
ironically
the thought of not waking from this nightmare
of being trapped here
unable to fight the invisible
that binds my body
is just as debilitating as this
sleep paralysis

---

they say sound or touch can help bring you out of this, but what happens if you live alone with no person to rouse you with their touch and no animal to lick your ear.  my bouts with sleep paralysis do take quite a toll...being completely conscious of what is around you, but unable to move...


this post was awakened from within by Poetic Asides' Wednesday Prompt.

4 winds of change

i can taste the winds of change
tangy, sweet, and tart
pulling me forward with a promise
of a future heavy with possibilities
tiny morsels flavored with pleasure

like the pomegranate 

filled with a plethora of tiny seeds
encased in their own juiciness
tangy, sweet, and tart
the future holds the power
to tantalize each and every taste bud
with small tiny bursts of deliciousness
mixed with the occasional puckering

---

i have no idea how to express (in this medium) the thoughts i wish to get across.  in short i see the future filled with many moments and possibilities.  we look at the future as one solid entity, but really it is composed of a multitude of events and non-events, once that make us happy, ones that make us said, ones that make us angry....  i see the pomegranate like the future.  on the outside it appears to be one simple fruit, but on the inside its filled with seed.  each seed is encased in its own juicy meat, like a littler kernel.  Individually they have their own flavor, some are sweet, some are tart, some are tangy.  but together, they create a tasty treat.  i'd like to think that in the long run the future is an overall pleasurable entity,  i'm not sure that psycho babble is any clearer, but...


the seed for this poem was planted by Jingle Poetry's Poetry Potluck - Journey and the Road Ahead.  not so sure it hits the mark, but things have a way of growing and thriving to a tune of their own.

1 the past... the future...

Today ...don't open...don't throw away... celebrates its one year anniversary.  So in honor of this wondrous occasion, I thought I'd do a recap of where this blog has been and a hint of where it's going.

As the first post (and poem), my subconscious, tries to explain, ...don't open...don't throw away... began with a dream, not the 'wish for' or 'hope for' kind, but the slumbering REM induced kind. 

Since the creation of this blog was meant to help reunite me with my writing, the blog was developed with a set of five rules.  The three most important being:  (1) Must write at least three times within a week (Sunday to Saturday), (2) Posts must fall into one of three categories:  poems, prose, and/or ramblings, and (3) Of the required categories, may have no more than two consecutive postings of the same category.

Now as we all know, rules have a tendency of being broken.  Four times I missed the minimum requirement.  But four out of fifty-two weeks is not so bad.  It's only 7.7%.

To date, I have published 180 posts.  Of those 88 have been poems, 47 have been prose, and 52 have been ramblings.  Along with these there were three that did not meet each of the rules, and there for did not count toward the three minimum requirement:  an experiment...with two old poems, writing and singing, and villanelle...attempts two and three.  I well aware if you add up the numbers you do not get 180.  That would be because some posts hit more than one category.  I've constructed a diagram to help explain:

My first follower:  Lyla  (Thank You, Lyla D. for discovering ...don't open...don't throw away... and finding it interesting enough to want to return.  I should also thank my other followers...since officially there are only three total it would be wrong not to include the others...so....  Thank you Christina F. and Rebecca!)

My most commented on post:  i shall continue  (The majority of my commenters, if not all, are from Three Word Wednesday.  I thoroughly look forward to each Wednesday and the challenge it presents.  I also enjoy reading all of the other contributors.  So to all of you who have commented on this or on another post, Thank You!)

My most viewed post:  Methods to Soothe Raging Emotions  (I truly find this to be quite amazing since it seems to be making its way around the world all on its own, either that or the same person keeps coming back when the mood hits...but I'd rather think it's a world-phenomenon...to whoever started the ball rolling...Thank You!)

Things I've learned about myself along the way:

• I like repeating...a good number of my poems seem to have at least one line that repeats throughout...plus i enjoyed writing villanelles, pantoum, triolet, rondelet, and rondeau.
• Social anxiety follows me into cyberspace (Follower, Friend and the Like)
• Considering most of my poetry up to this poetry has been free verse, I found I enjoy the challenge of writing form poetry

Things I already knew about myself, but reaffirmed:

• Poems are my preferred category.
• I need to work on happy...
• I have a thing for ellipses.

So, what does the future hold for ...don't open...don't throw away...? 

I think it is time to revisit the 'Rules'.  Over the next couple of weeks, I will be redefining the blog rules.  Rule three will be altered and I think I'm going to add something to rule two...but I still have some time to ponder that.  There will probably be a stronger focus on poetry.  Oh, and I think images need to find there way into my posts as well.  Who knows what else?  Time will tell.