Day 8: The Tentacle of Want

Happy National Poetry Month 2023! Curious about what I’m doing? Want to play along? Read more here.

[Heads-up: If you’re visiting regularly, please know that the bold, blue text is what I’m writing fresh each day. The black text is the same each day:>) ]

First off, I’m having SO much fun seeing how your minds work! And I’m feeling a little nervous about exposing so much about how MY mind works. Oh well. That’s what writing does. It exposes our feelings and connections and viewpoints. Even when we don’t mean it to.

So, I’m over to the dark side of life for this one! The topic of “ring” immediately made me think of Lord of the Rings, and of Sauron’s “One ring to rule them all.” When I saw the word “tentacle” in that bottom left corner, I saw a slithering, greedy, grasping thing. I saw evil lords and politicians. And here’s what came out.

What words will we be digging through today?

And here’s the card that we might pull our topic from:

So some possible topics are:

  1. beach
  2. maple
  3. furs
  4. palm
  5. trees

Will you join in? Would love to see what you come up with!

 

14 Responses

  1. Your poem is powerful, Laura. Dark is fine, right? It gets at what we are pondering inside. These days there is too much dark. I look for the light I will find tomorrow, though. I am an unabashedly proud Christian who simply wants to live the best and most generous life I can. This is something I do not share lightly, but Easter is our day of gratitude for all the blessings we have. And honestly it makes me who I am, but I am not the heavy-handed sort.

    Here is my half-awake attempt with several added words, again. Written amid the chatter of happy children playing NICELY together and apart, post breakfast. I wish I could add a photo so you could see. But all are invited to my fb post! (Janet Clare (friend me if you like) I have a hat and black and white photo of me.). A touch of happy grandma self-promotion here, but it is true. I have to transport “the pan” when I come here and schedule which day will be the day for this breakfast treat!

    (German) Pancakes

    Today while children sleep
    I make them from scratch.
    I need this smile in my soul.
    I confess I am a hero in their eyes,
    a truth I grasp: this memory lifts me.

    I am grateful to you for this NPM project, Laura, and those who comment and write. A busy time for all of us. I wish I could spend all day reading and responding. We are one creative family of poets and poetry enthusiasts, generous and fun and helpful I am saving my poems and putting them in a folder for later re-visiting. And forcing myself to make time to write and just post even if it is truly “draft‑y” stuff.

    1. You are the best grandma! Love the cycle of love in your poem, Janet. And I’m so glad you’re playing along. A daily commitment doesn’t have to be huge to keep the creative fires burning. ❤️

    2. Janet, this is beautiful. I love what you wrote about being a Christian. I am too, and sometimes I see too much dark too. Your words are encouraging. I love German Pancakes, although we always call them Dutch Babies, which is kind of macabre. Precious poem!

  2. Two such different poems! Dark and light, Laura and Janet. Tentacle of want…what a line! I need this smile in my soul… great motivation. Here is what I came up with… Salad is healthy, so here is a list poem of things that are good for you:

    Salad

    Smile back
    Bear truth
    Study today
    Drink water
    End hurt
    Lift friend

    1. Oh Diane, such a salad, I want to eat it daily and share it widely.
      All of it, each line so powerful. A great example of a list poem and a “found poem” rolled in one. Lift friend, smile back, end hurt.…..would that our entire planet had people doing this goodness every day. We’d dressed the world in love and amen to that one!

    2. Oh, I love that salad, which is also a mixture, so I think of your list poem as a tossed salad of deliciousness and healthy habits. Well done. I will have to try that sometime–dig for a list in the magnets.

  3. Happy Saturday everyone! I wrote a similar one to yours, Laura. I have so often through the years had students study and discuss the differences between ‘want’ and ‘need’. That “scream and end” feels so tragic to me, thinking of so many who are in need. Janet I love your thoughts of cooking while others sleep, and Diane, a good list for every day!

    we drink the truth
    with tentacle(s) of want
    and battle(s) of the soul

    1. Oh Linda, you have nailed this one. A keeper and one to share elsewhere-er (just a little joking around since I am surrounded by kiddos!)

    2. Linda, wonderful poem! It’s frightening how tentacles of want can grip us and battle for our souls. It is spot on.

  4. Oh, Laura, I love your Ring poem. I like seeing what comes out! I usually read the poem before I read your explanation, and this poem brought me right to LOTR, so well done!

    Here’s mine, which is based on a true story that happened yesterday:

    Toss or Bear
    My truth?
    A Friend
    I
    Hurt.

    Confess.

    1. Denise… we write, especially poetry, to understand our truth… we can get to the heart of the matter with few words as in your poem.

    2. Thank you, Denise–and we fight battles of good and evil every day, right? Just not in as cinematic a way as Tolkien/LOTR. He! I love the simple power of your poem. Thank you.

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