NaPoWriMo #30

May

As we turn the final page
of last winter's book,
indigo streaks bloom
above our heads like loose
paint strokes on a sky blue
canvas. The bursts
of fireworks crackle in the
distance, people watching
by the edge of the glossy
lake

the warm air surrounded
by the sound of crickets
and the telltale buzz of
bumblebees-

not yet summer, but
close enough.

NaPoWriMo is finally over! I'm really glad I did it this year- I think I got some pretty good poems out of this, and I enjoyed writing all the poems as well. Some days were tough and uninspirational, but I think it was a good learning experience for me, figuring out how to draw ideas from basically nowhere. Congratulations to everyone else who took part in NaPoWriMo this year and completed the challenge!

Lastly, I'd like to thank all my followers and commenters for sticking with me through this month and providing so much support and encouragement. I couldn't have done it without you!

NaPoWriMo #29

goodnight

the sun sets behind imposing,
dark evergreens, pouring
a syrupy orange glow onto the
balconies and fences and
woodland trails

this part of the earth is
going to sleep now, goodnights
called as lights turn off one by
one, laptops shut down,

all of us enduring this
warm night together.

One more day to go!

NaPoWriMo #28

stardust

purple reminds me of
lavender glitter and
stardust and happily-ever-after
fairytales, all blended into

that perfect spin when
you turn around in your
flowy pink dress, silver
sparkles fluttering
through the air and landing

in a perfect circle around
you, like fallen petals surrounding
a rose in bloom.

NaPoWriMo #27

Art Studio

The color grows
darker near the
corners, and it is
obvious where
someone has spilled
water on the page.

A brush lies on the table
coated in dry blue acrylic
paint, and music is still
playing

as if someone has
gone missing
and left their painting
unfinished.

NaPoWriMo #26

talent show preparation

Four students are wrapping
pale blue streamers around
imposing pillars, weaving color
around stark whiteness. Several
others are huddled
backstage, calling out names
and continually making marks
on official-looking clipboards. A
feeling of anticipation and
general panic hovers anxiously
over their heads

(like storm clouds
on the morning of a big game)

the building filled with
a sense of fullness.

NaPoWriMo #25

(Photo credit)

train tracks

The train station is lit
by a series of bare lightbulbs,
casting a toxic green glow
down onto the semicircular tunnel.
Under the glare of the lights,
the train tracks are black-

weary of thousands of wheels
churning out their life stories on
frustrated tracks overflowing with
too many secrets. Early morning
commuters huddle under faint
directional signs, waiting for

a train, their passport through
holes of darkness to
French cafés and crisp bakeries

and small musty bookstores,

the shelves crammed with poetry books

full of train tracks that no one will read.

My inspiration for this poem came from here.

NaPoWriMo #24

(Photo credit)

Evening in Paris

Rusty peach clouds
puddling on cobblestoned ground-

It's evening in Paris and
everyone has their umbrellas out,
gossiping as spindly tree branches
stretch out from behind lonely
old buildings.

The street is filled with a
hopeful sort of solemnity,
the bold lampposts illuminating
quiet reflections in the rain.

NaPoWriMo #23

untitled

Sand kicks up behind
mountains of legendary
treasures and secret stories,
whispered at nighttime
bonfires and moonlight
forest meetings.

The minute hand on the
clock snaps around,
rhythms blending into a
whirl that dissolves to

a fine layer of dust in
an abandoned shed
and quiet words carefully
traced into the floor.

NaPoWriMo #22

plum

Behind the bowl of

apples hides a deep purple

plum, sweet and juicy, with

fresh droplets of water running

down its sides.

NaPoWriMo #21

the stationery store

indigo ribbon crossed
tightly over itself, still in
plastic wrap.

it looks woven, as if
it has gathered the
secrets of the rainbow
and taken them into
its folds.

NaPoWriMo #20

(Photo credit)

one-point perspective

skyscrapers bending inwards,

edges curving and shiny walls

reflecting off one another

electric sky

all encompassing,

distorted but domed like

metallic toys in a little

globe, the glass tinted

bright blue.

Note- this is the first picture I've seen where the earth actually looks round! Just my opinion. :-)

NaPoWriMo #19

escape

Free balloons,
the sign said, and
Only take one, please
but I took two balloons

painstakingly selected, a pink and a
yellow, and watched them
bob up on the ceiling
floating towards the
door as if they wanted to
escape.

so when we went outside
I let them go into the
gray sky, two splotches of paint
on a wet canvas.

NaPoWriMo #18

Glimpse

A dark blue scarf is
twisted awkwardly around
her neck, its fringed ends
smothered between layers of
jackets. The young woman
purposefully crosses the
street, not bothering to look
both ways, and
disappears behind a
revolving glass door,
unwinding the scarf from
her neck as she goes.

NaPoWriMo #17

April Showers

The rains are
just on time this year,
brightening plants to a
spring green. Raindrops

drip off soggy maroon
leaves, drumming a
steady beat on slender
wooden cymbals.

NaPoWriMo #16

untitled

we are trying on
trenchcoats, but
nothing seems to fit.

strolling along deserted aisles,
lugging around an almost empty
basket, except for a hairbrush

we spray the air with
every kind of freshener
they sell, sweet pea and citrus and
coconut lime.

none of the dresses fit either,
but we laugh and
take pictures and make a
mess on the floor

the sun is out
but the day is chilly, and
there is absolutely nothing to do
this friday afternoon.

I can't think of a title for this... any suggestions?

eta: we have crossed the halfway mark for NaPoWriMo this month! Congratulations to everyone who's still participating!