The Wabi-Sabi Writer

with me

let thoughts

land

on 

leaves

floating

downstream

Come hear

the om

in the humming gurgle

as water 

winds

and

swirls

eddies

over and around

 stone and shore

Come breathe

in the sweet damp moss

dark life 

teeming soil

this moment

like memories 

of chocolate cake

still warm from our grandmother's oven

and

lazy afternoons

still warm from the late summer sun

call us home

NaPoWriMo Day 30 

Original Photo - © Jenni Astramowicz 2018

The work

is showing up

now 

in this time

with questions and chances

in tow

dive deep

into the void

of avoided places

this place, this life, this space, this world

is richer than

any can understand

skip and step

stones

over

memories

hidden

search and seek

an infinite loop

of lessons learned

pick up 

the pieces

gather stack and pile

it is your life

souk

all the sundry

spices

gems

and garbage

it is your life's

work

to sort 

through

and somehow

not get lost

in the mayhem

NaPoWriMo Day 29 

The Night Queen

suspends

beliefs

like

bulbs

hung

in the hour of darkness

Her high court

cleaves

 to clay caked

promises

as the blood flows

thick like myrrh 

swirled

in

 bitter

raw

cacao marrow

her voice

carries

through the dank hollows

her laughter

snuffs

all flame

NaPoWriMo - Day 28 

*Original Artwork - ©Jenni Astramowicz

NaPoWriMo - Day 27 

I want to turn the page

have space to breathe

this irony

is not lost on me

I want to go outside

 return 

to my soul sanctuary

and to a time

long ago

when I was held

tight

in high regard

a woman walks a dog

on the street below

she wears a mask

like a chin strap 

to stop a tooth ache

not a murderous mutant

microorganism

how we fools

bend the rules

wearing a cockeyed crown

 of chrome-plated hubris

as if we are kings

Pachamama

is calling our bluff

nature culls

her way home

NaPoWriMo - Day 26

wilting white roses

sit at my side

their redolence

wafts 

over me

with waves

of sweet

decay

I remember my grandmother's

silver perfume compact

embossed

and

empty

except the edges

still cloaked

with cracked cream.

rose, metal and age

swaddle together

the essences

a weathered woman

a newborn talc

tarnish

hope

NaPoWriMo day 25

Bless the page

with a daily dose of loves

at the table

kisses

insistent

nudge 

intentions aside

love is not done

try as you may

to move the page away

to be pulled back

against my lips

wet

and

open

kisses

make the ink run

pages wrinkle and curl

in the distance

seagulls

cry

NaPoWriMo - Day 24

Riding through the moments

reminds me of the rollers

along the coast

making headway

against the headwinds

standing

stomping

struggling

over the summit

riding the life luge 

tucked and perched 

on a tiny top tube

top speed 

no brakes

no breaks

brave the wobbles

ride it out

NaPoWriMo Day 23

Sitting on my chaise

sipping strong espresso

last year's 

poets and writers

spread across my lap

The city sky

is a muddy grey

of coastal cloud

and exhaust from the week

I should

step across the threshold

into the day

but

all I want to do

is

sit

sip

and 

stare

at a two dimensional world

in my lap,

out my ash stained

windows

and that glorious

terrifying

maze in my mind

NaPoWriMo Day 22 

If I could have a small taste

of the honeyed sap of hope

left behind

to rot

in the cracked clay pot

after the feast

of our mother's saints

would I be sated

or would the bile

bitter

and

biting

dissolve

 my resolve

leaving

behind

only a desiccated

pile

of ash

and

bone

NaPoWriMo Day 21

a near daily ritual to share , in atomic fragments

spilling t across an endless wasteland 

we used to sit at the table in the far back, with tea and shortbread and paper and ink and laughter

Now Pergolisi is shuttered

Still our salons

 persist 

NaPoWriMo Day 20 

Based on the prompt to to write a sijo.

 step out

into the storm

exposed

skin

goose-bumped

shivering

with forgotten

 want

pull down

pelting

swollen

drops

a silk slip

sliding 

over

freckled shoulders

clinging

to curves

and

stiff

points

It has been so long

since I have been

seen

soaking

wet

Do you Remember

how

I dress myself in rain

NaPoWriMo Day 18

Inspired by the prompt to write a poem based on the title of one of the chapters from Susan G. Wooldridge’s Poemcrazy: Freeing Your Life with Words

NaPoWriMo Day 17 

* Inspired by the prompt to write about the moon

*https://www.almanac.com/content/full-moon-april

It has been a while

since I have seen a smile

now hand sewn style

covers our face

keep your place

six feet away

so we live another day

NaPoWriMo Day 16

I have misplaced 

my motivation

beneath

 a pile

of unfolded

molded

sheets

left too long

in a haphazard heap

of half baked

happenstance

distractions

I dig through 

all the random

bullshit

looking for a singular

nugget

of gold

to inspire me

poetry pyrite 

in my palm

NaPoWriMo Day 15

Why count

sheep

when the endless

stars

spread

above you

like a lover

enveloping 

your smooth

sleepless

night

sliding

against

your mind

like skin

sweat slick

and

glistening

NaPoWriMo Day 14

I keep company

with a mischievous  

girl-boy

as we walk past 

those

who

wait

for roses

we nibble 

on sweet stale bread

longing for a late

afternoon nap

we sip

cheap

champagne

from crystal coupes

we speak

with the hushed voice

of a thousand tiny

bubbles

burst

at last

as the last

light

leaves

the city sky

ablaze

we exhale

our name

NaPoWriMo Day 12

Here I am

 again

in the frayed

ends

of a long tangled  

mess

I 

made

  wrinkled wives

 offer up

wishes

and

 towering

tales

to feast on

while we watch

for the day's

dawn

to crack

while we wait

for the life's

spine

to break

NaPoWriMo Day 13

I will

Respect you as a naturally creative, resourceful, and whole person.

Be absolutely straight, honest, and authentic with you.

To hold your agenda and well being as sacred

Provide a safe space for you 

revel

try on

new perspectives 

without fear of failure or negative judgment 

where your inner artist can come out and play (even have the occasional tantrum).

To ask the important questions, invite and inspire creativity, and take risks to support your growth and learning

As your Guide, 

Sherpa or Nymph - 

I will bring a whole mess kit of inspiration

 (yes, it is going to get messy) 

Mostly in a good way, mostly

And I promise

to evoke

and

to support

you on this journey  

NaPoWriMo Day 11