the cruelest

lately
if spring should appear
may is merely
minutes away
with a few cherry blossoms
pink and white
frosted over
many green buds
stillborn
and rain showers
cold
gray
not like the aprils
when i was young
or was that a dream
this is why we aspire to ascend
to leave the dirt and dust behind

©A. D. Joyce, 2018

april showers

the falling rain
and the subtlety it implies
the water of life
nourishment
growth
cleansing
rebirth
grace
a bed of flowers blooming
the newness of spring
with explicit meaning
standing in the shadows
cold
wet
uncontrollable
not giving a damn
about our joy
or inconvenience

©A. D. Joyce, 2018

splash

drip
drop
plopping
april rain
no stopping cloud spurt
earth reaching flower teaching sop

©A. D. Joyce, 2017

NaPoWriMo Lessons Learned

The first time I tried and completed the poem-a-day challenge for the month of April was in 2011. I compiled the poems I wrote that month in an e-book called “30 Poems, 30 Days: Inside a Poet’s Mind.” Along with the poems, I explain some of the reasoning and even the mechanics behind creating the poems. It’s a fun, interesting read available at Amazon.

What I learned then, and during the next 3 consecutive Aprils, is that the poem-a-day challenge is both easier than you think and harder than you think. Pacing is everything and though we poets are sticklers to details, there is no need for perfection in order to complete the challenge (if you want to stay sane, that is). For me, i learned to do away with my censor and just write. I can always revise my work in May!

at d park

I took a swarm of pics yesterday when I was in Branchbrook Park. I was hoping the cherry blossom trees would be in bloom but for the most part they weren’t. So my daughter (she’s 26 and looks as young as the kids she teaches) and I ended up making the shoot about us. Considering that we love to mug for the camera, that wasn’t a disappointing plan B in the slightest. This is just a small portion of the pics we took.