Showing posts with label grief. Show all posts
Showing posts with label grief. Show all posts

Sunday, April 7, 2024

April PAD Challenge + NaPoWriMo 2024 Writing Prompts Day 7

 




My dear friend Kamidiox drew these pictures. If you use them, please make sure to give her proper credit. Here is the link to her website.


I wasn't sure how personal I wanted to get with this prompt post, Poetry People. I'm feeling a bit vulnerable and also a bit sick. I woke up at 3 AM feeling like I was going to hurl. 

I guess my 59-year-old innards can no longer handle meals like the spicy southwestern ham and bean soup that I made with scraps from the leftover Easter ham. I also had a side plate of nachos courtesy of the giant bag of tortilla chips and Tostitos queso that we bought at Costco. I need to get it through my thick head that my stomach has aged along with the rest of me.

Enough about my crap digestive system. Here are today's prompts.


The April PAD Challenge prompt asks participants to write a luck poem.

I was very lucky when my special friends came into my life.

I was very unlucky when I lost them. 


Today's NaPoWriMo prompt asks poets to write a Wish You Were Here poem.

Here's the best Wish You Were Here poem ever. 



~Ornery Owl Has Spoken~

Image by Willgard Krause from Pixabay


Tuesday, September 19, 2023

Tears

 

Base image by Sigmund on Unsplash


tears are raining down

for the lost ones I once knew

hope flowing away

notes

This Haiga was inspired by a prompt from Carpe Diem Haiku.

https://chevrefeuillescarpediem.blogspot.com/2012/10/carpe-diem-25-tears.html

Text art and effects were added to the base image using Pixlr. You are welcome to share the Haiga, but please credit Cara Hartley/Ornery Owl if you do. A link back to this blog would also be appreciated.



Monday, February 24, 2020

Carpe Diem Love Month: Animal Friends: Senryu


all my little friends
there have been far too many
can't do it again

~cie~


notes
There are people who have said to me when I say that I won't get any more cats because I can't bear to lose any more cats that I'm being selfish.

I lost five cats in the space of five years, and I've lost many more before them. There are many that I can't think of without it bringing tears to my eyes. I've also lost quite a few people. I am pretty well numb with grief. I think that it's cruel to tell someone in my position that they are being "selfish" for wanting to avoid further pain. 

Inflicting guilt on someone who is already suffering is the ultimate in thoughtlessness.

Sunday, February 16, 2020

Carpe Diem Love Month: Rainbow Bridge to the Dreamlands

Image by navallo from Pixabay

in a place beyond
over the storied rainbow
you and I will meet
perhaps in the land of dream
imagined by Lovecraft

~cie~


I will never get over this
I wish he was here with me

notes
I know nobody gives a flying toss about my notes, but since I'm pretty sure no-one will read this post anyway, what do I care?

I am recovering from a mental breakdown and from a TIA. I am trying to move back in the direction of writing what I want to write rather than what I think will make money. My health is precarious and I don't really know how long I have left on this planet. I worry like hell about developing vascular dementia. I'm not too worried about Alzheimer's because there isn't a history of that on either side of my family. My father had vascular dementia. My aunt on my mother's side probably had Lewy body dementia, although nothing was ever really confirmed. Hers seemed to onset more quickly than Alzheimer's tends to, although I have a feeling she was hiding her memory lapses until she couldn't anymore.

The TIAs I have had exacerbate my ADD. I don't have any short-term memory loss, but there is a change in my cognition. I blame this most recent episode on not having adequate insulin (thanks, Medicaid). My P.A. changed up my prescription so hopefully, this won't happen again. It probably could have been changed sooner but she was on maternity leave, and I am reluctant to see another provider. It is critical that I have a provider who treats me with respect and looks at numbers such as A1C, blood glucose, blood pressure and triglycerides (all things I'm taking medications for) as opposed to focusing on the damn number on the scale, which only triggers episodes of self-loathing and restrictive eating. Anyone who thinks that shaming large people (or anyone else) reinforces positive behavior is dead wrong. All that sort of behavior does is makes people avoid seeking medical care for fear of being shamed.

I write a segment called Henry and Henry for the Fetch universe. Henry is my female protagonist Pepper's beloved cat, who passes away suddenly. He is modeled after my Lafayette.

Henry Kalmar is the spirit of a flamboyant, openly gay New Orleans blues musician who commits suicide on the tenth anniversary of his beloved half-sister's death. Henry is modeled after Lafayette Reynolds, my favorite character in the show True Blood. Lafayette was the namesake for my Lafayette. He was played by the very talented Nelsan Ellis, who died on 8 July 2017 at the age of 39 from complications of alcohol withdrawal. Nelsan's sister Alice was murdered by her husband in 2002. This was something that Nelsan never got over.

Nelsan attempted to stop using alcohol on his own because he was ashamed to seek help for his addiction. This, unfortunately, created deadly complications. Here we have an example of how shaming people for addiction doesn't work. If shame worked, there would be no addicts, no fat people, and no smokers. I repeat that shaming doesn't work, it only makes people reluctant to seek medical care for fear of being shamed by ignorant health "care" providers.

I adopted my Lafayette's half-sister or cousin Tara at the same time that I adopted Lafayette. I suspect that both of them were very inbred. They came from the same feral colony. Both of them had to have most of their teeth removed because of feline stomatitis. Lafayette had problems with his fur falling out and scabby skin which I attributed to a grain allergy and began feeding him grain-free food which seemed to help somewhat. I later misattributed some of the signs of system failure to a return of the feline stomatitis and assumed that he would need the rest of his teeth removed. I had no idea, and I will go to my grave blaming myself for being so wrapped up in working that I missed critical signs. I will never forgive myself.

Henry the Cat meets Henry Kalmar in the Dreamlands, and together they become part of the team trying to save the Cosmos from an ultimate threat headed by Nyarlathotep, the smartest and trickiest of the Outer Gods. This ragtag group of reluctant heroes also includes a snarky Swedish spectre, a benevolent Yithian, a sweet-natured but foul-mouthed Scotsman who departs his cognitively impaired body at night to join the fight, a terminally ill British prog-rock icon, and a couple of good-natured ghouls. 

I let the story languish for five years in favor of attempting to write stuff that I believed would sell. It didn't, and I'm not going to back-burner my beloved project any longer. Would I like for it to have an audience? Sure, I suppose, but sometimes knowing that other people are watching prevents me from unleashing my creativity. So, whatever. 

Generally speaking, I am not the kind of person that other people gravitate to. I have kind of a prickly, defensive personality from years of having to defend myself, what do you know? I can count on one hand the people who will respond to this post, and I thank you in advance.

Thursday, February 6, 2020

Carpe Diem Love Month: Unconditional Love for a Wonderful Friend

One of my best friends always
Lafayette
17 July 2009 - 17 July 2015

you came to see me
in a dream so real I knew
you were truly here

~cie~


notes
I've no intention of arguing the reality of this with anyone, so if you've a burning need to prove me wrong, kindly take it somewhere else.

Lafayette was one of the dearest friends I've had. He truly loved me unconditionally. He did not see me ugly, the way most of the world has. He did not judge my large size or my repugnant face in a harsh way. He did not judge my lack of success or my physical or psychological anomalies. He just wanted to be my friend and he was always very happy to have me come home. He sat with me when I worked. He never would have done anything to hurt me, but things went badly wrong with his body and he was taken from me much too soon.

Today when I slept, I was given the opportunity to be with Lafayette again for a while. I thank the angelic being who gave me this opportunity with all my soul. I thanked him for allowing me to be with my sweet, fluffy kitty once again, for allowing me to be with my dear friend.

When I had to leave that reality and come back to my body, it broke my heart. I wanted to stay with a friend who never saw me through eyes of disappointment or disgust. Still, this experience allowed me to break free from the fear of physical demise that has been plaguing me for many months. I now know that when I leave my body, I will be with Lafayette again.

I have been having a fair bit of trouble physically, and I am not given the assistance I need. The amount of insulin I've been prescribed isn't adequate. I will go for long periods of time without insulin, and it is damaging my body. I am fearful that it will eventually lead to a hemorrhagic stroke because of vascular damage.

I am actually quite good about being compliant with using insulin as necessary. I just need to be prescribed enough to get the job done. I often refuse to eat so I can ration my insulin. This isn't right, none of it is right.

This world has been cruel to me throughout my life. It is a world that is relentless to those who are different. 




By the way, if you're one of those people who feels a need to tell everyone how much you hate tattoos, now would be a great time to shut up about that too. I'm not forcing you to get one. This one is on my shoulder and will be for life.

I've not been doing very well either mentally or physically in some time. I have a strong sense of doom hanging over me, but after my visit with Lafayette, I don't fear it any longer. I just hope I am allowed enough time to get the rest of my shit in order so I don't leave my son with a huge mess to deal with when I'm gone. I worry about him. He really doesn't have anyone he can rely on at all except for me. That's a scary thing, considering how precarious my health is.

Monday, January 20, 2020

Carpe Diem New Beginnings: First Cry

Image by DatWuschel from Pixabay

first cry of the heart
the wild anticipation
drowning in desire
years ahead lead to regret
saltwater overflowing

~cie~


notes
I have been working on Fetch (Team Netherworld's main WIP) and was inspired to create a Fetch story poem in the voice of Princess Ondina.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

November PAD Chapbook Challenge 2019: Day 20: Light Blitz

Image by Johannes Plenio from Pixabay

light the night
light my fire
fire of passion
fire of hell

hell hath no fury
hell hath no remorse
remorse for what's said
remorse for what's done

done to death
done and gone
gone like yesterday
gone in a flash

flash and dash
flash of light
light the way
light the night

night without dreams
night without end
end of the world
end of everything

everything ends
everything dies
dies like your love
dies like my dreams

dreams of yesterday
dreams of tomorrow
tomorrow never comes
tomorrow comes too soon

soon the sun rises
soon the night falls
falls from the heavens
falls to its death

death is the end
death is the beginning
beginning of a new chapter
beginning of a new tale

tale whispered in darkness
tale too ticklish to tell
tell me a lie
tell me the truth

truth is subjective
truth will set you free
free falling
free to run

run from the past
run from the pain
pain holds on forever
pain colors all

forever...
all...

~Cie~

Notes:
Today's November PAD Chapbook Challenge asked for a Light poem. So, I did a Light Blitz. It turned out kind of heavy, though.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Heeding Haiku With Carpe Diem: Senryu: Crystal Pond


death falls to darkness
or does the soul perhaps leap
to a crystal pond

~Cie~



Notes:
Today's Carpe Diem prompt involved revising this well-known Haiku by Matsuo Basho (1644 - 1694).

old pond
a frog jumps into
the sound of water

Today's Mindlovemisery's Menagerie prompt was crystals. We were asked to follow traditional Haiku rules, but, sorry, no can do when such a stellar Senryu using both prompts has hijacked my synapses!

I dreamed that my wonderful cat Trinity, whom I had to have put to sleep three years ago on November 9 due to brain and lung cancer, was here with me. November 9, 2016, was a garbage day in history. I lost my great friend on that day, and Lord Dampnut was elected "president." It was a terrible time to be alive.


She was such a special cat. I miss her big, chonky body, her big, chonky personality, and her big, loud purr.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

OctPoWriMo 2019: Day 23: Lost Friends

Photoshop manipulation by The Real Cie
Both of these friends gone too soon

Looking for a home for you
Adopted you myself
Friends from the start
Although you were afraid at first
You were always a big kitten
Eyes of golden-green
Time went by too quickly
Took you from me too soon
Every day I grieve for you

Tiny princess abandoned by her humans
Received with love into our home
In time she became the queen of the castle
Never let me feel alone
I loved you, my best girlfriend
Time robbed me of you too soon 
You are forever in my heart

Your broken-hearted human


Note:
Part of me really hates the pet prompts.
They are the one thing guaranteed to leave me crying--every fucking time--no exception.

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

OctPoWriMo 2019: Day 15: Mother May I Be a Mother (Choka)


Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay


when I was pregnant
it was a surprise to me
planned for adoption
told I could never give birth
it was not my wish
but it turned out for the best

~Cie~



Notes:
Because I had PCOS, I was told that I would never be able to have children. 
I married young and had been married for 6 years. We used no form of birth control because we believed we couldn't have children. We planned to adopt. 
While on vacation to Montana and Canada in 1989, I started feeling sick. This was shortly after the death of one of my childhood friends, who was working as a park ranger in Yellowstone. She slipped into a river and drowned. One of the places we went to see was the site where she died. I was having nightmares and wondered if my queasy feeling was due to the trauma of losing my old friend.
I felt sick for a month straight.
Figuring I was dying (and not entirely unhappy about that prospect because my life had never been particularly gleeful) I went to the doctor. She ran some tests.
I rather melodramatically asked her if I had a tumor.
She laughed and said "of a sort, I suppose. It will resolve on its own in approximately seven and a half months."
She gave me a referral to an OB/GYN.
For some reason when the nurse practitioner asked how I felt about being pregnant, it pissed me off. I didn't let on that the question made me angry, but I didn't like it. The answer, really, was surprised. I said I supposed I was okay with it. She asked me to elaborate, saying that I didn't sound convinced that I was okay. I said "well, I wasn't expecting it since I wasn't supposed to be able to have children. I'm fine with it." 
I guess she wanted me to be jumping for joy and walking about with balloons and banners announcing my thrill over my unexpected miracle pregnancy. I was okay with being pregnant (other than the non-stop nausea) but the rest of my life was a mess. I had a plethora of untreated psychological problems and nowhere to turn, and I hated my job.
After my son was born, my marriage started to fall apart. My now ex-husband and I were polar opposites, and both of our families were invasive and emotionally unsupportive. He's an Aspie and I had undiagnosed bipolar disorder type 2, borderline personality disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. We were oil and water as temperaments went. As time went on, we became verbally abusive to each other and eventually started getting into fistfights. There was no saving the marriage.
We got divorced when our son was four. We started getting along better as platonic friends once we were no longer living together. Since that time we have on occasion had a roommate situation due to financial necessity, but I've always been glad enough for that to end. We're family now and I hope will be so till the end.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

OctPoWriMo 2019: Day 12: Painted Black

Image by kalhh from Pixabay

paint it black played the night before you
slipped into shadow, not unexpected
it was a long struggle to get to that good night
I know you had to go to bring back what you are
you were not that lost thing left behind
I have been angry at you since you left
which makes me angry at me
because I know it isn't fair
you deserved to be set free from the prison
that your body had become
fly high unpolished angel
you were not elegant, but to me you were beautiful

~Cie~


Ain't gonna explain, so please don't ask





Tuesday, October 8, 2019

OctPoWriMo 2019: Day 9: What My Eyes Saw

I Blinked and the World Was Gone
Photoshop Manipulation by The Real Cie

My eyes saw that in the end
Everything was just a lie
Seeing is not believing
Hearing is deceiving
Truth is but a silent sigh
Perspective nothing but perception
Reality is, on one hand, subjective
And on the other hand as objective
As a knife to the spine
My eyes are but windows
To the lies my soul tells

~Cie~




Sunday, August 25, 2019

Carpe Diem Weekend Meditation #99: Crossroads of Summer


I
buttercups
peeping through fog
opening to the sun

buttercups
I missed my turn once again
may I back it up?

peeping through the fog
on the way to take boxes
last stop on the way

opening to the sun
my heart opens very slowly
fearing further pain

II
sunshine lights
on hibiscus leaves before their
own dark

sunshine lights
but sometimes the sunshine lies
as much as shadow

on hibiscus leaves before their
time comes to fade for autumn
fall's first frost comes soon

own dark
indeed, I once thought I could
instead, dark owned me

~Jane & Cie~


Notes:
The "sleighs" of this team of Troku were created by Jane Reichhold (1937 - 2016). The wild horses pulling the "sleighs" were wrangled by me, or, more likely, I was wrangled by them.

The second stanza of the first Troiku references a favorite song: Aqualung by Morcheeba. This song has deep personal significance, and we'll just leave it at that.


Thursday, June 6, 2019

Troiku Challenge 2019: Day 5: The Aroma of Pine


the aroma of pine
and the young morning's fresh rain
reach my words

the aroma of pine
in a place long left behind
shadows of what was

and the young morning's fresh rain
cries the tears that I cannot
heart frozen inside

reach my words
but understand not a one
no-one can know me

~Pirate & Cie~


Notes:
The "sleigh" of this Troiku was written by Hamish "Managua" Gunn, aka Pirate. The three (utterly fucking depressing) Horses of the Apocalypse are my creations. Read them and despair. 
I am in rather a bleak mood today. Please, no comments suggesting therapists, drugs, or any of that sort of thing. That shit doesn't work for me. I just have to work my own way out of it.

Thursday, April 18, 2019

NaPoWriMo 2019: Day 18: A Soul Dull and Filled with Pain

I Blinked and the World Was Gone Version 5
Copyright The Real Cie

A life lost and lonely from first cry
A soul not soothed by any lullaby
Days are hopeless, dull, and filled with pain
Till the moment when the unwanted ones are left alone to die

~Cie~


Notes:
The poem style is Rubai. This is a brief poetry form requiring the story to be told in four lines. I believe I have accomplished this.

Sunday, April 7, 2019

NaPoWriMo 2019: Day 7: Sorrow Inevitably Follows


The things that used to bring me joy
Are now viewed through a veil of tears

When I remember times now past
Memories leave a trail of tears

When I remember those I loved
I must suppress a gale of tears

I dare not ask for anything
I'll wind up with a pail of tears

Every story of happiness
Always ends as a tale of tears

~Cie~


Note:
The NaPoWriMo prompt asked for a poem about joy and gifts. Technically, this poem is about joy and gifts, just not about happy endings.
The form I used is the Ghazal

Tuesday, October 30, 2018

OctPoWriMo 2018: Day 30: Shrouded


So everyone dances
Swinging along the moon
Singing their joyful tune
Swaying to the rhythm
Sweethearts are so in love
Standing in the shadows
Shrouded figures grieving

~Cie~