Tan Renga Challenge 2019: Day 7: Wisteria

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In the moonlight,

The color and scent of the wisteria

Seems far away.

As far away I think as

My sense of belonging here

Buson & Cie

Notes:

The Hokku (Haiku) stanza of the poem was written by Yosa Buson (1716 - 1784). The Akegu (closing) stanza was written by me.

I have never felt that I belonged in this world. When I was younger, I always hoped I'd find people I belonged with. There have been a few where I feel like they put up with me to a degree or felt sympathy for me, but I have never had a sense of finding my "tribe." The only person I'm really at all close with is my son. I tend to form only very superficial relationships with other people.

Dinners with my mother are perilous and fraught with small talk. She has never approved of any of my choices, and she knows almost nothing about what is really transpiring in my life.

I am not at all close with the other members of my family. I would not recognize most of them if I passed them in the street.

At this point in my life, I do not wish to party and socialize. I have one friend whom I confide in via email, and that means a lot. This friend lives a few thousand miles away from me, so it isn't as if we could get together for coffee.

I have felt a degree of understanding and acceptance from the people participating in this little Tan Renga challenge, which I usually don't get a sense of during such challenges. 

I usually feel as if I am an outsider who has crashed a party when participating in blog hops, and the general sense is "what is that freak doing here at our exclusive soiree?" Some of the blog hops I participate in are very focused on clothing and fashion although other sorts of posts are allowed, and if you don't think I'm an absolute outlier when it comes to fashion, you don't know me at all. I can't afford nice clothes or even new clothes, and I look like an unmade bed most of the time.

One would think that I would feel more at home with creative blog hops, but I usually don't. I've been surprised by the feeling of peace I've gained participating in this one. Maybe it's just that no-one has attacked me yet. Hopefully, we can do without that happening this time.

OctPoWriMo 2015: Day 22: Cie Tells Two Lies and a Truth

Whispering to ghosts

Fabulously confident

Malevolent fiend

Note:

I guess that this 5-7-5 form is called a senryu, which is an ironic or satirical short poem. It's a term that I only learned recently.

I think the piece has a bit of Halloweentime flavor, which I like. It's sort of like a pumpkin spice latte with a shot of rum, which I wish I could have. 

Unfortunately, diabetes with a side of hypertension prohibits such enjoyment. I feel like a steaming pile of rombie ruh-roh when I drink alcohol, and the excess sugar from the pumpkin spice syrup isn't the best idea either. However, I may have an un-spiked pumpkin spice latte before the fall is out anyway, zombie pancreas be damned.

~Cie~

OctPoWriMo 2015: Day 18: Our Secret World

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Our Secret World

The Netherworld is the place we run

To escape real world demands

It's the one place where we can truly be ourselves

It doesn't matter if no-one else understands

~Mo~

Notes:

Over the years, the members of Team Netherworld have heard how our blogs are "stupid" and "weird," and so are we. Our founder, The Real Cie, gets the brunt of this as she created the Netherworld blogs and is the member of our group who is the most active, even if much of what she does is behind the scenes as our editor, making sure that each post will adhere to the Netherworld mythology.

It is so hurtful to have your creative work constantly torn down. Cie is a sensitive person, as is everyone in our group. Most of us have had to deal with people who just don't get where we're coming from, who think we should just put our foolish flights of fancy aside.

This is a terrible thing to say, especially as in some cases, the flights of fancy may be the one thing that keeps a person hanging on.

The Netherworld is real to us. It may not be "concrete reality," but in some ways it is more real.

As the verse on our blog header at Dark Hearts Love Too says, it's "the only place where you can dream, living here is not what it seems."

Bless Steve Harris for writing those magical lyrics. He's been an inspiration to us.

~Mo~

NaPoWriMo 2015: Day 20: What I Know

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What I Know

I know happiness

I know sorrow

I know love

I know heartbreak

I know more and less today than I did yesterday

I know that everyone ages

I know that everything dies

I know that I can't know the specifics of what tomorrow will bring

I know that beauty is in the eye of the beholder

I know that true beauty is in the soul

I know that we can never truly know anyone--even ourselves

I know this world is filled with injustice

I know that there is opportunity to change this

I know that the fight will be hard

I know that it will be worth it

I know that I am worthwhile although I sometimes feel that I'm not

I know that I will know more happiness

I know that I will know more sadness

I know that everything and yet nothing is real

I know that there is a lot I still don't know

~Aurora~

The Prompt:

And now for our prompt (optional, as always). Today, I challenge to write a poem that states the things you know. For example, “The sky is blue” or “Pizza is my favorite food” or “The world’s smallest squid is Parateuthis tunicata. Each line can be a separate statement, or you can run them together. The things you “know” of course, might be facts, or they might be a little bit more like beliefs. Hopefully, this prompt will let your poem be grounded in specific facts, while also providing room for more abstract themes and ideas.