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Today's prompt twinkle or corode Use one or both words within the poem. In Gratitude Both eyes don't twinkle anymore,It seems with age the glimmer fades,slowly coroding to dim sightbut, corrective lenses fixed thatuntil a clot blew in one eye.A grey cloud now obscures vision.A stroke of sorts, who ever knew?Gatefully the other still sparks. ~~Judi Van Gorder

Only She When does it begin?In the rutting of two strangers,In the surrender of a young girl just wanting to please him,In a good time, having fun, and he is so hot, In a lonely soul needing to connect, Two lovers, sharing bodies, Rape, A couple joining to create a family? Is it biology or God's intervention? Egg plus sperm, fetus, baby . . . He may never know. Circumstance, faith, family, support, health, education, career, money, she must make choices, Carry to term? Nine months of puking, stretching, growing, craving, weeping, aching, and eventually, endless, stabbing pain waits, sometimes, even death. After birth? Nurture, support, and raise the child, or painfully give it away? Abort? take the morning after pills, timing, cramping, bleeding, submit to costly surgical D and C, if laws allow, find a quack with a coat hanger, risk infection, damage, possibly death. Live with guilt, judgement, loss. Not easy, not comfortable, not pretty, not popular. Whatever path, Only she should choose. ~~Judi Van Gorder

Stretching It OutThe subliminal stain of pain,reminder of stage, space and strain,returns again each morning,it's fetched and stretched and for awhiletells of life lived, a chosen style with fragile thread, a warning.Though my body, once quick and strong,with time has mellowed, not so wrong.My dance song, a playful tune, is slowed but rings of all good things and challenges that bring me wings.Still, stings from age come too soon. ~~Judi Van Gorder Notes: ▼ Verse Form: Cywydd Llosgyrnog

April 4 Sleepless in Occidental I've come to realize along with getting old comes confidence, wisdom, knowledge, and experience. I love that part of it. Unfortunately, it also brings a nightly dose of creaky joints, a thirty year old mattress, the need to pee, mushroom heat, and tingly feet. Hence, fitful sleep. Yesterday I bought a new mattress. ~~Judi Van Gorder Prompt: fitful sleep

Today, Wednesday, April 3, 2019 is International Walking Day. I wrote this poem to open my blog today, but just incase you don't check out the Blogs, I'm also posting it here. Wednesday Walk The trail is wet from yesterday's rain. The earth soft under my Sneaks. I place one foot after another and will myself on. I will repeat this, I will honor this substance, I will write of this, I will apply this to all things, I will. ~~Judi Van Gorder

Explore the Craft of Writing Poetry Spanish Poetry Cuaderna Via (frame way) is a strict, syllabic stanzaic form that dominated most of the serious Spanish poetry for the 13th and 14th centuries until the 15th century when it was replaced by the more generic Art Major. The Cuaderna Via was the introduction of syllabic verse into Castillian poetry. It appears to have been originated by the Spanish clergy under French influence, hence the alternative names of mester de clerecía and nueva maestría. It is also known as alejandrino (14) since Spanish verse is often named for the number of syllables the lines contain, the alejandrino is now classified as a verse of Art Major. One of the earliest known Spanish poets to utilize the form was Gonzalo de Berceo 1190-1264 and some of the best known Cuaderna Via's were 14th century Juan Ruiz's Libro d Buen Amor and Pedro López de Ayala's autobiographic, Rimado de Palacio which was a satire of contemporary society. This stanzaic form is known for its "rigidity of form: syllables are counted carefully" NPEOPP. In addition to the rigid meter, only true rhyme is allowed. The defining features of the Cuaderna Via are: stanzaic, written in any # of mono-rhymed quatrains. syllabic, 14 syllable lines divided into hemistiches of 7 syllables each, often broken by caesura. There is no wiggle room in syllable count. mono-rhymed. The rhyme must be true rhyme, no slant rhyme, assonance or consonance. Rhyme scheme aaaa, bbbb etc. Apparently this is a form for purists. First Day of Chemo by Judi Van Gorder The morning chill waits for her, the cold arrived in the night, she lies beneath her down quilt, still as a doe before flight. The dreaded day has arrived, resolve mixed with fear holds tight. She knows it's what must be done and she swallows down her fright.

The Box She blinked at him as if to say "all is OK". His numbers 120 over 81 lit up in red on her chest. Standing vigilant she continues to guard ready to ping if IV drip stops or his vitals change causing nurses to scurry. One called her "the box" as she was led in a dance around the hospital room. I think "Angel" fits her better. ~~Judi Van Gorder Exercise in personification.

Zimbabwe Child Papa cross the Limpopo not fear crocodile say, get work gone whole year. No letter for Mama no medicine. Miriam, she eight sweep floor, clean baby wipe Mama’s brow spoon mankata broth. No school for Miriam no medicine. Beggar bowl for maize I dig in dirt find siboyani root to feed scorpion in belly. No maize for make nsimi no medicine. Baby sick like Mama before she go to clinic not come home baby cry dry tears No milk for baby no medicine. No one see no one care throw away Zimbabwe child. No letter, no school no maize, no milk. No medicine. ---- Judi Van Gorder Notes: ▼ This was written in 2011. At that time a child died every 15 minutes in Zimbabwe. Once known as the "bread basket of Africa" the farm lands lie fallow and unworked, taken from the farmers and given as prizes to the military vets who fought the revolution. Life expectancy is now age 45 and unemployment is 80%. AIDS and starvation are rampant. The inflation rate since 1978 is 231 million percent. Robert Mugabe has been president since 1978. He is running for reelection this year at the age of 87. Mugabe finally was forced to resign in November 2017 at the age of 93 and is currently under military arrest. 2013 International Health Organizations through much effort instituted health reforms that reduced drastically the transmission of AIDS from mother to infant and continued efforts have brought the infected rate to 13.7% of the population. In 2017 the life expectancy is age 59 so there has been improvement. Zimbabwe still has a long way to go. Limpopo, crocodile infested river on the patrolled border between Zimbabwe and South Africa which is the most popular route for starving Zimbabweans looking for work, many die from the crocodiles. Others are caught and placed in refugee camps that are little more than internment camps and still others are simply turned back. siboyani root, native African plant, the root is dug up and must be boiled 5 hours before it can be mashed in the broth. mankata root, native African plant, the root is found in swampy areas. nsimi is a kind of dumpling or bread that is made from cornmeal with oil and water then rolled into balls and eaten dipped into vegetable broth.

Stepping Up I've always cringed when hearing the C word. It conjured long-ago images of my dying Dad, straining to breathe, trying so hard to be heard. Since my diagnosis, it just makes me mad, the cure is long with needles and stitches. Again I wait word from another damn test to weigh whether or not to poison the bitches. Taking another step toward shaking the pest. ~~Judi Van Gorder

Explore the Craft of Writing American Verse The Doublet is a little known form created by Adelaide Crapsey, (1878-1914) who is better known for her innovative "Crapsey" Cinquain. Ms. Crapsey's grounding in English metric verse combined with her studies of Asian poetry helps to make her "small poem" frames fit the English language a little better than the syllabic parameters of Asian forms. The doublet is a 2 line poem but it incorporates the title into the poem, in effect creating a 3 line verse. Some compare it to the haiku. The elements of the Doublet are: a distich with an integrated or bridging title which in effect creates a 3 line poem. syllabic, each line 10 syllables or less. rhymed, aa. The title is not rhymed. On Seeing Weather-Beaten Trees by Adelaide Crapsey Is it as plainly in our living shown, By slant and twist, which way the wind hath blown? When Starting a New Diet by Judi Van Gorder Gather the tools to guide your way, resolve and commitment begin the day. Since we already know how this will end by Zoe Fitzgerald I find it fully pointless to pursue A reconciled relationship with you.

Explore the Craft of Writing Poetry The Sonnet Sonnet Comparison Chart American Verse Blues Sonnet, a distinctly 18th century American verse form that makes use of the Blues Stanza in creating this sonnet. Of course the tone of the poem should be lamenting or mourning. The elements of the Blues Sonnet are: a quatorzain made up of 4 triplets and a heroic couplet. oddly metric, in iambic pentameter. This is in contrast to the usual blue stanza which is accentual, with a more folksy rhythm. rhymed, rhyme scheme AAa BBb CCc DDc ee. it is composed of 4 Blues Stanzas, L1 statement, L2 incremental repetition of L1, and L3 is a climactic parallel of the first 2 lines. pivot or volta should be in the last triplet. and ends in a declamatory couplet. Waiting Prognosis by Judi Van Gorder 5-18-07 Our baby has a cloud above her head yes baby has a cloud above her head she lies in peaceful sleep upon her bed. Too young to fear the threat we've come to know too young, no fear of threat we've come to know. but fear invades and takes our spirits low. We mark the time and wait to hear the news, we mark the time and pace awaiting news. The music plays today, a mournful blues. I try to focus, write of my lament. How can I focus writing my lament, when baby wakes and coos in her content. The light that shines within her toothless smile ignites a hope that holds off fear awhile. And back again to Italy for some interlocking rhyme Next the Terza Rima Sonnet