Club Business

We actually had a "meta" moment tonight and talked about the club itself. It was agreed that increasing our membership is a worthwhile objective as this would bring a greater diversity of poetic voices into our circle, so we brainstormed ways this could be brought about. The following are the ideas brainstormed:

• Have events
• Make fliers (e.g. readings for the public)
• Write in the "Notes" section of people's directories
• Food
• Poster of a poem
• Booklets in apartments (including the poems we've put on the blog, perhaps)
• Valentine poem deliveries on request
• Fundraiser (since clubs have fundraisers): custom poem delivery or something
• Read a poem at ward prayer
• Shirts
• Altoids (actual Altoids mints at our meetings)
• Make the club a part of the culture

There was also a suggestion to do a sort of collaborative poetry, in which lines are written by two authors alternately.

Next week Jhon is going to bring a prompt in the form of a photograph, which we will all respond to. Maybe we could put the photo up here for those following along at home?

Assignment #1: think about all of the ideas above and decide which ones are most deserving of implementation.

Assignment #2: come next week

Assignment #3: bring a friend

Parted

I see you

across the room,

and your smile curls

purring

around my thoughts.

You are as beautiful

as trees and sky

on a warm morning in April.

The kind of morning you wake up to

before sunrise

just to be sure

you won't miss it.

The kind of morning that smiles

at the whole world

and glows

with the promise of summer.

I say nothing.

Because your glowing smile

is not for me.

And I close my eyes.

Because I miss you more

when we are together.

Sorry, but I won't be at many of the Thursday meetings for a while. I'll try to contribute to the blog, and hopefully some will be more upbeat than this breakup poem. Make sure you post your poems from the meetings so I can read them!

Friendly Mocking

This comic is dedicated to Josh.

Heartbreak

(This poem was inpsired by Megan's brother, Brendan, who requested a depressing poem to make into a song.)

You said you'd always love me
You promised you'd be with me
I felt your arms around me
Thought I never would be lonely

So where are you?
When I need you most beside me
The longing burns inside me
I'm drowning in my tears

I didn't know you'd ex me
Refuse to even text me
If only you'd believe me
Your presence would relieve me

So where are you?
When I need you most beside me
The longing burns inside me
I'm drowning in my tears

I'm trying to forget you
Wish I hadn't ever met you
Then my life would be much better
Wouldn't need to write this letter

I don't need you
I don't want you here beside me
No more burning left inside me
No more tears I'll shed for you

Goodbye

What Will Become?

So there's this girl
who
thinks she's no
good because she's
like
me and you
you know
she makes mistakes
does not
nice things
does good
things for wrong reasons
in other words
she's amazing, just
not perfect

I wish she could see
wish she could feel
wish that she
would stop hurting
herself
but remember how
I said she's just like us?
what if we
don't love ourselves either?
just like you and me
so where's the higher ground?
I really want to lift her up
I need some
higher ground
need some

What will become
of the Devil
when we all
learn to love
all learn that
God loves us for a reason?
What will become?

Turning Point

This is the hour when seasons start to change.

The trees, until this moment bathed in summer light,

Were reaching to the sky, their leaves spread ever high

To catch the smiles of the sunfilled days.

They've shaken hands and waved to passers-by,

Strength pulsing out to liven leafy greenery,

Warm trunks unknotting cares and breathing friendship's sighs

Throughout the months of camaraderie.

Now with the frost encroaching with the dawn,

The wind begins to sap their strength,

And pulling inward color, life,

Their rasping leaves are shivered from their grasp.

And so ere long the cold will leave to us

Only these silent silhouettes,

Bare branches stark against the sky,

Reminding us by emptiness of Spring.

Leaves

Crunch, scrunch, scuff; scitter scatter skiff

Such rich crisp sounds as I walk through Autumn leaves,

Crinkling under foot and cracking on the ground.

I can almost smell the aural potpourri

Swish, huff, shuttle; flutter shake, swoosh

Above my head, shivering together in the wind.

Rasp, rattle, hush; whistle rake, whoosh

Each acoustic color knelling in my ear.

And falling through the air, a leaf

silent