Mabh Savage
Words and the world passing by; how it sings to me; how I clamour back.
Earth
The NaPoWriMo prompt for the 22nd April was to write a poem for Earth Day. Earth: our planet, our home and our responsibility. At this time of year, I feel closer to the Earth as the colourless pages are filled in green and gold, and the silent air starts to buzz with bees and anticipation. I tried to move this feeling into words:
The smell of the spring
Is a wondrous thing
Air simply alive
With bacteria sporing
That warm rainy smell
That’s the time you can tell
That the wheel has now turned;
On the flip side we dwell.
Day out-lives night
The warm golden light
Gives way to the stars
And the nocturnal sight
Of the moon and the owl
And the fox on the prowl
And the cats start to sing
As the dogs start to howl
That the earth is alive
From the snow we survive
Green and strong, we belong
To this world -and we thrive!
Dig my toes in the mud
Plant myself if I could
To be part of the web
Of life, stone, sap and wood.
¡Hola!
¡Hola! shouts my boy
His face ablaze with joy
This number 21
Of how to greet his mum
So proud he picks things up
So fast he fills his cup
And laughing spills it out
A dance; a cry; a shout.
Hi he grins at me
My gosh you’re nearly three
And bilingual to boot
Ridiculously cute.
Hiya mum he says
As noisily he plays
And learning becomes mess
And I try to avoid stress
Morning he will yawn
In bright and broken morn
With cocoa pops and juice
Schedule running loose
Hey you he shouts at dad
When fun is to be had
And running round the room
A pair of crazy loons.
My favourite greeting though?
The silent one that’s so
Incredible. My boy of two;
His look says I love you.
Pepper
Feeling up and down
Tired but determined
Skint but ambitious
Loving time hand in hand
With tiny happiness
Slowly through the world
Dappled like the sunshine
Peppering the pavement
Seasoning our steps
Hot and tasty on the earth.
The supermarket calls
But for now enjoy the gift
Of trees and birds
Wind making ocean noise
And songs from beyond time.
I’m Eeyore
The NaPoWriMo challenge for the 14th April was to write in another persona. I had some help choosing from Paul, Dominic, Geoff and a few others but the suggestion that gripped me most was Pippa’s: Eeyore. Of course A. A. Milne already achieved the almost impossible by making a pessimistic character completely adorable (I always think of Eeyore as a forerunner to Marvin the paranoid android), so all I’m doing is building on that idea; entertainment from the soul of the depressing. Enjoy!
Only a donkey
Don’t get excited
I wouldn’t
And I’m me.
Old and grey
Too grey to play
I don’t have time
For bright and gay
Oh Piglet, oh Pooh
What shall I do with you?
Nothing. It’s never worth
The bother anyway.
Oh use that grey fluff
That got blown in your head
And see that I’d rather
Have just stayed in bed
Oh it’s boggy and sad
And gloomy; it’s true
But Eeyore is me
And you? Well, that’s you.
The Pond- for my sister on her birthday.
A day very much like
Any other bright
And carefree spring day
The wind high
Likewise the sun
Deosil across the cloud streaked sky.
We picked the safest path
Through rain soaked grass
To seek even more water
(What is wrong with us!)
The pond is a dark mirror
The sky’s forgotten twin
And we gaze in rapture
Still as the stones
Just over the brow of the hill.
A frog, and another;
We thought it too soon
There’s a newt
And some fish
Dark happy shapes
Darting in silence
As we watch, reciprocating.
I scold my sister
For getting her trousers wet
She must find me tiresome!
But this walk is a real treat
No care but what we find
No worry but what we mind
And endless treasure
We are joyous to leave behind.
Oftimes Music is the Rain
Oftimes music is the rain
Falling rhythm on the pane
Rolling drum like in my ear
Softly soothing then I hear
A pause
A change
The rhythm breaks
Has it…
Could it be…
A snatch of sun beam
One, two, three;
The cloud flows back
The beating starts
The rivulets my heart beat charts
And rain goes on
Beside my tune
We play together
Probably ’til June.
Two Hellenic Haiku
Pane parched by Helios
Chariot drags clouds away
Blackbird greets me.
Cold wind at new moon
Stepping from the crossroads
Twin torches in pale hands.
Mercy
Oh spare me from sniffles
And rouging of nose
From tissues so prickly
Though balm ones I chose
Yes save me from fever
And burning of head
The prickling face
And the shaking of bed
Deliver me from
Endless runs to the store
For paracetamol, vitamins,
Eye drops and more
Oh mercy, mercy me
Not another cold, I pray
Oh lady, oh lordi,
Save it for another day!
A Simple Stone
Clutching a pebble
Colourless and drab
Until water hits
And it springs to life
A rainbow across
Its pitted surface
Laughing at our
Ridiculous misconception.
Tiny keeper of our history
So old and so ignored
A tale in every crack
Every mark and scuff
The edge of someone’s life.
Skimmed across a lake
Each bounce is a new adventure
Each touch of the water
Bringing new life
New memories
To the guardian of time.
Shall it rest forever
Jewel like and regal
At the bottom of this lake?
Given time, I’m sure
We will meet again.
Tiny Light
Tired in the morning
Yawning from the night
Muscles cramped with fever
Strung out from the fight
Leaving bedroom empty
Step into the sun
Clothes, toothpaste and water
Down steps; one by one
Little smile is all it takes
To get me out my funk
Kick out all these crazy blues
Throw out all the junk
Where we going baby?
Going to the park
Going to the playground
Going to make a mark
See some little animals
Palms and cacti too
Hear the water flowing
Just me and little you
Hand in hand we wander
In trees and bricks and lights
Nothing makes me gladder
Than his eyes wide at these sights
Tired in the morning
Tired, happy, in the night
Smiles were forged by tiny hands
My everlasting light.
Mabh Savage 