Five Simple Words

Yesterday, I had intended to begin with one paragraph about family business, then wander off topic once again. It didn’t quite work out that way; my writing never strayed far from the family. Today, I have my redirected topic more in hand, so I fully expect to successfully wander. But first, ‘the girl.’

I made it in to feed Annaliese once yesterday. With her eating on her own schedule and one of us again having to watch Andrew in the lobby, it is not uncommon for me to miss her feedings. The time I did make it, she was so upset! I could hear her tiny lungs screaming all the way down the hall . . . well, actually, half way down the hall, but it’s a long hall! I changed her, took her temperature and finally sat down to sate her voracious appetite. She is such a pig! She ate 30 ml in mere minutes! I expect many of her feedings have been like this, as she has again gained weight and is now 4 pounds, 7.8 ounces. The current rumors have her coming home on Tuesday evening!!!

And now for a successful separation of the first stage . . .

Back in college, a friend, Kate Hartman, was talking about an assignment she had been given. Her and her classmates had given each other five randomly conceived words. The assignment, to write a poem using those words. In my ever expanding quest for true adventure, I requested the list so that I might have a go at this ‘poetry thing.’ While looking for my ‘poem’ on commas (which I am sure was a big hit last week and you have all been reciting it to your friends ever since), I came across my collection of five word poems that ensued this conversation. To my surprise, they are among 20 typed pages of poetry in a document titled ‘Collected Poetry by MH. I guess I hoped the MH was obscure enough to not specifically link it to me!

Given the freedom I have found in this pulpit many call a blog, I feel compelled to share. If my memory serves me well, the first five words I was given by Kate were: Specious, White, Waves, Cultivate and Palimpsest. (Two are linked to their definitions on dictionary.com)

The results of my Shakespearian adventure here do followeth:

My mind,
Specious from afar.
Full of power, built on might.
Cultivating answers for all to hear.
But inside, thunderous confusion.
Palimpsest white waves crashing
On a stormy sea of thought,
Washing words of worth away.
Ever on, new waves form
And leave the old to die
Fading in a sea of wet.

Now that you have all been helped along your journey towards further enlightenment, I offer this opportunity. I am feeling rather randy today (It’s lowercase, Mr. Yelverton. It doesn’t mean you!) and would like to offer you the opportunity to challenge me with five words of your own. Interested? Please leave the words in the comments of this blog. As the comments can be finicky, please copy your words before submitting. Then if it doesn’t work, you can paste and re-submit them! (If for some reason it just won’t work, you can send them by email to peterr211@yahoo.com.) I will do my best to work any submissions into pieces of verbal art (though the art may well resemble a Jackson Pollock) and perhaps share them with the world on some future morning.