In the midst of this bustling holiday season, I offer you a bouquet of poetry. I know for myself that it’s so good and necessary to stop a moment, breathe and relax. A little poetry break might be just the thing.

Today I have put together a list of poems from my Poetry Challenge last April. Perhaps one or two will spark your interest and help you take that moment of respite from busyness. Self-care is so important, how ever you choose to do that. I need to remind myself that a lot!

May there be some sweetness for you this time of year. I know it’s not easy for many, and there’s a mix of emotions. Be kind to yourself. Peace, my friends. And now for poetry…

Midwest: Spring — a deep yearning for Spring when Winter lingers too long

Summer Afternoon — a remembrance of a kid-summer at the pool, and the dance of being both carefree and responsible

Cracked — dying Easter Eggs and wistful about kids growing up, and the bittersweet of missing who they were.

Feeling — after years of numbness, the wild ride of how it feels to start feeling again

Listen! You’re Alive — based on a poem by Polish poet Wislawa Szymborska, a short poem about waking up in your life

Books, A Curiosity — an ode to the wonderfulness of books and exploring a bit about how they came to be

Wishes for 11-Year Old Me — remembering the lost girl I was and wanting to embrace her and whisper in her ear

Poetry Magic — the world of creating a poem, for the writer and the reader

Lessons from the Pool — after years of water exercise classes, I play with taking what I’ve learned in the pool and applying it to Life

On the Table — during a stressful medical procedure, my experience being A Procedure to the medical staff and my own human experience

If you’re a poetry reader, who are you favorite poets? Are there poems you love and keep going back to?

 

[Photos courtesy of Tracey Hocking and Thought-Catalog-478469 of Unsplash.com]