Nature, she doesn't copyright (WC)

 

(Wendy Cabell, prompt of February 12, 2025, feast day of (above) Our Lady of Iviron and Our Lady of Argenteuil. Composed February 15 (Our Lady of Paris, and the Dalmatian, Vil'na and NiculaIcons of the Mother of God) Image from here.)

Nature, she doesn't copyright

(Can’t say Sun, dear, that’s piracy.)

She’s a copycat, luckily

Refrain for morning’s glory

drums the dew

Star’s splash

owl's evening sweep 

Before writing, heft your satchel —

 

                      Scout for seeds.

*Inspired by Edwin Morgan, who wished to see his unpublished works shared publicly (The Scotsman )

**From prompt: Reflect on this past year's engagement in Daisy Barrett Nash's Legacy Lines (Writers at Play), what stands out? Prompt given February 12, 2025, though piece written later.

To Weather Through (WC)

  

(Wendy Cabell, originally from January 12, 2025, feast day of the Baptism of the Lord (Orthodox, afterfeast), (above) Our Lady of Guadalupe “Little Indians” festival, Our Lady of Conquering Love, Our Lady of the Rue Large, Milk-Giver, Akathist & Priestly, Icons, Saint Marguerite Bourgeoys, St Caesaria of Arles, St Tatiana, Saint Aelred (quotes), St Parthena, St Eupraxia, St Benedict Biscop, Bl Lucia, St John of Ravenna, Sts Eutropius & Tigrius, Bl Bernardo de Plano (Mercedarian), St Bernard of Corleone, Bl Nicholas Bunkerd Kitbamrung, St Satyrus (Cross miracle). Today's Jewish calendar Ezekiel Prophesies Egypt's Downfall, 424 BC. Image from here.)

To Weather Through

Hush into your softest dress. Candle the table. 

Home the cup, warm blossom brew.

Solace the task at hand.

Forage the dictionary, scout for love:

Old English lufian ‘to cherish’…

Christmas the day —

do we gift ourselves

    each other

             enough? 

*Original draft of this was the last poem read to Mom before her passing (passed January 20, 2025). Inspired by January 12th’s video binge (10 ways to live like a Grandma in 2025, Grandma goes VIRAL ), and combined prompts: Freewrite as inspired by Audre Lorde’s “The Cancer Journals” (from Daisy Barrett Nash’s Legacy lines, January 29 and February 5, 2025) and “My Therapist Wants to Know about My Relationship to Work” (from Tresha Heaffner’s Write Games (the Poetry Salon), January 30, 2025). 

Voice of Home, I listen (WC)

 

(Wendy Cabell, January 18, 2025, eve of Theophany/Epiphany (old calendar Orthodox; related image above), Our Lady of Dijon, Our Lady of Zapopan (ten years after Our Lady of Guadalupe), Saint Margaret of Hungary,  the young Martyrs of Salerno, Blessed Maria Teresa Fasce and Saint Dicuil. Image from here.)

Voice of Home, I listen

close my eyes.

Joseph bear ambles in the kitchen, growls.

I remind him he’s human too.

Oatmeal simmers, gurgles.

Paws swish — swept table. Time for tea. 

Jars of fennel, honey, raspberry leaf

slid from cupboards so deftly arranged.

Heart thumps, growls contentment. 

These miracles -– 

            uuuumm, in progress. 

**Inspired by Joseph's poem, "Voice of Earth Mother" (from prompt: Audre Lorde’s “Poetry is Not a Luxury”, Daisy Barrett Nash’s Legacy Lines series, January 15, 2025).

Earth-Muse (WC)

 

(Wendy Cabell, January 15, 2025, feast day of Our Lady of Banneux, (above) Our Lady of the Seeds, Saint Ita of Killeedy, Saints Salome of Ujarma and Perozhavra of Sivnia, Saint Cosmas the Melodist, Saint Placid, Saint Teath (daughter of Saint Brychan of Brecknock, Saint Tarsicia of Rodez (granddaughter of King Clotaire II of the Franks, and sister of Saint Ferreolus of Uzès), Saints Britta and Maura, Blessed Diego de Soto (Mercedarian). Image from here.)

Earth-Muse

Inbreath:

Say you weave, from earth’s inside

bud on the rise

Say a breeze, kisses soul first breath

Say you swoon, soft wake tug of moon

Say you spy, ever heed

Light of sun

Say a diamond, splits a rainbow

current sky

Say a ray, slides heartward –-

pushes pen

Outbreath:

Say, pushes pen

a ray — slides heartward 

Say current sky

a diamond, splits a rainbow

Say Light of sun

you spy, ever heed

Say tug of moon

you swoon, soft wake

Say first breath

a breeze, kisses soul

Say bud on the rise,

you weave -- from earth’s inside

*From combined prompts:  Freewrite as inspired by Audre Lorde’s “Poetry is Not a Luxury”, from Daisy Barrett Nash’s Legacy Lines series, January 15, 2025; and choose a poem of yours to refine (I chose above) by posing questions or hypotheses, as inspired by "The Conditional" by Ada Limon, and "Questions About Angels" by Billy Collins, from Tresha Haeffner (The Poetry Salon)'s Write Games, January 16, 2025.

Sunflower Song (WC) short version

 

(Wendy Cabell, January 8, 2025, afterfeast of Theophany, Synaxis of the Theotokos (old calendar) and feast of Our Lady of Refuge, the (above) Three Joys, Help in Birth-giving, Kykkos, and Blessed Womb Icons of the Mother of God, and Saints Julian and Basilissa. Jewish calendar remembers the Septuagint "of the seventy", the Greek translation of the Torah (246 BC). Image from here.)

Sunflower Song

(for those dark-familiar)

           moon’s tug, sway

                sun’s wriggle, soft shake

      eyes languid, upon this rise

        

                    as when world 

                              

                                first wakes

*From combined prompts:  Freewrite as inspired by “A Litany for Survival” by Audre Lorde, from Daisy Barrett Nash’s Legacy Lines series, January 8, 2025. Last stanza inspired by the etymology of “first”, from Lisa Freedman’s BreatheReadWrite, January 7, 2025.

Sunflower Song (WC)

(Wendy Cabell, January 8, 2025, afterfeast of Theophany, Synaxis of the Theotokos (old calendar) and feast of Our Lady of Refuge, (above) Three Joys, Help in Birth-giving, Kykkos, and Blessed Womb Icons of the Mother of God, and Saints Julian and Basilissa. Jewish calendar remembers the Septuagint "of the seventy", the Greek translation of the Torah (246 BC). Image from here.)

Sunflower Song

To be simple is 

to be like a sunflower…

--Saint Julia Billiart

Moon’s sway, gives way 

follows Sun 

Sky’s wriggle, soft shake

follows Sun 

Hope’s stretch, just a little

follows Sun 

As when world first wakes —

follow Sun 

*From combined prompts: Freewrite as inspired by the etymology of “first” (from Lisa Freedman’s BreatheReadWrite, January 7, 2025); and by “A Litany for Survival” by Audre Lorde (from Daisy Barrett Nash’s Legacy Lines series, January 8, 2025).