A Few of my Favorite Things

For my creative writing class I had to submit several polished poems. Here are my best three. I've posted a couple of them before, but they've been revised.

"All That is Gold"

Dreary days try to steal your fire, Dreamer

Cling to the beginning’s exhilaration

All that is gold is not all that glitters

Each moment the same, what seems like forever

The blurring seconds lose their animation

Dreary days try to steal your fire, Dreamer

You search in vain for your lost treasure

But nothing renews the fascination

All that is gold is not all that glitters

Hunt for the answer and become a seeker

You long for a little stimulation

Dreary days try to steal your fire, Dreamer

Take no heed of their ignorant yammer

They have lost all sense of expectation

All that is gold is not all that glitters

Don’t you dare listen to the disbeliever

Pursue your innate innovation

Dreary days try to steal your fire, Dreamer

All that is gold is not all that glitters

"Explore"

Brave-hearted seeker

Pass between the clashing rocks

Dare the vast green expanse,

To cross by sail and oar

           

Exploit the countercurrent,

Believe that the hidden might be

The legend gushing from Hades

Into the mysterious sea

Draw a map of thought into

The azure blue depths

That underwater river track

To probe the precious power

Charge the rushing water

Break free of the ebbing tide

Penetrate to the crucial details

Forever be anxious to discover

"Autumn Leaves"

Like ripening apples

That fade from green

To red, you anxiously rustle.

Twisting and trembling with

Excitement. Impatient to break free and

Dance away into the cloudy sky.

I was like you once

Eager to let go and be

Off on my own. But don’t long

Forever. Treasure what you already have

For you can never return to

What you left behind

Some Poetry

Instead of doing homework the other night, I reworked this blog's look. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it. Also, here are a couple of poems I wrote for my creative writing class.

“After Christmas”

Cold creeps upon us; it’s that time of year
The bells ring and shoppers begin to sing
The first snowflakes are welcomed with great cheer
Little children are practically dancing

The bursting joy of cheery Christmas bells
Laughter and smiles around the warm hearth
Will begin to melt and fade, I foretell
As people grow weary of frozen earth

The novelty of sledding and sweaters
Morphs to dreary days; sniffling noses
Things continue to become emptier
So terribly trapped within the houses

Don’t let dull days freeze curiosity
Cling to a little immaturity

"Nomophobia"

I can’t let go

It’s a part of me

It can’t leave my side

Not for a moment

The itch,

The urge

Thirty seconds pass

Time to check again

Still nothing

I’m being ignored

What’re they up to?

I’m out of the loop

A buzz! A ding!

Look! Look and see

Fingers fly, a reply is sent

Things are good for the moment

But... Bars disappearing

Power is failing

My heart is racing

And my dread rising

The battery flashes

Screen fades to black

I clutch it in desperation

At this horrid occasion

Disconnected

What if something happens?

Out of reach

I’m forgotten

I need my phone!

Drifting Away

Well, it's been awhile since I've posted anything. I could attribute it to writer's block, and that might be partially true, but I won't. I could say I've been too busy, and it is true, but I don't think it's why. I haven't been able to get my thoughts in words that fit. I've had the thoughts, I've written them down, but nothing worth sharing for awhile. I shall hopefully be posting more often now. To get started, here's a poem I wrote recently.

As life moves through time
The dear ones drift away
Leaving you behind
You surround yourself
New people
Unknowns
Searching
Daring to hope
For another one
One with whom you can be yourself
Instead of the guarded soul
Soul of the public realm
Instead of that, you
No worrying about impressions
Confident
Safe
Knowing you’re loved
And don’t have to be perfect
Why are you leaving me?
Where are you going?
Gone
Hurt
Waves of sadness
Days of solitude
Shut off the heart
Lock up the soul
And go into auto-mode
Where you don’t have to open up
But just act like you should
So no one can see
See the mess
See you
Forgotten
Perhaps
You suffocate behind the mask
Stifle potential
Until you are the shell
Oh please no!
Don’t leave me here
Here to rot
Please still care for me
Come back
Share life
And love
And prayers
And hopes
Oh God, please keep them safe
And if You will, bring them back
Back into my life

"O Lord, all my longing is before you; my sighing is not hidden from you." ~Psalm 38:9

Through God's grace and power,
Ericka

Shock

I just found out! I'm a published author!

Since...April 7th.

Wow. How'd that happen you wonder? Well, it's rather strange. On a whim--every now and then I get them...I think they're a God-thing; when I listen to them, crazy, but good, things happen--I submitted one of my poems to a young Christian writer's magazine that some of my friends started and I subscribe to. Though I mostly fail at reading it... I just save it to my computer. Fail...

Anyways, so I sent it to them, and told my friend that if it was published, I wanted to know. Mostly so I would actually be aware of the fact since I'm so far behind in reading them...

Today, I was asked to sign a couple of copies of the magazine issue with my poem in it. I went: WHAT?! I didn't know it was in there!  Yeah... I'm still kind of in shock.


Anyways, despite the mix up--you know who you are---I will recommend Kingdom Pen (kingdompen.org) as a great read for anyone who wants to write. It's free and put together by author's my age (and I'm published in it).

Now, I leave to try and make sense of this newness.

~Ericka