Friday, October 31, 2014

It is Finished

Dear reader, it is a bittersweet day. Today marks the end of #OctPoWriMo.  I can honestly say that I am a bit sad about this. Every day for the past 31 days, I have written a poem based on a prompt from one of our wonderful organizers. Every day I have pushed myself. Somedays it came easy, some days I struggled mightily. But, I did it. And I am proud of it. I probably wrote close to 40 poems in the past 31 days. Knowing what I have done serves as motivation for what I need to do...I need to write. It's in my blood.

Thank you to the organizers and prompters for taking us on this fantastic journey of poetry. Julie, Morgan, Amy and Tamara...thank you. If I missed one someone, I apologize and offer you a special thank you as well.

Thank you to all the poets who contributed their poetry. Reading your work gave me so much inspiration. I have made new friends, and for that I am grateful. Also thank you to all those who read my work. I am humbled that little ol' me could write something that so many enjoyed. I hope our journey together doesn't end here.

And that, dear reader, brings us to my final poem of #OctPoWriMo2014. As the tears fall from my eyes, and as my heart beats a little bit faster, let me say that it is finished.

Rod E. Kok
October 31, 2014


It is finished.


A journey of sharing
is over.
I do not know how
to deal with this.


From the excitement of early morn,
being prompted to write,
to the wonderment of late evening,
seeing how many actually read
my work.


It is finished.


A truly heady experience,
emotions ran rampant
for 31 days.


I gave you my heart
on a readable platter,
my soul was visible
to all who cared to see it.


It is finished.


Never have I written
so much poetry,
rarely have I had
such a feeling of
accomplishment.


I am a blessed man
to have met
so many
great poets,
great writers
better people.


It is finished.


Time to breathe,
time to relax.
For in the big scheme of things,
it has just begun.





Thursday, October 30, 2014

The Day Before

Hello dear reader. Today I stepped way outside my comfort zone. Way outside. I chose to take today's prompt and write a Terza Rima. This form is a poem with an eleven syllable count in each line and a rhyming scheme of aba, bcb, cdc, dd. Talk about a huge challenge! My fingers were kept busy as I counted, and my mind was going nuts trying to make sure everything followed the rhyming scheme.
And so, here is my poem, based on the theme 'On the day before...'. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Rod E. Kok
October 30, 2014

The day before you agreed to marry me
we were confident that our life would be grand
how little we knew about what was to be

The day before our world crashed we had not planned
for things to go wrong with our new baby bump
but we felt grace delivered through our Lord’s hand.

The day before your doctor confirmed the lump
we still saw our future as sunny and bright
nothing has changed, we’ve made it over this hump

Through 20 years, we have never lost our sight
we are not alone, and all things turn out right.



Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Passing Years

Good morning, dear reader. The prompt for day 29 of #OctPoWriMo is love and relationships. We were given a pretty broad field to play in, and I chose the one that comes naturally to me. My poem today is for my dear wife, my best friend. The line in this poem that is my favorite is 'If not for you, there is no me'.  What is your favorite? 

Rod E. Kok
October 29, 2014

The years are passing by.


Without fail, we watch
a timeless passage into
tomorrow.


Daily I pray for
our love to remain
strong.


Without fail, we make
mistakes, causing hurt
grief
sorrow.


We forgive.
We forget.


Time moves on,
and we grow
together.
Passion does not fade,
our own brand of romance
keeps our hearts warm.


Without fail, I realize
the truth.
If not for you,
there is no me.


All that I am
is for you,
because of you.


The years are passing by,
and we are watching
their passage.


Hand in hand,
in love.
Together forever.



Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Two Sides

Day 28, dear reader. Day 28. I never would have thought to make it this far into #OctPoWriMo, but I have surprised even myself. And what is more surprising is that I am enjoying the art of 'thinking outside the box'. I have tried a couple different forms, and tried a couple different approaches. It has been enlightening, and a growing experience.

So, what does today bring us? I have written a double etheree. An etheree is a 10 line poem that consists of 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 syllables. A double etheree is the same, except the order of lines/syllables is reversed in the second verse. 

Today's poem shows two sides of me, both of which very much are real. At times during #OctPoWriMo, I have felt both sides. Thanks to those who have encouraged me *cough Jessica Scott cough* to keep going. The theme we were given to work with was 'hunger' + a secondary 'feeling' word. I chose to use hunger not as relating to food, but rather in relation to my writing and my craft. I hope you enjoy today's offering.

Rod E. Kok
October 28, 2014

doubt
questions
doubt myself
no confidence
my own worst critic
motivation is gone
I hunger to find it back
I long to feel good about me,
feel good about the words I’ve written
but I don’t think I can do this much more


overflowing with confidence, I write
ambition rises like a phoenix
fires of yearning burn aloft
passion for writing to you
joy of sharing my soul
hunger to write more
words are my life
I will write
words of
love


Monday, October 27, 2014

Alone

Hello once again, dear reader. The prompt for day 27 of #OctPoWriMo is sleep. We were given some key words to work with. I was curious as to where this prompt would take me, and the result is quite unexpected. I decided that I did not want to write in my normal form, which is free-verse. I have stepped outside my comfort zone a couple times this month, and have enjoyed every minute of it. Discovering new ways of exercising my brain and honing my craft is exciting and refreshing. I did write an acrostic poem and have a nonet as a WIP, but neither of these will get published for now. 

Today, I went with a cinquain. You can read about this particular form here.  In short, it is a 22 syllable poem, non-rhyming, with the syllables per line being 2, 4, 6, 8, 2.  I don't know if I strictly adhered to all the rules, but there are different schools of thought about the cinquain, different ways to do it. I did stay with the syllable count, as that seems to be the most important. I hope you enjoy this poem. It is very much in line with what I posted on day 26. The prompt naturally led me here. 

Rod E. Kok
October 27, 2014

asleep
immersed in dreams
subconscious thoughts of you
warm and safe in our bed, alone
come home


Sunday, October 26, 2014

Alone in the Dark

Dear reader, day 26 of #OctPoWriMo has us confronting our fears, writing about what scares us. There are many things I fear. I fear rejection by my peers, by the poetic community, by friends. I fear things that I simply will not share with anyone but my wife, I fear stubbing my toes (a curse of big feet). I have serious fears, debilitating fears and silly fears. And it is the silly fear that I am writing about today. 

Once in a while, my wife and kids will go to spend a few days with her parents, and I am left alone at home. I hate it. I hate every moment of an empty house. I especially hate the nights. Will you laugh at this piece, or rather, laugh at me for this piece? Possibly. I don't fear that, for I am writing this in the light. And my wife and kids are by my side. Please enjoy.

Rod E. Kok
October 26, 2014

You have left me alone,
surrounded by darkness,
my heart starts pounding,
my breath quickens,
palms slick with sweat.


I am cold...so cold.


A hair falls from my head,
hitting the floor,
a booming thud.


My old grandfathers clock
calls out time,
midnight has struck
a fearful chord deep
in my soul.


In my bed
there is no warm place
for me to hide…
you are away
(only for a short time).
Please come home,
so I can sleep.


Mysterious footsteps echo
down empty hallways
of our deserted home.
I am alone…
alone with whoever
(or whatever)
lurks in the shadows.


Unreasonable fear
pervades my being,
I wait for dawn.


Waiting for light,
my mind plays tricks.
I cannot sleep,
mysterious sounds whisper
thunderclaps in my room.


Please come home,
so I can sleep.


Please….
come home.



Saturday, October 25, 2014

The Purple City

Happy Saturday, dear reader. Today is the 25th day of #OctPoWriMo, and the prompt is 'magic'. I used this opportunity to tell of a life event, a magical event. For the readers who have seen the purple city (and I suspect there are few), it will evoke images of a wonderful setting. For everyone else, read this post to understand what I am referring to. I hope you enjoy this poem, and maybe you'll be inspired to find your own purple city, and create memories that last a lifetime.

Rod E. Kok
October 25, 2014


Dark shadows drew us in,
we hid in quiet privacy.


There was no hurry
to forge this perfect
embrace,
we would not rush
our hearts desire.


Somehow this was different.


Chaste hugs of the past
grew into
this moment.


Our feelings developed,
slowly we became
more than friends.


Finally it happened,
our first kiss,
with only the rain
serving as witness.


As the purple city surrounded us,
we gave in.
Our breath mingled,
seemingly time stood still,
and it truly was
magic.



Friday, October 24, 2014

My Very Own Reality

Good morning, dear reader. When I received the prompt for our October 24 poem, I was as un-inspired as I'd been in a while. I really had no idea where to go with it, and seriously considered avoiding it completely and posting an un-related piece. But, in the words of a new acquaintance and fellow poet, inspiration is fickle but is rarely unfaithful. 

The prompt we were given was based on 4 different reality TV shows. I freely admit that I don't watch any of them. So, rather than being inspired by the actual shows themselves (the letter of the prompt), I created my poem from the premise of the shows (the spirit of the prompt). Our prompt TV shows are 'So You Think You Can Dance', 'Project Runway', 'FaceOff', and 'Ink Master'. I have never heard of 2 out of the 4. Our prompt words are 'Make-up', 'Tattoo', 'Dance', and 'Fashion'. 

In the end, I was inspired. I hope you enjoy this poem.

Rod E. Kok
October 24, 2014

My painting is colored
with words.
Shapes of emotion,
caressed into pictures
of passionate love,
become my personal
Picasso.


I wear a cloak
held together by
the thinnest thread,
barely keeping me warm.
Yet I will write a fire
into my heart,
surrounding me with
life-giving heat.


My blood flows
from fingers performing
a dance, staining the page
with smooth routines,
gracefully conveying
a message of hope.


My mind spurs me on,
to achieve heights
of creativity
never before seen.


My soul is laid bare,
knowing that every word I bleed
is my very own
reality.



Thursday, October 23, 2014

Oh Canada


Dear reader, if you at all watch the news, you will have heard about the events that transpired yesterday in the Canadian capital of Ottawa. My poem today is inspired by these events.

Please enjoy.

Rod E. Kok
October 23, 2014



A cowardly effort
a nation left in tears.

Defenseless,
selfless,
a soldier fell
in the line of duty.

Standing guard,
a war memorial reminds us all
of the freedoms we have,
paid for in blood
spilled in bygone days.

paid for in blood
spilled yesterday.

Freedom was attacked,
but cowardice failed.

Our heroes prevailed,
for we don’t live in fear,
but stand together,
united in our love
for this great land.

Cowardice failed.

Our voices join in unison
singing O Canada,
true north strong
and free.

Sadness will remain
for loss sustained.

Families mourn,
a nation weeps.
We will rise up,
providing comfort.

We will not fear.
Cowards cannot win.
God keep our land
safe from evil,
strong in faith.

We turn the page,
a new chapter is
written.
Words of courage,
bravery, heroism
fill the pages.

And when history is told,
there will be no doubt.
We truly do stand
on guard
for our beautiful land.