WHAT’S YOUR SIGN?
One of the cheesiest “ice breakers” ever, centered around people’s then obsession with astrology. People really didn’t care what your “sign” was, but it seemed a universal interest; a common ground to explore.
So, what IS your sign? If you’re uncertain, use the chart above. That becomes your “prompt” upon which to base your writings.
Say you’re an Aquarius (as I am), you can write about water, the Age of Aquarius, the Summer of Love… anything that you can tie to the sign is fair game. Cancer is the crab, so seafood, miserable people, the disease could all be topics. Pisces can lap over into the water aspects, or fish,… Gemini (the twins) could be literal, or about two diametrically opposed people or things, a good/bad, yin/yang… you get the idea.
Get your head out of the stars and write your poems.
Anything will be a good sign!
MARIE ELENA’S SIGN:
Uh-oh, Scorpio!
Scorpio’s my sign, And I don’t mean to whine, But I found just one trait To which I can relate. Observant? This is laughable. Detached? No, I’m quite affable. Front-runner? Thanks, but that’s not me. Ambitious? Little energy. Power, strength, strong will, and passion? Most of these in minor ration. Secretive? Mysterious? Oh please – you can’t be serious. But then they mentioned “loyalty,” The only trait depicting me. © Copyright Marie Elena Good – 2013WALT’S RISING STAR:
A BETTER MAN
When push comes to shove
you’re a cut above the rest.
The best man for the job,
you carry the water for the
rest of us slobs. You may talk
of gin and beer, but it is very clear,
the verdict is in. By the God that made you,
you’re a better man than I am, Gunga Din!
© Copyright Walter J. Wojtanik 2013
*****
Monday will feature another installment of our MEMOIR CHAPBOOK PROJECT. The featured title will be: “I Hope I Have Learned Something” by Linda Swenski
February 10th, 2013 at 12:24 AM
Good job, guys! You have written terrific poems on what (IMHO) appears to be a difficult subject! Why does my sign have to look like the Toyota emblem? That’s all I can think of now…
February 10th, 2013 at 1:13 PM
Ha, ha, ha…
February 10th, 2013 at 11:47 PM
Walt, I had to laugh at the lines from Gunga Din, because I got sent to the principal’s office in third grade over it. Teacher asked us for a poem read aloud, and my dad was a huge Kipling fan. Never got very far into it (and I did a good Brit accent)… really wanted to recite, “So I’ll meet him later on/ In the place where he has gone/ Where there’s always double drill and no canteen,” etc. A swig in Hell, hee hee hee. Boy, was she mad!
Marie Elena, y’all are right about the horoscope being a cheesy pickup line, but back in the 70s, it was all the rage. But back then, if you were a hippie, you also had to know your moon, etc. Thanks for a laugh! Amy
February 14th, 2013 at 6:16 PM
February 14th, 2013 at 6:17 PM
Said Walt with a laugh in his voice!
February 10th, 2013 at 1:24 AM
Taurus (a Renga)
The bull is peaceful,
Quietly munching away,
Contented, happy.
Until suddenly, something
(Or someone) irritates it;
No more the happy,
Restful creature; everything’s
Not as it was planned!
And so it puts its horns down,
Charging the poor offender,
Anger in its eyes,
Without second thought,
Ooh what a temper!
I’m so akin to this bull,
It’s really embarrassing.
I want what I want
When I want it, things have
To go as I planned,
Or else my quick temper flares,
And woe to that offender!
It’s hard for me to
Forgive, or even
Repent, really hard;
That’s why I have friends, I guess,
That’s why I need loyal friends.
February 10th, 2013 at 7:21 AM
Very nice, Erin! From one bull to another, I can completely relate to this
February 10th, 2013 at 5:16 PM
Thank you, my fellow Taurus! I guess that’s one thing “they” got right about us Taurus’. A lot of the other ones are way off…
February 10th, 2013 at 7:48 AM
Thanks for starting us out with this meaningful Renga, Erin!
Marie Elena
February 10th, 2013 at 5:16 PM
You’re welcome! Glad you liked it. ❤
February 10th, 2013 at 1:12 PM
OM Gee… my husband was a Taurus, with HEAVY Scorpio influences… Thank you for this, Erin!
February 10th, 2013 at 5:17 PM
Thank YOU for liking it!
February 10th, 2013 at 9:13 PM
I love the way the last two lines round it out, Erin. Nice!
February 11th, 2013 at 12:00 AM
I just read Katie and ditto that. Nice work, Erin.
February 11th, 2013 at 12:13 AM
Thank you, Kate and Jane!
February 11th, 2013 at 6:36 PM
This was excellent Erin, the ending lines were great!
February 12th, 2013 at 12:34 AM
Thanks, Michelle! They’re definitely very true for me.
February 13th, 2013 at 6:12 PM
Good one, Erin. Yep, Taurus has his moments and sometimes influences those not of his pasture.
February 13th, 2013 at 11:48 PM
Very true. Thanks, Claudsy!!
February 14th, 2013 at 11:10 AM
You’re welcome, Erin.
February 10th, 2013 at 2:38 AM
Phew! Those were all interesting. This will take a little thought – may be back later.
February 10th, 2013 at 10:43 AM
LIBRA
The scales of justice weigh on my mind.
I can’t see the fairness I so hoped to find.
I’m bursting with anger
I cry with despair
when faced with injustice I see everywhere.
The courts and the politics drive me insane.
I feel the rage building inside my brain.
I know no one’s perfect,
I see it’s not fair,
But certain improvements could help us get there.
Because of the fighting, the balance is lost.
Good people suffer to cover the cost.
Don’t others see it?
Don’t people care?
The weight of injustice is too much to bear.
I wish someone told me a long time ago
that the rules I grew up with were only for show.
Commandments aren’t honored,
laws and rules made of air.
Its just unacceptable. Life isn’t fair.
I wish I was Gemini, Leo, or Aries,
Cancer, or Virgo with all that it carries.
But I am a Libra
so the scales I wear
insure that I’ll campaign to make things more fair.
February 10th, 2013 at 4:09 PM
Bravo! Well written, Linda!
Marie Elena
February 10th, 2013 at 5:18 PM
Oh well done, Linda!! Keep campaigning!
February 10th, 2013 at 9:14 PM
Yes, we’ll never make it without you Libras!
February 10th, 2013 at 11:58 PM
Another Libra sister! A good message, Linda, that life isn’t fair, but it COULD be…
February 11th, 2013 at 4:53 AM
And we so need you lovely Libras!!
February 11th, 2013 at 6:37 PM
This was wonderfully written Linda. Love the rhyming.
February 13th, 2013 at 6:16 PM
Wonderful work, Linda. Loved it.
February 10th, 2013 at 11:16 AM
Scorpio! Me?
O, October, beautiful October
with sunshine
and silky clouds
in a pale blue sky.
And the colors!
The oranges, golds,
purplish-reds
exhilarating the soul.
The earthy air
The cool breeze
The full moon at night
The crisp mornings
O, October, how did you ever
get associated with a scorpion,
one of God’s ugliest,
most frightening creatures?
Scorpions, they say,
would rather kill themselves
than be killed (like Hitler?)
And want life on their own terms (like cats?)
Passionate, determined and powerful!
Or is that moody, stubborn and manipulative?
Let me be rather associated with a deer
Big brown eyes, gentle, graceful.
February 10th, 2013 at 4:10 PM
Hear, hear! I’m with you, Connie, and if you are a Scorpio also, well … obviously “they” got it all wrong.
Good stuff.
Marie Elena
February 10th, 2013 at 5:19 PM
Nice one, Connie!!
February 10th, 2013 at 9:18 PM
Another non-scorpio! We’ll have to rewrite the descriptions, eh? We’ll start with deer-like and graceful…
February 11th, 2013 at 4:55 AM
That last stanza!!!
February 11th, 2013 at 6:38 PM
Good one Connie!
February 13th, 2013 at 6:18 PM
You have lovely lines here, Connie. Don’t you ever wonder why Deer was never cast in the form of such a sign?
February 10th, 2013 at 1:00 PM
Cusp
She is
caught between fire
and earth,
arched beast and
sea goat. Warrior
wallflower on
cloven-hooved feet,
she sings,
slings one last arrow
into her own
beating
bleating
heart.
.
February 10th, 2013 at 4:11 PM
No surprise that this piece is creative, well-titled, and punchy. Luuuuv me some De!!
Marie Elena
February 10th, 2013 at 5:20 PM
This is beautiful, and well written, but which one are you?
February 10th, 2013 at 10:20 PM
I am BOTH, Erin. Sagittarius on the cusp of Capricorn.
February 11th, 2013 at 1:13 AM
Oh…right. Haha, thanks!
February 10th, 2013 at 9:21 PM
Oh, nice. “… into her own /beating /bleating /heart.”
February 11th, 2013 at 4:56 AM
Yes
February 11th, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Man, you’re good, De. Love it.
February 11th, 2013 at 6:40 PM
Nice one De. Says so much with just a few words.
February 13th, 2013 at 6:20 PM
Marvelous, De. Thoroughly enjoyable. Sea goat?
February 10th, 2013 at 1:03 PM
[...] your sign? These are mine. Head over to Poetic Bloomings to play write [...]
February 10th, 2013 at 1:06 PM
Oh boy…
!!
February 10th, 2013 at 1:53 PM
Artistic Aquarian
I create
words with a message
and paintings with a vision
and photographs with a memory.
I share
what I create in hopes
of inspiring thoughts,
laughter, and feelings.
I love
what I do,
who I have become
and being surround by family and friends.
I need
nature in all her glory,
quiet time with just me
and my lingering memories
I want
to love and be loved
to leave a better world for my children
and chocolate cake.
I am
an Aquarian.
February 10th, 2013 at 4:12 PM
You make me want to be an Aquarian too, Michelle!
Marie Elena
February 10th, 2013 at 5:21 PM
I love this, Michelle! How creative…
February 10th, 2013 at 9:22 PM
And chocolate cake! Perfect.
February 11th, 2013 at 4:57 AM
Beautiful!
February 11th, 2013 at 6:41 PM
Thank you everyone! Yep, just made the chocolate cake today – my birthday is on Wednesday but my Stepfather’s is tomorrow. So I’m bringing him half my cake.
February 12th, 2013 at 7:02 AM
Happy Birthday!! And enjoy that Yummy cake!!!
!
February 13th, 2013 at 6:23 PM
And such fantastic categories, too. You list them well, Michelle, and pull us all in. Great poem.
February 10th, 2013 at 2:21 PM
Scales
When I was young those scales suggested
justice, fairness manifested,
my mind opposing bullying hogs
in defense of the underdogs.
As I middle-aged into crazy busy,
balance beckoned me, not tizzy
of work and family and play,
and grabbing at counter-weights held rest at bay.
Those scales connote strict weights and measures
on one side woes, on t’other pleasures,
but lately when I try to balance weight
I’m too aware of what I ate
and how long it will take to shed it,
pay all my debts, dispense with credit.
And though some traits of Libra-born
in my case are forever shorn,
I still have dear fellows who hope I’ll defend them
against all aggressors whose aims are to end them
and though I am weary and long to relax
I still feel compelled to lift weights from their backs.
I like to think that I am helpful and fair,
creative and easy, low-key and aware,
a true friend, a learner, a fun-loving zebra,
my black and white balanced, a tropical Libra.
February 10th, 2013 at 4:15 PM
Nicely penned, Jane, as always!
Marie Elena
February 10th, 2013 at 5:22 PM
Wonderfully written!
February 10th, 2013 at 9:24 PM
Yes, especially that last stanza… zebra, indeed!
February 10th, 2013 at 9:46 PM
Well done, my “almost birthday twin”
February 11th, 2013 at 4:59 AM
Wonderful, Jane!!
February 11th, 2013 at 6:42 PM
Excellent Jane! Love the last stanza!
February 12th, 2013 at 10:21 PM
Thanks, friends. These were so fun to read this week.
February 13th, 2013 at 6:26 PM
Beautiful, Jane. It reads almost as a song.
February 10th, 2013 at 4:26 PM
Age of Aquarius
When one thinks of Aquarius,
that charming water bearer sign,
one knows we’re quite hard to define:
‘though like a Stradivarius,
we’re elegant. Precarious.
Mercurial. We’re like fine wine.
That charming water bearer sign!
When one thinks of Aquarius:
hilarious/gregarious…
just two more adjectives. Combine
with wit and wonder. Bottom line?
Our list goes on: it’s various
when one thinks of Aquarius.
###
February 10th, 2013 at 4:29 PM
Oh now, see? I DO want to be an Aquarian.
Marie Elena
February 10th, 2013 at 4:40 PM
♥
February 10th, 2013 at 5:24 PM
I would LOVE to be an Aquarian! This is a great poem, RJ!
February 10th, 2013 at 9:27 PM
I am in awe of a poet who can rhyme Aquarius, precarious, and gregarious, hilarious, various and… Stradivarius! AND make it all make sense. Bravo.
February 10th, 2013 at 9:45 PM
Yep! Get used to it, Kate … that’s our RJ!!
Marie Elena
February 11th, 2013 at 5:00 AM
!!
February 10th, 2013 at 11:52 PM
Love it, RJ. Your rhymes!
February 11th, 2013 at 6:43 PM
Love this RJ! Made me smile.
February 13th, 2013 at 6:28 PM
RJ, I’ve know many Aquarians and they are all of these things and more. Good work.
February 10th, 2013 at 4:32 PM
Sagittarius
By David De Jong
February 10, 2013
Astrology, just what it entails
My brain can’t capture, it simply fails
To place my stock in planets and stars
Tis no different, than say “I’m from Mars”
Even my dog optimistic, kind at least
Times its odd, who’s more the beast
As that beast, called man’s best friend
Pray find me positive, loyal to the end
Adventure allures and faith ensures
Equestrian strength wholly endures
To have the horse within my grasp
Is finer than gold within my clasp
Purpose from life a main bequest
Captured within a heart beaten chest
Arrows to the heavens a lofty goal
In His deliverance retrieve my soul
February 10th, 2013 at 4:37 PM
Thank you for this, David. My hardiest (and heartiest) AMEN. Well written truth here.
Marie Elena
February 10th, 2013 at 5:26 PM
I love your first four lines! I can totally relate! Well done, David.
February 11th, 2013 at 5:02 AM
“… To have a horse within my grasp…” !!
February 13th, 2013 at 6:31 PM
I’m with Marie on this one, David. Lovely.
February 10th, 2013 at 5:48 PM
The Sign of the Rug (Taurus)
Stubborn and sensitive
easily hurt
letting people walk all over me
time after time
after time
Loyal and loving
easily hurt
watching people let me down
time after time
after time
Remembering and resenting
never forgiving
being disappointed by friend and foe
time after time
after time
Simmering and steaming
deep down inside
until the pressure valve blows
time after time
after time
Starting and quitting
intentions of gold
melting into regrets of cold stone
time after time
after time
Hoping and dreaming
new dawns awake
burgeoning with glistening promise
time after time
after time
Stubborn and steadfast
stuck in my ways
the sleeping bull best left in peace
time after time
after time
(Mixing a Taurus into a red-headed Celt is a dangerous recipe)
Iain
February 10th, 2013 at 5:54 PM
I know what you mean about being easily hurt! I’m always wishing I wasn’t so sensitive or such a crybaby. And “starting and quitting/intentions of gold…” That’s so true!!!
February 10th, 2013 at 6:03 PM
Indeed
February 10th, 2013 at 6:21 PM
Good one, Iain! (From the 1/2 Italian – 1/2 Irish Scorpio. Be afraid. Be very afraid, lol!)
Marie Elena
February 10th, 2013 at 9:49 PM
Oh yes, Iain, I almost forgot you and my husband share a birthday. He’s missing not only the red hair, but the hair of any shade at all these days!
February 11th, 2013 at 1:22 AM
The “rug,” the welcome mat on one’s forehead, yeah, Iain, I get that. I’m an Irish Virgo, so who the hell could figure I was a doormat for years, too?? So glad to read you again, friend. AMy
http://sharplittlepencil.com/2013/02/10/dive-right-in/
February 11th, 2013 at 5:05 AM
That last stanza… Yep!!
February 11th, 2013 at 4:21 PM
Thank you all
February 11th, 2013 at 6:45 PM
Love it Iain.
February 13th, 2013 at 6:35 PM
Iain, you’re not alone, and sometimes a sign has little to do with it. You’ve expressed the situation many face and never get shed of.
February 15th, 2013 at 8:19 AM
Thanks Mik, thanks Claudsy
February 10th, 2013 at 9:00 PM
A Virgo in Action
Perfectionist? Me? Surely not.
Never satisfied? Moi? Why, that’s rot.
Wait—shouldn’t there be
One more syllable? Gee.
(Too picky? I do that a lot… )
February 10th, 2013 at 9:45 PM
gigglegigglegiggle
Marie Marie
February 11th, 2013 at 12:11 AM
Ditto what Marie said!
February 11th, 2013 at 1:20 AM
Spoken like a true September child. I should know. Even my psych meds are in alphabetical order, and there are a lot!! Fun. Amy
February 11th, 2013 at 5:06 AM
February 11th, 2013 at 6:46 PM
Ha ha ha! Thank for the laugh!
February 13th, 2013 at 6:37 PM
Oh, Kate, could it be, that you’re Virgo like me, but I have a difference, with Leo’s major entrance, and perfectionist, romps with projectionist.
Love it.
February 10th, 2013 at 9:10 PM
Walt and Marie, yours are both delights. Marie, yeah, I do not see you as a Scorpio, all in all… and, Walt–Gunga Din the Aquarian! Ha!
February 10th, 2013 at 9:22 PM
Trying again to post:
Libra
I was weighed
in the balances
and found wanting—
wanting books
books
and more books
little wonder
my rites of passage
began,
not with
a driver’s license
but with
a library card
turned loose
on Saturday afternoons,
left alone
to prowl the stacks,
I agonized over
just
the right
books,
checking them out
then walking
down the marble steps
out front,
books balanced
in my arms
knowing what lay
in my stars—
other people’s stories
becoming my own
page
by
page.
February 10th, 2013 at 9:47 PM
It does my heart good to read your words, Nancy. Yes, it sure does.
Marie Elena
February 10th, 2013 at 11:50 PM
Yes, indeedy, my birthday buddy. I miss NCETA wining and dining that we can call our special parties, don’t you?
February 11th, 2013 at 1:19 AM
Love the reference to other people’s stories, page by page. Also weighed and found wanting. Touching poem. Amy
February 11th, 2013 at 5:09 AM
February 11th, 2013 at 6:47 PM
Good one Nancy! I love it and I can so relate!
February 12th, 2013 at 12:37 AM
Ooh, how fun! I LOVE the library!
February 13th, 2013 at 6:40 PM
You came along right after me, Nancy, in your month of birth. You found the library as I did, though I got to work in one in my teens. This was how I felt each day, balancing pleasure with necessity. Good one.
February 10th, 2013 at 9:22 PM
and alabamatarheel is me: Nancy P.
February 10th, 2013 at 10:43 PM
I finally made it here and with a poem. I’ll have to come back to do comments. Here you go.
On the Cusp
Birthed of Earth, no longer virgin,
Upon green and golden savannas,
Came King Leo, wrapped in his mantle
Of black and tan tresses to survey
His realm of vast undulating plains,
With chattel counted in the thousands,
Stalked and hunted as servile prey
By his queen, who flaunted her prowess
To her king, to provide his preferred meals
Placed before him beneath a shady acacia
In a cooler spot for his dining pleasure.
While the king dines in luxury and fame,
Earth provides his realm, his life, and his
Sustenance through a queen who can bring
Home whatever bacon runs past his throne.
February 11th, 2013 at 12:12 AM
Love this one, Clauds!
February 11th, 2013 at 12:13 PM
Thanks, Erin. I’m glad you found it enjoyable.
February 11th, 2013 at 1:11 AM
Claudsy, especially loved the “on the cusp” mention. Wow, Leo’s got it made, huh? Peace, Amy
February 11th, 2013 at 12:15 PM
You’d think so, wouldn’t you, Amy. I’m glad you like this one.
February 11th, 2013 at 5:12 AM
“…who can bring/Home whatever bacon runs past his throne.” Hilarious!!
February 11th, 2013 at 12:15 PM
Thanks, Hen. I’m happy the humor came through.
February 11th, 2013 at 6:48 PM
Yes I agree with Hen, that bacon line is hilarious!
February 11th, 2013 at 11:02 PM
Thanks, Michelle.
February 12th, 2013 at 7:05 AM
!!!
!!
February 13th, 2013 at 10:23 PM
Nice work, M’dear!
Marie Elena
February 13th, 2013 at 11:02 PM
Thanks, MEG
February 11th, 2013 at 12:10 AM
Teo Leo
He likes Suzanne Vega rhyming and Cedar Walton timing, he drinks coffee in the morn, Café Moto, just now born; he grows hair upon his face, with a lion’s manely grace, and talks with hands upon his hips, discussing foreign trips; tips generously, he does, loves all nurses just because; sometimes happy, sometimes sad, all injustice makes him mad, goes on hikes just for the thrill, through the valley, up the hill; he eats cupcakes for the taste, thinks most diets are a waste, lives to paint and poem, now calls San Diego home; just an ordinary guy, not too boastful, seldom shy, he makes casseroles for dinner, not much caring about thinner; he’s the leader of his groups, the okra in the soups, foreign films get a look, he enjoys a good book; loves tall trees, names his birds, sings the oldies, have you heard? He likes Bob Dylan rhyming and Katy Perry miming, doesn’t care to be well-dressed, but he knows that he is blessed; that’s him, the real deal, our good friend, Teo Leo.
February 11th, 2013 at 1:09 AM
This is a portrait of a truly free spirit. Love the freestyle write that still rhymes nicely. Prose poem at its best, and I’d love to meet this cat sometime! Amy
February 11th, 2013 at 6:32 PM
It’s possible we’ll get down, I’m due a trip to Mad-town, and it would be so nice, but not ’til there’s no ice
February 13th, 2013 at 10:21 PM
Hear, hear!! <3
Marie Elena
February 11th, 2013 at 5:17 AM
“… lives to paint and poem…”
!!
February 11th, 2013 at 6:33 PM
glad to make you smile, it only took a while
February 12th, 2013 at 7:07 AM
February 11th, 2013 at 4:01 PM
Daniel, I like this (Teo Leo). I like it a lot!
February 11th, 2013 at 6:34 PM
your pleasure by the plateful, for that I’m truly grateful
February 12th, 2013 at 12:40 AM
This is really good! “…lives to paint and poem…” So do I!! And I also like Bob Dylan. He is one of the greatest!
February 12th, 2013 at 7:14 AM
All Right!!! Do you Love the Dylan song: “Catch the Wind” ……. “…ahh but I may as well… try and catch the wind…” ? I finally found it on someone’s My space post…… ~ <3 ~
February 12th, 2013 at 10:57 AM
Yes! And “…the answer is blowing in the wind…” Another good one.
February 12th, 2013 at 11:46 AM
I have to say
that Lay Lady Lay
is the one to play
on Valentine’s Day
At some other time,
there might be a better rhyme,
another to be sung,
like, say, Forever Young.
But, to my eye,
since Bob’s a Gemini,
the one I’ll vote for
is Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door.
February 12th, 2013 at 10:43 PM
Yes!!! Another GREAT song by Bob Dylan! I love that one.
February 13th, 2013 at 6:45 PM
Love it, Daniel. You describe a free life, made to one’s own specs. Good for you.
February 11th, 2013 at 12:38 AM
[...] Poetic Bloomings, Marie Elena and Walt wanted poems about our astrological signs. Since a whole poem about the anal [...]
February 11th, 2013 at 12:40 AM
The link for my blog: http://sharplittlepencil.com/2013/02/10/dive-right-in/
Poem in full, but commenting at my blog is fine too. Thanks!
DIVE RIGHT IN (from the mini-series, “Amy: The Lost Years)
I know it’s a dive but
I dive right in anyway
Thigh-high boots first and
black silk bustiered boobs
not far behind
A drink; I start to shine; a
dim bulb sidles over, his
best pick-up line the
cobwebby question
of the truly unhip:
“What sign are you?”
After all these years,
you’d think it would
no longer be laughable
to answer, “Virgo”
But sorry-ass dudes
who think they can
get you with a ‘lude*
also seem to think it’s
hilarious to say “virgin”
Now he’s making fun
of my birth sign
“Hold on, Jack,” I snark,
“who’s the one with the
fake tan and a wink
that tells me you watch
WAY too much old
Magnum, PIs? Let me
illuminate you, buddy
I may have been born Virgo,
but I’ve a Gemini eye:
I can see Taurus rising
in your attitude, cuz
you’re way past horny
and full of B.S.”
© 2013 Amy Barlow Liberatore/Sharp Little Pencil
*Back in the day, a “lude” was a Quaalude. It not only put you into a dreamlike state, it also cured constipation and shyness.
For Poetic Bloomings, Marie Elena and Walt wanted poems about our astrological signs. Since a whole poem about the anal retentive, positively OCD nature (OK, some people call me “meticulous,” but that’s because they’re trying to avoid my hypercritical, snarky attitude) seemed like a bore, so I put it within a salacious story. I mean, how much can I say about arranging your bookshelves by age of the volumes, then rearranging by subject, then again by author…
Also, Sunday Scribblings wanted a poem using the word “illuminate,” and I dare say this guy may have achieved some enlightenment. Man, I was caustic back then! Peace, Amy
February 11th, 2013 at 5:20 AM
… ohhh Amy, you always make me smile!!
February 13th, 2013 at 6:48 PM
Way too much fun, Amy. Wonderful.
February 13th, 2013 at 10:19 PM
Amy I can totally see you here!
Marie Elena
February 11th, 2013 at 4:40 AM
Sagittarius on a Summer Day
NatGeo Travel magazine, Map of the World, The Road Atlas… Driving in a jeep (with Great music) having Fun adventures with warmth and laughter… savoring each moment…. ~ <3 ~ …
February 11th, 2013 at 5:14 PM
That sounds fun! I love “…savoring each moment.” It is such a poetic phrase!
February 12th, 2013 at 7:19 AM
Aww, Thank you, Erin… yes, I agree… I think that we often capture a single moment in time when we write a poem… <3 !
February 13th, 2013 at 10:17 PM
So much fun!
Marie Elena
February 14th, 2013 at 8:44 AM
!! <3
!!
February 14th, 2013 at 8:49 AM
Hen, please send me your e-mail address to poeticbloomings@yahoo.com. Thanks!
meg
February 11th, 2013 at 8:18 AM
Cancer the Crab
Moon to rule, moon to rule,
And calms all commotion.
Water cools, water cools
The tides of emotion
Ebb and flow, ebb and flow,
Life is ever changing.
High and low, high and low
My moods are far ranging.
Safely home, safely home,
I retreat from the throng.
Never roam, never roam
But that for home I long
Family first, family first
Its worth will not abate
Love’s a thirst, love’s a thirst
No other thing can sate.
February 12th, 2013 at 7:22 AM
Love the repetition… and “…Safely home, safely home…” Sacred sanctuary…
February 12th, 2013 at 12:42 PM
Thank you, Henrietta. I’m so glad to have been recommended this site by Sal Buttaci.
February 12th, 2013 at 9:15 PM
Welcome, Debi! Any friend of Sal’s is a friend of ours.
Great poem! Your form is interesting and adds to the meaning very nicely. We look forward to seeing more of you here!
Marie Elena
February 13th, 2013 at 7:35 AM
Thank you so much for the welcome. I love reading everyone’s work. To see so much variety and talent is wonderful and encouraging. I love the prompts and seem to work best when challenged.
February 13th, 2013 at 8:07 AM
You’re welcome, Debi! And yes, I love the variety and talent here as well. And the age range, styles, and personalities represented as well.
Marie Elena
February 13th, 2013 at 6:50 PM
Great little poem, Debi. The format has a great rhythm.
February 11th, 2013 at 8:42 AM
GEMINI
They say that I’m mercurial,
My moods swing to and fro.
Like Janus did I wear two masks.
I’m one who’s hard to know.
I read once in a horoscope
Geminis are flighty.
We play love like a game.
We take life oh too lightly.
Well, let me take a stand on this:
Astrology’s a fake.
Though born June 12 I’m off the wheel.
Oh, Geminis, awake!
#
February 12th, 2013 at 7:23 AM
Hee, hee…
February 12th, 2013 at 9:11 PM
Hear, hear!
Love it, Sal!
Marie Elena
February 13th, 2013 at 6:51 PM
Good one, Sal. So you’re off the wheel, are you? And what transport do you take now? Love it.
February 11th, 2013 at 11:27 AM
LEO
“The lion sleeps tonight”
Let him rest. Our ears still ache
from the vibrations of his mighty roar
King of the jungle and we who dwell
in this kingdom will learn our lessons well.
Walk carefully while the powerful one sleeps
for this is the only chance we have to keep
our bodies and souls together, gather food
store up enough for his awakening, rude
his majesty proclaims his solitary reign
and woe to any who would dare complain…
To any Leo of power, I would advise
Turn not your back and do not close your eyes!
February 12th, 2013 at 7:25 AM
Ha, ha, ha…
February 12th, 2013 at 9:10 PM
With each poem, I’m awed by the creativity. As usual, Marian, yours does not disappoint. Nice work!
Marie Elena
February 13th, 2013 at 6:53 PM
Marian, this is wonderful. You took it from the “prey’s” POV. Good one and more accurate than one would like to see.
February 11th, 2013 at 2:09 PM
Chasing Copernicus
He charts a course through my stars,
Seeking to find a glimmer of me
In tandem transit with the sun in Taurus,
Dancing with Venus through my eighth house,
Lingering traces as Leo rises above my horizon.
Gravity keeps me in his orbit
With only the occasional period of retrograde…
At least until the day he discovers
That the center of my universe
Looks nothing like him.
February 12th, 2013 at 7:27 AM
“… 8th house Venus…” !!
February 12th, 2013 at 9:08 PM
Oooh … terrific surprise punch. Wonderful work, Mary!
Marie Elena
February 12th, 2013 at 11:03 PM
Aw, thank you both so much!
February 13th, 2013 at 6:55 PM
Yay, Mary! Terrific poem. So suggestive and conceptually pleasing.
February 14th, 2013 at 12:15 AM
Thanks so much!
February 14th, 2013 at 11:10 AM
You’re welcome, Mary.
February 11th, 2013 at 5:34 PM
No Ram, I
I am not a ram
though anger
quickly. Words
flow, seldom searched beforehand.
Challenges, leader-
ship? Not I, who tend
to remain
in my head
of dreams, imagination,
untranslatable.
February 12th, 2013 at 7:29 AM
Love that last stanza!!
February 12th, 2013 at 2:03 PM
Thanks, Hen!
February 12th, 2013 at 9:06 PM
Me too. This is truly beautiful, Sara. I wish I could be so poetic in my true-to-life statements.
Marie Elena
February 13th, 2013 at 6:56 PM
Lovely, Sara.
February 13th, 2013 at 10:33 PM
Thanks, Claudsy!
February 13th, 2013 at 11:02 PM
You’re welcome, Sara.
February 11th, 2013 at 10:35 PM
Gemini
like a moth
to the libran flame
you ignite it
with one face
douse it in torrents
with the other
February 12th, 2013 at 7:30 AM
Yep!!
February 12th, 2013 at 9:03 PM
Perfectly poetic. Nice work, Rallentanda! Good to see you here!
Marie Elena
February 13th, 2013 at 6:58 PM
Excellent work.
February 12th, 2013 at 9:58 AM
This is a great prompt! I’m playing around with Sagittarius…
Archers
The Secretarybird skates open skies
as a hundred bows on horseback
rake the Persian soil
their feathered steel now crimson
in the morning glare
We, too, are archers here,
of soul, of passion, of desire unbridled
scavengers of hope bent low
upon the hard-baked ground,
patient for death and unafraid.
February 12th, 2013 at 9:02 PM
Very cool. Your second stanza especially strikes me, Andrew.
Marie Elena
February 13th, 2013 at 7:00 PM
Really enjoyed this one, Andrew; history wound in syllables the speak to who you are now and how we proceed.
February 14th, 2013 at 8:49 AM
!!! “… of soul, of passion, of desire unbridled…” !!!!!
February 12th, 2013 at 10:50 AM
The Lion
Sufficiently endowed
with brains, heart
and plenty of pride
(on occasion),
still sorely lacking
the courage
to brave
but a single
step
along that
golden path,
minus the
company
of his most loyal
(and courageous)
companions…
Hmmm… On my own blog site, I attempted to format this poem as a winding path… with some limited success. :-]
February 12th, 2013 at 8:59 PM
Oh, I love your take on this, PSC! Nice!
Marie Elena
February 12th, 2013 at 10:46 PM
Very nice!
February 13th, 2013 at 7:01 PM
Excellent one, Pamela. I felt this one from the inside.
February 14th, 2013 at 8:51 AM
… wee’rre… OFF TO SEE THE WIZARD…
!!!
February 12th, 2013 at 4:47 PM
Born Under the Sign of the Fishes
Not too surprisingly, they are in conflict
One fish is forever trying to swim up
Towards the surface, to where Sol reigns
The other, swirls around hard tugging
Downwards to the depths, to the darkness
Where no sunlight ever reaches …
And these fish are equally strong so they
Are usually balanced and hold each other
Level in an embrace that keeps either
From tipping – except, except – for those
Times when the planets become misaligned
The stars fall out of form, then unholy hell
Breaks loose and those born beneath
This sign are as doomed as death.
February 12th, 2013 at 8:57 PM
Ouch. Very powerful. Well written, Sharon.
Marie Elena
February 12th, 2013 at 10:45 PM
Yes, VERY well written! Thank you for this one, Sharon.
February 13th, 2013 at 7:03 PM
Living with a Pisces out of balance isn’t easy, Sharon, I know. It’s a bit like trying to survive a tsunami sometimes. This is powerful, telling as it does how things work and don’t work for this sign.
February 13th, 2013 at 8:12 PM
Thanks Marie Elena, Erin and Claudsy – I have a love-hate relationship with my fish … they are also representative of an amazing amount of creativity and some other positive traits so I try to remember that … plus the love of my life is a Leo and we raised two Virgos (none of whom are supposed to be able to get along with my finny self but we seem to have managed for the most part – maybe coupled with our Chinese astrological signs, it all works – who knows?)
February 13th, 2013 at 11:01 PM
LOL, I understand, Sharon. Our family was Aries (2), Cusp baby (me) of Leo/Virgo, and one Gemini. You could say we hat lots of opportunity for clashes, but generally kept the peace.
February 14th, 2013 at 8:56 AM
Gorgeous insight!!! My wishes to you to keep that creative focus, especially when the waters start swirling (I have Mars in Pisces)!!
February 13th, 2013 at 2:36 PM
Aries Goes First
Tough, creative, energetic,
I play as hard as I work.
My ram stubbornness
Can make me a real jerk.
People are drawn to me
For a project that needs begun
But before it is finished
You will find me on the run
To the next idea that needs a jump start
I give and give, and am full of heart.
The sign to which I really adhere
Is the star the magi saw appear
The Bright and Morning Star is my guide
With His hands He fashioned me
I am a result of His creation you see.
February 13th, 2013 at 7:07 PM
Lovely, Iris. I had two parents of the Aries persuasion. Each stubborn. but in different ways, each an artists, but with different life mediums, and each called on for others’ projects.
I understand this one so well. Thank you for sharing this one.
February 13th, 2013 at 10:15 PM
Appreciate the honesty, creativity, and truth of this piece, Iris. Thank you!
Marie Elena
February 14th, 2013 at 8:58 AM
Beautiful strength… !!
February 14th, 2013 at 9:34 AM
THE PRACTICALITIES OF BEING A VIRGO
Virgo.
Prudish. Pah.
That’s mistaken.
Discriminating is more apt.
Focused but too focused
for some perhaps.
Seeing clear what’s
useful and what’s not,
what’s needed
and what’s not,
discriminating, as I said,
separating good from bad.
Perfectionist,
oh yes.
Perfection’s never perfect enough.
Organised to distraction.
A place for this,
a place for that, a place
to put her
feet on elemental earth.
Grounded, focused,
thoughtful, quick,
precise and choosy –
I might be organised,
but a maelstrom of a mess
is hidden
under my bed.
February 15th, 2013 at 7:39 PM
… and oh, can I relate! Love it, Misk.
Marie Elena
February 16th, 2013 at 2:05 PM
[...] Poetic Bloomings-What’s Your Prompt (About our horoscope signs) [...]
February 16th, 2013 at 2:09 PM
I sort of missed last week…a haiku that I never posted and this week I’m SUPER late. My street made the news this week and it’s been kind of stressful. xo
February 16th, 2013 at 3:43 PM
Oh, Hannah, I had been wondering how you and yours were doing!! I hope all is well! Hugs, Hen
February 16th, 2013 at 4:26 PM
Thank you, Hen…I appreciate your thoughts…it has been trying but I count my blessings. ♥
March 22nd, 2013 at 3:36 PM
[...] for Poetic Bloomings Prompt #94: So Hey…What’s Your Prompt? (We were to use our astrological sign as our [...]
March 22nd, 2013 at 3:38 PM
WHO, ME?
Vigilant
Independent
Reserved
Giving
Objective
2013-03-22
P. Wanken