Category Archives: Writing

Poetry, Writing

Mema Day

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(Poem 123 for 2024 – I am writing a poem a day)

I took this photograph on Mema’s front porch 5/4/24.

My sister bought a box
of butterflies to release in
honor of Mema’s birthday.
We gathered, all five
generations of us, and
watched in awe as they
emerged from their sleepy
coldness to warm to the
overcast heat of a May day.
Each butterfly took its own
time exploring this new
brightness of air and space,
flitting from tiny human to
big human to ground to
metal rooftop and beyond.
The last Painted Lady
dilly-dallied and decided
to rest a while on a potted
plant on Mema’s porch.
None of us really knew
what to expect and were
pleasantly surprised at the
loveliness of the little
creatures Mema loved so.

@The Writing Barn: Buddha Hall (in honor of Mema’s birthday that was on May 2nd and the butterfly release that was on May 4th. She would have been 89.) – 123rd poem of the year

Poetry, Writing

I bought the Sceptre Curved 24-inch gaming monitor

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(Poem 122 for 2024 – I am writing a poem a day)

AI Generated image I prompted on Gencraft.com https://gencraft.ai/p/lgsgVm

I bought the Sceptre Curved 24-inch gaming monitor1080p R1500 98% sRGB HDMI x2 VGA Buid-in speakers, VESA Wall Mount Machine Black (C248W-19204N Series) – the sound is not very good, but I like the visuals for the work I do, and it was $84.97 on Amazon. I bought the Hiearcool USB C Hub, USB C Multi-Port Adapter, 7in1 Dongle Compatible for MacBook Pro, Chromebooks, etc. for $18.84 on Amazon. It seems to be working fine. I also bought the Logitech MK295 Wireless Mouse & Keyboard Combo with SilentTouch Technology, full number pad, lag-free wireless, 90% less noise for $29.99 on Amazon. I like them well enough and must have a number pad on my keyboards, so I like this one. I also got a LORYERGO Laptop Stand for Desk to make more room and have a better angle on the Chromebook for $12.74 on Amazon. This one is wonderful. I think it is helping with neck pain, too. Lastly, I got a SUPERDANNY power strip surge protector with 22 AC outlets and 6 USB charging ports for $27.99 on Amazon. It is a bit of overkill, but I was sick of not having enough outlets for things. Oh, and for back comfort, I use my cat as a lumbar pillow. He is not for sale.

@Home Studio – 122nd poem of the year

Runner ups for the Tech and Cat photos to accompany my poem:

Poetry, Writing

Aliens and Flowers

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(Poem 120 for 2024 – I am writing a poem a day)

AI Generated image I prompted on Gencraft.com https://gencraft.ai/p/YauaEp
AI Generated image I prompted on Gencraft.com https://gencraft.ai/p/7YJLJc

Our most fragile young
sleep in giant moonflowers
and sip the nectar if they are
hungry between feedings.
When they outgrow the
petal-perfect beds nature
constructed just for them,
they learn to sleep on the
knit hammocks strung
delicately between the
lowest branches of the
swaying willow palm trees.
The cloth is woven from
flower stem silk and the
bedding is fresh layered
petals changed nightly.
Our skin becomes the
fragrance of the flowers,
for we are inextricably
intertwined with the vines
and the leaves and the
fronds and the buds.
Then, when we grow too
old to see the stars with
our own eyes, too old
to hear the song of the
silver sycamore boughs,
too old to feel the velvet
of the lambs’ ear bush,
too old to taste the nectar
of the purple dragonmint,
we enter the heart of the
forest to create a nest of
shaggy moss and jelly lichen
cushioned with sweetgrass
and honey death fungus,
and cover ourselves with
layers of galaxy orchids and
phoenix lilies so we can
join our brother flowers in
eternal sleep.

@Home Studio – 120th poem of the year

Runner ups for the Alien Flowers photos to accompany my poem:

Poetry, Writing

My Anger

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(Poem 119 for 2024 – I am writing a poem a day)

AI Generated image I prompted on Gencraft.com https://gencraft.ai/p/FIy0ZG

My anger used to be the
kind that exploded like an
overheated pressure cooker.
I think it’s because I used
to care; it hurt to feel like
a last resort afterthought.
Now my anger is the kind
that pools in a dirty puddle
and breeds mosquitos.
I think that’s because my
will to care has turned
stagnate, a film formed on
the surface like old milk.

Rebekah Marshall @Home Studio on 4/29/24 @ 9:39pm – 119th poem of the year

Poetry, Writing

My Pet Alligator

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(Poem 118 for 2024 – I am writing a poem a day)

AI Generated image I prompted on Gencraft.com https://gencraft.ai/p/iVDQOg

My pet alligator is a snuggle bug
and loves to sleep on my bed.
He’s always quick to give me a hug
and listen to the worries in my head.

He enjoys spending time reading books
and watching old movies with me.
He eats anything my mother cooks;
he’s been with me since I was three.

Someday when I have my own kids,
I’ll let him babysit in our home.
He’ll keep them from doing things he forbids
and will never let them roam.

He’ll be an important part of my life
for as long as he’s willing to stay.
He gently, lovingly calms all strife
and improves my world every day.

He is certain to give as much as receive
and prefers listening to rock and roll.
I don’t think he’ll ever want to leave
because he adores climate control.

@Home Studio – 118th poem of the year

Runner ups for the Pet Alligator photos to accompany my poem:

Poetry, Writing

Planet of the Apes

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(Poem 117 for 2024 – I am writing a poem a day)

AI Generated image I prompted on Gencraft.com https://gencraft.ai/p/qVudEC

Who’s to blame for the uprising?
Seeking a guilty verdict for the
ancestor most likely to be the
culprit does little to unenslave
the victims now suffering atrocities.
Wouldn’t the better course of action
be to remake society into a place
of peace and mutual collaboration?
That would be too logical and
require setting aside revenge and
greed, animosity, and hatred,
require communicating, being
vulnerable and open to change,
require accepting the other and
making allowances and space
for differences that require both
understanding and patience.
It would mean providing for those
who can’t provide for themselves,
showing compassion to those who
are weaker, and making room for
those whose ideologies collide.
Be the perpetrator of peace for
the benefit of all, and inflict undying
hope on generations to come.

@Home Studio – 117th poem of the year

Runner ups for the Planet of the Apes photos to accompany my poem:

Poetry, Writing

70 is the New 50

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(Poem 116 for 2024 – I am writing a poem a day)

AI Generated image I prompted on Gencraft.com https://gencraft.ai/p/96djvD

70 is the new 50.
Bike, climb, hike, romance;
the world is your oyster,
the sky the limit.
You can smell the roses
and shoot for the moon,
throw your hat in the ring
and take the bull by the horns.
So, bite the bullet,
but don’t break a leg
because the ball’s in your court,
and it’s time to sing your own praises.
You make your own destiny,
for nothing is set in stone.
Since all bets are off,
pull out all the stops,
make a castle in the sky,
and do everything on your bucket list.

@Home Studio – 116th poem of the year

Runner ups for the Granny Fun photos to accompany my poem:

Poetry, Writing

Meeting in the Kitchen

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(Poem 115 for 2024 – I am writing a poem a day)

AI Generated image I prompted on Gencraft.com https://gencraft.ai/p/vN0V7C

We had a meeting in the kitchen.
I cried and scrubbed the stove.
You told me to take better care of myself.
I scraped burnt cabbage and tomato sauce off a pan.
You left a cabinet open.
I cried some more.
You played with the wind chimes.
I said how much I miss our chats.
You comforted me.

@Home Studio – 115th poem of the year

Poetry, Writing

Pheromone Perfume

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(Poem 114 for 2024 – I am writing a poem a day)

AI Generated image I prompted on Gencraft.com https://gencraft.ai/p/z00Qvm

I bought some of that
pheromone perfume to
make my husband love me;
turns out, I don’t need it.
I’m the whole package and
seem to be his cup of tea.
Because my hips are as
wide as the Himalayas and
other assets ample, as well,
I need reminders that for
some men, an ample shape
can be pleasing as hell.
The culture I was raised in
prized a female form with
less meat on the bones;
that leaves a stain on the
heart that’s hard to shake—
dispatched to friend zones.
So, I’ll probably keep buying
the latest aphrodisiacs and
pretty things on TikTok shop,
even though my husband
thinks I’m beautiful and feels
no need to window shop.

@Home Studio – 114th poem of the year

Runner ups for the full-figured white girl photos to accompany my poem: