According to society, a woman of a certain age should guard her propriety and seek only suitors who are older. If she happens to find herself drawn to a man of younger persuasion, she is depicted by those who have opinions as a wild hunter who laid in wait to pounce on some unsuspecting man-child and forced him to mind his manners. When the roles are reversed, there is little batting of eyes because double standards always seem to benefit those who sit on the biggest thrones in the patriarchy.
@Home Studio – 181st poem of the year (after watching The Idea of You.)
The Idea of You, Showalter,Michael, Amazon Prime Video, 16 March, 2024, Hathaway, Anne.
Runner ups for the Cougar photos to accompany my poem:
The mother does what any mother must do after receiving the worst news imaginable; she mounts her dragon and flies as far as she must for confirmation with her own eyes that her son has been taken from this world in a vicious attack. She must reckon with the knowledge that all could have been prevented by her every step of the way, so she has herself to blame for her baby ending up in the belly of the enemy’s beast. A son for a son will become the battle cry that brings only blood to the realm. Winter is truly coming.
@Home Studio – 180th poem of the year (after watching Season 2, Episode 1 of House of the Dragon)
Condal, Ryan and George R. R. Martin, creators. House of the Dragon. HBO Entertainment and Warner Bros., 2024.
Runner ups for the Grieving Mother photos to accompany my poem:
The madman who lived in a hut deep in Camelot forest was named Will for a reason. He claimed to have no king, despite Arthur ordering him to come forth and explain. According to his wife, grief had walled him up after his son died in a tragic accident. The man named Will decided to perish unless God himself appeared and made plain the reason for suffering. Arthur sat all night speaking with the man, who he felt closer to than anyone else in his kingdom, for he keenly felt the suffering of his people the poor, the sick, the burdened. Arthur shared the wisdom Merlin taught him, rather than struggle against evil, realize that it does not actually exist. We create heaven and hell with our own will, invent duality, evil and good, light and shadow, chase our tails to our own detriment and create despair. We must allow our will to be free to choose to reject this duality and permit unity to be born in our hearts and minds, rather than sealing ourselves up in a hut deep in the woods of grief where we await our deaths.
@Genuine Joe’s – 175th poem of the year
Chopra, Deepak. The Way of the Wizard: Twenty Spiritual Lessons for Creating the Life You Want. New York, United States of America, Harmony Books, 1995, pp.123-128.
Runner ups for the Forest Hut photos to accompany my poem:
Girls’ luncheon at Cilantro Grill is fabulous, filling, a lovely time with mother, daughter, granddaughter, grandmother, great-grandmother, great-granddaughter, future sister-in-law, daughter-in-law, mother-in-law.
Kalua pork, grilled pineapple, garlic edamame, butter shrimp, macaroni salad, spam musubi, tom yum, Pad Thai, basil fried rice, yellow curry, deep fried red snapper, drunken noodles, tom kha.
A princess in a fitted gown floats into the room sparkling like stars in a dark night sky. She is the dream vision of every little girl who imagines herself someday gracefully gliding down a cathedral aisle. The sheer veil ripples elegantly, falling like light snow in quiet drifts on her brunette locks. Gentle turns, angled glances at her beauty in the mirror, loveliness draped in silk and lace.
@Home Studio – 172nd poem of the year
Runner ups for the Wedding Dress Event photos to accompany my poem:
rebekahjmarshall 