Tag Archives: parenting

Poetry, Writing

Making the Call

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(Poem 247 for 2024 – I am writing a poem a day)

AI Generated image I prompted on Gencraft.com https://gencraft.ai/p/l27VBQ

Making the call to end a life
weighs heavily on the spirit,
even if the conclusion is an
act of mercy for the beloved
by relieving pain and suffering.
Only those who have spent
years with another in close
proximity, shared their lives
intimately, and were tasked
with taking the initiative to
usher in the end know the
reluctance with which the
decision is made and how
heavy the heart to speak the
truth that life has become a
burden rather than a blessing.

@Home Studio – 247th poem of the year

Runner ups for the Making the Call photos to accompany my poem:

Poetry, Writing

Harry Potter 3

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(Poem 240 for 2024 – I am writing a poem a day)

https://images.app.goo.gl/Dba7iiW43fWivP989

Scabbers lived the good life
for 12 years with the Weasley
family, a suspiciously long
time for a rat with teenage
boys for primary caretakers.
Enemy of Crookshanks for
false accusations of ratricied,
motivation for Sirius to flee
Azkaban after spotting him,
found in Hagrid’s cabin where
he hid like the coward he is,
an Animagus whose unforgivable
betrayal created orphans of
too many children to count.

@Home Studio – 240th poem of the year (After watching it at Cinemark with Debbie, Celinda, David, & Charlotte on 8/27/24 for Back to Hogwarts Week)

Cuarón, Alfonso, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Warner Bros., 2004.

Poetry, Writing

Harry Potter 2

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(Poem 239 for 2024 – I am writing a poem a day)

https://images.app.goo.gl/TU5NwQP66Eb5TH818

Sneaky, sneaky little red-head
naughty girl, how did I not notice
you before with your guilty looks
and furtive glances as you wrote
with Tom in your evil journal?
As many times as I’ve watched
this movie, I’ve never noticed
the full-grown adult man who
slipped the diary into your books,
and started you down the dark
path that nearly cost you your life.

Rebekah Marshall @Home Studio on 9/5/24 @ 8:00pm – 239th poem of the year (After watching it at Cinemark with Celinda & Charlotte on 8/26/24 for Back to Hogwarts Week)

Columbus, Chris, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Warner Bros., 2002.

Poetry, Writing

Harry Potter 1

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(Poem 238 for 2024 – I am writing a poem a day)

https://images.app.goo.gl/cMLzPMuhK6CV5n3y6

This time around, what struck me most
was how utterly alone Harry was before
finding his family and place at Hogwarts.
A boy of 11 should not have to bear the
cruelty he endured at the hands of his
neglectful relatives in the cupboard under
the stairs at 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging.
Told his whole life he’d amount to nothing
and best make himself scarce, then told
he’s famous, the boy who lived, a magical
miracle admired and marveled at by all,
is enough to warp the mind and heart.
Yet, this little boy is willing to face any
enemy, that others might live without fear.

@Home Studio – 238th poem of the year (After watching it at Cinemark with Debbie, Celinda, Paula, Jenny, Erica, Jacob, Caleb, Ava, Charlotte, & Lydia on 8/25/24 for Back to Hogwarts Week)

Columbus, Chris, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Warner Bros., 2001.

Poetry, Writing

Hot Pot

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(Poem 230 for 2024 – I am writing a poem a day)

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

Hot pot evening
broth burns tongue
warms bellies
fills contentment
noodles, mushrooms,
thinly sliced beef,
tofu, egg dumplings,
sprouts, fish balls,
onion, bok choy,
spicy or really spicy
are the options
because my daughter
is the hostess.

@Home Studio – 230th poem of the year

Runner ups for the Hot Pot photos to accompany my poem:

Poetry, Writing

The Women of House of the Dragon

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(Poem 229 for 2024 – I am writing a poem a day)

AI Generated image I prompted on Gencraft.com https://gencraft.ai/p/ivnVd8

The women of this world
create a complicated
kaleidoscope of mothers
and sisters who must
begrudgingly tolerate the
men who share their space.
From the bawdy pirate queen
with her many wives and
loyal crew of rowdy marauders,
to the gentlest soul Helaena,
unwilling to harm another,
but unafraid to speak the truth.
From the queen who ever was,
whose unwavering hope inspires
a new world of dragon riders,
to the queen who agonizes
over the decision to sacrifice
her own flesh and blood for
the sake of a kingdom of peace.
From the Lady who searches
the moors and her soul for the
dragon she believes is destiny,
to the White Worm who knows
the underbelly of hunger and
thirst and clawing her way from
the trench to the castle better
than most can begin to fathom.    

@Home Studio – 229th poem of the year (after watching House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 8.)

Condal, Ryan and George R. R. Martin, creators. House of the Dragon. HBO Entertainment and Warner Bros., 2024.

Runner ups for the women of dragons photos to accompany my poem:

Poetry, Writing

First Day of School

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(Poem 227 for 2024 – I am writing a poem a day)

Photographs taken by Lydia Sullivan.

Dressed to impress,
hair styled just so,
feet in new shoes,
look at them grow.

Climbing on a bus
for the commute,
backpack and lunch
and smiles to boot.

Headed to school,
meet the new class
make new friends
and have a blast.

It’s a great day to
start the new year
of learning and fun
with nothing to fear.

@Home Studio – 227th poem of the year

Poetry, Writing

Inside Out 2

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(Poem 221 for 2024 – I am writing a poem a day)

https://images.app.goo.gl/XiiiiMmvNwkLSmbU6

Puberty ushers in such
comrades as Anxiety,
Envy, Embarrassment,
and my favorite, Ennui.
The panic that ensues
when Embarrassment
threatens and Envy
rears her unsettled self,
resurrects Fear and
Disgust, Anger and
Sadness, leading to
complete paralysis.
The only protection
against it all is to feign
Ennui…nothing matters
because too much
enthusiasm might be
the wrong amount, and
no one would dare be
too happy in a room
full of teens trying to
fake unruffled chill.

Rebekah Marshall @Home Studio on 8/19/24 @ 10:17am – 221st poem of the year (After watching Inside Out 2 with my granddaughter in theatre.)

Mann, Kelsey. Inside Out 2. Amy Poehler, Pixar Animation Studios, 14 June 2024.

Poetry, Writing

Cat on a Pillow

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(Poem 216 for 2024 – I am writing a poem a day)

AI Generated image I prompted on Gencraft.com https://gencraft.ai/p/UZ5prA https://gencraft.ai/p/AX62Cu

A cat on a pillow is quaint.
On my keyboard – complaint.
A cat in a box is expected.
In my clean laundry – ejected.

A cat on a sofa is sweet.
On my counter – not so neat.
A cat on a chair is fine.
On my dinner table – out of line.

A cat on a piano is great.
On my bed – I get irate.
A cat on a bench is just right.
On my bookshelf – it’s a fight.

@Home Studio – 216th poem of the year

Poetry, Writing

Turtle House

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(Poem 212 for 2024 – I am writing a poem a day)

AI Generated image I prompted on Gencraft.com https://gencraft.ai/p/BsWO3A https://gencraft.ai/p/FYxwx0

Auspicious stone turtles
stand guard, gargoyles of
destiny, good fortune baked
into their shells, assuring the
dwelling longstanding fortune.
The turtles in the pond
fight for bits of mushy carrot,
stale bread, and greens,
unaware of the larger battle
being fought in the sky pond
by Grummans and Warhawks.
The people swim and love,
dream and hope, serve an
emperor or a president who
demands unwavering loyalty,
and wonder when peace will
fill the turtle house again.

@Home Studio – 212th poem of the year (After reading The Turtle House by Amanda Churchill.)

Churchill, Amanda. The Turtle House. Harper Collins, 2024.

Runner ups for the Turtle House photos to accompany my poem: