Poetry Friday - Marathon

I've spent the last three months training for a half marathon. Imagine my dismay when I threw my back out two weeks ago, just 13 days before the race. I spent an entire week flat on my back. I've iced and heated, been to therapy, had a massage, and done everything possible to get myself ready to run on the 11th (that's tomorrow). I'm not really sure I am in any shape to do this, but last week when I joined my team for the last Saturday of training, they all encouraged me to come for the race, even if all I can do is walk. I haven't actually run since October 28th, but my hope is to lace up and see how I feel. I have so many folks supporting me that I just can't imagine being anywhere else come Saturday morning.

Since all I'm thinking about is running, this poem is most appropriate for today.

Marathon
by E. Ethelbert Miller

it’s a strange time which finds me jogging
in early morning
the deadness of sleep alive in this world
the empty parks filled with unloved strangers
buildings grey with solitude

Read the poem in its entirety.

I do hope you'll take some time to check out all the wonderful poetic things being shared and collected today by Jama at Jama's Alphabet Soup. Happy poetry Friday friends.

Poetry Sisters Write Triolets

This month Liz challenged us to write a triolet that included at least two of the following words:

• orange
• fall
• chill
• light
• change

I like triolets, but man, are they hard to write. Even though a triolet is an 8-line poem, it uses only two rhymes used throughout. Additionally, the first line is repeated in the fourth and seventh lines, while the second line is repeated in the final line. Because of this, only five different poetic lines are written.  The rhyme scheme for a triolet is ABaAabAB (where capital letters stand for repeated lines).

Here are a few poems I scratched out while flat on my back this week.

Triolet 1
Despite the orange and red of fall
some folks prefer the green of spring
choose lilacs over pumpkin haul

How bright the orange and red of fall
that usher out the bat and ball
and welcome geese upon the wing

Oh glorious orange and red of fall
you far surpass the green of spring!

Triolet 2 
She fell in love with a flier
  but it’s dangerous to fall
  for the chills and thrills of a wire
She fell in love with a flier
  knowing he'd walk through fire
  to answer a curtain call
It’s hard to love a flier
  when it’s dangerous to fall

Triolet 3 
I prefer things stay the same
 yes, change is overrated
Since life is but a waiting game
 I prefer things stay the same
Won't fall for highly specious claims
 what's meant to be is fated
I hope to God things stay the same
 for change is overrated.

Poems ©Tricia Stohr-Hunt, 2017. All rights reserved.

You can read the poems written by my poetry sisters at the links below. 

• Tanita Davis
• Kelly Fineman
• Sara Lewis Holmes
• Laura Purdie Salas
• Andi Sibley
• Liz Garton Scanlon

I do hope you'll take some time to check out all the wonderful poetic things being shared and collected today by Linda at Teacher Dance. Happy poetry Friday friends.