Lite Brite

White peg
yellow chicken
red blue
something to do.

I know that I'm too old
to be playing with you,
but you illuminate my boredom
with your 20 year old plug.

Hematoma

Puffed and purple
dead white pain
throbbing agony

Burn a whole in me
and help me drain
my clotted misery

A whole year and we haven't killed each other

It was our one year anniversary today. Overall, a very enjoyable day.

We slept in and couldn't decide where to go for lunch, so I packed a picnic and we went to Bay View Park, unable at first to find a decent place to sit down, but eventually finding a fantastic little hill to claim as our own that allowed us a view of people and their dogs walking by without being in their way at all. Unfortunately, some yellow jackets chased us away earlier than we would have liked.

After that we decided to go to a mall for no apparent reason, since we have no real money to spend, and for some odd reason, Nik wanted to drive all of the way to Regency, which I didn't mind because it was a beautiful day for a drive, and he was the one driving for a change.

We didn't stay long at Regency. Nik always forgets how far away it really is, and how it's a small and uninteresting mall, but at least we were fascinated by the light projected advertisements on the floor.

After leaving Racine, there was much debate about whether to go to dinner or a movie first, but we decided on dinner since we were both hungry again. We had thought about Mexican but ended up settling on Red Lobster. Nik had a vodka mixed drink and grilled trout, and I had the Ultimate Feast and a delicious strawberry margarita. When my meal arrived I was reminded of how terribly trained I am at cracking open crab legs, but I ate a lot more of my meal than I ever expected, and was hugely full afterwards.

We opted for a late movie rather than rushing to the theater, and hung out at home for a couple of hours before heading out to the Rosebud to see March of the Penguins. We loved the movie, and the cozy theater with it's comfortable couches and welcoming clientele. It's our new favorite place, and we were excited to learn about the midnight showings of movies at which you can get free popcorn if you attend while wearing pajamas. I am a popcorn fiend, and I have quite an extensive pajama collection, so we're definitely planning on going back. I was also excited to see that they had Newcastle on tap, as well as Harp and Guinness.

So that about wraps it up for our anniversery. The first year of marriage has not always been easy, but we have both grown individually and closer together along the way. Sometimes I can't believe that I'm married, it's similar to the same feeling I get when I'm overwhelmed with the thought of my own existence. But still, I exist, and there exists this person that I have somehow found that loves me with all of my quirks and disgusting human imperfections. It is, to say the least, incredible.

Blah

I think everyone has lost interest in this blog, including me. Maybe someday I'll come up with something to write about again. I am burnt out on haikus. I am burnt out on everything. I am burnt out on life. I used to write journal entries in a notebook, but it seemed so trite and meaningless to write what I did today and how I feel about it and all kinds of other menial crap that will never interest me again. Now my notebook is covered in scribbles and random scraps of poetry. I like it much better that way, but the poetry well is dry now, and I don't know what to do with myself, my notebook, this blog, or anything else in this world.

I feel abandoned, but I keep people at a distance. I feel bored, but I don't want to do anything.

Every winter I become miserable and dream of summertime, but now I can't wait for summer to end. I'm tired of the way that years go by. Each Christmas, the same family gathering, followed by my trademark period of depression, followed by spring, and a feeling of hope about my life, followed by summer, and a carefree attititude, followed by fall, and dread of winter. It's all starting to bleed together now and just become dread of winter all of the time.

I'm starting to see the same things happening over and over again...not just in my life, but in the world around me. Everything is moving in cycles, and I'm honestly not sure what the point of any of it is.

Compulsive Haiku

I've come up with a new haiku topic - obsessions and compulsions. Everyone has at least one thing that they can't stop doing or can't stop thinking about, whether it's drinking beer, smoking, coffee, men or writing haikus...

It starts with just one
and soon after takes over
I don't want to stop

Now it's your turn. Put your obsession into print.

Weather Haikus

Well, since my animal haiku post actually got a couple of responses, and I can't think of anything else to do on this blog right now, I'm announcing a new haiku subject - the weather. Here is a haiku I've written about today's rain.

It drizzles and stops
Will it rain or will it not?
I am at a loss.

I know haikus aren't traditionally supposed to rhyme, but my compulsive use of slant rhyme seems to occur automatically at times.

Now it's your turn to write a weather haiku.

Mattress

You are an old mattress
that hurts me back
the structure sags,
the springs attack.

I keep you because
you’re all that I have.

The Creative Coma

I haven't written any poetry in a few days, which makes me nervous. Maybe my crazy poetry summer is coming to an end. It sounds strange, but I'm blaming it on my plans to go back to school. In my unscheduled chaotic life, poetry seems to come more easily to me, but planning out my schedule for the Fall has given me a sense of structure. I'm not just drifting anymore. I have a plan.

Maybe it's actually more simple than I'm making it out to be. Perhaps chaos and creativity do not have to go hand. Maybe I've just been using the energy I usually use for writing on making plans for school instead.

I have never had a great deal of energy.

I'm not going to let the lack of new poems bother me. Even if the well is tapped dry for now (which it might not be), I am planning on taking a poetry class in the Fall, which should inspire new ideas and force me to revisit various forms of poetry.

I remember hearing once that you should always get up when a poem wakes you in the middle of the night. I think that says a lot about the allusive nature of poetry. I never know when poetry is going to show up.

Poetry occurs on it's own terms.

Animal Haikus

Does anyone feel like writing haikus about cats with me? On sarcomical she does a "half-week haiku" on Wednesdays that everyone participates in. The subject is always pertinent to whatever is going on in the week. I think it's a fun idea, so I thought maybe I'd offer everyone the opportunity to write a haiku about cats on my blog. In fact, let's make it more broad and have it be about any animal. Maybe people who are reading my blog without commenting can participate for a change. Or maybe no one is reading my blog. Either way, here is my cat haiku.

You sprawl on the floor
panting and over-heated
The fur doesn't help.

By the way, my friend Jen told me that she was in the process of writing a cat haiku, but was having a hard time cutting down the syllables. To that I say that the "haiku" rule isn't really strict, and that any animal poem is worthwhile.