Word Play

I’ve been fooling around with some of those little word magnets. You know the ones that you’re supposed to arrange into poetry on your refrigerator? I’m calling mine “Motivational Kitchen Counter Poetry.” Since my refrigerator has no space, arranging them on the counter is much easier. And, I’m forced to look at them everyday because they’re in my way.

Susan helped me get it started a couple of months ago when we broke apart a panel of motivational words from a conference I attended years ago. We hoped that arranging them would give us some insight into our psyches after a conversation about our families. It’s funny that I’ve been so intrigued by it because I’ve “hated” poetry for many years now. It hasn’t always been that way. I even wrote a bit of it when I was a young, disturbed teenager — and left it behind when I left my husband in my late 30s.

While I haven’t revealed my psyche (or have I?), the intrigue has apparently penetrated it. A poem that cracked me up all day, just popped into my head when I started my usual Saturday routine of listening to my favorite NPR programs. The anticipation of the Listener Limerick Challenge and the weeks experience with “counter words” combined into this:

Saturday Sounds on the Hill

Wait wait…don’t tell me!
Whad’Ya Know?
There’s Car Talk
in This American Life

It’s still making me chuckle. If you’re a Michigan Radio listener, you might be too. If you’re not, it probably doesn’t make any sense at all.

Confined to “motivational” words, I came up with two poems. They started on the counter and have moved to my refrigerator now. They’re not works of art, but I had fun looking at the limited choices and putting something together that has nothing to do with “success,” “determination” or “110%.” (Or DO they!?)

Chance Victory of Great Difference

Every reach for the dream is
opportunity to change
up your limit
give your destination at the sky


What Purpose Love?

Never give my heart limit
don't believe life
dare imagine a strength you expect —
find fullest dreams together

That was my creative spurt for the week. I think all the sunshine is getting to me. Yay sunshine!