Tag: Mary Lee Hahn

Poetry Friday – Mary Lee’s Poetry Swap

Denise Krebs6 Comments

I got to participate in three poetry swaps this summer. It was a unique and lovely experience. My last swap was with Mary Lee Hahn. She has been embroidering this year, and I had the pleasure of receiving an embroidered gift made especially for me.

I’m using the bookmark she made in my Dictionary for a Better World, which I’m reading each day. So I also read the haiku each day:

Inspired by my blog posts, she wrote:

after the monsoon

hearts and flowers bloom again

a window opens

 

This morning I was sitting on my back porch, and I noticed a bloom on a plant that had been all but dead:

Now, I just have to determine if this is an oleander! Why would someone plant that poisonous plant in their yard?

And the window she is referring to is my new favorite feature of my house–this window recently opened between my kitchen and living room.

For Mary Lee,  I wrote a cento poem based on Mary Lee’s April 2022 poetry collection. If you haven’t already read them, you are missing out.

Doing the Work

Your hope must be a verb

for change

holding everything in balance

many small acts

make a big difference

They give life, rather than taking it.

Our work done best, is done en masse.

This spring we’re planting, saying please

We’re Cheering for you! Be Courageous!

A cento poem

From Mary Lee Hahn’s April 2022 “Hope in a Time of Climate Crisis” poetry collection

Poem titles from lines 1-9

  1. The Thing Is
  2. The Truth
  3. What If
  4. A Small Patch
  5. A Small Patch
  6. What I Know About Farming
  7. Dandelions
  8. Daily Alchemy
  9. Dear Generation C

 

Mary Lee wrote a post today, as well, about my poem swap with her. You can read it here.  Kat Apel is hosting Poetry Friday today. Be sure to visit and see what is happening Down Under with her two most recent book releases.

Poetry Friday – 2 Percent

Denise Krebs15 Comments

Days numbering 2,873
Days of worry and those carefree
Days of full health and sickness
Days of glad joy and sadness
Days of work and fun vacation
Days of overwork and relaxation
Days of dullness and shining jewels
Days of burden and then renewal
Days of dining in and often out
Days of rain (1.5%) and drought
Days of relationships so compelling
Days in our Bahrain dwelling.

While I was here,
I met people from 67% of earth’s countries,
100% of my daughters became married to
100% extraordinary partners.
I lost 25% of my sisters and
8% of my body mass,
I spent 21% of my married life
and 12% of my full life so far.

On 16% of the days I wrote on this blog,
26% of the days refilled water bottles,
18% of my Thursdays edited church
service videos during the pandemic,
44% of my days at Al Raja School,
and 36% of my days at church.

Now there are 56 days to go.
Inshallah,
just 2%
of our time remains
How will I make the most of it?

I know this:
100% of my days
are forever a gift of Grace

Do you want to join some of us in writing daily poems of gratitude this month? Post your short poems with #gratitude, #gratiku, #gratitudepoem.

Today’s Poetry Friday is hosted by Mary Lee Hahn at A(nother) Year of Reading. The Inklings wrote poems using percent today, so I had fun thinking of some of the things I had done during the last eight years in Bahrain.