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I was born at the beginning of the 1970s in the mountains of North Carolina. Maybe it was the altitude of my little town (3,000+ above sea level), but the end of Jim Crow Laws didn’t seem to mean much there when I was young. And really, I was too young to be aware of much, but I remember hearing my parents whispering about burning crosses and nooses. For some reason, the streetlight on the…

A lot of changes going on at this time of year. Graduations, birthdays, etc. I was talking to my daughter last night about how much we wish we could go back. So, obviously, I had to write a poem about the passage of time. I used the villanelle form, and if there’s one thing I’ve noticed about villanelle, it can end up not saying exactly what you meant it to, but still something valid. Just…

Yep. I’ve already got my next poetry book ready to go. April is such a great month to get me going on it. I found my direction while writing my daily poems with all of you, and then I opened up my folder from the past year since I published Thick & Thin, and I found a trove of verses just waiting to complement what I wrote in April. I didn’t use every poem from April, and I’ve reordered the ones…

10:30 a.m. And so our month of verse draws to a close. I have a few things to get done today, including the newsletter for my store, but this has been a poem that’s 30 days coming, basically. That’s a good amount of time. And the only thing I can think of for a theme is that I want it to sum everything up. So what was this month about? My corner of the world. Making things…

10:55 a.m. I’m hoping to make a book with some of these poems. I do it every year. Sometimes I use all the poems I write in the month of April, sometimes only some of them. I imagine this will be one of the “only some of them” years. In all seriousness, I am always happy to have the abundance of poetry that April leaves me with. So today I’m dedicating my poem to the theme of…

10:49 a.m. I thought I’d be able to keep my direction. 10:58 a.m. I obviously was not correct about that. But I’m back. I had to refresh my ideas about what I am writing about, which is my corner of the world. It’s the only thing I’m in charge of. It's not always neat and far from straight,this corner where I make my home.If you think you know it, baby, just wait,because this is my biome.It's…

12:22 p.m. Today I get my first ever dental filling. I’m not even nervous, but it is a little irritating to have to use part of my day to do this. And they told me to eat ahead of time, and I’m not hungry lol. Full disclosure, I started thinking of this one about half an hour ago. I was locking my door. It’s a gray day, but it felt brighter for a moment. A moment in the sunlightbut not…

1:42 p.m. How do I write about all the things that are going through my head and heart right now? No sooner do I get a handle on one emotion than another is crowding the first one out. I know. TMI. But I feel like that’s something we’re all experiencing pretty much all the time. Last night I’m taking pictures of my daughter for prom and got a notification that shots had been fired at the White…

10:09 a.m. And here we are at day 25 of National Poetry Month. I’m drinking mushroom coffee, waiting for the day to start. It’s a big one. Senior Prom day for my daughter. Indie Bookstore Day. There’s a 5K in our little town. And it’s the day I write my 25th poem of the month. Let’s go, then. turn the open signsip your coffee...wait for itthe door will openand there they will bebringing the day…

11:53 a.m. I’m late today because I was at a high school awards ceremony. My daughter won a scholarship for performing arts. I’ve watched her develop as an actress and singer since she was six years old. Mostly backstage, but I’ve been lucky enough to be onstage with her some, too. But where I usually am is backstage or in the audience. That got me thinking about being backstage. rustles and…

10:22 a.m. Iris season is almost over, I guess, but man was it a good one. Purple, yellow, blue, white. I saw them all. The flowers look too big to stand up on the stalks. Almost like they float. 10:47 a.m. Took a break to chat with some nice people who stopped in. Let’s see if we can write a sonnet about irises. Iris season is nearly overfilled with blooms vibrant in coloryellow, blue, purple…

11:36 a.m. Today I’m thinking about fire. Also, a friend just stopped by and talked about a kind of poetry called “Blackout Poetry”. Evidently Benjamin Franklin used to do this thing where you take a written piece and black out most of the words, leaving a poem. I’m going to give it a try. This is from an article about the Brantley County fires in Georgia. I have family there. You can read the…

10:11 a.m. Last night I laid in my hammock looking up at the sky while the sun set. As it got dark I could see the shiny silver crescent moon, partially cloaked by clouds. It was beautiful. For the Crescent Moonby Michelle Garren-FlyeAre you falling?I know that feeling.shedding bits of yourselfand wondering, what will the end be like?Did you see the batwings beating the wind?Keen beacon pierces…

12:39 p.m. This morning I heard “I Just Died In Your Arms Tonight” by Cutting Crew (remember that one?) and started thinking about one hit wonders. It’s always been used as a sort of derogatory term. Something for someone who had great success with something but could never remake that success. But I’m thinking, what if we approach this from a different direction? What if it’s a wonderful thing…

7:37 p.m. Long day today, most of it on the road. So this is going to be short and sweet. Although I wrote part in my head while driving… Waiting for the Rainby Michelle Garren-FlyeI'm thirstywaiting for rainto moisten my parched roots. I'm hungrywaiting for mealsto ease the hunger of my belly.I'm tiredwaiting for nightto rock me to sleep.What if the rain doesn't comeand the meals aren't…

10:11 a.m. Anticipating a busy day here at the store, so I’m getting an early start. Might take a while, might go fast. I’m just here for the ride. Which gives me an idea. I'm just here for the ride. Cruising across bridges to the end of the highway.Maybe just to see where it leadsand what it's like.It's not the destination, it's the journeyand it might be a bumpy one. Let's just go for a…

12:42 p.m. I guarantee I’ll be interrupted, but I’m trying to finish this before lunch. I have only a line in mind: “Making yourself small enough to fit.” It was inspired by the book I just finished, Weyward by Emilia Hart. An excellent read and all about learning not to try to fit into society’s expectations of you. 12:46 p.m. Here goes: Make yourself small enough to fitthe hole that has…