Friday Writings #157: Holiday Anxieties

Greetings, poets and storytellers. Can you believe 2024 is about to bite the dust? Me neither. I know most of us say the same every year, but that doesn’t make it untrue. One more year is ending much too soon. Or, perhaps, not soon enough. Time shall tell… 

This holiday season, in my bit of the world, a significant number of humans are extra worried about finances, about those they love, and all is made worse by current political tensions. Since I believe that one of the most effective ways to deal with stress monsters (and other nasty demons) is to face them write on (typo totally intended), for our last optional prompt of 2024, I invite you to write poetry or prose inspired by holiday anxieties. Said anxieties can be personal or general, real or imagined (which we all know doesn’t really make them unreal).

Please, add the direct link to your response to Mister Linky. One post per participant. 369 words maximum, for prose and for poetry. You may share old or new pieces. You may write to the prompt or to a topic of your choosing. Try visiting other poets and storytellers. Read their words. Comment on their anxiety-inspired weavings.

the holiday season (and beyond)… we will be taking a couple of weeks off to celebrate or despair over the end of the year. This is our last post for 2024. We shall return on January 3, 2025. On that day, our Rommy will guide us into a new year by inviting us to write about what comes to mind when we see the word “prioritize”.

May your Holiday Season be full of wonder… and love.


via Miss-Mental.com

Friday Writings #156: Let's Go Adventuring!

 

Dear Word Weavers, lately I've been entranced all over again by the words of that excellent weaver, John Masefield.

I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by

So begins his Sea Fever, a poem I’ve loved since I was a kid. Reading it, I identify strongly with the sentiments expressed. I suspect most people would, and that that’s a testament to the skill of the writing — the word pictures painted, the metre, the appeal to the senses, the evocation of freedom …

In truth I’ve rarely ever set foot on a sailing boat, and then only as a passenger.

 I did spend a fair bit of time messing about on rowboats and motorboats in my youth, and always loved being on the water; however I don’t really have any great longing to take to the seas on a sailing expedition. I wouldn't know the first thing about how to manage the boat! Nevertheless, the poem calls so powerfully to my sense of adventure that I'm temporarily caught up in Masefield's own emotions. My dad used to read me that poem when I was little, and ever since then just the sight of a sailboat always stirs my soul.

 

Photo © Rosemary Nissen-Wade 2012

 

I'm also very stirred by Hilaire Belloc's The Winged Horse ('He had flames behind the eyes of him and wings upon his side, And I ride, and I ride!') That's not a literal possibility but a metaphorical scenario (about the excitement of discovering he was a poet). In any case, I would be far too scared ever to attempt riding a real horse! Yet this poem fills me with the same kind of thrill, as if I really could ride the skies like that, the same wild yearning to cast off my normal, day-to-day life and leap ...

I wonder what kind of adventure captures your imagination?

Optional prompt: 

Whether it's a real possibility or a fantasy scenario, I invite you to tell us what adventure you dream of.

Guidelines:

Poetry or prose, old or new, on prompt or on any other subject you choose.
One post per person, 369 words maximum (excluding title and notes). 

Link to that post on Mister Linky below.

We encourage you to visit and comment on other people’s posts, and leave us a message here too if you wish. (Tip: it’s always a good idea to come back later in the week in case you missed any late posters.)

Next week:

Magaly will invite us to write poetry or prose inspired by holiday anxieties. 

Holiday Break (advance notice):

As always, we’ll be taking time off over the festive season. Our final post for this year will be December 13th and we’ll resume on January 3rd.